Justyce is top of his class at his elite private school. He is headed for an Ivy League education, but he's carefully straddling the line between his peer group and his home life. In an effort to calm his rage, he studies the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and writes letters to him as he attempts to live his life as Martin would have. When a friend is killed in a race-fueled shooting, Justyce isn't sure what he should do.

This is a very powerful book. The letters from Justyce to Martin gave the book a more personal feel than the limited third person narrator did otherwise and helped give insight into Justyce's thoughts and feelings throughout the story. I do with the rest of the story had been told in first person, as the transition from the letters back into the third person narration seemed a bit awkward at times. Nonetheless, this is a powerful story, and a recommended purchase for every library.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: violence, underage alcohol use
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alike: The Hate U Give, All American Boys, How It Went Down

<i>I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purposes of review.</i>

Donald Goines (had he done YA) meets Walter Dean Meyers meets SE Hinton...........this caught me by the throat and didn't let go from page one. AMAZING and I will be cross selling this to my young adult readers and my adult readers as well. PHENOMENAL! What an author to keep an eye on!

A powerful, thoughtful and poignant story that's so needed in today's society. It talks about racial relations and racism, inequality, intersections and it's honestly heartbreakingly well constructed and written. At first you think you're going to get one story and you end up getting something completely different. Or, if not different, at least more action based than I thought it would be. When I first started this book, I thought it was mostly reflections. An event that happens at the beginning of the book completely changes Justyce's life, his point of view and his relationships with the people around him but also the relationship that he has with himself, with his heritage and his identity. But then the second part of the book hits you in the guts and it takes Jus in a completely different path and journey that was part of the bigger journey he was going through and it felt very important that it happened when it did and how it did.

I honestly couldn't put this book down. I know a lot of people will compare it to The Hate U Give and they're similar in the way that they both have characters who live traumatic experiences that change their lives and both are related to race and injustices. But I found this one so much quieter in a gorgeous and significant way. It reminded me to the journey Zeke from The Get Down goes through. He doesn't realise all at once. It's not that the first chapter of this book happens and suddenly he's aware of all the problematic shit that surrounds him and the people he cares about. It's slow and realistic and I found it so educative as someone who's not only not black but also not from the United States. I've read a lot of stories about the inequality in America but Justyce and Nic Stone had their own story to tell and it's something that I haven't seen before. It's emotional and real and it will make you think and it will make you want to do something about this.

Our main character is smart and contemplative of his life and of Martin Luther King's life and that made reading from his point of view and in third person beautiful and meaningful. The friendships, relationships and family dynamics were extraordinarily explored. Justyce's realisations come with a lot of pain and anger. The idea that people are "colorblind" and of course used that as an excuse to do racist shit made my blood boil. The fact that we also had a lot of different people in this book made everything much more moving. White people being shitty but there were also the ones who acknowledged their privilege and tried to lift up minorities' voices. Also, there were the different ways the different black people we get to meet in this book reacted to the events that happened and how they dealt with that anger. Even though I wished we could have explored some things more, I absolutely adored every moment of this book. It made me cry and laugh and think and get angry and fall in love and that, to me, it's what makes a five stars book.

Do you remember how you felt when you finished "The Fault in Our Stars?" The way your heart sank, but your soul illuminated with hope? With Dear Martin, Stone delivers a life-changing novel that is certain to be one of the most talked about and highly acclaimed books of 2017. ARC via NetGalley ~ Lisa Brennan, Middle School Librarian @noveltalk

What an amazing story. I've already read it twice and I can't write a proper review yet. Each chapter felt like a slap in the face and it made me feel pretty tiny. Dear Martin is one of those books you can't and shouldn't ignore. Powerful debut.

Review will come out on release date. This book is absolutely beautifal and powerful and every teen should read it.

