Title: One of the Good Ones
Author: Maika Moulite; Maritza Moulite
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and their family are left reeling in the aftermath. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic.

One of the good ones.

Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?
—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there's a twist to Kezi's story that no one could've ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.

The writing here is stellar, and the authors tackle an important and emotional subject with grace and emotion. I was drawn into the story from the beginning. However, when the twist was revealed about ¾ of the way in, that changed the whole book for me, and almost completely erased the impact that reading it had had.

As an author, you don’t want your readers to find your story boring or predictable, but you also don’t want them to lose faith in you as a writer, either, and that is exactly how I felt: I can’t trust these authors to not flip the script over halfway through the book, so I probably won’t read more of them.

Maika and Maritza Moulite are sisters and authors. One of the Good Ones is their newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 1/5.)

I received this eARC through NetGalley, so thank you to NetGalley & the publisher. One of the Good Ones starts as a novel of a teen girl grieving for her sister who died in police custody, but soon evolves into a griping mystery. The twist was wholly unexpected & caused the narrative to veer into territory that was intense, creepy, & ultimately resolved dynamically. It’s hard to write a thorough review of this novel without giving spoilers! The character development is honest & realistic. The plot is engaging & the well-paced. Overall, the novel is a standout & I highly recommend reading it. Even if you may be unsure about how coloring a book with a BLM theme, give One of the Good Ones a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Truly incredible storytelling from Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite. Weaving themes of history, realism, and family into a novel that couldn't be more timely, the Moulite sisters have built a book that should be read by teens, young adults, parents, educators, and anyone trying to better understand the journey of coming to terms with one's identity in 2020.

Hey, you. STOP. Stop what you are doing right now and preorder this book. Or if it’s after January 5th, go buy yourself a copy right now. I’ll wait. You will not have regrets and I could tell you why but that would be spoilers.

Kenzi is a social justice YouTuber ready to turn eighteen and spread her wings in a wider scope, when tragedy strikes. The first half of the book shows us what has happened to Kenzi’s family in the months after her suspicious death while in police custody. Whether in person or on television, we’ve all seen the mothers of those taken by police, crying out for their babies, but this book goes far beyond that and shows how the whole family unit suffers, and in fact grows, as they try to understand and heal together. In her wake, Kenzi has left two sisters who don’t understand each other, and two pastor parents who are trying to be a rock for their girls but are suffering through their own issues as well. Before she died, Kenzi had planned a road trip to celebrate her graduation, following Route 66 using The Green Book as a guide (if you don’t know look it up.) Now her sisters and two of her friends will take the trip together and chronicle it for her YouTube followers.

Then comes the second half of the book AND THE HUGE GIGANTIC TWIST I did not see coming and is why I’m pleading to you again, buy yourself this book and consume it ASAP.

But I digress. The road trip portion of the book was my favorite part, I really enjoyed following the group as they visited boarded up Green Book hotels, museums, monuments, and even the Grand Canyon (admittedly slightly off course.) Heading into this I knew the basic history of the Green Book but I find myself even more fascinated now and I’ll be looking up a digital copy for myself and exploring more.

Of course one of the main themes is the title itself, One of the Good Ones. The belief among whites that there are “good ones” and “bad ones” when it comes to black people in America. The “good ones” who study and work hard, are “articulate,” and fall within the whites narrow definition of what makes a good person. Then there are the “bad ones” who are seen as less ambitious, talk loudly in a vernacular white people feel threatened by, and presumably push drugs. These judgements rely on what we see at first glance and fail to take into account black people's literal humanity. This is something Kenzi's sister Happi thinks about frequently during the road trip; something we should all spend more time thinking about.

I loved One of The Good Ones, written by the same sister team who brought us Dear Haiti, From Alaine last year. I’m giving it 4.5 stars because even though I loved the book on so many different levels, I think it could have been better with one less POV, a shorter first half, and an even greater emphasis on the road trip. But seriously, go get it.

