Principal Moore, founder of the Urban Promise Prep School, is found dead after being shot at school and the three high schoolers who were supposed to be in detention that day become immediate suspects. J.B., Ramón, and Trey don't come from good neighborhoods and because of this, they become easy targets for the police and media. Realizing that the only way to prove their innocence is to find the real culprit, the three boys join forces.

This book is told from multiple perspectives and different ways, from "oral interviews" to messages, which gives texture to the narrative. The author does a good job of keeping the reader/listener in the dark, so the ending was a little surprising. There's also a lot of diversity among the characters, so it was fun and informative.

Riveting and Diverse, this was a very Enjoyable read.

This book was a cool mix of internal dialogue, police interviews, news reports, and witness statements. I liked that the mixed media aspect was used to tell the story of the school shooting and gave you hints throughout for who was guilty. It was a nice insight on these characters that are from different racial and financial backgrounds from me. There's strong friendships, mild romance, and characters with so many different home lives. The murder mystery had me interested and I was trying to put the clues together to figure out who killed the school principal. I did find myself waiting for it to be over after the 80% mark which lowered the rating by a lot. Definitely interested in checking out anything Nick Brooks writes in the future!

Thank you NetGalley for the EARC of The Promise Boys. Initially everything about this book made me want to read from the cover down to the description. This book was so engaging I finished it in ONE DAY!! This book is marketed as “The Hate U Give” meets “One of Us is Lying”, but I personally haven’t read either of those so I am going to personally market it as “When They See Us” meets “A Good Girls Guide to Murder”.

The chapters are super short, we get character interviews from students, family ,and staff as well as interrogation transcripts.I love the interviews of people’s immediate perception of these boys and how we’re supposed to assume that they are guilty because of how they look or the people they associate with. It is not necessarily thrilling or scary but it is a fun engaging YA “whodunit” that highlights racism and the unfairness of the system that marks us as guilty until proven innocent.

I thought that the world building of Promise Prep was very unique and it made me sad at times to read how these boys were treated. This school was painted as a way out and a road to success but it was a prison system in its own way.

I felt the most connected to Trey. I did build a connection with these characters and i do wish that I could’ve had just a little more time with them, but i didn’t feel like anything was missing from the story. These boys will hold a special place in my heart and I had the biggest smile on my face when they were able to find justice. I definitely look forward to more work by this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars.

I really wanted to like this, but the premise fell short. I did absolutely love the mixture of narrative and interviews and stories and how the chapters were structured. I like the plot, but it felt undeveloped and rushed at the end. It also needed more character development; particularly when the plot rotated around the three men and why they were innocent. It felt like all of the characters were static, even the main ones.

Overall, I enjoyed it but it also wasn’t fantastic and did not live up to the expectations I had from seeing the star rating and other reviews.

YA Mysteries/Thrillers are always entertaining reads for me and Promise Boys did not miss.
This story took off from the first page told in a mix of police interviews/witness statements, news articles and the multiple points of view of the suspects and people in their lives immediately pulling you into the crime. Ramon, Trey and JB all had heated interactions with Principal Moore the day he was found murdered in his office, which leads to them all possible suspects for the crime. Promise Academy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, taking the term “molding the future” a bit far. No cell phones, no speaking unless spoken to (that means NO interactions with your peers), walking in a straight line and demerits all day for anything. Principal Moore had it coming in my opinion 🫢. All of the boys are suddenly fighting to prove their innocence which means finding out who is actually guilty. This task proves difficult as the boys aren’t friends and don’t know each other well. My favorite chapters were the boys coming together and putting the pieces together because 😮‍💨 was this a puzzle. I couldn’t put this down until I knew what happened. My only complaint is that I wish we saw a little more of the after!

This was one of the best books I've read this year. Usually when books are described as "this author meets this author", I ignore it because it's never correct. This was definitely an Angie Thomas meets Jason Reynolds. The writing was gorgeous and the plotting kept me reading. I will definitely revisit then when it is publish and will put a copy in my school library.

Content Warning: This book contains a brief scene of physical child abuse.

