A solid YA novel that was a good purchase for my library. Students have read and enjoyed it, and I purchased it because of this review copy.

Hope and Other Punch Lines
by Julie Buxbaum
 Read an Excerpt
Random House Children's
 You Are Auto-Approved
Delacorte Press
Teens & YA
Pub Date 07 May 2019   |   Archive Date 31 Jan 2021

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House Children's for the ARC of this book.  I am on a committee to decide honor books for this age group.  I found this book to be excellent for the age group in it's audience. 
I will recommend it.

Insight into 9/11 and its effect on New York citizens and the aftermath, 5 stars!
The editor/publisher note at the beginning explains the intent of the book and I’m interested. Chapter one introduces Abbi and I’m hooked! She’s known as Baby Hope because she was photographed on the morning of 9/11 with a red balloon and a paper crown while a tower was crumbling in the background. She’s turning sixteen. Abbi gets a job at a kids’ day camp a county or two away from her home. No one should know she’s Baby Hope or recognize her. She has people approach her all the time. Noah also works at the camp and recognizes Abbi from school but he keeps her Baby Hope identity a secret for her. Some 9/11 survivors have been diagnosed with cancer in different forms because of the debris they were exposed to. Abbi has started coughing up blood but she doesn’t want anyone to know just yet. She wants to have a normal teenage summer. Noah has a mission to identify the three unknown people in the 9/11 Baby Hope photo that have been unidentified all these years. Noah sets up interviews with everyone in the photo that have been identified. The survivors and Hope help him figure out each of the photographed people and this opens up an entirely new story to swallow. I absolutely love this book and the characters, character dynamics and character development! The author does an amazing job weaving tragedy and hope together with the every day happenings of those left behind.

I feel like this book snuck up on me and I never could have predicted it coming! I picked this up to read on a whim, liking the cover and knowing almost nothing about it. I did not know that this was going to be a crazy emotional roller coaster that I never wanted to get off of, full of love, drama, heartache, loss and even some well placed humor. Julie was able to take a very serious event and show how people deal with loss and hope, how an image can mean so much to a nation. I giggled at parts, loving the banter between the two main characters, and teared up at other parts that were so emotional and important. I loved everything about this very touching story and the message the author imparted- make sure to read the author note at the end!

I think this is the perfect read for anyone who likes YA contemporary romances, humor and heartache in equal doses, or who has experienced loss and needs to find a little bit of hope.

I really enjoyed this book and this author. I found that there was a good romance and finding one self. Overall I enjoyed this book and this author.

Abbi Hope Goldstein celebrated her first birthday on the day of the September 11 attacks. A photograph captured a now iconic photograph of "Baby Hope" with the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsing behind her. After fifteen years of living in the shadow of Baby Hope, Abbi was desperate for the anonymity that her new job as a summer camp counselor provided her. However, fellow camp counselor Noah recognized her and asked for her help locating the other people in the Baby Hope photograph.

The book was a dual narrative between Abbi and Noah. I immediately disliked Noah. He wanted to craft the perfect 9/11 joke. He tried to explain himself away stating that he knew the September 11 attacks were not funny but comedy was cathartic. However, it was still unacceptable. Also, when Abbi did not want to help Noah locate the people in the Baby Hope photograph, he blackmailed her. I also did not think the romance between them was realistic. 

This book was written for teenagers who were born after the September 11 attacks occurred. It is strange to me that teenagers will learn about the event from their families or from history class at school. Even though I was old enough to remember the attacks, I still learned more about them from reading this book. In the book, Abbi discussed how 9/11 continued to affect her life. For example, she had asthma and, when she began to cough blood, feared she developed 9/11 syndrome. In her author's note, Julie Buxbaum stated she was interested in the personal legacies of loss. She wrote about how people are still dying from the September 11 attacks, eighteen years after their occurrences. 

The novel was impactful as it tackled important issues, such as the legacy of loss after the September 11 attacks and the impact of fame — 3.5 stars.

