I was quite curious how this was going to go for me based on the comped titles but ended up really enjoyed the mixed media format of this one.

This book is amazing, and I knew there was a reason why I was so hyped about this book coming out. I love the premise of these black and brown boys solving a murder they've been framed for, and all the conversations that come with it, from having to always be perfect, gaining harsher punishments than necessary on a daily basis, and being governed by "well-meaning" overrepresented populations who have their own flaws and problems to work out. Loved it from beginning to end.

So I initially rated this story 4.5 stars, but I'm bumping it down to 4. The loss of the half-star resulted in listening to the end of the story via audio. Maybe because I didn't spend time with the narrators from beginning to end, it kind of messed up my perception of how I processed this story. Now for the original review.

This was my first time reading this type of style narrative, and it was refreshing! Promise Boys by Nick Brooks kept me engaged as I flew threw the pages trying to solve the murder mystery. I thought this story would be another trauma-filled book with a sad ending, but the vibe didn't feel heavy. It didn't feel like another punching bag, and it didn't feel like another story "we have to tell." Throughout the reading, I had high hopes for these characters by the end of the story. Especially after we got each suspect's before, present, and after POV.

I liked the writing structure the most. It gave people's accounts of what they saw, heard, and we can see plain old gossip weeding itself into facts.

Karen McManus, Angie Thomas and Jason Reynolds, all mixed up into one wild mystery. Who killed the principal? Which of the promise boys are guilty of this murder?. The story keeps you on your toes making you wonder who did it. I was able to figure it out halfway through the book but that didn’t stop me from finishing it. It was interesting to see how JB, Ramon and Tre come together, with the help of Kenya, and solve the mystery. Three young men whose lives are on the line, the only thing in common is that they go to the same school and all have beef with the principal. Definitely one for mystery lovers.

Three boys with everything to lose. How will they find the truth?

Memorable, inspirational, and moving.
An intoxicating YA read that will stay with me.

Oh yes, this is definitely going to get a lot of play not only because the cover is awesome, but the pacing of the story is speedy because of the multiple points of view that reminds me of [book:Light It Up|42642157] which I absolutely loved, with a little [book:Gentlemen|6061941] thrown in there for good measure (an oldie!)

Either way it fits the bill for the teen murder mysteries that while blowing up in a very real way, are all variations on a theme. Revenge, murder, misinformation, trust and untrustworthiness, and plenty of shady characters to throw off the scent because we're all a little dishonest. Yet, prejudice is real and when the three boys from the Promise charter school are accused of the murder of their principal, they have to be the ones to set the record straight because no one will do it for them- hell, they all think one, two, or all three of them is guilty.

It's got grit and great characters.

Promise Boys is a YA murder mystery about three teenage boys of colour - J.B., Ramón, and Trey - in a highly strict, prison-like school, must investigate their principal's murder in order to clear their reputations when they are all linked to the scene of the crime. It wasn't them but the person who did it must be among them...right?

I was hooked from the start with following J.B., Ramón, and Trey as they team up and track down the killer before they're wrongfully charged. This story uses media and secondary sources to drive home how much rumours and false narratives sensationalise because everyone already assumes they are the main culprits and denies them the opportunity to share their truths. Swipe left for a quote that shows a micro-aggression from someone who "knows" the boys. It made me so mad because that's it! That's how the hate carries!

It's almost difficult for me to capture how intelligently the author highlighted the persistent discrimination and systematic inequality against boys of colour in the criminal justice and education system. I was so emotionally invested in what happened to J.B, Trey and Ramón who I could see in them countless real youths of colour who were trying their hardest but being constantly failed by a system that would rather perpetuate harm than give them a chance.

The way this story was incredibly heartbreaking, hopeful, and kept me captivated until the last page. I loved all three boys so much, and I could go into detail about them, but I want everyone to read this book. Each character was given the space to stand out, and I enjoyed getting to know them!

Overall, this was a very quick read! The resolution felt quick but the journey was wonderful. I applaud Nick Brooks for weaving such an inspirational and powerful story about young boys overcoming a fundamentally problematic system. An absolute must-read! HBO make it a mini-series now, thanks.

In Promise Boys, the controversial principal of an all boys' charter school turns up dead, leaving the police with three main suspects: Urban Promise Prep students Trey, J.B., and Ramón.

I was excited about this one, as I love a YA thriller in an academic setting. (No, this is NOT really a Dark Academia book, but it is set in a school).

Promise Boys had a lot of strengths: an interesting setting, and a group of characters who came to life on the page as they tried to prove their innocence.

As a reader, I am not the biggest fan of the kind of narrative format in which a lot of main character POVs are mixed with other random characters' POVs in order to tell the story. (Think Jodi Picoult if you read women's fiction.) Promise Boys features POVs of characters like the school nurse, a "random dude," a "neighborhood hustler," parents of the suspects, and J.B's girlfriend (who I was a big fan of).

Eventually the narrative focused more on the three main characters, but in general there was way too much POV jumping around for me and I wanted more traditional narration.

However, I think most readers won't mind this at all.

Promise Boys was a quick and gripping read. with a surprising resolution. If you like mysteries set in high school, or were a fan of One of Us is Lying (who wasn't?) definitely give this one a try!

Promise Boys is fast paced and impossible to put down. Told in mixed media style - in terms of testimonials and character POVs - this mystery is captivating. Revolving around three teens who are accused of murder and who have to team up to clear their names, Brooks knows how to deliver tension. I loved that at the very beginning, at first, we only hear from the perspectives of bystanders. We see their biases, racism, and judgements. And then afterwards, we hear from the teens themselves.

4.5 stars

I read the premise and immediately thought of Karen McManus and Ace of Spades, but I think I liked this one more than either of them, mainly because I related more to the main characters in this book than in One of Us is Lying, and this book was more realistic and believable than Ace of Spades. And honestly, I loved each of the three main suspects for different reasons.

