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 for twins Arch and Immie and their best friend, Paige, a spontaneous kiss shakes the very foundation of their friendship. But 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 wildfire.
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.
Year on Fire explores the blinding power of the lies we tell others and those we tell ourselves, the tight grip of family secrets, the magic of first love, and the grounding beauty of friendship. (Pub Date: Apr 12 2022)
I find Buxbaum's writing so good it pulls in. Even in this case of a story that wasn't that interesting.
3+
Told in four points of view, we're introduced to a double love triangle? A pentagon? The mess had already started when Immie lied to protect her twin still in the closed in fear of what it could trigger in his family. The lie, that she had kissed her best friend's boyfriend, which ended the relationship. It gets worse when Immie falls for Ro, the new guy in school, for whom her friend had already called dibs.
The read is dynamic, for we have three stories, Immie's romance, her brother's journey to dealing with his feelings and identity, and Immie's friend's feeling on the verge of a breakdown. they're well connected, in a way it doesn't feel like they were three separate stories forced together to be a book long enough, but it's not confusing. As always, the writing is wonderful, a pleasing read.
However, I feel that I couldn't feel interested enough for most of it. I liked the premise for Immie's part, but the more we advanced the less I couldn't care—Immie is a nice character, but the story by itself felt like a thousand others I've read before. Her friend Paige's part was a little better, but I couldn't connect this time. In the end, her brother's, Arch, was the gem in this.
It's quick to read and the chapters are short enough that will get you reading a couple more even when you already feel it's time to stop, which made it go by even faster. I know the author tried to lend it the depth her stories usually have but it didn't do it, unfortunately. It's still above average for a YA, so don't feel discouraged. It is good. Good but it could have been excellent.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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