We Burned So Bright

Book and Author: We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune

Publisher: Tor UK

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by Black Crown PR for Booksagram Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review/reaction

Buy From (affiliate): Bookshop.org

I have never read a TJ Klume before, I have tried audiobooking Wolfsong but I couldn’t get on with the narrator (gave up within 30 minutes). So, when the lovely people at Black Crow PR asked if I wanted to read We Burned So Bright, I jumped at it without knowing anything about it. I had a feeling that, with this author, maybe the less I know would be for the best. Plus, something about the idea of an older gay couple racing across the USA as a rogue black hole is slowly consuming the solar system sounded so right up my weird reading cul-de-sac! 

How do I describle this 160-odd novella? A comforting yet devastating read. There’s no other way to talk about We Burned So Bright. We know how it’s going to end and as we get closer to the end of the story, it gets more heartbreaking as we know there’s going to be no miracle, but seeing how our leads, Rodney and Dom try to get to Washington State from Maine and meeting the people along the way who are impromptu getting married, believing in the kindness of strangers, sharing their meals and stories. Yes, some people they meet do refuse to believe or behave in way that is shocking (there is one chapter right in the middle that reads like a thriller. I kept telling Dom and Rodney to run throughout one section), but the other moments where we see the tiny moments of goodness and empathy… oh, my heart!

This might be a strong contender for one of my fave reads of 2026. Can’t wait to reread this and try out more titles from this author (I am leaning towards The Bones Beneath My Skin or The Stars Look Like Home, which was coming out next year - but if you have any suggestions, I would be more than happy to hear them!). 

Anyway, thank you Black Crow and check out the rest of the tour on Instagram!