Two Points of Interest: Book Review - Hope and Other Punchlines by Julie Buxbaum + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Abbi Hope Goldstein is like every other teenager. Except, her alter ego, Baby Hope, is an inspiration to people and she is widely recognized. People occasionally burst into tears when they recognize her. Abbi has spent her whole life in the shadows of the terrorist attack of September 11. Abbi as a child was captured holding a red balloon wearing a birthday crown while behind her the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.

Abbi yearns for anonymity and wants to spend her the summer before her seventeenth birthday as a counselor at a Day Camp two towns away. She is excited to spend her days with kids who have never heard of Baby Hope.

Noah Sten's also has plans for this summer as well. His dad went missing on September 11 and Noah hopes that he is still alive. When he meets Baby Hope at camp, he believes it is fate. Together, they try to find the history and the story behind the iconic photograph.

When I first picked up this novel, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how the novel was both light and emotional read. Both Abbi and Noah were unique individuals who are trying to make the most of their lives after that fateful day. They try to reinvent their futures but, realize along the way, sometimes, you just have to play the cards life deals you. A wonderful read about finding friends and having resilience.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Title: HOPE & OTHER PUNCHLINES

Author: Julie Buxbaum

Pub. Date: May 7, 2019

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 320

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

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.

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?