This one was a little bit of a miss for me. I’m not sure if I’ve outgrown YA but I found everything about this very juvenile.

The 4 main characters didn’t feel real or relatable and instead felt like caricatures of high school students. They fit set stereotypes and didn’t really grow beyond that. The for POVs also made it so that it was difficult to show growth of the characters since the plot kept jumping between characters.

I also thought parental relationships were really underdeveloped. Each character had such a defined negative relationship with their parents but this was never truly explored.

Overall this just wasn’t for me.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

It only takes a spark for a flame to catch. And all four of our main characters in this book understand that. When new student Ro starts school and meets the group of three . Arch, immie and Paige a spark catches. And in this case I do mean both figuratively and literally.
All four have to battle new feelings and the start of junior year each has secrets from one another that are truly just waiting for a spark to really cause an explosion.

I enjoyed Buxbaum’s take on high schoolers . I truly felt like I was back in my junior year with the drama, the secrets and crushes. I was able to relate to all of the main characters in some shape or form which can’t always be said. I also love books written in multiple POV’s.

However the reason I had to give it four stars was I felt like some of the plot points that had been brought up were never wrapped up but instead it felt like tape was put on them to close them without giving the closing I felt they deserved.

I do think if your looking for a new YA Book this one is one to read

Twins Immie and Arch and best friend Paige live in LA where wildfires threaten their lives every spring. When British teen Ro starts to their school and catches both girls' eyes, and a forbidden kiss in the trio's past comes to light, it threatens their group's friendship.
I liked this YA novel, but just kept reminding me of Little Fires Everywhere. I know using fire as a metaphor is not copywrited, but it just felt so similar in too many ways. I liked the book overall, as I have with all the Julie Buxbaum books I've read, but the cover on this one was slightly better than the actual book. 3.5 stars. This is about friendship, class, desire, and self-worth.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy for review.

This is a book highschool kids will love. It’s the perfect coming of age story with real issues such as family drama and multiple POV

Friendship drama, first loves, coming out as gay, living with your parents' imperfections, and trying to find your own place in the world are all themes in this great contemporary fiction story by the author of TELL ME THREE THINGS. If you like mysteries with lots of teen drama and romance, this is a perfect pick.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I usually love Buxbaum’s books, but this one didn’t grab me. I think it all moved too quickly - the fires started almost immediately with no background or character development, so it was hard to really care about what was happening throughout.

I didn’t love this book, but I didn’t hate it either. It was a decent story with decent characters and decent writing. Overall it wasn’t very memorable, but it just wasn’t my thing.

This felt like something I would like, but it didn't grab me. I ended up not finishing this title. I really think that others will enjoy it though.

I loved Tell Me Three Things, but it seems that since that story I have pretty much hated everything else she's done. Which makes me super sad. I wanted to love this but it just didn't happen at all. I was so bored.

When a new boy arrives at school, a group of friends must confront the secrets and lies that are causing pain in their friendships, families, and personal lives.

Told through four alternating points of view, YEAR ON FIRE explores the limits and the power of love among friends and family. The twins wrestle with their love of their father and coming-to-terms with the ways he is abusive and the effect it has had on their lives. The new kid finds himself on a new continent, struggling to relate to his father and forgive him (or not) for the adultery that destroyed his parents' marriage. And the wealthy best friend with the seemingly perfect life has to confront the cracks in her family and her own image and identity. There is a lot going on in this story, but the storylines are thematically parallel and therefore easy to keep track of. I'd recommend this one to teens who love weighty contemporary fiction, especially stories with multiple protagonists.

I have loved two Julie Buxbaum's books that I have read and I was so excited to read her newest release. This book follows four characters through their junior year of high school after a kiss changes everything.

First there is Immie, then her twin brother Arch. They have a best friend named Paige, and there is a new international student named Rohan. We immediately get to know the complex relationship these characters have. Rohan is new but he is immediately inserted in the drama that is this close friend group.

What I liked about this one- I loved the twins. Immie and Arch had such a beautiful and close relationship. Arch is gay and Immie is such a support to him- even when his parents are not. I loved that Immie was willing to sacrafice her own reputation so that Arch could come out on his own time.

What didn't work for me was the build of the story. We are put right into the drama, but then things slow way down. I really didn't like Paige and wasn't interested in there chapters. She was too much for me.

I do think this was well written and the author nailed the teenage angst. Buxbaum is a fantastic writer and I will continue to read more of her work.