Happi and Genny are struggling to come to terms with their sister Kezi's death in a jail cell three months ago. Kezi, a YouTube social activist sensation, died after being arrested at her first in person protest. Happi and Genny, along with two of Kezi's friends, embark on a roadtrip designed by Kezi to trace Route 66 and discover some family history along the way.

One of the Good Ones is a unique story. It addresses the issue of social justice and how black people, and black women specifically, are judged by the media. When a person of color dies, there is often a justification for that death if the individual isn't considered "one of the good ones." This book explores that theme, but also incorporates a thrilling mystery that readers will enjoy. Some parts realistic, some parts thriller, some parts historical fiction, One of the Good Ones is a well-written piece of literature that defies current literary trends.

There was too much jumping around frim one subject to the next. The author talked about slavery, hangings, police brutality, and running away from an orphanage. I could not stay focus because of all the story lines

I received an e-galley of One of the Good Ones from HCC Frenzy/Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review.

SO GOOD. And I’m not even afraid to start my review with that simple yet effective statement. I do feel wary of books that are overly recommended. Not because I don’t trust others’ recommendations but I find that I usually feel let down if it’s not quite as great or life-changing as I imagine it to be. But in this case, I will say that the team at HCC Frenzy were totally on point when they kept recommending it through their emails and influencer event. I will admit that it’s not perfect. While the multiple voices and perspectives serve a very important role in the story, I did find it a little confusing at first to follow the different storylines. But that’s the thing with human stories.They are complicated, confusing, and can be so interconnected that you don’t even realize it. All of which, I just mean that despite all of that, I am still completely blown away by the book and the story. I felt so many emotions as I read this story - grief, sadness, anger, shock, and relief as well. I don’t even know how to start with describing the plot line of this book. You’ll have to refer to the synopsis that accompanies the book. And then, take a chance on this book - you won’t regret it.

This was an interesting book about how two sisters grieve differently for their dead sister. During a road trip that they are taking in her memory, a whole new twist comes and poof blows you away.

A fantastic YA mystery mixed with an exploration of the ongoing legacy of slavery, the deep-rooted racism in society and police brutality. You simply must read this.

Full review to come on my blog and on The Nerd Daily.

How to describe this book? Its a lot and no way will I do it justice nor will you get the whole picture from my review but here goes...
Kezi is a high school YouTuber popular for speaking out on racial inequality. She comes from a very religious family (her and her sister's named after Job's daughters). She is set to be class valedictorian. She is "One of the Good Ones". This concept comes up throughout the book and is such a fitting title.

She decides to celebrate her 18th birthday just before graduation with her first in person protest and all goes haywire.

After graduation she was set to take a trip along Route 66 using The Green Book that helped African American's navigate for safe places to stop on the road in the Jim Crow era. She plans to vlog her journey.

After the "day of the arrest" arrives and she is arrested and killed her two very different sisters, girlfriend and best friend venture out on the journey to experience her plans and vlog about it, in her honor. Through the journey the four individuals learn about history, themselves and each other.

This book has a lot going on and I think one too many balls in the air and hard to truly categorize hence the 4 versus the 5 star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Told in multiple timelines and points of view, this book looks at the effects of generational and systemic racism while also mining complicated family dynamics and even gives a window into the life of a YouTuber.. I didn't understand how the "The Hate U Give meets Get Out" blurb made any sense until the twist hit in the last quarter of the book. Though I appreciate what the Moulite sisters were trying to do here, I think the book would have been stronger and more emotionally impactful without the twist; however I know lots of YA readers will appreciate the twist, the impact of the justice(?)/revenge the twist brings, and an ending with a sense of completion. The twist felt too convenient as a device for a book that was otherwise really nuanced and emotionally thoughtful, especially around complicated familial dynamics, the tension between religion and progressive beliefs, the exploration of the theme of being labeled a "good one', and the generational effects of trauma and violence (this thread was my favorite plot of the book).

Okay. The Green Book has been an interest of mine over the past few months. This book is a beautiful encapsulation of reflecting back on the past and how it connects to our present. I am not one to include plot synopses in my reviews because I don’t tell it well without spoilers. But I will say this. There is a plot twist in this book that honestly came out of left field for me. I felt like I got hit by a MAC truck. And damn if this book didn’t truly resolve itself in the last few pages.

