Nothing Burns as Bright as You: A Wild YA Love Story of Two Girls, Queer Hearts, and Fire

by Ashley Woodfolk

Five starred reviews! From New York Times  bestselling author Ashley Woodfolk,  Nothing Burns as Bright as You  is an impassioned stand-alone tale of queer love, grief, and the complexity of female friendship. Two girls. One wild and reckless day. Years of tumultuous history unspooling like a thin, fraying string in the hours after they set a fire. They were best friends. Until they became more. Their affections grew. Until the blurry lines became dangerous. Over the course of a single day, the depth of their past, the confusion of their present, and the unpredictability of their future is revealed. And the girls will learn that hearts, like flames, aren’t so easily tamed. It starts with a fire. How will it end?

Genres: Poetry, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult, Lesbian, Contemporary, Queer

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2022

About the author

Ashley Woodfolk has loved reading and writing for as long as she can remember. She graduated from Rutgers University and worked in children's book publishing for over a decade. Now a full-time mom and writer, Ashley lives in a sunny Brooklyn apartment with her cute husband, her cuter dog, and the cutest kid in the world. Her books include The Beauty That Remains, When You Were Everything, and the Flyy Girls Series.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite honestly, I feel like a lot of people sleep on Ashley Woodfolk. She has a beautiful way of capturing stories and characters for a teen audience. This one definitely didn’t disappoint. It was lyrical and heart wrenching, a beautiful and detailed version of love and loss. I was blown away by the metaphors used to describe the relationship between the characters. When I was a teenager, I experienced that all consuming love that can leave you empty. What was different about this book is that Woodfolk illustrates within a queer relationship. It is true that young girls are always taught to protect themselves against young men, to be weary of how much we give. However, we’re never taught to do the same with other girls often leading to complex relationships that we don’t always understand. This story captures that complexity.

I appreciated that Woodfolk never really “took sides” in terms of character development. They were both toxic for each other and it was displayed in a variety of flashbacks. I think that some readers may struggle with why they continued to be with each other knowing they weren’t good for each other, but I think the key is remembering that they are teenagers. The process of great decision making as it applies to relationships isn’t going to be great.


One of my biggest criticisms of this book is that while I find the writing to be beautiful, it is some what unrealistic that a teenager would be using that exact language to communicate with others. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful but not something that I would expect the average teen to use in describing a relationship to others. Other than that, I found it to be beautiful and I’m looking forward to reading more of Woodfolk’s backlist titles.

[Maisha Farzana · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You hate the cold and I love it,
but I love you more.
So always, even in winter, I pray for heat."

As it happens once in a lifetime or so, I picked up a book at random and it turned out to be a masterpiece.

“All you need is love.”
The truth:
you need a hell of a lot more
than that.

This book was absolutely incredible, heart wrenching and riveting. I never knew I could feel so much. I never imagined I would feel so much - at once. Funniest part of all is, I thought poetry wasn't my scene but I might have been dead wrong. Poetry loves me and I? I have been falling since the moment I started reading "Nothing Burns as Bright as You". It definitely burned me. The burn was both painful and sweet. Burned my heart, bruised my soul and left hundred of scars. And I am pretty sure these scars will never fade away, I shall always bear them as reminders of what a brilliant piece of art this book is.

“Opposites attract.”
The truth?
Magnets attract.
Opposites fit together like (fucked up) puzzle pieces.

Friendship, family, first love, first times - almost every fragment of life receives a place in this fabulous novel. This book, written in verse, spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent. Woodfolk is exceptionally talented in curving out poems from remnant of human emotions. "Nothing burns as Bright as You" is written in a speculative style that would leave the scenes playing out like movie scenes in your mind. Though I must admit, it's less about any particular event and more about how our protagonist felt in that moment. Woodfolk also conveys the highest peaks and deepest valleys of her two characters’ relationship. They feel as real as you and me, bursting off the page in a messy and glorious blaze of love and friendship. The characters are so real, so faulty, so human. They literally brought me back in reality and reminded me that youngsters are anything but perfet.

