Review: Pioneer Summer: A Novel (The Pioneer Series) by Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova
This star-crossed gay romance is a #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that took readers by storm, made international news, and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ representation.
Cowritten by a Ukrainian–Russian duo, Pioneer Summer reached such heights of popularity that Putin stepped in to ban it. Now this swoony romance will transport American readers to another place and time and introduce them to one of the most memorable relationships of their lives.
The year is 1986, and Yurka Konev, 16, has been sent off for another summer at Pioneer Camp. Impulsive, forthright, and unfairly branded as a troublemaker, he anticipates the weeks ahead of him with boredom and dread.
But when he’s pushed into working on the camp’s theater production, he meets serious, thoughtful troop leader Volodya. Yurka finds himself drawn to the slightly older boy, and, surprisingly, Volodya seems to like him, too. The two boys grow closer and closer, and though both fear the consequences of their illegal attraction, its gravity pulls them together.
Now, 20 years later, Yury returns to the abandoned camp to reminisce on the relationship that changed his life forever—and discovers that not all history is destined to remain in the past.
TW:
Spoiler: Show
Review:
Dear Katerina Sylvanova and Elena Malisova,
I did enjoy this book even if I had not read about the awful treatment it received when it was published in Russia several years ago. I, of course, know that it is wrong – one has to evaluate the story based on what was written on the pages of the book only, but I refuse to apologize for the fact that the awful treatment the book got from Russian dictator and his merry band of criminals added to my desire to see the authors succeed with this book and everything else they will write in the future.
I also have to state that I read the story in Russian. I have read that the translation was not very good, I cannot confirm or deny that and, because I liked the book well enough in the language of the original, I decided that I did not want to risk spoiling the impression.
So what this book is about? The blurb is pretty good. I thought I read a sweet story of first love taking place in a pioneer camp. Really – from what I understand Russian pioneer camps were not that different from summer camps in the US, minus the ideology of course, but kids came to the camps to spend several weeks away with counsellors often amongst nature where various entertainment was provided.
Honestly, I read in the reviews that story dragged in places. Maybe, but for me it was hard to evaluate because the setting hit so many familiar notes of my childhood and youth that I enjoyed a great deal returning to it while reading this book.
The main duo are young – Yurka is sixteen and Volodya is eighteen when the story starts and many supporting characters are even younger kids, but I am honestly not sure whether I would consider this book a young adult story. There is no explicit sex in this book – the scene where the guys are saying good buy is the only actual scene of them making love, but even that described more in terms of what Yurka feels rather than actions if that makes sense. There are some kisses and touches and still I felt that this book was more about children and young adults rather than a book for young adults. Opinions may differ on this of course. I concluded that mostly because the whole story is told in one long flashback except in last the few pages when adult Yura comes back to the camp twenty years later and he is remembering what took place.
I did not think that the writing was very complicated even in the original, but honestly for me it worked for this book and more importantly I felt that the main couple, especially Yura came alive on the page. I was engrossed in their story and finished the book in two days, and on my kindle the book was 561 pages. It was an easy read, but for me also an engaging one. B+
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Any book someone tells me or others not to read is one I immediately want to read. I studied Russian in school and have always been interested in learning more about that society. PIONEER SUMMER is available with Kobo Plus, another good thing. I’m so glad to have seen your review, thank you.
Some translations into English have felt cumbersome and awkward for me, so many exclamation points. I’m thinking particularly of the audio/book of Andrey Kurkov’s THE SILVER BONE. It’s possible that reading about authoritarian regimes right now is the problem; I am not dealing well with citizens who are constantly under threat with no recourse or agency. But I will keep going.
@Darlynne: The thing is – there is nothing *anti regime* per se in this book. Besides you know, two gay boys ( not sure if one of them is bi actually – could be ) falling in love. It is a sweet contemporary romance – maybe YA romance ( depending on how one views the book) so the only “anti regime” is the fact that these boys are portrayed as human beings. But because of how regime treats LGBT folks this book was persecuted viciously . I believe both authors left Russia now, thankfully. Of course there is self hate from one of the boys at his “not normalcy”, but this is because gay equals not normal was so deeply engraved in the societal propaganda for so many years.
I see that there will be a book two in the series out in November.
@Darlynne: “Pioneer Summer” sold 200,000 copies within six months [in Russia], overtaking books by J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. Some older people were especially offended by the story’s setting, [co-author Kateryna] Sylvanova said: The memory of the Soviet Union and its pioneer camps was sacred, and people were scandalized by the notion that young, gay people might have attended them. She and Malisova began receiving death threats on social media; videos about them were broadcast on state television. After one particularly influential blogger, Zakhar Prilepin, posted about the book and called for the publisher to be burned down, they knew they had to leave.
—Sophia Nguyen interview with Kateryna Sylvanova and Elena Malisova, The Washington Post
@Jayne: I honestly think that part of such success was because this was one and the only ( and will probably remain as such for the duration of Putin’s rule ) m/m romance ever published in Russia . I don’t think it will be even noticed here – and as I said I don’t think it was a bad story at all. But there was nothing unique about it – it was lovely and nostalgic but to me a seasoned m/m reader not unique at all except the setting . Also I have sequel in paperback in Russian – I am not hundred percent sure where it was published in Russia or elsewhere but I bought it on Amazon . I hesitant to read it though – according to a lot of reviews it read a bit of self indulgent and unnecessary . I am just afraid to spoil my impression from the first book in case it would be true . I still wanted to support authors as I said . Maybe I will try it one day .
It was supposed to say ” I AM hesitant to read it” OY.
Sorry I decided to check how much sequel in English will cost and I saw that Pioneer summer is on KU as well, for those who have it, may be easier to get it this way if you wish. I have not realized that it was on KU before, I did not get it there.
@Jayne: The story behind the book sounds like it could be more riveting than the book itself. Did the authors talk about why they took the risk of publishing it in Russia and whether they anticipated what happened after it was published?
@Janine: I don’t know if you can open the link but I was able to freely find it :
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/06/20/pioneer-summer-elena-malisova-kateryna-sylvanova-interview/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
When they published it situation was deteriorating but not nearly as bad as it became after the book was published . There was even some translated queer stories published in Russia at some point . So I do not believe they thought they were taking the risk that huge – they realized after the fact that situation was already way worse than what they imagined.