WOW, this was amazing. In a god-awful racist town/family kind of way but I loved the way Naomi chose to react to it in the beginning and afterward.
What a great coming of age and dealing with racist government bodies and family members you thought you once knew are someone else entirely when you are more grown up to see it. I devoured this book, it's pretty high-paced for the most part and P.H. wrote the friendships fantastically to weave this story with all this history between them all and future friendships sprinkled throughout the book.
It's good for both YA and Adult readers because it does hold a powerful story, how do you call out your best friend on their racist behavior, and how you can be perceived for 'defending' them? It also shed a positive and negative light on activism for the black community and was well written, I loved reading those parts of Naomi going through all these new experiences.

This Town Is on Fire by Pamela N. Harris has created a tense novel.
A page-turning YA contemporary story that I just knew was going to very binge worthy and y’all it was so dang compelling.
The topics talked about and discussed within this story was truly captivating and is such an important book to read in my opinion.
It’s perfectly written with characters who I felt so connected to before I closed the book.
This was a stellar read and I’ll recommend it to anyone who will listen.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Not everyone is born being aware of the world and the place it would shove you into, and for others, turning away from this knowledge for as long as the world allows you to play ignorant is another way to cope. The protagonist of this novel is in the latter camp. Vaguely aware of the costs of moving through the world in a black body, facing micro-aggression at school, in the world and even with her best friend, but trying so very hard to distance herself from it. Right up until she can’t.

I’m still not quite sure that this book wasn’t written solely for the white gaze, beautiful cover aside.

Taking a more benevolent read of this book, I think it will help young black people, especially those in environments where they are the minority to understand that they don’t have to be placed in the position of chief arbitrator of race relations, that they don’t have to instinctively be an activist or even know how to, and that even those communities have people you need to be wary of.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review .

This Town Is on Fire by Pamela N. Harris combines zoomer and politics in an excellent way, creating a compelling plot that revolves around Naomi, Kylie, and the novel's other characters. The plot of This Town Is on Fire is so interwoven that it makes it ideal for young adults.

Placeholder. Will update when the Harper Collins union new contract is finalized. Thank you again to the publisher for the copy.

I loved the writing style but didn’t like the story ,I found it a little boring .
Anyways I plan on read more of the authors in the future

What do you do when your oldest and closest friend is the caring that everybody is talking about on social media. And not only that but your own black community is looking at you like you’re crazy for having anything to do with this person. For Naomi this is exactly what happens when her best friend Kylie makes some very poor decisions, and Naomi is forced to make some choices about who her friends and family really are. However, even once Naomi finds people that can help her find her voice, and potentially her black joy, she realizes that they are not without their own problems, and that relationship becomes fraught with its own complexities. This is a very layered book, there’s a lot happening here and a lot of really amazing potential discussions to be had in a classroom. I look forward to bringing this book into my classroom and discussing it with my students.

In a small southern town, race is relevant, but not between two best friends...right? Naomi Henry has always known where she stood with her best friend Kylie, she would describe her as practically a sister with Naomi's mom taking care of Kylie and her brother throughout their youth. They are seniors in high school now though and Naomi is forced to reevaluate their friendship after a video of Kylie calling the cops on two young Black men in a Target parking lot goes viral. Labeled a "Becky" it's not just Kyle that's catching flack at school, but Naomi as well as she initially defends her best friend. As tension in their small town mounts, Naomi finds herself torn between the life she has always known and her desire to define herself anew.

I thought this was a compelling contemporary novel dealing with real issues of race in the United States. Naomi is a relatable character and you are with her on this journey of self-discovery and rooting for her until the end. There were times the writing seemed a little disjointed and various points were being inserted for the sake of making a point. There was some really cool teen activism on display, but I do not agree with how the ending panned out. Still a story worth reading, but confused as to why the author chose to have things play out the way they did.

THIS TOWN IS ON FIRE provides a look into the nuance and people that exist on the continuum of systematic oppression to extreme, isolated action. It explores explicit racist thoughts and actions, implicit basis, microaggressions, analyzing your biases, and becoming culturally literate. Wrapped in a timeless story of best friends growing up and apart, this realistic fiction will hook readers immediately and leave them thinking for days to come.

Naomi and Kylie have been best friends ever since Naomi's mom started working for Kylie's family. Even after Naomi's mom starts her own business, their friendship stayed strong - more like sisters than friends. But recently, Kylie's slights and comments - like her reaction to Naomi's natural hair - are troubling Naomi more and more.

