In the spirit of E Lynn Harris., we finally get a book about millennial,gay black men that is romantic, fun and joyful. It made me miss shows like Noah,s Arc where the lives and experiences of gay men were prioritized.
It was so touching .
An excellent debut by Foley.

Both hilarious and touching…. Full of unforgettable characters, Boys Come First is about the trials and tribulations of real friendship, but also about the highlights and hiccups—late nights at the wine bar, awkward Grindr hookups, workplace microaggressions, situationships, frenemies, family drama, and of course, the group chat—that define Black, gay, millennial life in today’s Detroit.

This was... unexpected. As a queer Black woman who grew up in metro Detroit and is a little older than the author, this was like reading about a friend from high school's younger brothers. I mean, actually, the author could have be a friend from high school's younger brother as I went to a sister high school of the HS attended by one of the main characters.

But I digress. This is sweet, and fun, and real, and tells the story of three men trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be. The three POVs took a second to get used to in the beginning, but the ways their stories were interrelated made it pay off in the end. I hope this does really well!

Foley has written such a stunning and touching story here focusing around the lives of 3 black gay men. The ability to make me feel so much for these characters is when I know an author has succeeded in their vision. I loved this book and can’t wait to order a physical copy!

TW: drugs

This book is such a gift: it's tender and funny and heartbreaking. I loved reading about the friendships between Remy and Troy and Dominick, and seeing them come into their own in Detroit. Aaron Foley has a real gift for dialogue, and weaving little details into the story that make it truly come alive. I felt grateful to be given a window into the lives of these characters and their city.

I do think that there were parts in the middle that could have been condensed, and there are certain elements, like the repeated focus on "New Detroit" without much development, that seemed to come at the expense of developing the characters' arcs. However, I genuinely enjoyed this book so much that even at it's slowest, I was still flipping the pages because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

This is such an assured and wonderful debut novel, and I can't wait to see what Aaron Foley writes next.

Thank you to Aaron Foley, Belt Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me a free copy of Boys Come First in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an amazing book with such an amazing story to be told. It was truly captivating and I felt so much while reading this. I am so grateful to have been allowed to read and review this. I have never seen such rep while also discussing so much of what is covered in this book. I truly don't even know how to express what I love and why without telling every part of this book.

Foley has written such a beautiful book here about the lives of 3 Black gay men--the issues they face, their experiences with relationships, sex and drugs, all balanced with joy. I loved getting immersed in this story, and felt so much for the characters. This book was captivating from start to finish; I loved every second of it. Will update with a longer review once I have time to marinate :)

I really enjoyed this one. Unfortunately I just realized I never wrote down a review and I don't have any specifics, but I still think it's worth the read!

Boys Come First is a novel about three Black, gay friends who live in Detroit. Troy, Remy, and Dominick are all 30-something professionals dealing with all sorts of work and personal issues. You've got relationship issues, substance use issues, work drama, friend drama, and all sorts of different stuff going on. At one point I found myself thinking "There is sure a lot going on in this book!"

And I loved it! Aaron Foley is a great writer and knows how to balance a story and make you care for characters. I really got a feel for the friendship between these characters and a sense of the world of Detroit around them. I cared about everyone in the book.

This was a great read!

“They say things at weddings about completion—“You complete me.” It suggests there’s something incomplete about both parties, doesn’t it? And it suggests love, the love that enables a person to strive and do better for the recipient of that love, can’t catalyze until the two are brought together”.

My rating - 3.5 ⭐️

This tells the story of 3 Black, gay men in their mid 30s navigating life in Detroit, America. I was excited to pick this up as the premise interested me a lot.

The setting was great - I think it really brought the reality of Detroit to life. The city truly felt as alive as the characters whilst we navigated the issues of gentrification and loss of Black identity/ culture/ history within the city. The discussions of these topics was one of my favourite parts of this book, particularly alongside the discussions of the Black gay day-to-day experience.