Mystery. Roadtrip. Sisterhood.

Oh, it has been a while since I read a book that I didn't want to end! Thank you Inkyard Press for inviting me to the blog tour of One of the Good Ones because otherwise, I would have never discovered sister author duo Maika and Maritza Moulite. I can't wait to read more from them!

One of the Good Ones is told with multiple perspectives, mostly through the point of views of sisters Kezi and Happi. When online social justice activist Kezi is killed under mysterious circumstances, her sister Happi and the rest of her family are left grieving. As Kezi becomes another immortalized victim in the fight against police brutality, Happi begins to question the idealized way her sister is remembered. Perfect. Angelic. One of the good ones. Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?—Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honour Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there's a twist to Kezi's story that no one could've ever expected—one that will change everything all over again.

The book explores the term 'one of the good ones' and what it actually means and whether it should matter that a person who dies was 'one of the good ones'. The book unpacks the questions: "why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?" and "Why isn't being human enough?" The discussion and lessons of One of the Good Ones are prize-worthy.

The mystery element is highlighted by the perspectives besides Kezi's and Happi's. The third act of the book had me on the edge of my seat trying to piece together what happened en what would happen by the end of the book. I really enjoyed this book so much.

Furthermore, I really enjoyed learning about American history through the places Happi, Genny, Ximena and Derek visited. Thus, if you are looking for an emotional, mysterious and informative read, One of the Good Ones should definitely be on your To Be Read List. I cannot recommend it enough.

January 2021 reading starts with an INCREDIBLE read!

Shortest Summary Ever: Kezi Smith, a popular YouTube teen influencer, dies mysteriously and becomes a rallying case for a BLM-type movement. Kezi left behind a legacy and a family that wishes to preserve it, so sister Happi (who is anything BUT), older sister Genny , and Kezi’s bestie embark on a trip Kezi had planned out using the segregation-era Greenbook for Negro Motorists as a map. And then a crazy, life-altering ride begins.

Thoughts: There’s so much I need to discuss without giving spoilers. The book is amazing and completely unexpected. I loved it, I highly recommend it, and it’s honestly a mystery (if I wanted to define the genre) mixed with a deep social issue. The sister dynamic was explored exquisitely through Happi, who feels so much of what grief brings - guilt, sadness, worry, incredulity, while battling through a black-sheep-strained relationship with her pastor parents. This struck home with me as I had 12 years of parochial schooling jammed into me. Happi is pure rebellion - questioning, asking, wondering - all of it related to so much of my personal journey. With sharp writing and these intricate characters, the Moulites weave a tale that’s a patchwork of pure genius.

The issue is that (for me) the twist changed the focus and I think it missed a chance to be truly POIGNANT. That twist, in my opinion made this less about treatment by police because it went to a place that was rare and isolated and not likely. Had it kept with the narrative? Like I said - poignant, the book I want to teach my middle schoolers. I respect the angle - it’s different than anything I saw coming and I enjoyed the book IMMENSELY, but that twist - I’d like to take that part out and keep it grounded in reality delving into the whole “good ones “ mentality where if you are black you are either a “good one” - good student, kind, no issues or a “thug” - in trouble, okay for society to ignore.

You have to read it so we can talk!

All my reviews available at scrappymags.com around time of publication.

Genre: Mystery/Contemporary Fiction

Recommend to: All my middle schoolers, those looking for something new and different.

Not recommended to: If you’re burned out on current issues like BLM, LGBTQ issues, or particularly religiously sensitive.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Inkyard Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for days and days of pondering an thinking over this one. Well done.

💚The Moulite Sisters have done it again!💚
When I read Dear Haiti, Love Alaine I fell in love with their style and had my fingers crossed they would write again.
I am beyond ecstatic that their sophomore release did not disappoint!
I will now wait with bated breath in the hopes that these ladies choose to release more creativity out into the world. 🤞
Much love to NetGalley, Inkyard Press & The Moulite Sisters for my DRC.

