"Isn't being human enough?"

This is definitely a thought-provoking book. The reader is asked to ponder who exactly the "good ones" are.

The authors, sisters, do a fabulous job of capturing a family's worst nightmare. I enjoy stories told from multiple points of views, as it gives a full picture of things unfolding. The characters' voices are distinct and realistic. Real, and difficult, topics and challenges are addressed. It's interesting to see how all the twists come together in the end.

This is probably best for a 13+ audience, perhaps even 16+, due to some themes, including violence.

This is a very timely book for the world around us these days. Some topics addressed include:
- Police brutality
- Social justice
- Racism
- Family relationships
- Friendship
- LGBTQIA+ (not a main theme)

*Disclaimer* I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

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The description of it being very The Hate U Give mixed with Get Out, is pretty apt. I didn’t fully connect with either when I read/watched them, which may be why I didn’t fully connect with the book. The author’s note of this book hit me the hardest. The discussion of palatability, humanity, and who is worthy of remembrance; it prompted quite a few minutes of reflection about how I took in the plot.

The storyline is solid, but I couldn’t help but feel a little detached from Happi; I think a little more insight into her childhood and why she feels so disjointed from her other two sisters would’ve gone a long way, though I do like how aspects seemed to be alluded to throughout the journey. A little more rounding out of Kezi (in the beginning) would’ve been great too.

After having reviewed and loved The Hate you Give by Angie Thomas, I was curious to see this recommended as a book to watch out for if you liked that. I was hooked from the start to the end.

I love books about sisters and the fact that two sisters wrote this meant it was going to be powerful for me. WHAT a novel! Three sisters experiences. One (Kezi) is a YouTube influencer.

Her death in mysterious circumstances leads her sister Happi and her best friend Genny on a road trip Kezi planned using The Green Book, a motorist's guide.

One of the Good Ones explores relationships, race love hate and more and is written in a way that sucked me in. I had seen the movie The Green Book during the time I was listening to this and so it was good to have background about the how and why behind this guide. The road trip in that movie was just as interesting to me as the one in One of the Good Ones.

The title begs us to consider who and what is considered good and bad in this world. Experiences and circumstances shape us. I really felt for Happi upon the loss of Kezi and did for Genny too, but with one being a sister and the other a best friend, their life experience with Kezi was different.

I have tried YouTube and have a channel. I'm not sure how much of an "influencer" I am, but I had fun making the videos I have. The book explores what influencers go through via Kezi's experiences which were interesting to witness.

I definitely wanted to continue the book once I started and felt the warmth of bonds between sisters and Genny as well as fear for Kezi then sorrow for them all. The writing is incredibly strong and well-thought out in a way that provokes emotions from readers. And there's a twist.....

Thanks to Maika and Maritza Moulite as well as Inkyard Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars.

Kezi, a popular YouTube influencer strives to take her activism offline for social injustice. Her very first protest quickly becomes a thrilling mystery when Kezi is arrested and killed. This book has a great message of how being murder as a black person is always justified by questions if you were one of the good ones. Kezi's death has everyone seeing the desperate need for change. So much is going on in this book, but it is worth the read. I sometimes feel like the less you know about a synopsis the more enjoyable it is when you pick it up. This is a book about deep social issues, grief, black voices, young adults, and a thrilling mystery. This book was on my most anticipated releases of 2021 and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read the arc.

I know that existing as a human being on this earth should be enough to deserve respect and justice. But it isn’t. Instead, we focus on those we deem worthy, for whom we allow ourselves to feel the weight of their loss. We mention potential not reached or promise of greatness gone unfulfilled, while others are erased from existence all together. But we are more than the good ones.
We are the bad ones.
We are the okay ones.
We are the amazing ones.
We are the nothing to write out about ones.
We are just...ones.

WHEW! What an incredible journey to be upon to start a new year of reading. Sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite weave an important and necessary tale about race, class, and social justice through the lenses of three sisters, Genny, Kezi and Happi who are about as close as three sisters can be + all the drama. The story centers around Kezi, a high school senior and now famous YouTube blogger who has built quite the following online and is ready to take her voice to the streets after another black man is killed without reason. Only when she does, she is tragically murdered at the hands of law enforcement and everything changes for her family, friends and associates.

Kezi is considered to be ONE OF THE GOOD ONES: excellent grades, doesn’t cause trouble, from a good family... and yet none of it is enough to keep her alive. As a means of honoring her memory, her sisters, girlfriend and best friend take a road trip she was not able to take herself beginning in Illinois and closing out in California. The trip is to take them along Route 66, exploring several destinations highlighted in the now famous Green Book and reconciling some of Kezi’s deepest exploratory desires. Including a trip to the Grand Canyon and a bridge in Edmund Oklahoma that has familial legacy ties. All of which are documented for her YouTube followers.

