The New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things and What to Say Next delivers a poignant and hopeful novel about resilience and reinvention, first love and lifelong friendship, the legacies of loss, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.“A luminous, lovely story about a girl who builds a future from the ashes of her past.” –KATHLEEN GLASGOW, New York Times … –KATHLEEN GLASGOW, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces
Sometimes looking to the past helps you find your future.
Abbi Hope Goldstein is like every other teenager, with a few smallish exceptions: her famous alter ego, Baby Hope, is the subject of internet memes, she has asthma, and sometimes people spontaneously burst into tears when they recognize her. Abbi has lived almost her entire life in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of September 11. On that fateful day, she was captured in what became an iconic photograph: in the picture, Abbi (aka “Baby Hope”) wears a birthday crown and grasps a red balloon; just behind her, the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.
Now, fifteen years later, Abbi is desperate for anonymity and decides to spend the summer before her seventeenth birthday incognito as a counselor at Knights Day Camp two towns away. She’s psyched for eight weeks in the company of four-year-olds, none of whom have ever heard of Baby Hope.
Too bad Noah Stern, whose own world was irrevocably shattered on that terrible day, has a similar summer plan. Noah believes his meeting Baby Hope is fate. Abbi is sure it’s a disaster. Soon, though, the two team up to ask difficult questions about the history behind the Baby Hope photo. But is either of them ready to hear the answers?
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¸¸.•*¨*•Spoiler Free Review•*¨*•.¸¸
My tags for this charming and heartfelt YA novel are…
Informative / Unpredictable / Easy-to-read / Tragic Inspirational / Wonderful characters / Witty / Original / HEA
Format read: Unabridged Audiobook loan courtesy of Los Angels Public Library
Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Robbie Daymond, Julie Buxbaum
Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
Release Date: 05-07-19
Publisher: Listening Library
Writing style: Dual POVs (Abbi Hope Goldstein’s and Noah Stern’s)
Cover design: I love the colors!
Ratings
Overall This was a unique look into the 9/11 tragedy and how fictitious people moved on with their lives.
Performances Jorjeana Marie is one of my favorite female narrators. Her voice is so refreshing to my ears, and it’s always such a treat to listen to her voice acting.
Robbie Daymond was excellent as well, and I wouldn’t hesitate to listen to another performance by him.
Author Julie Buxbaum only narrates the Foreward and Afterword, and she did so in a nice clear voice.
Story
The 9/11 is one of the most tragic historical events in the history of the United States. I do remember where I was when I heard the news that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. But unlike many shocked Americans, I couldn’t watch the news over and over about it. I thought about all of the victims and the loss of human potential and what would make terrorists sacrifice their own lives to harm others, about why they hated the American culture and values so much they had to make an example of so many people who had nothing directly to do with what politicians chose to do overseas.
With this novel, I was able to learn more about the tragedy and some of the conditions survivors have had to contend with as their lives continued but irrevocably altered mentally and physically without breaking down in tears of extreme sadness. It was refreshing to hear how Baby Hope aka Abbi Goldstein had such a moving impact on so many people’s lives. And Noah’s dad was a true hero. I know I’d never be as brave as Noah’s dad. Thank goodness people like him really did exist and saved many lives that would have perished immediately otherwise.
Abbi’s history and Noah’s history are both fictitious. But it was easy to get caught up in their realities and eventual shared story together. This author has a wonderful talent for unique stories. I have yet to be disappointed in anyway with any of her novels, and I look forward to reading more by her in the future.
This book tackles something heavy with a light touch. It’s a YA contemporary novel that follows a 16 year old who became a symbol of hope after 9/11 because of a photo that captured her rescue from the Twin Towers. It focuses on her 16th summer and where she is in terms of processing her unsolicited fame. I don’t want to give a lot away, but it’s funny and sad and hopeful and well-written and absorbing. Warning to sensitive readers: a few instances of profanity and a couple of sex jokes.
This is the 3rd book I’ve read by this author, which for me is the magic number that determines whether or not they become a favorite. Julie Buxbaum is now officially a favorite YA author of mine. (I still need to read her adult lit.)
Hope and Other Punchlines was in essence, a “9/11” story that focused on the tragedy’s effect on two teens and their families. I’d recently read a couple of books with 9/11 as their backdrop, but not from the perspective of the children born on and around that date. I really enjoyed this shift in viewpoint. Noah and Abbi weren’t actually there or weren’t old enough to remember, but their lives were drastically altered because of it. At the same time, through their eyes, we met a number of adults who were there and helped fill the gaps in Noah and Abbi’s stories. The book was emotionally stirring with a highly compelling writing style. Like this author’s previous work, she has a quick wit when it comes to banter and commentary. That wit was a nice balance when paired with the heartbreaking turns to the story. Most importantly and not always found in YA lit, I felt that these were realistically written characters with authentic family relationships. I was immediately drawn in at the start and then didn’t want to leave when nearing the end. A moving story by a consistently wonderful author.
well, i liked it so much that i bought the book right after i was done with the library copy so that should say somwthing.
its been a while and i dont remember much (i have horrible memory in general) but i do remember that i liked it a lot.
I ”read” this book while listening to the audio, which is narrated beautifully. Voice actors aside, the author masterfully crafts characters with whom readers can empathize. Throughout the story there are multiple plot and character arcs, making this feel, on many levels, like a hero’s journey as teens grapple with what it means to be a 9/11 survivor who was right there at ground zero as a baby.
I also believe this would be a novel read in an English class as part of a unit. Aside from the overarching topic mentioned above, this story also contains themes related to being more open and honest, making friends with people who are very different from you, and accepting others. Oh, there’s also a teen romance that feels perfectly natural, especially as it buds after the final climactic struggle with teens have to deal with apart from each other before they can come back together in the and.
Book 14 towards my goal of 240! 4/5 stars for this hard hitting YA Contemporary. This story focuses on a girl who became a symbol of surviving 9/11 when a photo is published with her as a baby the day the towers fell. It discusses survivor stories, as well as loss. Abby doesn’t want to be known as “Baby Hope” anymore, she just wants to be Abby. She also has a secret of her own she’s hiding. Love the cover. Good story with his characters. Loved the dual narration.
I read this book in one sitting! Julie Buxbaum does it again – a wonderful premise – where are the people who became famous because of 9/11 now, 15 years later? What has the impact been on their lives? But set in a gentle setting, a young romance. I really loved it.