I found the pacing a little off at times. It was mainly character-driven but I felt I needed more plot to properly connect to the characters, as they often felt quite distant and disconnected from me. Which was a shame as I really loved their personalities, especially Dominick’s. In addition to this, I found the POV shifting a little clunky and disjointed. It often took me a page or 2 to get to grips with who is even talking, and there was also shifts between 3rd and 1st person (Remy was in 1st person whilst Dominick and Troy were in 3rd person) - I much preferred the 1st person as it felt much more personal and emotional. That’s just personal preference though, I’ve always been a gal who’s preferred a 1st person narrative.

But the characters all felt lovable and fleshed out enough, I was rooting for them SO much - especially in terms of their romantic relationships. Their relationships and sexual experiences fuelled a fair portion of this book. I was rooting for them to receive the happy ending they deserved which proves how lovely these characters are.

My main problem with this book was nothing to do with characters or plot - it was to do with the prose. It was a bit… cringey. As a British reader, the language felt quite stylised, forced and just very Americanised, so it didn’t hit the humorous mark that it intended to for me - but again that’s very subjective as everybody’s humour is entirely different, which is the joy of reading! We all have different views. I did find many parts funny, and many comments by the characters made me giggle.

Overall, I enjoyed this one - especially the characters and the discussion of issues such as gentrification - but the prose wasn’t something that always clicked with me.

- Lara

Enjoyable, however, I had a problem with the pacing at times! Overall a nice story, I'd go into blind!

I was hoping for an uplifting kind of adult contemporary, but unfortunately for me this was pretty much focused on sex and drugs, with a very cynical tone to it. That's exactly the kind of adult fiction I don't enjoy, so I didn't finish it - other people might enjoy this more and I don't want to put them off of reading it.

Detroit. Blackness. Queerness.

Boys Come First is like recieving permission to read a Black gay mans diary; raw and honest. This book touches on many topics which “Black Men” are not allowed to discuss or show any emotion around. Aaron gives insight on the personal trials, expectations, and stereotypes Black Gay Men experience. He takes us on a journey of friendship and difference of paths, perspective, and lifestyles. While much of the text is hilarious, we tend to laugh to keep from crying, as well it is heartfelt. We get to experience the vulnerability it requires to maneuver through life, to not be pinned down by the weight of our mistakes or feeling like life is to be figured out by 30.

Aaron does not hold back and I believe this allows readers to fully connect with the story. He does well with painting a true portrait of Detroit; past and present. Dominick, Troy, and Remy know first hand what it's like to be raised in Detroit, as well the changes and forms of gentrification that affect the people of its original community. As we read how it affects the group's friendship; we are left to imagine how these issues can affect an entire community. These friends face many challenges which has reunited them and seems like perfect timing; above all they learn they are not alone, their true potential, and the power of reconciling friendships.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me, I thought I’d go outside of my usual comfort zone of genres. But I found it really hard to get into

This book is a lot of fun! It's a mostly lighthearted and funny romp about three Black gay friends living in Detroit. It deals with addiction, racism, gentrification, poverty, and complex family issues, but the tone is continually upbeat. It's a really lovely balance.

Boys Come First is a novel about three thirtysomething Black gay friends from Detroit, trying to get their lives on track. Dominick has just moved back to Detroit from New York City, after losing his job and longtime boyfriend at the same time, and he's keen to catch up with his best friend Troy, a teacher whose school is under threat and whose boyfriend is more work than he should be. Troy introduces Dominick to Remy, his other best friend, a hotshot estate agent caught between men who won't commit, and the three of them become firm friends as they try to sort out their love and work lives.

I was drawn in by the cover of this book, which really emphasises the friendship that is at its heart with a beautiful design, and it was definitely worth it. The chapters move between the perspectives of the three protagonists, bringing a lot of backstory and detail as you see them navigating love, sex, and work, all whilst thinking about what Detroit means to them against the backdrop of gentrification and the loss of Black history and culture in the city. It is packed full of location detail (it's one of those books where the city is basically another character), but also a lot about the different characters and their drama.

At its heart, the book is about three friends trying to come out of their thirties where they want to be, and it has an uplifting ending (and a few good 'uh oh' moments of drama) that also shows that friends really are vital. It feels like it would make a great TV show, adapted to keep the messy drama but also the comedy, as it has the character focus that comes with a lot of witty, modern TV looking at millennial lives.