I loved this story so much. It is a reminder that we can never become numb to the injustices of this world no matter what and that we must keep hope alive for better.

Thanks for NetGalley and Inkyard Press for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This multiple POV story covers the social unrest that is happening today with the life and death of Kezi. Kezi died at the hands of police officers. Her grieving siblings decide to pick up the torch of Kezi’s desire to travel route 66 following the Green Book. I like how young people will learn about this piece of history. Like the author's previous work, I felt like there was too much going on at the same time, which made it disjointed. It was a slow read for me. I think this is a book you will either love or hate. And it all comes down to the ending….You’ll either enjoy it or think it’s too unrealistic.

This was publicized as Get Out meets The Hate You Give and that is spot on. I loved both of those and I absolutely loved One of the Good Ones. I will be physically pressing this into the hands of my students. This is an incredible look at the value we place on people and will make you feel.

Even as the phrase rings wrong in her mind—why are only certain people deemed worthy to be missed?

This is a gorgeous and impactful novel that questions what it means to be ‘one of the good ones’ and how to use one’s voice to speak up for what’s right.

Kezi, who is a Youtuber and young activist attends a rally for a Black man who was wrongfully killed. During the protest, she is arrested and mysteriously dies within police custody.


To pay homage to her, her two sisters, Happi and Genny embark on a journey using the Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide.

I loved so much about this book that I couldn’t put it down. It takes a look at racism, bias, and the bond of sisterhood. It also was a great depiction of what happens to a family when a member is lost to police brutality. I feel like everyone played a part in the story and the development of the characters and how we saw so much history was also a nice surprise.

I still have a few questions that were left unanswered and the twist to Kezi's story, I definitely didn’t see that coming. For the most part, this was a timely and impactful read.

First of all I’m not the target audience here: I would have been obsessed with this YA novel in high school. Well-written where you feel like you really know and care about the characters. Suspense that makes you want to not put the book down. Current social issues that would have pulled me from my small-town, homogeneous, rural life. I can imagine HS me pulling an all-nighter to finish this in one sitting.

Without giving away spoilers (it’s in the description that this is GET OUT style) I could have done without the “twist.” I think it led the book to far into the realm of unrealistic for what I was expecting. That being said, still a great read and I would recommend it for middle/high school students or any adult who wants to learn more about black issues in America from a black lens. You really are able to understand the issues and feelings of these characters, which is the first step in caring about changing injustice. Thanks to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a page turner. Maika and Maritza expertly navigate grief, social activism, sisterhood, friendship, religion, sexuality, and more. It's a book that packs a punch and it's one of the most timely fictions I've read, given the events we've experienced as of late, starting with George Floyd's murder and the protests that followed. The Negro Motorist Guide drives the plot as Happi and Genny use it to guide a road trip in honor of their late sister Kezi, who was a social justice activism and a YouTube personality that is killed under mysterious circumstances in police custody. I IMMEDIATELY connected with Happi. She's opinionated, rebellious, inquisitive, and so, so strong. The way her grief and anger affects her sisterhood with Genny and the way she remembers Kezi makes it impossible not to feel for her deeply.

I loved almost everything about this story EXCEPT for the twist. I didn't see it coming whatsoever BUT it threw me and didn't really keep me at the same excitement level as I was at while reading up to that point. That being said, this is a solid 4-star read. This book would be great in a 7th or 8th grade classroom and I will be recommending this to my mom for her students.

"But we are more than the good ones. We are the bad ones. We are the okay ones. We are the amazing ones. We are the nothing-to-write-home-about ones. We are the beautiful ones. We are just...ones."

One of the Good Ones was such a necessary and powerful book. It looks at what happens when some members of a group are elevated, at the expense of others, for their perceived ability to assimilate.

I wasn't immediately drawn into this book, but the twist absolutely shook me, and from then on I was hooked until the last page. When I finished, I just said "wow" because I truly was not expecting any of what I read. I loved getting to learn more about the history of Black people in this country, and it made me want to take my own Green Book trip, especially because I imagine the GA locations have so much history tied behind them that I don't know about. I had only vaguely heard of the Green Book because of the movie, but I continue to be amazed at what my ancestors had to go through just to survive in this country. And I don't think I've read a book that talks about the Black rodeo, which I love going to with my family, so that was such an interesting part of the story.

I thought the tense dynamic between Happi and her sisters worked really well with the story, and made the road trip more rewarding to read about. It also illuminated the aftermath of police brutality for the families affected, especially when their loved one has become a symbol to the movement and people forget that they were an actual person with dreams and flaws. The religious aspect of the book also brought the characters to live as they grappled with their beliefs and the facts. Also, I wrote a paper about Lot offering up his daughters, so any book that mentions that is great in my mind.