Year on Fire was seemingly written with extra special care to each character and how they may represent real struggles for the teens who will read this book. I loved how Julie provided each character not only their individual concerns, but an individual voice as well. Each character was thoughtfully crafted for their personal story while taking care to how they will relate to the story as a whole. The recurrence of fire as a physical and metaphoric theme was fantastic as it lends a picture to what teens may not always be able to describe. Adolescence can be a bit of a dumpster fire and Julie has perfectly portrayed that in this story.

I was a little worried I had outgrown YA novels as I wasn’t connecting with this book right away but after a few chapters I was hooked! (Phew - I’m really not ready to grow up yet… 😂😅)

This was such a sweet read. I really enjoy Julie Buxbaum’s writing and story telling, and I appreciate how she effortlessly incorporates heavier topics into her books. I also love the diversity we got with the characters in this book. I think my favorite character was Ro, our London transplant who was just trying to figure out life in the US while simultaneously trying to figure out the next steps in his life with his complicated family.

After another solid book, I have every intention of reading Julie’s books for the rest of my life. ❤️

Paige is devastated when she learns her boyfriend kissed another person. When she finds out it was her best friend Immie, her world seems to implode. That is until Rohan arrives at their school. Paige calls dibs and Immie wants to let her have him, but something about Ro just pulls her towards him. After a fire in the girls’ bathroom of their school, everyone believes it must have been arson. Who would want to set a fire in their school? Will the longtime friendship survive the turmoil after the kiss?

Year of Fire is a stand-alone realistic fiction story that explores friendship, young love, and learning to accept yourself and others. I really wanted to love this book, but overall the story was just two-dimensional. I felt that way throughout the story and when the arsonist is revealed, it just seemed anticlimactic. Year on Fire is a quick read for those who want something easy at the beach or for the weekend, but I don’t think it should be moved to the top of anyone’s TBR list.

A delightful book full of adventure, action, and thrills. Fun to read, engrossing world building, and very descriptive imagery made it feel like it was cinematic. It's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. Would recommend.

The blurb is what drew me to this book and you get exactly what you’re expecting and more from this story!

Immie, her twin brother Arch and their best friend Paige are just starting their junior year of high school. Since middle school, the three of them have been their own unit; bond unbreakable. Until one kiss shakes their solid ground. Now, Paige has broken up with her ex Jackson, Immie and Arch share a huge secret, and while things outwardly seem fine between Paige and Immie, there is definitely a new current to their friendship.

Rohan, the new kid from London, has arrived in their school and Paige stakes her claim on him. But Immie is drawn to him in a way she has never felt before. But her tentative relationship with her best friend is her priority right now. Even though this beautiful boy with the amazing accent seems to like her too.

Also… fires. Someone is lighting them in the school and nobody knows who…

I loved this whole reading experience. The writing is done in a way that you feel actual care and affection for these characters. Told in POV from our four main characters, we get a unique insight into them individually and I LOVED it. Not once did I lose interest in a specific POV and that rarely happens for me in books where there is more than two perspectives.

I loved the twin bond that Immie and Arch share. I love how they protect one another with absolutely no effort. It’s just like breathing to them. I loved Paige and her struggles internally. I really enjoyed watching her come to terms with her not so perfect facade. Rohan was the actual sweetest and Jackson was swoon worthy.

There was honestly not a single thing about this book that I didn’t love.

While this book was beautifully written (as all Buxbaum books are), it felt like nothing really happened. I enjoyed the characters and it was a quick read, but it felt like a drag waiting for some climax that was hardly satisfying. I couldn't understand how the fires were serving as a bridge to add even a little drama to a story that hardly had any. The relationships in this also were a bit peculiar - we're supposed to believe Paige, Arch, and Immie are best friends but none of them have caught on to any of their home life woes?

I've wondered if YA just is too far removed for me to enjoy and not being able to enjoy this book makes me continue to question. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun read. It def was a slow burn read and one that focused more on friendship and less on the romances. But it was very slow pace read. I also really liked the the various POV that we got throught the read. I also thought this book tackled harder topics like family, friends and mental health issues. I have always been a fan of twins in novel and this book was super quick read! But one that def packed a emotional punch!

Starting this book, I really thought I knew the direction it was headed and I was worried I would end this book with a broken heart. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this story. It had a bit of everything. Immie an Arch are such a wonderful twin duo. I loved their connection and how they truly loved and complimented each other. Paige was the most real of all the characters in this book. My heart ached for her and what she was going through pretty much entirely on her own. Ro was broken and trying to find where he belonged. I love how their stories all connected and how they helped and hurt each other. True friends hurt and love each other and this foursome was no exception.

Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Year on Fire was a fine book, but nothing that I am terribly excited about. It felt like just another in a string of YA books with aims at love and drama.