i think that if you guys liked heated rivalry, specifically ilya, i think you guys should check out pioneer summer by kateryna sylvanova and elena malisova. it released in english translation last year. it is a queer romance novel co-authored by ukrainian and russian women, it is set in late soviet and early modern russia, and it is heavy and sad, but it is interesting. maybe not even so much the book itself, but definitely everything about it, from conception to publication and public scrutiny. i think you guys should check it out
Yes this! Pioneer Summer is the only book I’ve read since watching Heated Rivalry that gave me the same feeling of joy and yearning mixed with angst… super excited for the English translation of the sequel to come out this fall
