Boys Don't Cry but readers might.... This is a heartbreaking portrayal of family bonds and grief that will stay with you long after the last page. The characters are brought to life so beautifully - they feel real enough to reach out and touch, and the setting and language are highly evocative too. I look forward to more from Fiona Scarlett.

Joe and Finn are brothers who live in a tower block in Dublin. Their Dad has a sketchy past, in and out of prison for as long as they can remember. Their mother is weary in every conceivable way. 

Joe has a scholarship to a school that will allow him to fulfil his potential as a budding artist - but when Finn falls ill, what's the point of anything anymore? A local criminal is only waiting to pounce on Joe and use him for his own gain. But if Joe goes down that road, how the hell will he get back off it?

This was gorgeous. So sad and evocative, so Dublin without being a parody of Dublin. We get both Finn and Joe's POV here, and if your heart doesn't break for both of them I'll be very surprised. 

The ending was slightly confusing for me but it was still one of the best books I've read this year.

This short debut novel is going to stay with me for a while, all of its love and all of its heartbreak. It tells the story of two brothers, Joe and Finn, growing up in a Dublin tower block. Their life isn't the easiest with their dad doing the dirty work for a local gang leader and their mum trying to keep everything going. Then everything takes a turn for the worst when 12 year old Finn gets sick. From there, it switches between two narratives: Finn's of his time being ill, and Joe's in the present day where their father is in prison and Joe is trying not to end up like hin. 

This was a stunnning debut. The love between these two brothers has stuck with me days after finishing it. Despite everything life is throwing at them, they stick together and look after one another. There is such a depth of caring in every corner of this novel. 

It's a rollercoaster of emotions. Following a child's narrative of being ill with hospital visits and all the worry surrounding him isn't the easiest. Nor is Joe's present day where he's on a slippery slope to following in his father's footsteps, the last thing he wants to do. Hope and inevitability are at war throughout. You want so badly to right the world for these two but it seems impossible. 

As a Dublin native I might not be in the best possition to judge but the writing style balanced its thorough Irishness well while still being broadly relatable. Dubliners have a way of talking that can be confusing but I don't think too much will get lost here. The author does a great job at developing Finn and Joe's narrative voices. I came away feeling like I know them and really care about them which is what you want from a book like this.

This is going to be one of my favourites of this year. I couldn't recommend it enough and I'm already excited to read whatever Fíona Scarlett has in store next.

This is a heartbreaking debut novel due out in April. Set in the working class Dublin, this dual narrative explores love, grief, and family legacy. Between twelve year old Finn falling into sickness and his older Joe navigating male identity (who is he with or without his da who drifts in an out of prison) and grief, I had a lump in my throat throughout.

It reminded me a little of Elaine Feeney's As You Were and Grief Is The Thing With Feathers by Max Porter with its body narrative, sparse writing style and upsetting innocence. While I think the emotional climax of the book could have been more clear, I also think that Scarlett expertly shifts the focus of the book to what matters - life, loss and love. 

I can't wait for others to read this book. I've a feeling everyone will be talking about it.

This short debut novel by Fíona Scarlett, due to be published in April, is a dual narrative by two brothers, Joe and Finn, growing up in the flats in inner city Dublin. Their father is a henchman for a notorious gang leader; their mother is trying to hold it all together.

Finn is 12 and on the brink of adolescence when tragedy strikes. Joe is 17. A gifted artist with a scholarship to a private school, Joe is determined to avoid the path his father took before him and which everyone around him expects him to take. But as events unfold, will he take the path of least resistance? 

It’s a gritty working class tragedy, and a tale of brotherly love, with humanity and a despair/hope dichotomy at its core. 

The dialogue is light, comic and colloquial, but emotion runs deep and I found myself fully invested in the characters and the story. I loved the strong female characters, urging the men in the story to do better. You’ll need to have the tissues handy for this one 😭. The final chapter is totally devastating. 

The drama at the climax of the book was for me not executed as cleanly or clearly as it could have been but otherwise, a stunning debut and I would recommend seeking this out when it’s published in April. It has tv/film adaptation written all over it too. A stellar 4.5/5 ⭐️ 

**This book will be published on 22 April 2021. It’s available to pre-order from all good booksellers. I was grateful to read an advance digital copy courtesy of the publisher @Faberbooks via @NetGalley. As always, this is an honest review.**

So I actually really enjoyed this book. There were areas where I felt the writing didn’t flow, but I think this could be a reflection of the kindle edition. I love the emotion shown between the 2 brothers, Finn and Joe, and not many books depict that!! This did however make me well up on several occasions. I would actually like to read more from this author!