Side note: I still have beef with Ximena. Black people know that sometimes deescalating might be their only way of surviving a situation, but sometimes other people make the situation worse.

Overall, this book was a great experience to read, and I hope people take to heart that there are no "good ones".

Kezi is the daughter of two pastors, has two talented sisters, wonderful best friends, and is an over-achiever herself -- soon-to-be valedictorian, current class president, and committed social activist with an extremely popular YouTube channel. What no one expects is how she becomes the latest tragic face of BLM, having been unjustly arrested at a protest and then died while in police custody. While her family struggles to come to terms with their loss, her younger sister Happi struggles to come to terms with how little she knew about Kezi. As Happi, her older sister Genni, and Kezi’s friends embark on a road trip in Kezi’s honor, so much will be revealed about themselves and about Kezi, including the truth of what really happened to her…

Thoughts: Wow. Just...wow. This is by far one of my favorite YA books of all time! This book gave me the feels the entire time. Kezi is so likeable and so brave, her friends are total friendship goals, and her sisters are incredibly relatable. I felt for Happi so much -- as the youngest myself, I can relate to feeling like you can’t be vulnerable around your older siblings and Happi has some pretty big, spiky walls up when it comes to her sisters. I found this so relatable and honest, and I just wanted to give her a big hug. The grief Kezi’s family felt was palpable throughout the whole book, and the emotions of every character coming through just made this whole book so real. And just wait for the second half of the book -- holy moly! Totally didn’t see that coming! I’ll be thinking about this book for a very long time, and will be recommending it to everyone I know!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Wow. Just WOW. This book took me on an emotional journey. And just when you think you're okay, BAM PLOT TWIST. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone but you NEED to read this book. I am flabbergasted and amazed. And I cannot wait to own this book. READ THIS BOOK.

Thank you to NetGalley & Inkyard Press for this ARC ebook copy.

First off, I would like to thank, @inyardpress for #giftedbook. Two years ago, I met the Moulite sisters at Bookcon and they are one of the most welcoming, humbling authors I had the pleasure of meeting IRL. I remember “stalking” them on Twitter and I told them I was going to be one the first in line to meet them and get a Copy of Dear Haiti their debut YA novel. As soon as they walked in, they looked for me and gave me the biggest hug and thanked me for my support. Y’all, I was fan-girling so hard—plus you know I go hard for my people #Haitianpride .

Anyways, I adored Dear Haiti and with their sophomore novel, One of the Good Ones, the Moulite sisters super excited my expectations. Told from multiple POVs—teen activist Keziah (Kezi), has a huge YouTube following and is ready to take her activism to the streets. Determined to help her community, Kezi attends a protest for the wrongful death of a Black man. During the protest Kezi is arrested and then dies in police custody. To commemorate her life and the work she was doing Keziah’s sisters, Genny, Happi and a few friends decide to take a road trip that Keziah planned before her death by using The Negro Motorist Green Book and once the tip starts get ready for an unexpected ride.


Get ready to be sucked in because this book ended up being very hard to put down. FYI, pay attention to the title “One of the Good Ones” because it’s a recurring theme throughout the book. I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed but overall, I thought the Moulite sisters did an excellent job and brought forth a powerful message about using our voices to speak up about the injustice in our communities.

Whoever the publicist is for this book did an amazing job at drawing in a crowd marketing it as a combo of "Get Out" and "The Hate U Give" -- I was ALL OVER this one when it popped up on NetGalley despite not knowing the authors and not having heard anything else about it.

The book takes place in today's social climate of political and social unrest at the unfair treatment and discrimination of people of color. In alternating perspectives, it tells the story of a family dealing with the grief of the murder of Kezi at the hands of the police, "one of the good ones" -- a young black woman who had everything going for her: projected valedictorian, famous YouTube sensation, college bound. Her sisters, Happi and Genny, along with their pastor parents must cope with the grief. In order to honor her memory, Happi and Genny plan to take a road trip Kezi was planning down Route 66, following "The Negro Motorist Green Book" -- a document that African Americans needed to use during the Jim Crow era to locate safe establishments while traveling.

I found this book easy to read and the plot twist at the end was thrilling. I enjoyed the themes that were tackled as well, and think this would be a good way to get teen readers informed about these modern social issues. But I struggled with the multiple perspectives -- we get POVs from Kezi, Happi, and a girl named Shaqueria through most of the story, but as you go, you also two other people from the family's past which weren't very effective. The book's main premise and conflict does not match with the climax of the novel, and it felt scattered because the authors tried to tackle so many different BIG themes and topics.

