Nora Lopez is coming of age in New York City in the summer of 1977. It's a summer of boiling weather and not much in the way of relief. It's the summer before Nora leaves to start a new life. And now there's a serial killer, Son of Sam, on the loose and petrifying the citizens of NYC. If those were the least of her worries. The rent is overdue, and while her mother does her best, her absentee father often forgets them for his new life with a new family. She's got teacher's on her case to turn in college applications. She has an increasingly violent brother. Does she even have time for the cute new boy at work? And when the blackout off '77 happens, everything comes to a head. 
 This was one of my most anticipated YA books of 2016, and it did not let me down. It was a unique historical fiction that brought attention to many things that often get the back burner in fiction. The blackout and the serial killer were the draw here for me. But not why I stayed, which is best, as these two things are setting. they ensure the frenzy of the external matches the frenzy of Nora's internal. 
 This book addresses the idea that abuse can come in different forms-that children can abuse parents, and their siblings. I have never seen this addressed in fiction. My mother, who is a teacher, has told me stories of similar circumstances, stories that break both of our hearts. And Nora's brother often terrified me. It was good to see this issue addressed, but also to show Nora as a complete person outside of these circumstances, a young woman who must make an ultimate decision about what is best for her family. She's pretty dang strong and awesome that Nora (also, she's the best in wood shop). 
 The characters in here were great. The activist who lived downstairs from the Lopez family, because oh right, there were about a billion political movements happening at this time too. But this character is grounded in wanting to help, whether it be protecting Nora's family's tenant rights (even if Nora's mother doesn't want the trouble) or marching for the women's movement. I also loved Nora's boss at the bodega. Medina really gets the idea of community in this novel. And seeing that community, it's easier to understand why Nora's mother may hide so many of their family's problems out of a sense of shame. 
 Feel free to read this one while blasting your best disco playlist.