I Tried 7 Winners of the Lambda Literary Awards 2025 🏆 Taste Testing Book Awards

I giving Fire Books five stars. I thought this was very, very well done, and I would love to read more from Nino Bolain.

I was having a terrible time to be honest and I wasn't feeling like the writing style was clicking or the characterization was clicking. I wasn't feeling any impulse to continue reading and so I ended up deciding to DNF.

I ultimately, especially with the way the book ended, just kind of felt like it never coalesed. It never came together in the way that I hoped for.

And I just personally felt that pretty took it to that next level. Had that extra bit of janiqua of really connecting emotionally. I will say I sobbed a couple times reading this.

The layers upon layers here are impeccable and beautiful, and I just felt so moved reading it and have continued to think about it literally every day since I finished it.

I loved this so much. I give it five stars in case you couldn't tell. Would highly recommend.

I will say that while I really enjoyed it, I thought it was candid. I thought it was funny at times. I thought it was heartfelt.