Dear Justyce is a powerful and emotional sequel. Listening to the audio book only enriched the experience because you can feel the emotions of the narrator so acutely. Overall, Dear Justyce is a book about the power of having someone believe you. To see you for the person you are, not what they expect, not what they media describes you as. Because when people see us for exactly what they want to see, treat us with prejudice, these decisions change someone's life forever.

Nic Stone’s Dear Justyce (Crown, 2020) is a companion novel to her powerful Dear Martin. This is Quan’s story. Quan’s father is incarcerated, and his mother’s involvement with the father of her two other children leaves Quan on the outside of a shredded family. So, as many disaffected young boys do, he searches for new connections and finds them in a crime organization that enforces discipline but also provides support for Quan and his mother. You can see where this is going. Quan is involved in a police shooting and spends much of Dear Justyce in jail.

As he awaits trial, Quan writes letters to Justyce–the main character in Dear Martin–explaining himself to Justyce, and to himself. In jail, Quan has access to a new support system, and he begins to reflect on what happened to him and so many others like himself: “We find the families we were desperate for and learn different ways of going about things. Ways that sometimes land us in places/positions we don’t really wanna be in.”

Nic Stone has a gift for writing scenes and situations that reveal and personalize social problems, but she never resorts to cliches to do so. For example, Quan’s crime “family” is in some ways a respectable choice that makes sense for Quan and allows readers to empathize with his decisions. Similarly, the letters Quan writes to Justyce show us Quan’s interior life which is more vulnerable than the hard persona he shows to everyone else.

In some ways, Dear Justyce is an even stronger novel than its predecessor. Readers do not need familiarity with Dear Martin to fully experience Dear Justyce. The plots do not depend on each other, and understanding the recurring characters is not dependent on the previous book. In fact, reading them in reverse order might lead readers to insights on Dear Martin that wouldn’t be possible if it’s read first.

With Dear Justyce, Nic Stone further confirms her role as a leading creative force in today’s young adult literature.

For more on Nic Stone, click here to read my review of Odd One Out.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of Dear Justyce in exchange for my honest review.

Dear Justyce is an honest, heartfelt and gut-wrenching story of a young incarcerated man's quest for redemption. It is beautifully written, with compelling characters and honest situations. Nic Stone is a huge talent in YA literature.

Quan was a character that we briefly met in Nic Stone's book, Dear Martin. Dear Justyce follows Quan as he serves out a sentence in prison. Quan writes to Justyce, who grew up in the same neighborhood and is currently attending Yale. Through the letters of Quan we see how systemic racism has affected him throughout his young life.

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone is an important and moving sequel to the equally important and moving Dear Martin. Definitely recommended to include in classroom libraries.

Nic Stone his the mark with her follow up to Dear Martin. Dear Justyce was a homerun in explaining the whys and hows of some of the darker sides of the American justice system through fictional characters. There was clear depth of character and understanding of street life and how many people end up there.

First... thank you to Crown Pub and Net Galley for my digital arc. Educators: Run, don’t walk, to Net Galley. It’s my favorite place to find new books for students.⠀
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Dear Justyce deserves all. the. stars. It’s crushing and hopeful and stirring and inspiring and abrasive and nuanced. But mostly, it’s honest. I’ve preordered a copy for my classroom, and I’m so excited about the #JustyceChallenge - you can find info on Instagram in Nic Stone’s stories! Basically, preorder this book, talk about the challenge, and get copies of both Dear Martin and Dear Justyce into the hands of incarcerated individuals through the Prisoners Literature Project.⠀
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5⭐️ / A+ / Buy this now!

One of my favorite books of the year. Dear Justyce is an incredible book and one that should be required reading. Stone creates an intense back and forth timeline taking us through Quan's life as a young kid to a teen caught in the prison system. It is a look at what makes a family and the connections that tie us to one another.. It is about what would be possible if we all had the support systems we need. A truly beautiful and heavy read.

What's not to love about a new Nic Stone book?! Coming back into this community and these characters will have strong appeal for those who enjoyed Dear Martin. The covers are also fantastic as they have strong shelf appeal.

ALL teens need to read this book. Happy endings don't fit everyone and there are so many brutally honest aspects of life that are simply neglected in YA. This does just the opposite. The characters are solidly crafted and real. You read the story as if you are living beside them and experiencing the same events. Absolutely fantastic work!

"Dear Justyce" author Nic Stone stresses how crucial it is for young people to see "positive reflections" of themselves in books.

Stone's debut novel "Dear Martin" followed Justyce, a studious, well-mannered young Black boy who nevertheless battles racism. Her newest shows us how much harder it is for Quan, a Black teen whose life drives down a different path.

"I met these two boys — the text conversation is printed in the opening author's note of the book. These are two young men that I met when they were sophomores reading 'Dear Martin,'" Stone said in a phone interview, referencing her 2017 book that topped the New York Times bestseller list. "They told me that their lives were not like Justyce's in 'Dear Martin.' Eventually, they sent me a set of messages to ask if I would be willing to write a book about a boy who is not like Justyce. ... These boys trusted me to tell their story."