When I started this novel, it felt like _Dear Martin_, and a little _Red at the Bone_, and it transformed into a wholly unique and unexpected novel. This is perfect for your seekers of thrills and of social justice.

Trigger warnings: police brutality, death of loved ones, physical and psychological abuse, in-depth descriptions of lynchings

This book was so much more than I expected it to be. It is part social activist manifesto part thriller. I am not sure what I expected with the description: The Hate U Give meets Get Out. But, It certainly fits.

I am a white cis-het 28-year-old middle class woman. I read this book and am writing this review from a place of privilege. This book was wye-opening and heart wrenching. There are descriptions of hate and despair that I will never understand in the way the characters--and so many men and women--experience them. This books was engrossing, heartbreaking, and terrifying.

The story is a non-linear story told from many perspectives. The majority of the storytelling is from the viewpoint of sisters Happi and Kezi.

The story starts off at a ceremony honoring Kezi Smith who died in police custody after being arrested at her very first Black Lives Matter protest. It is her 18th birthday the day she is arrested. This leaves a hole in the family. Her sisters Happi and Genny are left to figure out how to cope without their sister.

In conjunction with Kezi’s two best friends, the sisters take a road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles that Kezi had mapped using The Negro Motorist Green Book before she died. The four of them use this time to remember and honor their sister and are faced with some really harsh realities about history and race.

There is a lot of attention to the details of racism in the United States. The authors describe instances from microaggressions to blatant racism. The name of the book is in reference to a racist statement that implies that some black and brown kids have a special distinction of being the “good ones” because they are ambitious. I think a quote from the story that best sums it up is as follows.

"One of the good ones. How does he not realize that, in order for him to see a young Black girl’s humanity, she must have a list of accomplishments to justify her existence? It’s not right."

The Quick Cut: Two sisters are left changed forever when the middle sister, an activist, dies in police hands.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Inkyard Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Losing a family member is always tough. However, when you lose them at a young age, there is a particular darkness to it that can haunt you. All that potential suddenly disappearing has a way of making everything appear grim. This is the devastation that Kezi's sisters Happi and Genny have to deal with.

Kezi died on her 18th birthday after a peaceful protest goes deadly. After being taken in to the police station, she does in a holding cell under mysterious circumstances. Her sisters, Happi and Genny are left without their sibling and wanting to celebrate her life by going on the road trip their sister was planning to take. Will they find what motivated their sister to action? Or instead find that they didn't know their sibling as well as they thought?

I already know I'm going to be a part of a minority that doesn't enjoy this book. Although the premise intrigued me and I can tell the authors meant to share a powerful point, for me it ended up lost in translation. Too much action happened to really pull me into the characters and the story. Truthfully, this felt like someone took two book ideas and unsuccessfully tried to make it into one.

The books description is very accurate in saying it's The Hate U Give meets Get Out. It really is like someone took both and tried to turn it into one coherent story. While both separately tell a powerful reality in today's society, together they end up missing that mark.

Kezi is seen by everyone as "one of the good kid's" after her death. Good grades, solid family, and a YouTube page where her advocacy was seen by many. She's setup as a heroine with her sisters trying to grieve in their own ways. I will say that the grief process throughout the story feels genuine and it's interesting to see how each family member approaches it differently.

A book meant to make a statement but doesn't quite make it.


My rating: 2.5 out of 5

Sisters and co-authors Maika and Maritza Moulite have included a very moving foreword in their new novel, One Of The Good Ones, which describes how they felt compelled, as older siblings, to write One Of The Good Ones for their younger sisters – a story about the death of a young black woman at the hands of the police, and the grief her family experiences afterwards. They name many of the African American victims of police brutality, or wrongful gun violence, but they also mention that there are many more people who are less well known, but we should acknowledge that ‘they were here too.’

That message, ‘they were here too’, is in many ways the core thought of this beautiful exploration of not only the issues prevalent in the USA but also the grieving process that a family goes through when they lose someone unexpectedly.