“Love is blind.”
“Time heals all wounds.”
The truth?
Love can see just fine. But it’s nearsighted.
Shortsighted.
And distance is the only thing that heals.

My mind is a mess after reading "Nothing Burns as Bright as You"; my thoughts scattered all around me. I am desperately trying to arrange them in an order and form a coherent sentence to describe this book. But it's probably impossible. So I am going to quote a few sentences from the author's note. These few words of her is enough to convey what I want to say but failing to do so.

⋆⋆I wanted to write a book that showed that the end of a relationship doesn’t mean you failed, or they failed, or you weren’t meant to be. It just means you were meant to be for a time. And even when you get hurt, the feelings and experiences are still real and important and meaningful.⋆⋆

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appreciated the Black sapphic representation in this book and its theme of a codependent relationship with devastating ups and downs. My reaction to this book reminds me of why I tend to avoid reading poetry collections – I tend to rate then a bit lower because *I* struggle to resonate with them which makes me feel a tad guilty. I liked how Woodfolk portrays the immersive grip of an intense friendship turned romance and the complexity of caring for someone even when they are not right for you. The story being told in verse and the related lack of specific detail made it difficult for me to deeply connect with the characters. Still, I would recommend maybe checking this one out if you like poetry and are intrigued by the book’s synopsis.

[౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i had no expectations for this book yet by the end of it i was almost in tears. the writing in this makes me want to tattoo it all over my forehead cause of how beautiful it is <3

definitely a new favorite. rtc.

[luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

❀ blog ❀ thestorygraph ❀ letterboxd ❀ tumblr ❀ ko-fi ❀

If you like lyrical love stories such as Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, or books that give serious A24 coming-of-age film vibes such as All the Water I've Seen Is Running by Elias Rodriques, don’t sleep on Nothing Burns as Bright as You. The author captures how all-consuming first love can be through the unnamed narrator’s non-linear recollection of her relationship with another girl who she addresses as ‘you’. We know their relationship ends in flame, but what has caused them to play with fire? There is an attempt at a countdown and a timeline, so each ‘chapter/section’ begins with x days before the fire. While giving specific dates in non-linear narratives can work, such as in the case of A Prayer for Travelers by Ruchika Tomar(which actually has some similar vibes to this book so if you liked that one definitely check this one out), here it felt superfluous as the narrator doesn’t stick to the memories/experiences from that specific day. Anyway, we learn that these two girls share a really intense bond, one that causes some adults around them to worry they may be too ‘close’. They feel rebellious and seem to find their daily existence untenable. While their friendship does evolve into a more sexual relationship, ‘you’, and to a certain degree the narrator as well, seem unwilling to label themselves. Their love and affection for each other is clear, and the narrative zeroes in on the meaningful moments that make up their ‘history’ together.

While I appreciated that the author did not paint either as the ‘bad’ influence, as they are both shown to feel ‘other’, different from their peers, unable and or unwilling to fit in at school and pretend at ‘normal’, here well, it just made their eventual conflict kind of forced. Also, their whole ‘we are so toxic for each other but’ thing they had going on reminded me a bit of new adult books such as the one penned by Anna Todd and Colleen Hoover, and I am not keen on those. While I could believe in the narrator’s internal monologue brimming with flowery and grandiose metaphors about love, girlhood, and ‘you’, there were instances where she describes her relationship with ‘you’ to others and she uses such lyrical yet the overwrought language that I had a hard time believing in those scenes. Even if she were a poet it seemed unlikely that she would just come out with such ott allegories on the spot. Maybe fans of allegedly ‘realistic’ teen shows like Euphoria won’t mind but I did. Anyway, while I did find this to be the kind of book that prioritizes language over character/story (the two girls have no distinct personalities, just vibes), I would be lying if I said I didn’t like this book. It was atmospheric, full of gorgeous scenes honing in on some sapphic moments with some vivid and sensual imagery. At times, as I said, I did find the writing to be trying too much, and in this way, I was reminded of the poetry of Ocean Vuong. I know there is an audience that will find these types of metaphors stunning, so do not let my criticism of this book dissuade you from giving it a read.