Cover Story: Seeing Red

Ken Nwadiogbu’s illustration is a STATEMENT. It’s how the world already sees the titular Promise Boys: nothing more than destined for the carceral system. Trey’s haunting eyes peering from underneath the red layer totally reminds me of Hooded Justice from Watchmen, and he’s almost daring you to take a closer look — a real look — at who these boys are.

I also love the detail that J.B. is indeed 6’3″, although I find Ramón’s height questionable (he’s canonically a short king!) and his head is apparently over 12 inches long.*


* The average human head is 8 to 9 inches long. I also measured my own to confirm lol.

The Deal:

Under its founder Principal Moore, the Urban Promise Prep School in Washington, DC, is renowned for churning out exemplary students through strict discipline. Because, you see, this is what’s going to help them escape their neighbourhoods and get to college — by any means necessary. (It’s like tough love, but without any love.)

When Principal Moore is killed at school, three students become the prime suspects. With rumours running rampant and the real killer still on the loose, the trio must work together to prove their innocence… unless one of them did do it?

BFF Charm: Let Me Love You x 3

BFF charm with teary eyes hugging a heart
UGH THESE BOYS. It’s absolutely heartbreaking that, even before the murder, they were moving through life with everyone having written off their potential — which is terrible at any age, but especially when they’re all still kids. (OK, they’re teens, but when you’re An Old, they’re BABIES.)

J.B. might look intimidating with his stature, but he’s actually a big sensitive teddy bear who’s constantly writing lyrics and poetry. Trey seems like a cool detached jock, but he doesn’t have many people in his corner since he moved from New York. And SWEET MUFFIN RAMÓN is an aspiring chef who emigrated from El Salvador a few years ago, but most people just assume that he’s in a local gang.


The truth is that each of these boys are so, so much more than how the world treats and perceives them.

Swoonworthy Scale: 3

Right before everything goes down, J.B. finally gets together with his dream girl, Keyana. Their romance is less important than Keyana as a character — as it should be, because Keyana’s AMAZING. (Although there’s one quote that earns an entire point on its own, when J.B. really flexes those poet skills.)

Talky Talk: Perception Is Reality

Nick Brooks introduces each of the boys in a fascinating way. Their individual sections begin with bystander testimonies and police interrogation transcripts in the aftermath of the murder,** and then the book jumps back in time for each boy’s perspective leading up to the murder. Getting to know the characters through other people before getting to know them ourselves demonstrates the stereotypes and preconceived notions that they’re all up against. And the boys themselves aren’t immune from these biases about each other either, because that’s how harmful and pervasive these ideas are. Simply put:

As a Black man, you get no benefit of the doubt. You have to be on the right side of everything.

Page 76, hardcover first edition
(Even though this particular quote isn’t about Latino men, they face similar scrutiny as well.)

** The most INFURIATING parts were Ramón’s condescending white liberal tutor, and basically every single word of the interrogations. The detectives were questioning kids without adults and trying to coerce confessions out of them, like what in the Exonerated Five is this bullshit?!?

Bonus Factor: Murder Club (And Associates)


“Group of murder suspects teams up to clear their names” is a highly specific niche that I can’t get enough of. The odds may be stacked against the Promise Boys, but luckily, they’re not alone.

(The aforementioned Murder Club is, of course, a shoutout to One of Us Is Lying, which is a frequent comparison title for this book.)

Bonus Factor: Tasty Business


Ramón’s pupusas are legendary at Promise — as well as contraband, since Principal Moore had zero tolerance for Ramón’s side hustle. But the real travesty is that I read this book with ZERO pupusas! (NICK BROOKS DROP THE RECIPE CHALLENGE.)

Anti-Bonus Factor: School-to-Prison Pipeline


Urban Promise Prep is so rigid in thinking that there’s only one way to shape young men that it’s literally baked into its ideology. The prison parallels are everywhere, but this immediately made me think of being on program in Andor (if that means nothing to you, you should watch Andor):

If you want to get out of this place on time, you stand the right way on the first try.


Mr. Finley holds up two fingers. That means we can all face the door. After he flashes three fingers, we file in line with our hands behind our back.


