Year on Fire

By: Julie Buxbaum

Narrated by: Kristen Sieh

New York Times bestselling author Julie Buxbaum explores the blinding power of lies, the tight grip of family secrets, and the magic of first love in this poignant novel about a trio of friends and the allure of romantic feelings that fractures their bond as they struggle to remain true to themselves while building back the grounding friendship on which they once relied.

It was a year on fire. They fell in love. Someone was bound to get burned.

The Spark: Just days before the start of junior year, a spontaneous kiss and then a lie shake the very foundation of the friendship between best friends Immie and Paige. Immie’s twin brother, Arch, knows something, only he’s not talking. Some loyalties run too deep to be broken by accidental betrayal.
The Fuel: Enter Rohan, new to Wood Valley High by way of London, who walks into school on the first day completely overwhelmed by his sudden move halfway around the world. When Paige calls dibs on him—he’s too cute to ignore—Immie is in no position to argue, certainly not after taking the fall for the disloyal kiss. Too bad for Immie that Ro feels like the best kind of familiar.
The Kindling: Former lab partners Arch and Jackson, Paige’s ex-boyfriend, have never considered themselves more than friends. But sometimes feelings can grow like flames fanned by the wind.
The Flames: When the girls’ bathroom at Wood Valley is set ablaze, no one doubts it’s arson. But in this bastion of privilege, who’d be angry enough to want to burn down the school? Answer: pretty much everyone.

Critic reviews

★ "Portrayals of healthy teen romance provide a hopeful backdrop as family trauma and insecurities come to light . . . in this tender exploration of love and loyalty." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Four Los Angeles teens negotiate their relationships. . . real issues told with earnest heart." —Kirkus Reviews

Ok

3.5 STARS

I’m a big Julie Buxbaum fan, though YEAR ON FIRE was just a so-so read for me. Even the blurb didn’t draw me in, but I’ve been surprised by other Buxbaum books that exceeded my expectations.

As always, the characters were interesting, layered and realistic and the writing clever. I loved the Easter eggs from Buxbaum’s other books, the baby Hope poster and mention of Chloe’s ADMISSION scandal.

YEAR ON FIRE is the story of twins, their best friend and a London transfer student each dealing with coming of age issues including domestic violence, neglect, coming out, mental illness and family issues. I would have liked more about one of the characters’ relationship to the title of the book.

I’m looking forward to Buxbaum’s next release to grab me tighter than YEAR ON FIRE.