Kezi, an outspoken teenage activist is killed on her eighteenth birthday after she is arrested at a protest. Her family, including younger sister Happi who narrates a large amount of the novel, go to Chicago to collect a prize which Kezi was awarded before her death. From there, Happi and oldest sister Genny (as well as Kezi’s closest friends Ximena and Derek) decide to go on the road trip that Kezi had planned to celebrate her graduation from high school. Relationships are fraught between many of the participants of the road trip, and things do not start out well.

The plot of One of The Good Ones is fairly standard, at least in terms of the road trip parts. But it isn’t really a book about a road trip. I mentioned how grief plays a major part, and that really applies to Happi, Kezi’s younger sister. She and Kezi didn’t have an easy relationship and Happi is living with so many regrets as she processes her grief. There are some passages in this novel that are breathtakingly beautiful, and achingly sad. Happi has to learn to live with her grief and try to voice her trauma, but at the beginning, she just doesn’t know how. As the reader, you are right there with her, trapped in her head, unable to see a way out. It is very strong writing.

There are glimpses of everyone else, especially oldest sister Genny, also trying in their own way to come to terms with what has happened. Genny is not a point of view character, but the authors pointed out their own ‘older sister’ status in their foreword and you can tell that they poured a lot of the big sister experience into the character. As an older sister myself, I totally felt Genny’s determination to make sure that her younger sibling didn’t get too caught up in her own head, and how she was working hard to keep everything together not only for Happi but for their parents as well.

The real thesis of One of The Good Ones though is that notion of ‘they were here too.’ Kezi, at the time of her death, was what some people would patronisingly call ‘one of the good ones’, as though her good manners, academic ability and strong community focus are what makes her death tragic. As though the death of someone less impressive than Kezi is easier to justify or explain away, when in fact it is anything but. The novel rails against this idea and spends a lot of time emphasising that although Kezi’s family, and the rest of the world, are mourning her, she doesn’t deserve that outpouring of grief any more than anyone else, because everyone who dies in such a senseless and brutal way deserves to be raged over.

That message, coupled with a very realistic portrait of a grieving family, are what makes One of The Good Ones such a compelling novel. It isn’t a grim read though; it is in places uplifting and positive, and as Happi finds herself emerging from the shadow of her grief, you will breathe a sigh of relief with her.

**Review will be posted during my spot on the blog tour closer to the publication date.**

3.5 STARS

I liked:
*I loved how this story explored racism and it’s history through Kezi’s life and death which happens because of a protest for a black man who lost his life, Jamal. The story ties into racism in American history with Happi and Genny’s road trip using The Negro Motorist Green Book! This trip also helps Happi and Genny learn about their own family history. I learned a lot of things through their journey.

*The road trip opens Happi and Genny’s eyes to a lot of history and to some things in Kezi’s life they were missing. It’s a healing journey for them and Kezi’s youtube followers too.

*The way the Smith family copes after Kezi’s death is different, as everyone grieves differently. I thought it was interesting how religion is brought into the story and how the Smith parents have to deal with certain truths about Kezi’s life. I like that it touches on how the girls were “raised”. How they were the good ones: good life, grades, looks, family, etc…as opposed to the bad ones who are vilified in the media because they don’t have all those things.

*The plot twist in this book made my eyes go wide. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I kept on reading, but the ending of the book is really unexpected. It goes in a direction I never expected!

Random Notes:
*Triggers: mention of lynchings, racism, police brutality, stalking, grief, kidnapping

*I had a hard time getting into the story at first because there are many different perspectives with many different dates (timelines): Kezi, Happi, Shaqueria, and Evelyn. They are all connected but I’m not even sure if Evelyn’s story perspective was needed since Kezi explains who she was and how her family was close to Derek’s.

*There is a lot going on in this book. I feel like this story turns into something else entirely in the second half and almost wish it picked one story to go with. I would have been satisfied with an amazing road trip story or the plot twist really could have been a separate book on it’s own. Honestly…the second half would be my pick because then the story becomes a thriller!

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think this is an impactful story when it comes to talking about racism, American history, family dynamics and social justice. It took me awhile to get into because of all the different perspectives and timelines but I do love how thrilling the ending becomes, which was so unexpected. This is an important story about how society as a whole values black lives.