[…]


If your hands aren’t locked in place behind your back, you get a demerit, in which case the teacher docks points from your “count.”

Page 31, hardcover first edition
Anti-Bonus Factor: Asshole Principal

Principal Rooney (FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF) grinning while talking on the phone
Look, I don’t want to speak ill of the dead. Lol JK, Principal Moore completely fucking SUCKED. Hot take: if you don’t actually give a shit about helping kids, you should not be an educator. (Although he probably thought he was helping, in his twisted and prejudiced way.)

Relationship Status: Promising Future

When I first heard of Promise Boys, the premise instantly piqued my interest. With its piercing insight and thoughtful characterization, this book definitely lived up to its promise. (I had to.)

Literary Matchmaking

Ace of Spades
An elite prep school that’s hell for its Black and Brown students? Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé’s Ace of Spades also fits the bill.


When You Look Like Us
The characters in Pamela N. Harris’ When You Look Like Us know all too well what it’s like to be written off because of appearances and stereotypes.


A La Carte
For a lighter recommendation that’s full of tasty business, check out A La Carte by Tanita S. Davis.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Henry Holt and Co. I received neither money nor gelato for writing this review (dammit!). Promise Boys is available now.

What a great novel!

Promise Boys has a little bit of everything (social commentary, strong and developed characters, murder mystery, unique format) and manages to combine them in a way that is very different and also really entertaining and thought provoking.

It is a fast-paced, quick read and honestly, I loved the format with different POVS, emails, news articles, etc. incorporated into the story in addition to the POVs of the three main characters. It really hammered home the message that perspective is everything.

My only complaint is that some subplot lines aren't really fleshed out and as a result are kind of left hanging. It is possible that I didn't fully understand everything that took place, but my gut tells me that it's more likely that the subplot lines were not fully wrapped up/explained. It's possible that this was done intentionally (as in sometimes we only know bits and pieces of someone's story) but it bothered me.

However, that relatively minor issue will not stop me from encouraging folks to read this book. It's a great take on a murder mystery and offers a lot beyond that component. Highly recommend.

The promise boys are boys who have been selected from lower socio-economic level boys to attend a private school that will prepare them for success in the world. Unfortunately the school is run by an unnecessarily strict headmaster, and when he is killed one of the boys becomes the designated killer. A group of boys and a girl from a different school come together to find the real villain. That group of students had not been friends before and there was no foundation given for why that particular group would come together, and the solving of the crime was not very realistic. I received an arc and was under no pressure to give a positive review.

4.5 stars rounded up

Promise Boys is an fantastic YA debut. It's a murder mystery set in a boys prep school for struggling and low income kids. Lauded for making a difference in these kids futures, the reality of Promise Prep is very different. It is tense, highly-controlled with abusive behavior from faculty and staff. When the principle is killed, three teen boys are the top suspects. They are Black and Latinx, and people make assumptions. They seem to be the obvious culprits. But they each know they are innocent and need to uncover the truth before this setup ruins lives.

This is a fast-paced, engaging narrative with a little bit of a mixed media element with news articles etc. The audiobook is EXCELLENT, complete with a full cast and sound effects. It does a great job of tackling the reality of how the school to prison pipeline can function, the way people assume the worst about Black and brown boys, and how harsh and abusive discipline often isn't what these kids actually need. But of course, it's for a teen audience and told from the perspective of the teenagers themselves. Very good and I hope we see more from this author. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to read to & review an ARC of this book!**

Please find my extended feedback below...along with some spoilers (beware).
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Things I Liked:
-The focus on systematic oppression & the ways that Black & Brown people are failed within that system.
-The writing style (through multimedia)
-The mystery was hard to guess throughout the book & I did not guess it until the end.
-I loved that the boys that were targeted came together to overcome their suspension (they did not let the system tear them apart as a team).
-The honest portrayal of how even programs designed to help can become corrupt. I think this helps highlight the need for self-checks & having positive & diverse people in positions of power.

Things That Didn't Sit Quite Right With Me:
-Nothing, I actually really enjoyed this one & would recommend it to everyone.

Overall, I gave this book 4 stars!