The main reason that I wanted to review this book is because I have never read a fiction book centered around the 9/11 attacks. I love reading fiction about WW1 and WW2 and other major historical events, but I guess the reason that I have never read anything about 9/11 is because it is still so new and I feel that it would be offensive or tacky to make anything fictional around that day.

I gave it a chance and I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't distasteful and it didn't undermine the lives that were ruined, the people who lost their lives or those who live with survivor's guilt. This book did have me searching the web for the Baby Hope picture that the author did indeed make up. It kind of reminded me of the Lana picture from the first season of Smallville. I had to throw in this pop culture reference because this book had a ton of recent pop culture references.

I was also taken down memory lane back to September 11th. I was 10 years old and in 5th Grade. My teachers were in a panic all day and were very distracted. We weren't told what had happened until it was time for us to go home and they said that our parents would be having a major discussion with us that night. All they told us was that there was an attack on New York.

I went home and watched the news and started crying because they showed people jumping out of the buildings and the towers collapsing. Also because my mom told me that our annual trip to Turner Field to watch the Atlanta Braves play was cancelled and I was devastated. When I said it still feels new, it is because it is hard to believe that it is 18 years this year and I can remember vividly that day in my 5th grade classroom.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Following an iconic 9/11 photograph that immortalized her as Baby Hope, Abbi Hope Goldstein just wants to be a normal teenager. Though forever changed by that fateful day, her own family survived. The fact that they live outside the city in a town that was devastated with loss on 9/11 means everyone knows who she is. For the first time Abbi has the opportunity to be herself as a counselor at Knights Day Camp, where no one knows she is Baby Hope. Then she recognizes fellow counselor Noah Stern, another teen from her hometown, and she fears he will reveal her secret. Noah has questions of his own about the Baby Hope photo, and he convinces Abbi to help him uncover the truth about the people in it. Neither is ready to face their own truths in this novel that will help readers realize the significance of photos.

THOUGHTS: Today's young adult readers did not live through 9/11, though that day and its aftermath will likely be part of their history texts or lessons. Students will appreciate the subtle details about how that day resonates for those who survived or lost loved ones. Highly recommended for middle and high school collections.

Loved this book - pre-ordered it on Amazon so I could have it in my classroom ASAP upon its publication.  "Baby Hope" was such a realistic and compelling character, and my students embraced the idea of a fictionalized element of a very real event.  Beautifully written and full of heart and humor - another fabulous book by Julie Buxbaum.

I can remember first learning about the 9/11 attacks. I was in an interesting point in time and space. At 10 years of age, I was old enough that I understood to some extent what was happening, and I can remember it happening, but I was still young enough that I didn't completely grasp the horror. I was also on the other side of the world at the time, living in China. Not being American, nor being in the country, it was a terrible but distant concept for me, like seeing all the other atrocities on TV and in the news. Two things made this day stand out to me personally. First, my aunt was living in NYC and was apparently several blocks away from the World Trade Center. Second, my teacher at the time was American, and so it was a Big Deal the next day at school. (The crashes happened overnight for us.) I remember leaning over my teacher's desk to look at the casualty count for each country, looking to see how many South Africans lost their lives. (Remember, I was 10, and this was something that happened far away from my world.)

But I'm a whole decade older than the young adults of today, who have grown up either being far too young to remember the day...or not having been alive at all at the time. This is still such a weird thing for me to think about. Abbi, the one main character in this story, falls into the former group. Born on September 11th 2000, she was celebrating her first birthday in the daycare centre of the WTC when the planes struck, and she became a strange sort of symbol around the world – "Baby Hope". Instead of being able to live a normal life, hers became defined by a tragedy she happened to survive but cannot remember. My whole story above? Her mere presence would trigger people to remember where they were on 9/11, the people they lost.

Imagine being Abbi, an otherwise typical teenager – hormones, awkwardness, and all – who is not allowed to be one. This very train of thought was what drew me to Hope and Other Punchlines. All she wants is to have a normal summer, working two counties away in the hopes that no one will recognise her. She doesn't want to be a trigger or a symbol anymore, especially with something looming on the horizon. It was easy to slip into her mind and understand where she was coming from, the first person really working here.