When a video of Kylie calling the cops on two Black teens goes viral, Naomi has to confront the racist undertones of their lifelong friendship. She knows Kylie isn't a bad person, but she also knows that she can't embrace her Blackness and condone Kylie's behavior. Told in alternating now and then timelines, THIS TOWN IS ON FIRE is a fast-paced, slow burn thriller that will appeal to high school readers.

I loved it! Great story with an important message behind it. Can’t wait to read more from this author

3.5/5 stars! The premise of this story is nuanced and extremely important. Fans of "The Hate You Give" will likely enjoy this story. With strong BIPOC representation and a message that all young adults need to read, this was a solid story. I will say that the writing style suffered at times and sometimes it felt like the author didn't know how to express YA characters. Despite this, the book had an important message and I would recommend it.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC, thank you! All in all the book was just okay. There were times it was very hard to read. Honestly, at some parts of the story I said to myself, “What the?” & “Be for real?”You can tell these are young people whose cognitive skills are still developing. I feel like there were too many cliche moments like in the park when Naomi and Kylie were fighting, how coincidental it was a white person walking by or of course Naomi likes the white brother. The ending was so lack luster as well. I’d DNF it if it wasn’t an ARC but because I finished it I can give it a solid 3 stars. I’d still recommend it for anyone looking for this type of story.

Wow, so much happening in this book as we see Naomi getting a lot of hate from her Black friends after she and her friend Kylie, whom many refer to as Parking Lot Becky, make a video highlighting the ridiculousness of when Kylie called the police on a Black man. The video does the opposite because people aren’t forgiving Kylie and are now hating on Naomi especially when Kylie won’t take the video down. When Kylie’s dad threatens to take away Naomi’s mom’s day care center, more people start to get involved because of the way Kylie’s dad is treating Black employees. When there is mention of planting a bomb, so much happens.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review of this excellent contemporary YA read from Pamela N. Harris. Naomi's story felt ripped from real life, with twists and turns to keep the plot moving. The internal and external struggles of the main character were pitch-perfect, and the complicated, layered questions and opinions about racism in a YA world echoed off the page throughout the story. This is such an important book and perfectly written. For me, it recalled Angie Thomas in places but with a voice all the author's own. Five stars and highly recommend!!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed this one a lot, though it was hard to read at times. Naomi begins to question her friendships when her best (white) friend becomes a “Becky,” calling the cops on two innocent Black boys in a viral video. Incredibly real, dialogue that felt very true to the age group. This will resonate with a lot of teens. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC for this book.. This book was SO GOOD i requested this book because the cover caught my eye and then i remembered i read When You Look Like Us and loved that book so i said let me give this one a go and TRUST ME im glad i did. This YA novel was such a page turner i could not put it down naomi was such a strong lead in this novel and i loved reading about her navigating friendships and highschool when everything hits the fan following her BESTFRIEND from when she was younger when racist things start escalating and happening and things are being exposed about Kylies family naomi is put in such tough situations trying to find her voice and speak up for whats right but it was so hard at times because of the bond she has with kylie and she felt so betrayed because she never expected it to come from such a close family friend etc. This book is super important because so much of this stuff happens still and finding voices and the power our voices have is needed. I could not put this book down i didnt know what was going to happen next. Twists and turns and secrets and betrayal. I loved all the representation in this novel. If i had to describe this book it honestly would be finding your voice and standing up for whats right and the author wrote this book so beautifully. Also i LOVE the cover. Once again the author writes an amazing book if you love YA books especially with important messages definitely read and love this one as much as i did.

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

I loved this book. I'm part of a book club (currently on hiatus due to life changes) that focuses on books either written by BIPOC authors and/or feature main characters of color, feature LGBTQ+ characters, characters with disabilities, etc. This book would definitely be a recommendation for that book club.

I like that this book allowed for a viewpoint that I have yet to see in fiction--that of the Black best friend. I feel that Pamela N. Harris does a phenomenal job in showcasing what it's like to be a Black girl at a predominantly White school with predominantly White friends who is confronted with overt racism from someone she calls sister. I think Harris did a great job developing Naomi not only as a high schooler trying to figure out who she is in the world, but also, who she is as a Black woman in the world. Though my situation wasn't anything like Naomi's (I went to a predominantly White high school, but my friends were pretty well-mixed), I empathized with Naomi's feelings and thought patterns, even as she made stupid high school mistakes. This book felt real to me and I definitely recommend it.