This book has been described as The Hate You Give meets One of Us is Lying and that’s a perfect description of this book. This YA murder mystery was so well-paced. It’s told from the POV of the three main characters, along with a lot of commentary from other students and teachers. Everyone seems to have their opinion about what happened and who is responsible. Each of the boys have very different types of family and support systems that have a big impact in their lives (some good, some bad). I liked how the boys knew things looked bad for them and they decided to get themselves out of it. Unfortunately, Principal Moore was in the role of supporter when he was anything but - he was definitely a character you would love to hate. He operated under the guise of wanting to help his students but he turned the prep school into a prison and ran it like a warden. This story was a reminder of how young boys/men of color are guilty until proven innocent based on a broken justice system.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

I really enjoyed this YA mystery/thriller set in an all-boys high school, Urban Promise Prep School, in Washington D.C. Principal Moore is an activist that started the school and based his strict program discipline, called the Principal Moore Method, claiming it turns boys into men. Principal Moore claims that almost all boys in his school go from trouble youth to college-bound men because of his method and school. But when Moore is murdered at school, his school and method come under strict scrutiny. Three boys serving detention that afternoon are targeted by the police as prime suspects. All three state that they are innocent, and it's clear they need to band together to find the real killer before they are arrested and lost in the system.

The book is told from the perspective of the three boys, as well as some of their family and friends. It also includes snippets of witness interviews, news articles and social media posts. I like these additions in a book and find it provides interest and a unique way to share information. The book is fast paced and immediately grabbed my attention. The chapters are short and it's a quick and easy read that I read in one day. Each boy was well developed and had their own problems and obstacles to overcome to achieve their goals, and I felt their storylines were relatable and would be of interest to young readers. I mean, who can't relate to suffering from other people's bigotry, having a dream that seems insurmountable to attain, and striving to improve your life and the life of your family.

The side characters, including grandmothers, uncles, parents, girlfriends and teammates added depth to the story and helped the reader understand the three boys' lives better. Again, these characters were well developed despite being minor characters in the book. The mystery was the weakest link and I figured it out rather quickly, but still enjoyed reading how it all wrapped up. Overall, this is a very enjoyable contemporary book that I recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.

On a scale of enjoyment, I had a good time. Or about as good a time as I could of had with this book given what feels like the ever commented on distancing myself from YA.

Maybe it's the circles that I am vaguely apart of, but with every year it does feel like the way that I reflect upon YA books seems to shift. Sure a good book is a good book and can transcend age categorization, but there are always going to be aspects of a novel that will hit harder for the intended age audience than they will for me trying to put myself in the shoes of my younger self.

Promise boys is the story of three seemingly unconnected teenagers at the best performing school in Washintgon DC that are thrown together when the principal of their school is killed while the three of them are in detention. It has all the hallmark signs of a good mystery, none of our suspects can account for the others whereabouts at the time of the murder and all three are given plausible reasons to be the culprit if it is one of them and not someone else that could be uncovered over the course of the investigation.

The biggest issue for me was how short the book is. Now part of me understands it, the book is a mystery and not a thriller, there aren't a lot of twists and turns included to make the reader question what is reality and what isn't... The problem arises when roughly the first half of the book was spent introducing our three leads. Each of them gets a section where we learn about them from the people in their lives; classmates, teachers, family. Then we get a section from their perspective about the events leading up to the murder and concludes with their police interrogation. It's only after we've gotten that, which again is almost half of the already short book that we then start moving forward with something that could resemble an investigation into who murdered this sleazy principal.

Again, I was here for the investigation. At least mostly. I just felt that even with all the introduction to these boys that we got, the book still felt a little flat. It wasn't nearly as intriguing as a mystery could have been. While sometimes you're compelled to want to finish a book in a single sitting because the writing of the book compels you to, this felt like if you were to set it aside for a couple days you might forget that you'd ever started it in the first place and so the book being short was not out of any particular artistic aim but one done to ensure that as many readers reached the end of the book as possible.

So yes, I had a good time, and I think that many other readers will have a good time. But I think that the bulk of readers that decide to pick this up will simply have an average reading experience and will likely not think about the book long after they've finished it.