"Dear Justyce" echoes "Dear Martin's" epistolary scaffolding, with young Quan writing from his youth detention cell to former schoolmate Justyce, now studying at Yale. Quan is smart like Justyce, but life has dealt him challenge after challenge, including an absent father and poverty. The two novels offer differing yet equally important facets of Black teens' experience, she said.

"I hope 'Dear Martin' opened people's eyes to systemic racism and implicit bias and things that negatively impact a kid who was doing everything right. ... Now, with 'Dear Justyce,' my hope is that now that you know that, how might this affect kids who aren't doing everything right? ... What I hope comes out of that space is a willingness to pause the judgment." (Afternoon keynote, 1 p.m. Nov. 1)

I love the direction Nic Stone took with this sequel. The writing style, the characterization, the structure...so creative and powerful. Having read Dear Martin over the summer, I can definitely say that you do not want to miss out on this second book. It is a whole other level.

Absolutely Loved it! Great sequel, inspired me to reread Dear Martin. Cannot wait to recommend it to my students.

Nic Stone's writing is fantastic! She does it again. Dear Justyce is the sequel to Dear Martin, but can be read as a standalone.to understand the plot and what is going on. I applaud Nic Stone for always being willing to take on these hard topics for young people. This book is timely with what is going on in America right now. It brings to light on how African Americans are treated by our criminal justice system and by the more affluent people in general. I highly recommend it!

Nic Stone is an author with whom all young readers need to be acquainted. I've read many of her other books but hadn't read Dear Martin. Guess what I just put next on my reading list? Yet, Dear Justyce seems to be a book I could read as a standalone.
This is such a timely book and should be mandatory reading for young adults. The story reflects the discrimination and unfairness of our criminal justice system towards Black men. At the same time, it captures a young man's journey to discover himself. You can feel the angst and yearning through the incredible writing. The message that everyone needs someone to believes in them, under any circumstances, shines through loud and clear.
Amazing book!

This follow up to Dear Martin gives readers a chance to relive the story by Nic Stone from different perspectives. I really liked this one, although I have to say, I put it aside a few times before finishing it.

Nic Stone is a master at making me think, and teen readers will love this one!

This book is so amazing! I loved Dear Martin and so looked forward to reading this book. I truly think this one is even better. Nic Stone reintroduces the reader to Justyce, the main character in Dear Martin. In this book, Justyce is a college student who writes to his longtime friend Quan who is in jail.
Quan is a teenager. He is smart but doesn't realize it. It's so frustrating because the one person who sees potential in Quan is his math teacher. Unfortunately, she leaves school to have a baby and doesn't return.

I finished this book today during independent reading. I told my class that I would not be sharing the end because I knew many of them would want to read it, and I didn't want to ruin it for them. I hope to return to school in person in January and plan to have multiple copies of this book waiting on the shelf for my readers. Thanks Nic Stone for your beautiful writing!

Nic Stone has done it again. Dear Justyce is an honest and unflinching examination of the discrimination and flaw in the American criminal justice system and how it continues to fail young Black and Brown men. But it's also a very personal, very touching narrative of a young man coming to terms with the choices he's made and searching for a way out of a future he never intended to walk into.

What I love about Nic Stone's writing is that her stories are not clear cut, her characters grapple with many different things, and experience powerful growth. Nic Stone treats YA readers like intelligent, autonomous readers who do not need morals served to them on a platter and her books continue to catch and hold on to my heart. another win for Nic Stone.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance reader copy. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own and are mainly written from the standpoint of a school librarian.

Dear Justyce is a necessary read for young people to see themselves represented AND for the privileged to have a better understanding of others' circumstances. The author's use of secondary characters supported the concept that #WeNeedDiverseBooks to provide mirrors and windows and doors for our students.

Dear Justyce is a must read for educators to better understand the diverse circumstances of their students. And how awesome would it be to participate in a book club that included educators, law enforcement and the media? Oh, the discussions and learning that would take place!!

While I truly loved the book, the author's note brought me to tears with her statement that "despite this being the most fictionalized book I've done thus far, it felt the most non-fictional as I was working on it." Please know, dear author, that this reader felt your effort.

Nic Stone artfully tells the story of Quan, a young Black boy experiencing the American prison system first through his father's arrest and later on his own, using letters along with narrative prose. Quan has tried to be a role model at school and for his younger siblings but lacks adult support and continuously experiences setbacks. He eventually finds himself in prison facing charges for a crime he didn't commit. As he writes letters back and forth with Justyce, the truth is exposed and Justyce uses his privilege to help Quan. This book definitely addresses the systemic issues surrounding the criminalization of Black boys and our prison system in a way that is very relatable to teens. It is fast-paced and also sheds light on the importance of mental health workers/therapy.

That said, I felt as if the plot was perhaps too "polished". Justyce and the others working to free Quan faced relatively few setbacks (which the author admits in the notes at the end). The ending also felt a bit rushed, and didn't seem to fully bring closure to Quan's life after being released.