I found this a difficult but moving read. I normally love Irish stories but this one, not so much. Boys Don't Cry is told from the point of view of two brothers, Joe, a talented artist, and Finn. They live on a run-down estate in Dublin and from the beginning we learn that Finn is sick. Their father works for the local gang leader and Joe tries to avoid being drawn into his world of violence and drug dealing while dealing with the decline of his brother's health. I was gripped by Finn's voice but not Joe's. However, I would still read other books by this writer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the opportunity to read and review Boys Don't Cry.

I’d heard about this book, I kept seeing recommendations (including one from Marian Keyes). I’m not always keen on Irish fiction- something gets lost in the dialect or the way people speak to one another- small insignificant phrases that put me off. I liked the idea of this book and thought I’d give it a go.

The story is told from the perspective of Finn and Joe - brothers who haven’t had the best upbringing. The timelines are not linear but where other authors have tried and failed to use different voices and a different time to get to the end point, Fiona Scarlett succeeds. The two voices are distinct and because of the way the story is approached you race through the book without realising (I devoured this in about 3 days). In some ways you know what’s coming (hints at the ultimate outcome for Finn) but that doesn’t take away the sting when you get there. I very rarely get choked up at books. I had to pause several times through the last 10% of this one because I couldn’t see the page through my tears. 

This is a triumph, like nothing I’ve read before. It has left me reeling. Probably the best thing you’ll read this year.

What a book!  Any review would be inadequate for this debut novel. Once started it was impossible to put down.

The story centres around two brothers, Joe and Finn, who live on a run down estate in Dublin.  Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the brothers. Da, Frank, is the “heavy” for the local gangster, and is in jail. Ma is a barmaid at the local pub. This is a story full of love, loyalty, compassion and heartbreak, a real rollercoaster.  The writing is brilliant, funny and effortless, wavering between grief and humour. 
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Joe is 17, a gifted artist and a brilliant older brother to 12-year-old Finn. They live with their Ma and Da in a Dublin tower block called Bojaxhiu or 'the Jax'. It's not an easy place to be a kid, especially when your father, Frank, is the muscle for the notorious gang leader Dessie 'The Badger' Murphy. 

This book is so much more than the description. it is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions and givens you a feeling that when finished you do not forget. The book has grief at the forefront from the get-go but it is so much more than that, family and friendship is by far the key message you take away as well as love and some laugh out loud moment.s 

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a compelling read. It tells the story of Joe and his family who live in a run down area of Dublin. Will Joe be sucked into his father's world of violence and drug dealing or will he better himself? The family are ultimately brought together through tragedy but have the lessons been learned? This is a very short book but beautifully written. It is gritty and poignant and I am sure the author has a bright future.

I don't know if I can do justice to this book, so will keep it simple.

Joe and Finn are two brothers living in the heart of Dublin on a tough estate, they don't have an easy life, but there is hope for Joe who is a gifted artist, as he wins a scholarship to a private school, sadly Finn becomes ill and Joe is torn between leaving him and getting out while he has the chance, or staying. 

The story is told by both Joe and Finn in alternate chapters and is brilliantly written, I actually can't believe this is a debut novel, it is so beautifully done.

Highly recommended

An un-put-downable story of love, loyalty and breaking free of the ties of place, circumstance and expectations.  
Brothers Joe and Finn live on a tough estate, where their violent father is caught up in crime.  Joe, a gifted artist,  has a lifeline out in the form of his place at a 'good' school, but this is thrown into jeopardy when Finn becomes ill.  Will grief and anger meant that Joe inevitably follows in his father's footsteps?...

Joe and Finn are instantly likeable and very believeable, and both supported by strong female friends.  Despite it's tough themes - drug-related crime, and childhood illness - this is a story filled with love.    While the end isn't a complete shock, what is surprising is how much you care about every character, even the apparent 'villains' of the piece. Be ready with a hanky.

Boy Don't Cry is a very emotional book with themes of family, its told in a dual narrative of two brothers Finn and Joe telling the story about their lives in a tower block in Dublin. Boys Don't Cry is very similar in ways to Shuggie Bain. I enjoyed this one but found it hard to get into.

It is difficult to believe that this is a debut novel from the polished assurance of this story of a working-class Dublin family and the difficulties surrounding them.  Two brothers, Joe 17 and Finn 12 living with their parents with Da working for a criminal gang, and Ma working in the pub, trying to hold body and soul and her ‘boys’ together – never far from physical violence.  Joe is intelligent and a gifted artist, Finn just a regular boy trying to fit in until investigations are made into the bruises that mark his body.