On the other hand, I struggled a bit with Noah. He was a bit blunt to begin with, and it was only once the reasoning behind his actions slowly became apparent that I warmed up to him. But it took a while. It's actually through his relationship with Jack and how they took Abbi in so easily that helped me to start seeing Noah as someone special. By the end, I was pretty sweet on him and Abbi together! AND THEIR FIRST KISS. Ugh.

Thanks to Noah's obsession, the two of them get caught up in some sleuthing. Specifically, hunting down someone from the Baby Hope photo. Along the way, there's a whole lot of teenage Figuring Stuff Out, be it about friendship, family, feelings, or ...ok, I can't think of another f-word (tehe)... who they themselves are. It did feel a bit slow at first, but it was still enjoyable throughout.

A special mention goes to Abbi's parents. My parents are divorced and rarely talk to each other, so it was utterly bizarre that they were such good friends and really worked together to raise Abbi. I also loved how supportive and empowering they were. Plus, while Abbi's mom was great, she didn't come across as the super maternal person you normally seen in fiction, with Abbi's dad handling the more emotionally intensive conversations. It's nice to see the dynamic switched up like that.

Another more serious side tangent, I can't help but point out how American-centric the whole 9/11 thing is. Yes, lots of people died that day. But lots of people have died in other events around the world, yet we don't have the same reaction. We don't remember those days, what we were doing, where we were. Or did I only burn 9/11 into my memory because I was at an American school at the time? Do people in other countries also have such strong memories of 9/11?

I will say that I did cry while reading this. When both Noah and Abbi each had their own Tough Moment, my emotions got away from me a little, and I almost missed my stop on the train getting to work during one of them because I was so caught up in the Feels!

I think that sums up this book for me: it got my mind whirring and heart going in all sorts of directions. It was a bit jarring, though I don't think that's the book's fault. I think it might because of my own personal experience with 9/11, but I guess that's the risk when writing about events that really happened. You take this tragic thing that happened, you add in all the thoughts and feelings and experiences teenagers have now about it, but then there's this romantic element thrown in that sort of threw me a bit. It just goes to show that even people who the rest of the world dub special are just normal people with their own everyday lives and relationships.

I wonder how this book was received by a generation that doesn't remember or wasn't born when 9/11 occurred. Teens are empathetic and I think it's recent enough history that they can still connect. 

Nice romance. I'm glad Abbi was able to make new friends after being friend-dumped.

Scenes with the parents and grandmother with dementia were heartbreaking. I've also been in a situation with a medical condition, where I waited too long and made my parents worry, so I know where she's coming from and it's not a good feeling. Very well done.

The Baby Hope photo was a symbol of hope for the country after the 9/11 attacks. Abbi Hope Goldstein was the subject of this photo and even several years later people still pin their 9/11 emotions on her. All Abbi wants is to live her life without 9/11 hanging over her, but recently, she has been sick and thinks that 9/11 syndrome may have come for her like is has for some of the important people in her life. Abbi's last shot at normalcy is by being a camp counselor, after that, she will tell her parents about her sickness and accept her fate. While Abbi tells no tells no one about her Baby Hope past, a fellow camp counselor,Noah, knows who she is and is determined to get to know her. Noah, a budding stand up comic, looking for the perfect 9/11 joke, is convinced that his "dead" father was in the Baby Hope photo. Noah is convinced that his father isn't dead and that Abbi can help him find him. While Noah is super annoying, Abbi quickly finds herself befriending and romantically sparking with him. 

This was really well written and developed. I became quickly invested in the characters and the story. There was a great balance of levity and respect for those impacted by 9/11.

Abbi has grown up in the shadow of an infamous picture that was taken of her as a baby during the 9/11 attacks. Fifteen years later, she just wants to be herself, not Baby Hope, and enjoy the summer. Especially since she has started having a bad cough, which could mean the side effects from surviving 9/11 are catching up with her. 