This novel follows 3 teen boys of color who were accused of murder. Each has their own suspected motives and has to try and prove their innocence. Each of these characters was pretty solid and I saw myself rooting for them quickly. The setting is very well developed and matches the story quite well. I can see how attending Promise was a struggle and how it developed into the way it did.

This is told through a mix of actual chapters as well as smaller chapters from others' POVs. This to me was a very fun way of telling the story as we got to see things from other perspectives. This made the already short book, easier to fly through.

My only downside to this book is that I feel the marketing for this book is a bit off. This is more of a murder mystery to me rather than a thriller. Besides that, the synopsis also made me believe the trio would be working together from the start but that doesn't start until the later half. Despite that, I loved this!

I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a quick and thrilling read!

Promise Boys is a YA murder mystery that follows three high school students, all accused of the murder of their domineering principal. The Urban Promise Prep School prides itself on its reputation of "turning boys into men." Urban Promise Prep takes "disadvantaged" (read: POC) boys in and sets them up for a positive future full of opportunity and growth. On paper, helping boys find easier access to colleges, jobs, or training programs sounds great, if Urban Promise Prep wasn't a militant institution set on breaking the student body's spirit. At this all boys' school (I'm using the term "school" loosely here as it's more like a prison), boys attend classes from 7am to 5pm every weekday, where the boys are all but expected to be drones: there's no talking in the hallway (keep your eyes ahead, your feet on the blue tile line, and your hands clasped behind your back always), no socializing at lunch, and demerits and detention are handed out like Halloween candy. Much of the administrative staff have white savior complexes, and feel that it is their duty to metaphorically beat these boys into submission so that they might have a bright future, which they will naturally owe to Urban Promise Prep and not their own hard work (/sarcasm).

Everything at Urban Promise Prep comes to a screeching halt when their principal, Kenneth Moore, is shot to death in his office during a basketball game. Of course, J.B., Trey, and Ramón, the three boys who'd had run-ins with Principal Moore that day, are instantly suspects. They're carted in by the police, interrogated, and banned from school property pending the investigation.

What follows is a gripping display of how young men of color are guilty until proven innocent, how those in positions of power actively work against these boys while maintaining a facade of "helping," and the terror that young Black and Latinx men and their families deal with daily, especially when dealing with law enforcement and accusations made against them. For example, Trey is always deemed "trouble--destined for gang life and prison" by those in power because he, a star athlete, has the personality of a class clown. What in the world? One teacher, one teacher, has the spine to stand up for the boys, but only does so in the quiet, behind closed doors. Not out in the open. Why? How could people who spend 10+ hours a day with boys like J.B., Trey, and Ramón not see J.B.'s poetic nature and drive to provide for himself and his mom, Trey's athletic abilities and his struggles with absent parents while trying to keep his head above water, and Ramón's entrepreneurial spirit and tenacity? How do these adults not see all of these things, want to protect them at all costs? Then you have the donors--more white saviors with deep pockets who think that their donations to Urban Promise Prep suddenly make their rampant racism disappear.

I was quite literally on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened at each turn, and was so enamored by J.B., Trey, and Ramón's personalities and experiences, and the loyalty they ultimately show to one another and to justice for ALL. Even the side characters like Keyana, Luis, and Magda show the kind of loyalty that you would want in your closest friends, and that can be so rare. I truly loved feeling like a part of this group's story.

My only complaint about Promise Boys is that there was such a long and compelling buildup that the ending felt a bit abrupt. I kept looking at my Kindle's "x minutes left in book" and couldn't figure out how there could possibly be enough time to wrap everything. Nick Brooks does actually close up the story well, I just wish it wasn't so fast.

- I blew through PROMISE BOYS in one sitting. The format of the book - switching between the three boys' perspectives along with commentary from others in the community, news clippings, etc. - made the book move super fast as I was eager to gather the clues with the protagonists.
- You'll find yourself wanting to shout at the book as each boy's story is told, wanting to grab the adults and make them pay attention to what is actually going on in these kids' lives. It's a really heavy book, despite the speed at which it moves.