[Eva B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I would love this but it exceeded my expectations. Heartbreaking and beautifully written.

[Amivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Review to come, I need to process this book more.

[Dr. Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Nothing Burns as Bright as You is a love letter to friendships. Friendships that develop to a level that is intense. Friendships that become romantic, but are still tangled in questions. This book messed with my brain. I was so invested in our two characters and seeing what happened and how everything played out. I did not want to take my eyes away from this book. Highly recommend this one.

*I'm planning to reread this before release date and will update my review accordingly.*

Rep: Black bisexual female MC, Black sapphic female love interest, Black male side character.

CWs: Alcohol consumption, drug use (marijuana), fire, toxic relationship. Moderate: racism, sexual content.

[Ebony Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

My eyes are literally swollen from sobbing. Ashley Woodfolk, you are a gift.

[Drew's ambitious reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this book up on a whim and really enjoyed it! Can't wait to read more from Ashley Woodfolk. 4/5 stars!!

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for verse novels, and this is a really good one. I listened to the audiobook while reading for extra immersion, and I love the way this explores a toxic relationship. The themes of this book are not themes I feel like are discussed a lot, while it's so necessary.

[chichi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, YA contemporary. How I've missed you.

I picked this up for a complex Black sapphic relationship and it delivered. There's just something about the messiness present in YA that can't quite be duplicated in adult books imo. The way Ashley Woodfolk conveyed these girls' relationship was stunning, really capturing the connection and angst and confusion and depth of feeling. Overall, the writing was the main standout. Also really appreciated the way Woodfolk talked about the struggles of growing up as a young girl and how your relationship with your body changes. She just nailed it and in concise yet beautiful language. At the end, I loved the author's note where she talked about guarding her heart from men but not being conditioned to do the same with women and also about the value of relationships that just don't work out. It just really helped to pull the entire book together and made me bump the rating a bit.

I do think this had a certain level of melodrama or descriptive language in the way characters spoke that didn't ring true to me. I really enjoyed the writing outside of the dialogue, but when it started to become incorporated into the ways the girls spoke to each other, it wasn't as appealing. Beautifully done but people just don't talk like that and my mind couldn't let that go.

This will never be a genre I regularly choose but I appreciate taking the time to experience this. And it's always nice to dip my toes back into YA, especially since there's so much diverse YA coming out that wasn't as available/publicized when I was reading it more heavily

[ReadnliftwithShar · Rating 5 out of 5]

🥺

I loved this so much! As heartbreaking and toxic as the love was for the characters, I appreciated their love. I feel like they were soulmates and maybe in another lifetime they could give love another chance. The author wrote the story in such a poetic way that it was easy to follow and vividly see the scenes playing out. So good. 💔

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. This was one of my anticipated reads of this year and I was not disappointed. This book is full of heart and emotion and it put me through the wringer. Two girls who are best friends but also something more. It’s complicated. Their relationship was complex, disastrous, and borderline toxic with how much they depended on each other. It was messy and real.

I loved the way this was written. I don’t pick up books written in verse often because I feel sometimes the story gets lost in the format if that makes sense but it definitely worked here. Woodfolk’s writing really packs a punch and I loved how the story is told in parts of their relationship ‘before the fire’ and leading up to the big moment where things fall apart. The ending put me in my feelings but I think it was the best possible ending for these two. I loved this book, plain and simple. Even though it hurt my feelings it also left me wanting more of this author’s writing and I will definitely be picking up more of her work.

Also, out of all the little gems and truths dropped in this book this one in particular touched my fucking spirit:

”And girls, especially Black girls, learn that the way
they look,
what other people think about their clothes or
their hair or their bodies
(“grown”, “nappy”, “developed”),
can put them in danger.”

Whew, and let the church say Amen.