Noah never met his dad. He is on a search to find what really happened to him. When he sees Abbi at the summer camp they are both counselors at, he believes he has found an answer. 

As Noah and Abbi strike up a friendship, they both face questions and worries that still hang over them even fifteen years after 9/11. 

Most YA readers were not born when 9/11 happened and have no real connection to it. Abbi and Noah, while having a connection, are two real teenagers that are deeply affected by something they don't even remember happening. But it constantly hangs over them, instilling grief and worry. And some humor in Noah's case. I loved watching them become friends and then something more while also facing some really difficult, scary thoughts and feelings. This is one of the first books I've read that takes place in the present, but really focuses on 9/11 and (even though I am not a teen) I feel like it was done in a way present-day teens can relate to and understand.

With humor and a light-touch, Buxbaum has written a beautiful, poignant book that explores grief and its effects even a decade later.

**I received an e-ARC from Netgalley**

*I WAS PROVIDED A PHYSICAL COPY FOR THE PURPOSES OF A BLOG TOUR. THIS HAS NOT AFFECTED MY OPINION*

I'm just going to say right now that I was entirely let down and a little bit disgusted by this book.

When I was offered a position on a blog tour for Hope & Other Punchlines, I was really excited. It was pitched as a comedy meeting tragedy with a bit of romance, along with other elements that stuck out to me. However, once diving into it, all the problems began to form.

For one, every chapter is short and choppy. Most of the sentences are repeating and/or contradict each other, and there's barely enough information to take in. It was completely character driven, but the problem with that was that the characters were barely even developed a quarter of the way through.

Abbi is constantly talking about being Baby Hope. I get it, you hate being this pillar of hope and perseverance. Stop talking about it every other line and actually do something.

Noah, on the other hand, annoyed me from the first sentence of his POV. Not only is he obsessed with stalking and tracking down 9/11 victims, but he also blackmails Abbi into doing his bidding. And we were told this was supposed to be somewhat romantic? Bleh. Another thing was that he was focused on making a successful 9/11 joke. Excuse me, but since when was a terrorist attack funny? I get it, some people are able to joke about it and all, but as a reader who takes that day very seriously, I feel that was a little inconsiderate to our emotions and how that would come across.

I ended up DNFing this because of how craptastic it was going. I'm usually not this hard on books, but this one really fell way way way below the line. Honest to God, I never ever say this about anything I read, but I absolutely HATED this one. For that, I rate it 1 star. I wouldn't suggest this book, obviously, but if something about my ranting review interested you in reading it, knock yourself out.

It's hard thinking of not knowing about 9/11. I was 13 at the time and I remember where I was and all the emotions it brought with it. I was lucky not to know anyone that didn't survive this devestating moment of history. The fact that this author took an event like this to the newer generation is really amazing.

Julie Buxbaum took such a sensitive and emotional subject and gave us such a heartwarming story that holds a lot of facts, but also some humor. The characters in this story deserve some happiness in all the sadness and to just be able to live.

One of our main characters Abbi turned one on 9/11 and was carried out of her daycare. She was on the front of the newspaper and has been an icon since then. Even though she knows her family was lucky, she just wants to be Abbi and not Baby Hope. This is her summer to just be herself.

Noah's life changed 15 years ago as well and it takes awhile in this story to know what happened. In all honesty, I really didn't like Noah in the beginning. I thought it was very selfish to use Abbi the way he did, even though I understood more as the story continued.

I really think this is the story that you need to read for yourself. There is so much emotion (happiness, grief, loss, etc.) and the family dynamics really make this story complete. We get a dual POV and that really works for this story. This author brings a tragic event to life in such a beautiful way. If you're looking for a contemporary book that really sucks you in and makes you feel everything, definitely pick this one up! It's hard to really put into words what I feel for this story without giving a lot of it away!

wonder if everyone, if everything, dies twice. If that’s how grief is: cyclical, never finished. The Towers are still falling. And falling again.”

