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We Burned So Bright

4.5(21)
Hardcover€24.00Paperback€19.00
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About the book

'Like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket' - V. E. Schwab, author of Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, on The House in the Cerulean SeaThe world is ending in thirty days. A wandering black hole is approaching Earth, and soon, everything will be gone. For husbands Don and Rodney, forty years of marriage suddenly feels like no time at all.One last road trip. One final chance to say goodbye.From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The House in the Cerulean Sea comes a story about what we owe the people we love when time runs out. Don and Rodney are in a race against the clock, driving from Maine to Washington State to settle unfinished business before the sky breaks.Is it enough to burn bright, even if nothing remains of the ashes?Along the way, they encounter a world choosing how to spend its final moments-from impromptu weddings and bright bonfires to those simply sharing a final meal. Under a kaleidoscope sky and a cracked moon, Don and Rodney must look back on a lifetime of highs and lows and ask the ultimate question: was our best good enough?A bittersweet, life-affirming masterpiece about love, legacy, and the beauty of a life well-lived.

Editions (4)

ISBN9781035009428
PublisherMacmillan Publishers Int Ltd - MDL
Publication Date04/30/26
Pages384

Reviews & Ratings

21 ratings

3 reviews

4.5

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  • selfonashelf
    selfonashelf

    191 Followers

    4.5

    How can I possibly write a review for this, when VE Schwab has already said everything that needs to be said? In her words, reading this book is “like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket” - and honestly, that’s all you need to know. We Burned So Bright is tender, devastating, quiet, and full of so much love that it almost hurts. This is a story about queer love, about aging together, about choosing each other again and again - and about what it means to keep going when the world feels like it’s ending. I wished this story was longer. I wanted more pages, more moments, more time with these characters. And yet… it’s also perfect exactly as it is. Every scene feels intentional, every emotion lands with precision, and nothing feels wasted. The queer representation is absolutely beautiful - gentle, honest, lived-in. This book managed the impossible: it warmed my heart and shattered it into a million pieces at the same time. This isn’t a loud book. It doesn’t rely on spectacle. It burns slowly, steadily, and deeply. 4.5/5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @panmacmillan for the eARC! #WeBurnedSoBright #Netgalley #Bookstagram

    Dec 17, 2025

  • otbjules
    otbjules

    17 Followers

    5.0

    "the best revenge any Queer Person can get is to be happy"

    Ich wünschte die Geschichte wär länger. Mehr will ich nicht sagen. Mein Herz ist gebrochen

    "the best revenge any Queer Person can get is to be happy"

    Jun 1, 2026

  • rowansreadingrealm
    rowansreadingrealm

    98 Followers

    5.0

    Eine schöne, tragisch-traurige Geschichte, mit einer Tiefe, die ich nicht kommen sah. Erwartet kein Happy End oder eine Rettung in der Not, da hält der Plot das was er von Seite eins an verspricht, so tragisch es auch scheinen mag. Das Buch setzt sich viel mit Liebe, Leben und Menschlichkeit auseinander, ohne je belehrend oder pseudo-philosophisch zu wirken. Aber es gibt ebenfalls genug "End of the World"-Vibes, für die, die das mögen und deswegen nach dem Buch gegriffen haben. Zwei Gedanken bin ich beim Lesen nicht losgeworden. Die beiden Protagonisten haben mich an Bill and Frank von "The Last Of Us" erinnert. Die letzten Seiten erinnerten mich an das Ende von"Dont Look Up". Geht das wem auch so? Das soll nicht negativ angeführt werden, ganz im Gegenteil. Ich fands toll.

    Jun 23, 2026

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