[fayth · Rating 5 out of 5]

OUCH 😭

[Celine Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

“there was something about each of us that was a little too empty / to handle the fullness that came from our / us-ness. / more simply put: we added up to a little too much. / you loved me more than i knew. / i loved you more than you could take.”

strangers. best friends. partners in crime. a what if. nothing burns as bright as you retraces the history of two unnamed black girls from the first spark down to the last ember. two girls so caught up in the gravity of one another that their pull causes everything to collapse around them, to go up in flames.

i inhaled this book in less than 4 hours, pausing only to recover. sure, its a novel told in verse which makes for a quick read but more than that i felt like a fire consuming it: greedy, always wanting more.

this book is tender and raw, tragic and fiery. it is ferocious, a fierce desperation, an insatiable longing for one another even when furious or hurt.

it captures the overwhelming power and raw emotion of first love, of wanting to consume and be consumed, the knowledge that you would follow that person anywhere—even if its walking through fire. it is proudly sapphic yet hesitant and unsure in a way that is so recognizable that it aches.

perhaps the most surprising thing you’ll take away from this is learning that i am, in fact, not a romantic. i love reading about the dissolution of a relationship. it strikes something so deep in my core, of acknowledging that there are people who are meant to be in your life only temporarily, a bit like ships passing in the night.

i love an exploration of what it’s like to love so intensely, of wanting to grasp onto someone, that hunger and thirst and longing to fuel the fire. and then having to let go, to slowly come apart at the seams, to burn out.

like i said, i’m not a romantic. but i have loved and lost. i like to think that i am a collection of pieces of everyone i have met, wounds of past losses healed over.

so above all else i crave reminders that it is okay if relationships fail. that it’s okay to simply be meant for each other, even if it just for a time.

nothing burns as bright as you was that for me.

[lily ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’ve been in love with ashley woodfolk since reading the beauty that remains. she’s a criminally underrated author - seriously, if you haven’t read one of her books yet, go pick one up!!

i read this book in less than 24 hours. (which is rare for me, even with books in verse, because i can only read consecutively for so long.)

nothing burns as bright as you tackles a complicated friendship/relationship, strong feelings that tangle together: both the love, and the hurt. woodfolk explores the idea that some relationships are only meant to be temporary, no matter how much we try to cling to them, and the ending isn’t necessarily anyone’s fault. the verse was beautiful, grabbing at your heart strings and playing them like a violin. i consumed this book like the fire set within its pages: greedily, always wanting more, one page and the next and the next until there wasn’t anything left.

the timeline shifts - from the past, to the present. from when she knew her, to before she did, when from the beginning to the end to the meaningless and meaningful middle that so often gets overlooked. forgotten. no character names are mentioned, and yet it’s so easy to get attached to them. there is “you” and “i” until the reader is both of the characters, feeling each of their aches and triumphs. this is a story about Black love and queer love and the overwhelming feelings that drown you as a teenager. this is a book to hold you while you cry, and one to set a fire within you.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars 🌟

It's been three years since I read it and I still think about this book so you should read it too. It's incredible. I think I will give it a re-read soon.

Reviewed on 10th April, 2025.

DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite

[Irmak ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Love is blind.”
“Time heals all wounds.”
The truth?
Love can see just fine. But it’s nearsighted.
Shortsighted.
And distance is the only thing that heals.”

3.5 stars.

Incredible.

[charlotte, · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rep: Black sapphic mc, Black bi li

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Welp. That killed me.

[Kia (hoesreadtoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woodfolk really put her foot in this prose and the characters. My only complaints are that the writing did not feel accurate for YA and at times it felt like she was trying too hard to make it flowery. It definitely does not read as YA. I enjoyed the realistic portrayal of queer relationships and all consuming love. How that love can leave you feeling butterflies one day then eat you up and spit you out the next. It can be heart-wrenchingly beautiful.

I look forward to reading other works from Woodfolk. I hope others get to bask in the beauty of her writing.