This book was so beautiful! I loved What to Say Next but this one is my new favorite.
Abbi Hope Goldstein, or to the rest of the world Baby Hope, is just a girl who wants to remain anonymous for one summer. Eight weeks. But when Noah recognizes her at the camp he’s working at for the summer he decides he’s going to recruit her in order to find the answers he’s been looking for.
Abbi is such a great MC for this YA Contemporary! She’s compassionate, smart, and despite being accosted on a daily basis she is sympathetic to those who are reminded of 9/11 whenever they see her face. I loved her courage. She builds new friendships and learns that people just grow apart as they get older. Her family dynamic was unique and her parents were super supportive. Her grandmother is the freaking best!
Noah is adorable! He is definitely the comedic relief of the story. The jokes keep rolling which is a testament that some people need comedy to cope with the tough stuff. When he learns that his mother has kept a secret, along with everything else about his father, he realizes that the story he’s created about his father isn’t even close to the epic story of what really happened that day. I thought he was the perfect complement to Abbi’s character!
The events of 9/11 have affected many people in many different ways and is something no one will ever forget. I still remember what I was doing on the day that changed everyone’s lives. I think this book is important for young readers who may only know of events from history books. It may be fictional but I believe the sentiments found throughout the story are accurate to how life is or was before and after the events of that day.

It's a strange position to be in, to have your life directly and continually impacted by an event you don't remember. That is the large part of what Buxbaum is exploring here: life long fame and all encompassing grief that entirely defines a person. While the direction of the plot is fairly predictable, the characters and their interactions are fairly compelling.

Heartfelt and hilarious, this book snuck up on me and sucked me right in. There is something so special about a book that can take a tragedy and some hard facts about life and tell you that story while still making you laugh along the way. I truly loved this book. The characters, both the main ones and the supporting ones, were fantastic. The writing was spot on and the jokes and puns made me laugh out loud. I honestly can't say enough positive things about this book. I tend to be stingy with my stars, rarely giving 5, but this book is worth every one and then some. If you are a fan of YA contemporary, you need to read it. If you aren't, you still need to read it because it's just that good.

I still remember exactly where I was on 9/11: I was watching TV before a hair appointment I’d set up because I had a job interview the next day, and the breaking news cut in with images of how the first plane had hit the tower. I remember watching the beautiful blue sky suddenly marred by what we all at first assumed was a horrible accident. Then, I watched live as the second plane hit, shocking every single person who was paying attention to what was going on. It was then we started having an inkling that this wasn’t just an accident after all. I remember the horrific sight of seeing so many people jumping from the windows of the towers, and the even more horrific sight of the towers actually falling, seeming just to crumple to the ground. As with my memories of watching the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986 and learning that my sister had been killed in 2008, that memory of 9/11 is something that I know will always be with me. Our brains create new neural pathways when we experience traumatic events, which is why we remember them so vividly; sometimes it feels as if they’ve actually been imprinted into our very DNA.

I was thinking about all of this the whole time I read HOPE AND OTHER PUNCHLINES by Julie Buxbaum. The lives of both of our main characters, Abbi (aka “Baby Hope”) and Noah, were significantly impacted by 9/11, and as they approach the 16th anniversary they are each struggling with the aftereffects of this event that happened when they had just turned one (Abbi) and had just been born (Noah). Abbi hopes to escape her notoriety as Baby Hope by working at a summer day camp two counties over; unfortunately, she discovers on her first day that another boy from her high school, Noah, also works at the camp. What ensues is a summer of discovery and growth for both Abbi and Noah, who slowly become friends and, perhaps, something more.

I love both Abbi and Noah so much, and I’m so glad that Ms. Buxbaum told the story in alternating chapters from both points of view (one of my favorite storytelling formats, especially for contemporary novels). The secondary characters are also great, especially Noah’s best friend Jack and Abbi’s awesome parents. Jack and Noah’s text message chats and IRL conversations are definitely one of my favorite things about the book, and I also really enjoyed the relationship Abbi had with her parents. The visits that Abbi and Noah make to the other survivors in the “Baby Hope” picture are so touching, and they both learn so much from these brief encounters. Of course, the burgeoning relationship between Abbi and Noah is the best thing about this book, and I love that it develops gradually and naturally. 

