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The Boy Who Lit Up the Star
A satirical Soviet coming-of-age book about an intimate friendship.
Sasha Gorky is a bitter, sexist ten-year-old Soviet boy who’s obsessed with becoming a ‘man.’ But to become a real man in the Soviet Union, you not only have to smoke, swear, shave your head, be nice to random chicks, and not kick other guys in the groin (even if it’s a classmate that really deserves it)—but you also have to...
Actually, what else is there that matters?
Nah, that’s pretty much it.
And Sasha follows these rules religiously, just like every other Soviet boy. So how is it possible that some goddamn American sissy like Luke can just show up one day, not having done any of those things, and still seem manlier than him? He needed to find out what the big deal was.
The Boy Who Lit Up the Star is a poignant, satirical coming-of-age tale where Sasha Gorky reminisces about that exact summer of 1986—now five years ago—when he formed his first and only intimate bond, only to spiral. Not because it was with an American boy, but because he realizes he’ll never be as happy as he was then.
Sasha Gorky is a bitter, sexist ten-year-old Soviet boy who’s obsessed with becoming a ‘man.’ But to become a real man in the Soviet Union, you not only have to smoke, swear, shave your head, be nice to random chicks, and not kick other guys in the groin (even if it’s a classmate that really deserves it)—but you also have to...
Actually, what else is there that matters?
Nah, that’s pretty much it.
And Sasha follows these rules religiously, just like every other Soviet boy. So how is it possible that some goddamn American sissy like Luke can just show up one day, not having done any of those things, and still seem manlier than him? He needed to find out what the big deal was.
The Boy Who Lit Up the Star is a poignant, satirical coming-of-age tale where Sasha Gorky reminisces about that exact summer of 1986—now five years ago—when he formed his first and only intimate bond, only to spiral. Not because it was with an American boy, but because he realizes he’ll never be as happy as he was then.
496 pages, Paperback
Published December 26, 2025
189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 14, 2026
♬⋆.˚Purple Rain by Prince▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။၊|• 0:10 𝄞
𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼
Ok it’s done… Ive been pestering this author for ages
IT ENDS LIKE THAT?! Nvm I don’t regret saying hurry up and write that sequel because I NEED one. We all know Senny loves a historical fiction and I normally understand why people avoid the genre but I might give this the TCFD treatment. Y’all gonna find me annoying af. Sometimes I worry that books rely too heavily on the romance but this book doesnt it makes sure that we care about more than that and we don’t just see Luke and Sasha as a couple but as two individual characters. THAT LAST LETTER IS HAUNTING ME THO PLEASE AUTHOR WHISPER WHAT IT IS IN MY EAR…. I am literally in the TikTok dms it’s like a battlefield.
One thing I also hear about a lot with books that are self published is that when publishing houses like publish them they lose their original cover and I think I would actually cry if I didn’t have this cover I feel so maternal to it. It’s a perfect cover 💔💔💔💔
I was so scared during most of this book and I was hiding from the ending but now I’m foaming at the mouth with excitement (or maybe the rabies has progressed to that stage) for the sequel and when it releases y’all already know that ya girl is dropping EVERYTHING even buddy reads to sit down and lock in.
Cmere Sasha I’m gonna give you the biggest hug ever… he’s literally my baby and I love him so much /ref. I’m gonna need more books on this in general like one that continues Luke and Sasha’s story but also one on Nastia and Vi might cure me or just like more on Luke and his life during the time that him and Sasha were sending letters back in forth. I know we did get like an idea of what happened but to know more and the definite would make me really happy.
It also mentions The Lost Boys and I LOVE vampires so I was literally the target audience for this book.
