Incredibly well done!

filled star filled star filled star filled star star unfilled
abookishbutterfly Avatar

By

Although I’ve struggled over the last few years to connect with most of the young adult novels I’ve attempted to read, Promise Boys pulled me along by an invisible thread. I think the author did an excellent job giving authentic voices to his characters while presenting a gripping mystery laced with real social issues.

While I hadn’t been in love with the constantly changing perspectives, especially when the book started out that way, I do think this device served its purpose and Nick Brooks did incredibly well creating unique tones for each perspective. What we learn through each character is vital to the story as a whole.

Some of the lines in Promise Boys chewed me up inside. It hurt to consider what the author was conveying, knowing how true it all is in our society, and knowing how true much of it was for my own half Black children as they were growing up.

I was devoted to the mystery in this and, as you likely know by now, one of my favorite things with a suspense novel is trying to figure out who the villain is. If it’s too easy to identify the culprit, I am generally dissatisfied. Fortunately, I did not find this to be obvious and it took me over half the book to pick my mark. Learning I was correct was satisfying since Brooks made me work for it!

Promise Boys is an excellent look at what it means to be a young person of color, especially while living in poverty. It also shines a light on how easily toxic masculinity is passed along from one generation to the next. But the story is more than a mystery and social commentary, as it is deeply touching and I came to care about the three boys who had been accused of murder, shedding tears for all of them as the book closed. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what Nick Brooks decides to tackle in the literary world in the future!

I am immensely grateful to Henry Holt and Co and BookishFirst for my copy. All opinions are my own.