There is just so much to love in this incredible novel, and there are many profound statements and sentiments that kind of sneak up on you and hit you right in the heart. Although it deals with some heavy events and issues, it’s a relatively light, often funny, always heartwarming read that just warms you up on the inside. I highly recommend this to any YA fan, and if you are a lover of contemporary novels, then picking up HOPE AND OTHER PUNCHLINES is a no-brainer! I hope you love it as much as I do!

RATING: 5 stars!

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely love the gorgeous book cover of Hope and Other Punch Lines.  I was attracted to this story when I read the book synopsis.  I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing on September 11th, 2001.  I was twenty-one, and I remember the feelings of shock, fear, vulnerability, anger, and deep anguishing sadness as I watched news of the terrorist attacks. I realized that I was officially a part of history, and that while students would one day be reading about what had happened; I actually had experienced it. September 11th having made such an impact on me, is what made me want to read this story.

Hope and Other Punch Lines is about Abbi Hope Goldstein and Noah Stern.  Abbi lives in a small town, and is recognized as "The Baby Hope," wherever she goes.  A photograph captured her on her first birthday wearing a crown, balloon in hand, as one of the trade centers collapsed.  Since that fateful day, she has become an icon and symbol of hope.  However, she just wants to escape this label, and live her life as a normal teenager.  When Abbi starts having trouble breathing and gets the cough, she knows that she has developed, "911 Syndrome," and her time left is limited.  She hides her cough from her parents and gets a job in another town as a summer camp counselor, so she can escape being "Baby Hope."

Unfortunately, Noah Stern, a fellow camp counselor, immediately recognizes her.  He approaches her, because he works for a school newspaper and needs her help locating all of the people that were in the photograph with her, to see where they are today, and if they will let him interview them.  While Abbi, is adamant about not wanting to participate in Noah's investigation; he won't take "no" for an answer.

As a character, Abbi, felt very "real" to me.  In many ways, she came across as a typical teenager, who just wants to truly live and enjoy her life.  Abbi hopes to make new friends at summer camp, since her ex-best friend Cat, decided to stop being her friend. She wants to go to parties, and is interested in meeting cute boys. 

However, we also see how the events of 911 have shaped her in many ways.  She is mature for her age, and has had to grow up quickly.  She feels the responsibility to enjoy her life and be appreciative of the fact that she survived, when many others did not.  She has had to mourn the loss of Connie, a family friend who rescued her when she was a baby; and consequently died from 911 syndrome.

Initially, Noah, came off as pushy, when he approached Abbi, with his own agenda.  He wouldn't give up, until she conceded.  However, I suspected that there was a deeper reason for why his investigation was so important to him. 

As Abbi and Noah embark on tracking down and interviewing the other 911 survivors in the photo, they begin to get closer to one another and experience the excitement of first love.  Noah, who wants to become a stand-up comedian when he grows up, will do anything to make Abbi laugh, and she enjoys spending time with him.  

The first half of the story was pretty slow moving, but the second half moved really rapidly and as the story picked up, so did my enjoyment of reading it.  I liked reading all of the factual information on 911 and found that to be the hook of the story for me.  The romance/love part of the story was okay.  I enjoyed the message that it's important to be able to laugh and find humor in the middle of tragedy.  When life gets us down, we can either choose to laugh or cry, and in this story, our main characters Noah and Abbi chose to laugh.

I liked that the chapters were short and told in the alternating viewpoints of Abbi and Noah.  I really liked the secondary characters.  My favorite was Noah's best friend, Jack.  Abbi's parents and Noah's mother and step-father added to the story, as did, Julia, Abbi's new friend and fellow camp counselor.  I shed some tears in this book, and it really did tug on my heart strings.

3.5 Stars