[Mahawa Bangoura · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Perhaps, our fatal flaw is that we attempt to make 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 out of people who are meant to be ｔｅｍｐｏｒａｒｙ” - Ruby Francisco

♡ After reading this, I am once again left to pick up pieces of my heart 😪 The first page alone is beautifully written (I have a thing for pretty words). The pitch had me beyond excited and the questions that arose when I began reading had me turning the pages. I figured that the answers might leave me heartbroken but I needed to find out more (update: i am 💔 )

♡ I love how it was written like a huge puzzle that tugged me through the past and present as I attempted to put the clues together. It made me wonder how the author plotted this out because the format is brilliant to me.

♡ Books like these are the reason why I love poetry. The choice of words left me breathless and with every turn of the page I learned more about the narrator, the situation she’s in, & how she’s moving forward. I became attached to the love story, watching the history unfold, and I could feel the MC’s yearning through the pages. The dynamics of the relationship began to make sense & I figured out the heartbreaking part (still crying inside but I promise I’m okay)

♡ I’d love to see this on screen one day, because I was glued to the book. I was also into the partner-in-crime duo which had me grinning as I read. The icing for me was, two black girls in love. I was sold!

♡ Truth be told, I’ve never read anything as vulnerable as this. I felt so near and dear to the narrator that the ending had cleaved my heart open and now looking back at my own relationships, the platonic heartbreaks I went through and had to understand that some people are only meant to be around for a season. Again, thank you to Ashley Woodfolk for sending me this ARC and I am honored to have read it. I cannot wait for it to hit the shelves, so I can talk about it with others.

[lauraღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to be close to the inferno of you,
even if it kills me.

4.5 stars. Gorgeously written,  hard-hitting YA about an intense relationship between two girls. Written as a long poem, it hit me in the gut every other line, or made me think, or took me back to my girlhood, or offered thoughtful commentary on growing up as a queer black girl. There's not a lot that I can say about this, other than the fact that Woodfolk perfectly captured the painful nuance of being a teenager in love with your best friend, the kind of co-dependency that isn't great but you want to cling to anyway, all wrapped up in gorgeous, gorgeous language. It was musical but brutal, and I just adored all the fire/water imagery. Listened to the audiobook as ready by Amani Minter: such a great performance. Even the author's note at the end had me in my feelings. I don't read a lot of YA these days, but this is exactly the kind that I want to read. Definitely merits a reread someday. Huge kudos to this.

Content warnings: harassment, implied csa

I’d always been obsessed with water. Solid ground would never be enough.

[atlas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really struggled with getting into this. I admire poetic writing, but it's a hit or miss. It either engages me or it doesn't, and here it sadly didn't. I'm giving it 3-stars instead of the 2 I was debating on because it’s more me than the book itself, though some part of it did resonate with me and it truly was beautifully written

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

How does one recover from a book as beautiful as this? I don't even know how to write a review for it because it punched me in the throat, picked me back up, made me cry for being so relatable, and then ended. It was perfect, and honestly one of my new favorite sapphic books of all time.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Overdrive app *

Narration: 4 stars 🌟
Story/characters: 3.5 stars 🌟
---

I loved the vibe of the story but the characters not as much even though I liked the way they were done.

The relationship was messed up but compelling and the Timeline jumping around gave it an extra oomph of.. something.

A feeling hangs overhead of inevitability and you know it even if the girls don't... you dread seeing everything finish but you're also anticipating what will.

Would recommend 👌

[akacya ❦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 reads: 368/350

this book follows two girls and their tumultuous history leading up to the one day things get out of control. this friendship was definitely a complicated one, and even extended beyond friendship into the romantic territory. really, it was too complex for words. i loved how their relationship was depicted and the character growth shown. highly recommend!

[štœnetheelysai · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was okay…… interesting writing choice i just think the author wanted to do a story with a poetic style that it different but it wasnt bery good in my opinion i was interested i guess but it was hard to care for trh characters when as soon as the first page hits u ur just supposed to know whats goin on and root for these two characters and shit idk man, or another word for it is…mid


Toxic ass relationship with some of the most dramatic characters i have ever seen in my god damn life

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well that was an incredibly beautiful story. Told in poetry form. Took a little getting used to because I'm not really into poetry but my gods does it work. Made me cry at the end too so bonus points for that.