I HOPE YALL ENJOYED WATCHING ME READ THIS AND MY FREAK OUTS 👅👅👅❤️❤️❤️❤️
⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖
The emojis make sense when you read it promise
𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼
Ok it’s done… Ive been pestering this author for ages
IT ENDS LIKE THAT?! Nvm I don’t regret saying hurry up and write that sequel because I NEED one. We all know Senny loves a historical fiction and I normally understand why people avoid the genre but I might give this the TCFD treatment. Y’all gonna find me annoying af. Sometimes I worry that books rely too heavily on the romance but this book doesnt it makes sure that we care about more than that and we don’t just see Luke and Sasha as a couple but as two individual characters. THAT LAST LETTER IS HAUNTING ME THO PLEASE AUTHOR WHISPER WHAT IT IS IN MY EAR…. I am literally in the TikTok dms it’s like a battlefield.
One thing I also hear about a lot with books that are self published is that when publishing houses like publish them they lose their original cover and I think I would actually cry if I didn’t have this cover I feel so maternal to it. It’s a perfect cover 💔💔💔💔
I was so scared during most of this book and I was hiding from the ending but now I’m foaming at the mouth with excitement (or maybe the rabies has progressed to that stage) for the sequel and when it releases y’all already know that ya girl is dropping EVERYTHING even buddy reads to sit down and lock in.
Cmere Sasha I’m gonna give you the biggest hug ever… he’s literally my baby and I love him so much /ref. I’m gonna need more books on this in general like one that continues Luke and Sasha’s story but also one on Nastia and Vi might cure me or just like more on Luke and his life during the time that him and Sasha were sending letters back in forth. I know we did get like an idea of what happened but to know more and the definite would make me really happy.
It also mentions The Lost Boys and I LOVE vampires so I was literally the target audience for this book.
I HOPE YALL ENJOYED WATCHING ME READ THIS AND MY FREAK OUTS 👅👅👅❤️❤️❤️❤️
⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖
The emojis make sense when you read it promise
January 3, 2026
An incredibly powerful and beautiful novel depicting the life of Sasha through adolescence as he experiences life in ways both unique and universal. I finished this book in one sitting because I simply couldn’t put it down. I am beyond excited for the sequel!
My absolute favorite lines would have to be: “This. This is what it means to feel homesick.” (190) and “What would I even tell them? That the sun set before summer was over?” (197) I feel like it captures Sasha and Luke’s relationship beautifully in all of its complexity and innocence.
My absolute favorite lines would have to be: “This. This is what it means to feel homesick.” (190) and “What would I even tell them? That the sun set before summer was over?” (197) I feel like it captures Sasha and Luke’s relationship beautifully in all of its complexity and innocence.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was one of the best books I have read in a while, it's something I have been looking for forever. Everything is just perfect. The storyline is easy to follow, all the characters have distinct personalities and ways of talking which makes everyone super easy to differentiate, and the plot is just amazing. The way this book was written made it very easy to get immersed in. I read it all in one sitting, and then a second time. Nik M.B, you truly did an amazing job. The end made me want to know what happens next immediately! I can't wait for book 2, and I believe it will be just as amazing as this book, maybe even better! This is a genuine 5/5 rating, if I could give it a 6 I would without a second thought! Take your time and make sure you're happy with what you create, Nik M.B, have an amazing journey in your career as an author, never give up and push through every challenge no matter how difficult it may seem. Good luck!
January 19, 2026
Planning to write a full review later, but this book is really good! I was following the author on tiktok for awhile and got the book as soon as it came out and i definitely don’t regret it.