I value this book for what it made me think about in terms of the representation in all media of "good" people of color and how society picks and chooses whose lives have value in more ways than one. I do think that many readers will love this book, feel seen by this book, and there is immense worth in that.

This book attempted to tackle many different highly relevant issues but it lacked cohesiveness. The plot was choppy and at times dragging. The twist was a little predictable. The characters were flat.

The premise behind the book is about how we judge people and their worth. Are they good students? Star athletes? Involved in community service? Are they beautiful? Talented? Are they considered "special" enough for their lives to matter and for us to fight for them when they encounter injustice? The Moulite sisters show how dangerous the well intentioned term "one of the good ones" can be.

For the vast majority of the book the Moulite sisters do a great job of fulfilling this purpose. They even include a road trip with The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. This allows them to incorporate the Smith family's history with violence while at the same time giving the reader a snapshot of America during Jim Crow. The stark reality is that we have not journeyed far enough from this time period. At about the 70% mark the Moulite sisters introduce a plot twist that I absolutely did not see coming. Normally, when reading a mystery a plot twist spices things up, livens up the action. In this case though I found it to be a distraction from the heart of the novel and feel like it took away from the heart and the realism of the book.

My first book of 2021 and it was an awesome way to begin the year!

Described as The Hate U Give meets Get Out, this book is a powerful exploration of prejudice. I loved the characters, the story plot and twists, as well as the writing.

This book is part historical fiction, part thriller, part mystery, and all parts incredible. I did grapple at times, wondering whether the novel needed the detours from its main themes, but then decided that the unanticipated left turns were well worth the literary trip.

One Of The Good Ones would be a great book club choice because there's so much to learn and discuss. It's a book you don’t want to miss!

Teen social activist and YouTuber Kezi has died under mysterious circumstances after being arrested at a BLM protest. The public is outraged, of course, because Kezi was "one of the good ones," a well-spoken Black girl who got good grades and didn't engage in any high risk behaviors. Several months later, her two sisters (Happi and Genny) embark on the road trip Kezi had planned to take after graduating high school in her honor, with the Negro Motorist Green Book (a Yellow Pages-style book that helped Black people travel safely during Jim Crow) as their guide.

This book has A LOT going on, a bit to its detriment. Honestly, it could've been two separate books. The shining light of the story is the confrontation of the title concept: why the lives of Black men and women only seem to matter to the pubic when they're seen as "good." Happi, Kezi's younger sister, ponders, "If I had been the one to die that day in the hands of police instead of my sister--what would they have said about me? I skipped school like I was allergic to desks? I got messy drunk at parties?" So often, society justifies the brutalization of Black bodies because the victim did or sold drugs or partied or got into trouble at school. ONE OF THE GOOD ONES is at its best when it is confronting this idea.

Unfortunately, the book tries to take much more than the title concept, and I didn't always find it successful. The road trip aspect of the story could have been tighter if one of the characters (Derek, Kezi and Happi's friend) had been taken out. We also get several unnecessary POV's (from farther back in time) that I think could have been worked into the story another way (instead of getting their own POV time jumps). The second half of the book took a sharp left turn, and while I understand what the book was trying to do (and without spoiling it here), it didn't feel organic enough for me.

I also struggled with the writing style a bit and often felt like I was being spoon-fed when it came to characters' emotional development and dialogue. Overall, I really enjoyed the first half of this book and the examination of society's problematic view of the "good ones," and I think the book would've been stronger if it took the time to sink in and examine that further.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to leave my rating at 3 stars because I am just.so.torn. When I started this book, I told my book club I thought it would be a top 5 read of the year. And it was... until I got to part 3.

Kezi is a growing activist. She has a youtube channel, where she discusses her thoughts on issues affecting the Black community. Finally, she and her girlfriend are going to a rally in person. There, she tries to step in to stop an unwarranted arrest, and she ends up arrested. She is thrown around, roughed up by police and dies. Her two sisters and best friends go on her senior road trip to honor her memory.

This really had a chance to be just.. so important. A staple in showcasing what the Black community is facing. I won't lie, reading it made me uncomfortable, but it's supposed to. I had to really take a look at my white privilege and it was just so tough. I never would think of things the Black community has to face, like leaving your purse or bag up front with you so if you get pulled over, you aren't reaching in the back. That could be taken as aggression. That just broke.my.heart. I cannot imagine and will never be able to understand.

But then I got to part 3. I won't say what happens, but I feel like it really just... cheapened the story? I mean this book made me take a long, hard look at myself, and then it just switched paths so suddenly? This book doesn't have a 'happy' ending, but it isn't the ending I was expecting. I want to say so much, but I'm not because I don't want to spoil it.

I want to recommend this book for the first two parts. I mean, they were impactful. I just don't know how I feel about part 3 and the ending. I'm just conflicted.