Listen, I love Julie Buxbaum. Her previous books have been big, big hits for me - but this one just did not work. There was SO much going on that I felt like I could never really get my footing. I would imagine this might work better for an actual Young Adult reading this whose life does feel like it’s - well, on fire - but for me, it just didn’t work out. I’ll absolutely continue to read whatever she writes next, but this one didn’t live up to her others for me.

I purchased this book for my high school library. My students have enjoyed it. and it has circulated well.

I am surprised I haven’t seen any buzz about this one, since Julie Buxbaum has had several successful YA novels in the past, but after reading it I can kind of see why. It was ok, but there was a lot of teen angst and not much actually happens.

Year on Fire is a novel about friendship, love, finding yourself, dreams, secrets and family. They all believe that the others have a perfect life when all of them are really struggling with their own things.

I really loved the characters of Immie and Ro. They were so sweet, I loved how they characters grew all through the books. Just like Arch, Jackson and Paige. All the characters are loveable and I wish we could have another book to just know what’s happening to them few years later.

I really enjoyed this novel by Julie Buxbaum. It was an interesting, diverse cast of characters. I normally don't enjoy books with multiple points of view, but in Year on Fire, having the perspectives of Ro, Paige, Immie, and Arch all added to the layers of the story. Very well done!

I'd call this a "kitchen sink" book. Julie Buxbaum throws EVERYTHING into this story. Any issue you can think of facing a teen, it's probably at least touched on in here. It felt like a bit too much at times, but it also felt like being back on solid ground with one of my fave YA authors. Good stuff!

3.5 rounding up. It took me awhile to get into this one. It was a slow start for me as the book goes back and forth between four characters. Eventually about halfway in I started to really be interested in where it was going. I loved the twins. It was a quick read and I'm looking forward to Julie Buxbaum's next book!
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the arc. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Julie Buxbaum's previous books. This one did not disappoint. It is about the lies we tell ourselves and then how we protect our hearts.. This is a great love story about how things change after a first kiss. Friends, relationships, and family. The ending was a little rushed but I enjoyed it.

Not my favorite by Julie Buxbaum, but I loved the parallelism in this one! It was a quick and easy read, while still being memorable

❤️‍🔥 Year on Fire explores friendships, family secrets, the magic of fist love, and the power of the lies we tell others and ourselves. What secrets will we keep and or reveal to protect those we love and cherish? There are so many secrets among the friends .. who will get caught in the crossfire?

Buxbaum presents us with a familiar premise - a careful friendship thrown into chaos by the introduction of a new guy - with a unique twist - an arsonist in town. We're also taking a hard look at these two girls in comparison, their expectations of and for themselves, their perceptions of their families. It's playing at introspection without ever properly achieving it.

Year on Fire was my fourth book by Julie Buxbaum. I adored two of her earlier books while her latest two left me lukewarm. I continue to read her for the charming banter, the feel good moments, the realistic portal of teenage years, and the bit of mystery each book offers. Lately, I’m a bit over the excessive privilege of many of her characters in this town. Do I believe there are plenty of high schoolers who feel pressure to get perfect scores and schedule every second of their lives to get into a great college? Absolutely. Do I roll my eyes when a character cries over a 93 on a test and her parents then suggest tutors, and she schedules 15 minutes of “in person social” time? Absolutely. It’s hard to care very much. But then Julie Buxbaum warms me up with her signature witty banter before swooping in with a perfect sentence and I remember why I love her books. I enjoyed the dual love stories and the complicated friend dynamics driven by a big white lie turned sour. However, there weren’t enough real stakes for me to feel too invested or constantly wishing to pick it up.

This was pretty boring for me. It felt like there was barely a plot to push the story along. The fire thing felt like an afterthought thrown in to make the book more engaging. I didn't really like the characters either since they were flat and uninteresting. It was like their whole personality revolved around being friends rather than being individual people. Also, what was the message? It felt muddled and I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to take away from this. Unfortunately, this book is pretty forgettable to me, to the extent that I feel like I forgot the plot while I was reading it. It's disappointing because I enjoyed Tell Me Three Things by this author.

I love a good coming of age story and this one did not disappoint. Following four characters through their junior year of high school, Year On Fire combines romance and mystery in a really fun way. This would make a great TV series!

Thanks to Random House Childrens and NetGalley for the copy to review.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read, and loved, all of Julie Buxbaum's other books, so I had high expectations going into this book. And I ended up loving this one as well.

#yearonfire #netgalley

This was a great story to read. I loved the storyline and the characters, definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Year on Fire by Julie Buxbaum was a book full of issues. The twins father had anger issues, there was a sexuality issue, a coming out issue, a women's equality issue, mental health issues, friendship issues. Unfortunately, the book did not ever feel like these issues were explored in depth. They were introduced as a plot point and then discarded. It was disappointing

Another great book by Julie Buxbaum! I loved the main characters in this and the romances. Buxbaum attempts to tackle a lot of what teens can go through such as an abusive parent, social-emotional needs, absent parents, being out as LGBTQ+, making life decisions after high school, and so much more. While she only scratches the surface with these things, I feel like she did a great job at showing how teens can hide parts of themselves and how even people who present themselves as happy could still need help. This was a great book and I would definitely recommend it!

Reading books about high school student as a thirtysomething is always an interesting experience. For this go-round, it was a love triangle or some shape of sorts. Immie and Arch are twins, and their friend Paige completes their triad. Except lately things within the three of them have gotten complicated. One of the twins kissed Paige's ex. She thinks it was Immie, but it was actually Arch. Meanwhile, Immie is trying to connect Paige with the new kid, Ro, except she likes him, too. The story is then a journey in trying to see who is going to end up with who, if friendships survive, and then also figuring out who is responsible for the fires in the bathroom. Ultimately, I just wanted more feels in this one. It was a interesting premise, and that premise just left me craving more connection to the story. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this recent release!

Coming of age story in a private school in LA. Mysterious arsonist setting bathrooms ablaze. Equally mysterious British new kid. Reminder that nobody really knows what people are going through, no matter how shiny their lives are. Also a personal reminder of the ridiculous pressures of being an academically successful high school student while trying to look well rounded for college admissions.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for my thoughts.