Song on repeat while reading: Tired, Beabadoobee 🎵
Some of my favorite quotes:
“Was it possible the sun could offer something besides gentle, simmering rays of foolish summer? Because in reality, even the sun wasn’t just bright and warm—it was scorching hot, waiting to burn anyone who got close enough. The sun would cup its hands to whisper a secret, and you would sit there and take it as its fingers burned through your face, just hoping that what you might hear would make those scars worth it. “ (Pg. 90)
“At that moment, I would have chosen him to come with me over any gift in the world.” (Pg. 139)
“‘Jesus Christ you come from everywhere!’ ‘And from nowhere.’” (Pg. 154)
“But he said my name so softly that I didn’t even care if he meant it.” (Pg. 172)
“You know, I think if I’m still sad and lonely by the time I’m thirty, I’ll marry him.” (Pg. 200)
“I never told you this, but I began visiting Babushka’s dacha every possible moment, hoping it would feel the same when you were here.” (Pg. 208)
“I didn’t like summers anymore. I didn’t know if I liked you anymore either. I hated myself for even thinking of hating the idea of him.” (Pg. 209)
“God I missed you a lot. I don’t care if you don’t want to hear it because I’ll say it every time just because I can. Even if we were back there, I’d send letters saying it, cassette tapes with songs saying it, if I knew it was possible I’d save every birthday money, every stupid penny I earned babysitting a stupid mean eight year old cunt and every payout from selling music, and use it to make calls to tell you I miss you.” (Pg. 351)
“And you still do that thing where you stop writing and search the dictionary for hours for a stupidly over the top word, hoping it’s finally the one that can explain, even if just a little, of what you mean because you don’t want to go into detail about it yourself.” (Pg. 437) *oof this one hurts*
“Because of you, I think I became pretty good at reading between the lines.” “You don’t deserve to read in between lines.” (Pg. 437)
“I wrote because it was the only option, you wrote because it’s the easier one.” (Pg. 439)
Song on repeat while reading: Tired, Beabadoobee 🎵
Some of my favorite quotes:
“Was it possible the sun could offer something besides gentle, simmering rays of foolish summer? Because in reality, even the sun wasn’t just bright and warm—it was scorching hot, waiting to burn anyone who got close enough. The sun would cup its hands to whisper a secret, and you would sit there and take it as its fingers burned through your face, just hoping that what you might hear would make those scars worth it. “ (Pg. 90)
“At that moment, I would have chosen him to come with me over any gift in the world.” (Pg. 139)
“‘Jesus Christ you come from everywhere!’ ‘And from nowhere.’” (Pg. 154)
“But he said my name so softly that I didn’t even care if he meant it.” (Pg. 172)
“You know, I think if I’m still sad and lonely by the time I’m thirty, I’ll marry him.” (Pg. 200)
“I never told you this, but I began visiting Babushka’s dacha every possible moment, hoping it would feel the same when you were here.” (Pg. 208)
“I didn’t like summers anymore. I didn’t know if I liked you anymore either. I hated myself for even thinking of hating the idea of him.” (Pg. 209)
“God I missed you a lot. I don’t care if you don’t want to hear it because I’ll say it every time just because I can. Even if we were back there, I’d send letters saying it, cassette tapes with songs saying it, if I knew it was possible I’d save every birthday money, every stupid penny I earned babysitting a stupid mean eight year old cunt and every payout from selling music, and use it to make calls to tell you I miss you.” (Pg. 351)
“And you still do that thing where you stop writing and search the dictionary for hours for a stupidly over the top word, hoping it’s finally the one that can explain, even if just a little, of what you mean because you don’t want to go into detail about it yourself.” (Pg. 437) *oof this one hurts*
“Because of you, I think I became pretty good at reading between the lines.” “You don’t deserve to read in between lines.” (Pg. 437)
“I wrote because it was the only option, you wrote because it’s the easier one.” (Pg. 439)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy
I honestly think you got the world these characters are in and Sasha’s arc set up so well by the end of “A Boy”, and then hit the ground running immediately afterwards letting everything play out in a way that just felt natural. I just finished reading this and I genuinely can’t wait to see what you have planned for these boys in the future. (And read what Luke wrote in that letter) The dream scene and Sasha finally getting some closure from his conversation with Luke towards the end had me in tears, It was so bittersweet to finally see Sasha let go for a moment and be happy again. This was so beautifully written and easily the best book I’ve read in a long time and I would highly recommend it!
November 18, 2025
Exquisite book
Review of advance copy
This might be one of the of not the best book I've ever read. The absolutely love the characters and the character development. Definitely a must read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews