Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book! I really enjoyed this. Buxbaum did an excellent job writing from multiple points of view, which is hard to execute, especially in the third person. I liked every single character and thought they all had a lot of depth. The ending was excellent, but I thought could do without the epilogue.

Julie Buxbaum's latest novel follows four teenagers as they navigate their junior year of high school. Their year isn't off to a great start when their friend group is rocked by a kiss, very cute new boy and fire at their school. Twins Arch and Immie have been friends with Paige for as long as they can remember. Someone kisses Paige's ex boyfriend Jackson and the drama starts immediately. Paige sees the new boy Rohen or Ro and calls dibs. This causes major drama in the already turbulent friend group. Immie and Ro have a connection that have to navigate without hurting Paige. Arch and Jackson also have a new connection that could hurt Paige. All the drama! Plus the whole school is pretty sure someone tired to burn the school and everyone is wondering who? Julie Buxbaum is a master at crafting realistic characters that you want to love and protect. Year on Fire is no difference and I would die for all of these characters. Year on Fire is full of drama, angst and fire and I couldn't have loved it more!

as someone who has read a lot of YA fiction, i can say that it's sometimes hard to catch my eye and heart. however, this book managed to do both. year on fire follows four teenagers who share a multitude of secrets and feelings between one another. with rich development, high stakes, and fires around them that never stop burning, this book really had everything.

there were numerous things i liked about this book. i enjoyed all of the characters, and was easily able to connect with their struggles. i love books with multiple POVS, so this book really was made for me. the short chapters helped me read with ease and speed, as i never left the edge of my seat. despite some typical YA drama, there were deep complexities and layers built into the words on these pages. i look forward to reading the rest of julie buxbaum’s work! 3.5/5 stars (rounded up).

thank you so much to netgalley and random house children for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Buxbaum is an expert world builder, and this book was no exception. This book is layered and complex, and though there was an attempt to put all the pieces together at the end, there was still something missing for me.

I liked all of the characters and their relationships to each other, but I still felt like I was reading something that was trying too hard to be something else.

I am a huge fan of Buxbaum and her past novels, but for me this was not her best work. Overall, Buxbaum creates some realistic character who lead the complex lives of teenagers. I did feel like there were a lot of characters to track and that found me getting a little lost within the story. I will continue to check out anything that she writes. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is told from four points of view. Immie, Arch, Paige and Ro are 16 years old. They all have secrets, confused feelings, and family issues. I liked this book but didn't love it. I thin this one could have been better with only one POV and not four.

Year on Fire introduces twins Imogene and Archer Gibson and alpha-girl Paige Cohen-Chen who are an inseparable trio. The twins' loyalty to her and each other is tested when Archie kisses Paige's boyfriend Jackson and Immie claims responsibility to hide his homosexuality from their abusive father. This strains her friendship with Paige, so when Rohan Singh, a charming British teen, transfers to their school and Paige calls "dibs" on him, Immie ignores the growing attraction between her and Rohan. Rohan, whose parents have separated after his father's infidelity, has been forced to move with him to LA. He is angry and homesick, but his crush on Immie keeps him grounded. Meanwhile Archie and Jackson dance around their feelings for each other, as Archie struggles to come out of the closet and Jackson anticipates his father's fifth wedding. Paige, the classic neglected rich girl, strives for perfection in an attempt to gain the attention of her parents, who are never home. When the girls' restroom at school is set on fire, pretty much everyone is under suspicion. This romantic soap opera explores a variety of attractions, as well as family dysfunction, as the mysterious arsonist continues to set fires. Although the identity of the arsonist is of interest, the teens' personal dramas are much more engaging in this surefire winner from Julie Buxbaum. (Admission)

Year on Fire was powerful and emotional and was a rare look into mental health. A good reminder that everybody has a battle raging in their minds no matter how perfect they seem on the outside. Things are not always as they appear. What a wonderful open discussion about mental health and a reminder that it’s ok to get help and speak up about what you need.

I want to thank Flatiron Books/Delacorte Press for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.
I really love Buxbaum's writing. This is my third book by her and I am always entranced and rarely want to put what she writes down. I read this one in one day!
The differing points of view in this book truly leant to the plot continuing to move. I enjoyed watching each character mature and grow, or become just a little more undone. It was nice to see characters that didn't fit a mold. That had a little something wrong in some way. It made me remember no one is perfect and everyone has their dark side they are working through.
I like that the dramas the author chose to highlight are dramas we see with teens today: mental health issues, identity issues, family issues. With contemporary YA you often see characters that go through things and end up having them wrapped up and solved in a nice tight bow. It's often hard to remember the characters can be unhinged.
Overall this was an enjoyable read. This may be my favorite book from this author yet, though I really did love Tell Me Three Things.
I'd definitely recommend this read to friends and young adults. Looking forward to more from this author in the future.

Julie Buxbaum is an accessible author for teenagers. The way she weaves fire through each characters lives is seamless. I know readers will find a connection. With all that said, this was not my favorite of her books, but worth the read.

I wanted to love this book as much as I love some of her others, but couldn’t get into it. Very teenager and would be great for a younger reader.

I really enjoy Julie Buxbaum's books so I was excited when I got a copy of this one. The story follows twins Immie and Arch, their long time best friend Paige, and their new to LA by way of London friend Ro. Everyone has a rather sizable secret about themselves and their home life that they keep from each other for some reason.

Honestly, this was not my favorite of Buxbaum's books.; it falls in the middle for me (Favorite: Hope and Other Punchlines; Least: What to Say Next). I did like that chapters rotate through each character's point of view, but it happens too quickly to give any one character's story justice. I think the part that detracts from the book the most for me was Paige's character. Any time her character showed up I spent it trying to figure out why Immie and Arch were so loyal and actually friends with her. At no point in the book did she ever really seem like a good friend to either of them, and there were no flashback scenes that demonstrated why they all got along so well

I liked the theme of fire throughout the book, but wish it had all come together a little more.

I could not get into this book. The multiple narrative perspectives just didn’t work for me.

I usually enjoy Buxbaum’s books, and the cover was absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately the rest of the plot and characters fell flat.

Julie Buxbaum is such an expert to develop realistic coming of age stories! This book is another great example of her unique approach to dysfunctional families and teen problems!

Multi POVs of teenage stories about family dramas, traumas, daily struggles, resentments, buried anger, secrets they kept blended so well.
The characters were vivid, easy to resonate and empathize with.

Even though I found the beginning chapters’ writing a little choppy, I eventually got into the story and the mystery meets cute romance with triggering issues were truly well executed and honestly approached!

Welcome to the Wood Valley High : a school for elites. Let’s meet with our multi MCs to learn more about the relationship dynamics! Immie is the center of the story, taking the blame on kissing her best friend Paige’s boyfriend to protect her twin brother Archer, still trying so hard to soothe things with Paige.

But a mysterious, hot British boy’s sudden move halfway from the world and involvement to their inner circle change the entire balance of their friendships.

Rohan: the British boy gets attention of entire class including Paige who get used to take what she wants. Too bad for Immie who also has a secret crush to him. But she already took the fall for the kids incident and so she has no intention to go against Paige’s wishes!

Let’s not forget Paige’s ex Jason and Archer’s combustible attraction!

There are so many secrets, resentments, lies lurk around the corridors of Wood Valley High. Like the feelings blast like wildfires, somebody dared to put the girls’ bathroom into fire! But who and why? Who may hold the grudge against specifically one of the girls?

It was gripping reading with satisfying conclusion! Highly recommended to the YA coming of age/ mystery/ romance readers!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Julie Buxbaum is the author of some enjoyable books, such as "Tell Me Three Things" and "What to Say Next." While I enjoyed those books, I didn't have the same emotional attachment to this one. In "Year on Fire", four high school students are experiencing the fallout from a forbidden kiss. These students include twins Immie and Arch, their best friend Paige, and foreign student Rohan. This book consists of themes related to family, romance, and even LGBTQ relationships. I wish I had enjoyed it more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Year on Fire has memorable, real characters who you love to root for. I loved the connection between the twins and the strength of their friendships.

This was a lukewarm read. The text had too many side notes and was choppy at times. There are four different points of view, three of which are quite strong. However, Ro read more like a side character whose internal processing contributed less to the overall story and whose interactions could have been shown through Paige's and Immie's chapters. Thematically, the book handled mental health and loneliness well. It definitely has an audience and will find many teen readers who will enjoy it and perhaps find some help and healing through it.

Although I've read other books by Buxbaum, this one left me disappointed. The plot line was interesting, but wasn't strong enough to carry through the book. I liked the characters but felt that could have been better developed and less "trendy" in terms of the difficulties that they faced. I really wanted to like this book, but can't give it more than 3 stars.

This coming-of-age story about twins Immie and Arch, and best friend Paige will resonate with teens who are experiencing similar troubles in their own lives as they read about how these characters navigate the ups and downs of their juniour year. Told from multiple perspectives, Buxbaum tackles some heavy issues but does so in a way that really draws the reader in. The story is a mix of romance, drama, and a little bit of mystery. Young adults will surely love this book. Thank you netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I've read all of Buxbaums novels and loved them and this YA contemporary romance is no different. I enjoyed the different perspectives told in chapters and really appreciated so many timely topics that the author included such as domestic violence, honesty to one's self, and mental health. A great read that had relatable characters in immie, arch, Jackson, Ro and Paige. 5 stars!!!