Did not expect to devour the book like this. 2 hours??? Sheesh.

I thought this was pretty great! I was rooting for these boys from the beginning. Young Black and Latinx boys have a lot working against them, including many adults who are supposed to guide and support them, and I think Brooks gave a great portrayal of what it’s like to be in their shoes. Abuse is not discipline!

I definitely enjoyed the mystery. I loved seeing these kids put their detective caps on, and their resourcefulness and resilience made for a pretty decently thrilling narrative. I also like the way the story was told. At first I didn’t think I’d care to follow so many characters outside of our boys, but I actually ended up enjoying the book even more BECAUSE of the added perspectives and snippets from the others!

While I do think some aspects of the mystery and the reveal fell a little flat towards the end, the journey to get there made up for it.

I’ll be keeping an eye on what Nick Brooks has coming out next.

Thanks Fierce Reads for my copy!!!

The beloved principal of Urban Promise Prep is dead from a single gunshot to the head. Three suspects — his own students — are in custody. While police work to find a motive for who would murder a man working to save so many at risk boys, the three students are seeing the futures they’ve worked for crumbling in front of them.

Promise Boys follows J.B., Ramon, and Trey as they try to prove their innocence. To outsiders, they each appear to have a compelling motive to hurt Principal Moore, who seems to have a penchant for humiliating them under the guise of discipline. J.B. is described as quiet and smart, but with a size that intimidates and strength that hurts. Ramon is an aspiring entrepreneur whose affiliation with a local gang constantly asks him to choose between the life he wants and the reality he’s in. Trey has already been labelled a troublemaker, but the profile he brings to the school’s basketball team is hard to ignore. Almost immediately, the community erupts into a rumor mill, with nearly everyone positing their version of the crime.

I loved the style Brooks uses to tell the story; each student suspect takes the reader on a journey from the present through the days and hours leading up to Principal Kenneth Moore’s death. Along the way, they introduce significant others, family members, neighbors, and more who each share a bit more of the truth to what happened. While I don’t love comparing books in generally, the teen crime-solving approach felt reminiscent of Tiffany Jackson’s Let Me Hear a Rhyme and a classic from my youth, Ghost Writer, both of which I loved. The teen sleuth approach provides a curiosity and open-mindedness that was lacking with the adults tasked with investigation. The result is an explosive finale that shocks the entire community while uncovering more than just a murder.

Promise Boys is part-suspense, part social critique. The plot may be to solve a murder, but what’s really striking about this book is Brooks’ examination of charter school culture and its impact on the students schools purport to prepare for future success. As JB, Trey, and Ramon work to clear their names, the reader gets to look behind the curtain of the school that boasts near total college acceptance rates and city-wide praise. Instead, through the eyes of faculty, staff, and community members, the reader is able to see that Urban Promise is gilded; the image it holds to the public is not how students experience it and while there may be academic successes, the question remains whether the collateral damage is worth it.

Something difficult for me to ignore is this school’s setting in Washington, D.C., a city that boasts countless well-known charter schools whose operations bear striking similarity to the fictional Urban Promise. The idea that strict discipline and rigid structure are the key to ensuring long-term success for “at-risk” kids often belies one truth — they’re kids. In Brooks’ depiction of Urban Promise, there’s little consideration for the humanity of students, evidenced by the militaristic precision with which it operates, from the blue line students must walk in hallways to the silence commanded in the lunch room. While Promise Boys is a fictional story, one walks away with a question of how close to reality is the lived experience of these students and what, if anything, should change.

I loved Promise Boys and devoured it over a few hours. There’s no question that I recommend it. It’s the kind of story that sucks the reader in and leaves you with too many questions to walk away from the book for more than a few moments. And while I always had an inkling of the truth at various points, I was pleased to be wrong on different accounts. I think it’s absolutely something teens would relate to, but I also believe that adults will benefit from the underlying messages here, too.

#netgalleyarc Loved this book. The alternating points of view and timelines were a little tricky to keep track of but eventually it wasn’t too hard. This was well written and very suspenseful. A definite buy for my high school library.