It's so simple and so powerful. Justyce has started a project learning about and writing to Martin Luther King Jr. to help figure things out. He was brutalized by police when he was trying to help his on-again/off-again girlfriend and then realizes the injustices that exist. This voice-y story rings with so much truth and honesty that readers would be hard-pressed not to learn from and empathize with Justyce. He's bound for an Ivy League school and is finishing up his last debate with his debate partner, a white Jewish girl named SJ who is awakening to the injustices is Justyce is and their feelings are mutual. Yet, Justyce's mother also would never want to see her son with a white girl.

And in a series of events that feel ripped-from-the-headlines, Justyce's world continues to implode with more losses and serious reckoning about his position in all of it. Justyce's decisions drive the story that are punctuated by his letters to Martin as well as some news stories every now and then that mix the media in a way that is original and creative, smart and true.

Truly advise readers to read!

Dear Martin caught my eye a while back when I was browsing a Goodreads list of YA novels of 2017 and it immediately had my full attention. Baring a resemblance to one of my favourite books of the year (of course I am referring to the brilliant The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas ), it was a book I couldn’t wait to get my hands on. So, when I got an ARC, I was ecstatic; I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to receive an e-mail in my life.

Justyce McAllister is top of his class, captain of the debate team, and set for the Ivy League next year—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. He is eventually released without charges (or an apology), but the incident has Justyce spooked. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood, he can’t seem to escape the scorn of his former peers or the attitude of his prep school classmates. The only exception: Sarah Jane, Justyce’s gorgeous—and white—debate partner he wishes he didn’t have a thing for.

Struggling to cope with it all, Justyce starts a journal to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But do Dr. King’s teachings hold up in the modern world? Justyce isn’t so sure.

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up. Way up. Much to the fury of the white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. And Justyce and Manny get caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack. The truth of what happened that night—some would kill to know. Justyce is dying to forget.

How can I even begin to describe how important this book is? Stone’s writing is very simple and that’s exactly what her story needed; her dialogues resemble theatrical plays, and there’s no lyrical prose, no extensive description. In my opinion, that’s where her strength as an author lies: with her very simple words and structure she managed to deliver a very powerful, very important message that didn’t need any help from pretty words and elaborate descriptions. The reality she is describing is an ugly one – and trying to depict it in any other way simply wouldn’t have worked.

Justyce honestly has my heart, from now until the end of times. He is brilliant, he is sweet, he is caring, brave, and kind. Honestly, my heart ached for this boy. I was afraid that, precisely because of the importance of the story, the characters would fall a little bit flat – perhaps become even a little bit one-dimensional. I stand corrected; in the span of just 224 pages, Stone managed to fully flesh out a cast of characters that drive the story forward and develop right along with it. They made me laugh, and they made me cry, and they made me angry; and it was a rollercoaster of emotions I will cherish forever.

Even the romance was cute! And when I say cute, I mean chemistry-off-the-roof cute, plus it tackled another issue that we don’t often see depicted in YA literature and that is interracial relationships. I just loved both Justyce and SJ so much, both individually and as a couple, and seeing how supportive they were and how much they cared for each other made me realize that this is another thing we don’t often see in YA literature: supportive, healthy relationships.

Sometimes you just pick up a book and know that it’s going to be a game changer; that it’s going to change literature as we know it for good. My humble opinions and I hope that Dear Martin will do just that: change the lives of readers all over the world and help create a better, more inclusive and more diverse place in literature. Nic Stone opened my eyes a little bit more, made me think a little harder, understand my privilege and the world we live in a little bit better. I am hoping everyone will read this book and enjoy this beautiful story Stone has to offer – the first of the many.



**An ARC was provided via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.**

Bittersweet yet uplifting, heartbreaking yet heartwarming, fierce yet beautiful, Dear Martin packs quite the punch. Nic Stone's writing style is down-to-earth and reflective of today's youth, approaching issues such as race, profiling, classism, and privilege from multiple perspectives in a realistic and honest manner. Eye-opening without being preachy or guilt-ridden. Absolutely outstanding.

Wish I had read this book before I had read The Hate U Give. Both books tackle very similar issues I just like the way Ms. Thomas' treatment much better than Ms. Stone's.