sarahannkateri's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
It's the summer of 1977 in New York City. Nora Lopez has just graduated from high school, and is planning to have the best summer ever. She's going to move into her own place, dance at discos all night, and see where things go with Pablo, the hot new guy at her work. Unfortunately, Nora's plans are upset by trouble at home and fear of the serial killer who is haunting her neighborhood, and targeting girls who look like her.
My first takeaway is that it's impossible to read this story about Queens during the summer of '77 without seeing the parallels to today. As Medina explores the race relations, fear of the unknown, and the simmering anger of disenfranchised people which eventually explode into a riot of looting and arson, it's easy to see the echoes in Ferguson. When an activist and a firefighter face off over the dinner table about issues of police discrimination, it might as well have been set in 2016, since the same issues are still dividing people.
Medina did a wonderful job of portraying domestic violence, the dysfunction that results when children are forced to assume the roles of their parents, and the internal struggle of loving someone who is doing terrible things. She also nails the struggle of families who are barely scraping by.
Nora felt like a fully-realized character, and while the supporting characters didn't have as much depth, they still felt real and whole. The writing was solid, with enough polyester-and-quaalude-type details worked in to enhance the setting without being distracting.
A good choice for those who want gritty fiction with mystery and romance mixed in.
It's the summer of 1977 in New York City. Nora Lopez has just graduated from high school, and is planning to have the best summer ever. She's going to move into her own place, dance at discos all night, and see where things go with Pablo, the hot new guy at her work. Unfortunately, Nora's plans are upset by trouble at home and fear of the serial killer who is haunting her neighborhood, and targeting girls who look like her.
My first takeaway is that it's impossible to read this story about Queens during the summer of '77 without seeing the parallels to today. As Medina explores the race relations, fear of the unknown, and the simmering anger of disenfranchised people which eventually explode into a riot of looting and arson, it's easy to see the echoes in Ferguson. When an activist and a firefighter face off over the dinner table about issues of police discrimination, it might as well have been set in 2016, since the same issues are still dividing people.
Medina did a wonderful job of portraying domestic violence, the dysfunction that results when children are forced to assume the roles of their parents, and the internal struggle of loving someone who is doing terrible things. She also nails the struggle of families who are barely scraping by.
Nora felt like a fully-realized character, and while the supporting characters didn't have as much depth, they still felt real and whole. The writing was solid, with enough polyester-and-quaalude-type details worked in to enhance the setting without being distracting.
A good choice for those who want gritty fiction with mystery and romance mixed in.
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
Burn Baby Burn is a fairly typical story of a teenage girl finding love and managing a messed-up home life set against the backdrop of 1977 New York, the summer a serial killer calling himself the Son of Sam haunted the streets at night, gunning down young women and couples in parked cars.
The setting is the most compelling part of the book, the hot, sticky nights and thumping disco coming alive through Medina’s words. Despite the inclusion of the serial killer angle, Burn Baby Burn is much more slice-of-life than detective story. Don’t expect main character Nora Lopez to don a Sherlock Holmes cap and make a citizen’s arrest—she’s more concerned about her pyromaniac brother, absent father, and the hot stockboy at the grocery store where she works.
And, of course, the age-old question: what to do after high school graduation.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
The setting is the most compelling part of the book, the hot, sticky nights and thumping disco coming alive through Medina’s words. Despite the inclusion of the serial killer angle, Burn Baby Burn is much more slice-of-life than detective story. Don’t expect main character Nora Lopez to don a Sherlock Holmes cap and make a citizen’s arrest—she’s more concerned about her pyromaniac brother, absent father, and the hot stockboy at the grocery store where she works.
And, of course, the age-old question: what to do after high school graduation.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
kristen_eden's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of those reads where the tension is so high, you fly through it to find out what happens.
karimorton33's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! I liked that it dealt with real historical events in NYC, the feminist thoughts of some of the main characters, and the really tough but real family dynamics. (Read for Book Riot Live 2016)
katreadsalot's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written and incredibly atmospheric. The audiobook dropped me in the middle of the summer of 1977 in New York. Nora's story was beautiful and hopeful. I definitely want to read more about this period.
crystal_reading's review against another edition
Review copy: ARC via publisher
Review to come closer to publication date.
Review to come closer to publication date.
joyfleming's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
tinmanreading's review against another edition
3.0
Tw: domestic abuse, child against parent abuse, sibling against sibling abuse, off page serial killer, drugs, blackmail, arson, rioting, harassment
It’s groovy baby.
This story takes place in one of New York’s worst summers. 1977 with record heat, serial killer Son of Sam on the loose, and a literal lightening strike that sparked riots, arson, and looting.
It’s an easy read though sprinkled with Spanish that had me reaching for Google Translate quite often.
It deals with the rarely portrayed child against parent/sibling against sibling domestic abuse in a way that’s honest and frightening.
Altogether an easy read with a happy ending
It’s groovy baby.
This story takes place in one of New York’s worst summers. 1977 with record heat, serial killer Son of Sam on the loose, and a literal lightening strike that sparked riots, arson, and looting.
It’s an easy read though sprinkled with Spanish that had me reaching for Google Translate quite often.
It deals with the rarely portrayed child against parent/sibling against sibling domestic abuse in a way that’s honest and frightening.
Altogether an easy read with a happy ending
amymck05's review against another edition
4.0
This was an ok story. It's historical fiction set in 1997 in NY during women rights movement and son of sam. Plot could have been better but it has a great message.
girlreading's review against another edition
4.0
Going into this, I wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. The thriller element wasn't as stone as I'd hoped it would be but that ended up not to matter. It was the characters, their relationships, their private lives and uncertainty of it all that had me totally hooked. I really enjoy each character and thought the different levels of relationships portrayed throughout were so interesting to follow and to be a part of. I loved the scope of different topics this book discussed. From race, to love, to family, murder, to friendships, to poverty, it had it all and more and neither subject was neglected or smoothed over. Overall this was an enjoyable reading experience of a story I hadn't expected.