Overwhelmingly this is a story about love, but not in the full hearts and flowers form: this is about love in its purest form.  The form that is impossible to illustrate from familial love to first love and  sweet awakenings which brings with it responsibility, fear and duty.  We witness the care shown to Finn from his school teachers and the medical staff and even the concern of friends and neighbours.

A brilliant piece of writing, emotive, heart-rending with a deft touch.  I cannot praise it enough.  Did you like Angela’s Ashes?  This is as poignant, as upsetting,  as perceptive in its descriptions of the community.  I could go on and on.  Just read it if you have not yet had the chance.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Boys Don’t Cry by Fiona Scarlett

This is the honest, gritty story of two brothers living in a Dublin tower block, which touches on family, grief, and class. I  struggled to believe this is a debut novel, because it left me bereft of emotion when it ended. A feeling this is very rare when reading a novel. I enjoyed the dialect, the descriptions were so vivid and real. I thought the characters were perfectly assured and real. What a powerful real this was.

Thanks to Netgallery for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I haven't stayed up until 1am reading a book for a very long time. But when you're sucked in so strongly to a story it's impossible not to finish it. I was absolutely blown away by this heartbreaking story. What really struck me was that i could identify with every single character and understand their POV. One of those stories that is so immersive that I will be pushing it on everyone I know come April 2021. Absolutely fantastic read and cannot wait to see what Scarlett does next

Boys Don’t Cry is a beautifully-written debut. The novel is narrated by two brothers in the O’Reilly family. It begins with twelve-year-old Finn recounting memories of growing up in a working-class community in Dublin. He lives in a flat with his Ma, Da and older brother, Joe. His days consist of school, watching Tipping Point, playing football and squabbling about who’s going to be in goal. Then he starts to show signs of an illness and everything changes.

His teenage brother Joe wants to make something good of his life. A scholarship student at a private school, he is constantly trying to negotiate between two worlds. The first, a world of privilege and cocktail parties. The second, one of survival and reputation, where the shadow of his Da’s choices follows him everywhere. With his father in prison, Joe finds it difficult to subvert others’ expectations of him. When he is targeted by a local gang leader, Joe must choose which path he will follow.

The depiction of Finn’s illness is both nuanced and compassionate. Subtle moments stand out, such as Ma taking him for a rare afternoon trip to the cinema while they wait for his potentially life-changing medical results. Through Finn’s narration, we can feel his mother’s anxiety but he is oblivious, lost in excitement about the expensive snacks she’s bought from the cinema kiosk. It’s authentic and powerful. 

Boys Don’t Cry is a story about family, grief, class and friendship. The author does not shy away from writing about difficult subjects. Domestic violence, illness and abuse are written about with sensitivity. I enjoyed this book and found myself absorbed by the relationship between the two brothers. 

There was a dramatic event near the end which could have been developed more, as I would have liked to have seen the aftermath explored in more depth. However, this is only a small point and it does not detract from the overall emotional impact of the book. This is a sensitive, moving debut featuring well-developed characters that will stay in readers’ minds long after the book is finished. 

Thank you to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for a review.

This is a heartbreaking and very emotional novel that is exquisitely written. Fiona's writing style helps to bring such raw emotion to the text that it was impossible to not shed a tear! The dialect of Dubliners used in this text also added extra authentication to the character and give them almost a third dimension. ⁠
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Even through the many darks of this story, in true Irish fashion, Fiona is able to add in some comedic working class/Irish humour. It depicts so well how many chose to deal with hardships. This is a book which will stay with you long after you have finished it due to the eloquent level of detail from an incredibly talented author. 

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This book!! Honestly. Boys Don’t Cry is set in working-class Dublin and flicks between the perspectives of brothers, Joe and Finn. Their Da is caught up in crime and Joe promises himself to never end up like him. However when Finn becomes sick, Joe finds that keeping his promise isn’t so easy. I cried so much reading this book. I became immensely fond of both Finn and Joe. I wanted to scoop them up to protect them. The weaving of the brothers’ narratives flowed beautifully, and I adored their bond. 

I genuinely couldn’t put this book down and the reason I didn’t read it in one sitting was all down to the fact that I was so reluctant for it to end. 

I believe that Fíona Scarlett is a writer we should all be hearing a lot from after this book is released. Her characters are so strong with personality that leaps off the page. The way she writes about Dublin is highly vivid such as the imagery of Dollymount Strand and the nostalgic treats from my own Irish childhood. 

Scarlett touches on grief, brotherhood, class, masculinity, friendship and family in such a beautiful manner that it just pulls at every feeling within you. I laughed, I cried.. it was an absolute emotional rollercoaster in every sense. I genuinely can’t believe this is a debut. A stunning read that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. 

Is it too soon to have a contender for one of my top reads of 2021?

Thank you to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.