Covering race, sexuality, family, gentrification, and a whole host of other things in a witty, modern way, Boys Come First is a novel that plunges you into the protagonists' lives, packed with observations and harsh truths. One for people who like books that feel like the drama from the group chat, but with social commentary too.

This was such a good book and I am so excited for it to come out! I found myself journaling so many sweet quotes from the book and also finding so many moments where I was cheering for the characters, shouting "dump him" at the book, or laughing. At times I really felt Remy gaslight gatekeep girlbossed a little too close to the sun, and that Dom and Troy had me biting my nails, but I really loved all of the boys and wanted them to all be happy. The book addresses serious issues like racism, gentrification, and domestic abuse, but handles all of them well with the sweet, multifaceted characters and their growth. I received an ARC of the book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review of the book.

I really enjoyed this book, especially its complex characters, the social commentary, and the world of Detroit it immerses you in.

Boys Come First takes a little time to really grab you, but I definitely enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching them grow.

The plot in this book is fairly simple. It is the characters who drive the story and keep you invested. It took a while to get to know them, but by the end of the book I was fully invested.

I think what I enjoyed most about this book was the social commentary interwoven and unraveled through the fictional story of three Black gay men trying to find love and success in Detroit. The story had me reflecting on issues surrounding politics, gentrification, race, queerness, intersectionality, and love.

But ultimately, this book is very human. We see the characters make mistakes, face tough decisions, and try to rise up in a world that tries to keep down Black gay men. The sharp wit of this book expertly balanced the realness and rawness of the challenges the three boys face.

Couldn't get into this. Dnfed at 25%

3 stars as its just a personal preference, no fault of the book

You know a book is good when you forget to highlight and annotate after a certain point. But seriously you guys, if this doesn't blow the fuck up on release, I'm gonna start blowing things up.

Boys Come First follows three men from and in Detroit as they navigate the gentrification of their hometown, the falling apart and coming together of relationships, and how being Black and gay factors into their individual experiences with it all.

I think most, if not all, people start with a very white (among other things) foundation in literature. Regardless of genre, you get used to reading certain experiences, certain viewpoints, certain cultural cues—I'm an Indian who has never stepped foot into America, but I know I can write a book from a white male American's perspective. Isn't that saying something?

That is to say, this book is a breath of fresh air. I have an annotation that just goes "It's just really nice not reading white people" and it really is! Like man, I'm not saying white people can't and don't experience intersectionality but there's just something so messed up about being queer and POC. So to be able to read about the (pretty specific) experience of being a Black gay man, that too from the perspective of three different Black gay men? I feel like a Victorian child who's just discovered Baja Blast.

The three main characters—Dominick, Remy, and Troy—are extremely endearing and easy to root for, or at least that's how I felt about them. They're all struggling in the romance department, but in different ways. You could say the same thing about every other department actually. As mentioned before, the book also delves into the gentrification of Black spaces and each character interacts with it in a different way, so you get to see what happens when these differences rub against each other in the wrong way.

I wanted these men to be happy so bad. As you can see from the previous quote, one thing that kept coming up in all three POVs was the layers of difficulty there are to trying to be successful while being Black and gay. Which, I suppose could be depressing to read, but personally I'm just glad to have the truth out there. Obviously, I'm not a Black gay man but I can't remember the last time I read a book where characters get to be honest about how much it fucking sucks to be who they are in the world that we live in.

AND THEN TO SEE THEM SUCCEEEEEEEED yes it's a happy ending, is it a perfect ending? No. But does the book end with all three of them having stronger relationships (romantic, platonic, and familial) and a healthier, hopeful outlook? Do you leave the book feeling good, feeling hopeful about your own future? Yes. And that's the happiest ending I could ever fucking ask for.

Trigger warnings for parental death, an abusive relationship, and attempted rape. All three were dealt with sensitively—hey, isn't it fucked that I even have to say that because Some people want to capitalise off of tragedy that isn't theirs? Anyway, please read this book.