The book spends most of the first half setting the stage for what happened before, during, and after the murder. Nick Brooks does an excellent job of letting us know who these three boys are, and their inherent worth. They have been beaten down by society and let down by even the people who are supposed to care for them. In retrospect, this was brilliant because, by the time they started realizing they had to solve the mystery themselves, you were hooked into their lives and rooting for them and feeling all their pain and frustration. While this first half could have been moved along more quickly, when I found myself choking up with tears by the end, I have a hard time faulting the author for this slower beginning. Most of the chapters were short and from different points of view, including news stories, texts, and glimpses of moments in a huge cast of characters, some of whom showed up just once. And somehow, he made it all work. Usually, in a book like this, I have to use the search function to figure out if I've seen a character before and in what context, but that was completely unnecessary here.

There was only one character whose circumstances were never fully explained since it felt like much of what they decided about this character was supposition. While everything worked the way I thought it should, I never quite figured out what exactly was happening with this person. I'm keeping it vague because I don't want to spoil the mystery.

The mystery itself...well, I don't want to say anything else because I don't want to spoil anything. Honestly, you should just read it yourself. It may not be the most complex mystery, but the whole story was very well written, and I will be looking for other books by this author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Happy Pre-Publication Day (by 1 day)!

Trey, J. B., and Ramon are accused of killing the principal at the Promise School. The Promise School is a private school supposedly dedicated to helping at risk boys to succeed. The methods at Promise are strict and demeaning. While many people beefed with Principal Moore, the police have decided Trey, J.B. or Ramon are guilty because it is easier to create their own narrative about three black boys than to search for the real killer so the boys reluctantly come together and launch their own investigation.

A difficult and important story about the very real bias and injustices in our criminal justice systems. While reading this, Tyre Nichols was killed by police in Memphis, making this story even more gut wrenching for me.

3.5/5 stars.

I really liked Brooks' approach to setting up the murder mystery. It starts with a variety of POVs from side characters telling the reader events they witnessed about the main trio and how they think those were possible motivations to them murdering the principal. It was really creative, and these characters and stories are brought up later when the boys were investigating. I just really liked it.

Also, the exploration of racial prejudice in education was well done. You can really feel the frustration and anger the boys feel from the mistreatment from their school, from society at large, and I was getting angry right alongside with them from the amount of crap swung their way. I normally don't make note of quotes that are implemented before the story that connect to the story, but the quote from John Taylor Gatto really hit a chord in me. Especially with the things going on in public schools nowadays, like the ones in Florida issuing book bans. Schools have always been institutions abused by those in power in order to manipulate and groom the youth, but schools in the America, the supposed land of the free, banning books like it's Nazi Germany? This was in the back of my mind as I was reading, a task accomplished in about three hours because I just couldn't put it down.

Despite my praises, I did find myself skimming through the investigation half of the book because it was taking too long. Once the climax did hit, it felt kind of cheap because everything wrapped up so magically and it was happily ever after. I wish some of the time put into the investigation was moved towards the falling action so the ending would have felt a little more learned, but I'm still glad the boys got a happy ending.

Either way, this was a great read, but the mystery and ending could have been a bit tighter.

Ramon, Trey, and J.B. are accused of murdering their school principal at Urban Promise Prep. The principal was strict and seemingly unfair to the boys, but they swear they didn’t kill him. When no one believes them though, they decide to band together to prove their own innocence. The mixed media (the news reports, police interrogations, interviews, and Ramon, Trey, and J.B.’s first person perspectives) truly makes this story special. The writing and the characterization are top notch. I highly recommend.

In Promise Boys, three young men of color, each suspected of murdering their private high school's autocratic headmaster, band together to track down the killer. While characters and plot could be more nuanced and less predictable, this novel will grab its intended audience and may appeal to teen guys who don't ordinarily read for pleasure. It's on our high school library 's order list!


3.5 stars

I loved the premise, but felt it could have been better overall. The characters were good but at times I had to double check whose POV I was reading. The resolution was okay, but not terribly believable (in terms of the person who was guilty being able to leave the scene so readily).

I think it would have been interesting to add more information about Ms. Hall.

I do think teens will enjoy this YA story.

Multiple first-person POVs regarding a shooting at a charter school in DC - yes, we've read this before, but there's something about the characters Brooks creates that stuck with me. I can see this a great read-aloud in class or as a speech. It's only at the end we learn who actually pulled the trigger and while I suspected the who, the why wasn't quite clear <i>and</i> the reveal is very well done.

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

I wondered if I was going to enjoy this who done it. my fears were naught, it was a well written journey of false acusement and discovery. Characters are showing great strength. . The journey of each teen, in their conflict to find their innocence, when they withheld valuable evidence is in itself a great lesson. A corrupt situation caused the drama for students of Promise Academy. Run worse than a military academy, where even talking was not permitted among the students. I enjoyed reading and will highly recommend this book.

”My head is a mess though. Thoughts on a loop about what I could've done differently. I tried so hard to change him, to turn him around, and he still found himself caught up in this messed-up system.”

Promise Boys is the story of JB, Ramón, and Trey, all suspects in the murder of their principal at Urban Promise Prep School. Comparing this to <i>One of Us is Lying</i> is doing this book a disservice. It has a much more compelling mystery seamlessly weaved into three teens’ stories about battling the ills of the world.

The format of this book was my favorite part. It’s set up with shifts in perspective that are all equally compelling, making readers eager to root for the three protagonists. Promise Boys, to me, read as a character study with a murder mystery on the side, which isn’t a complaint. My biggest “issue” with the book was the writing, but that’s simply because I’m normally not a fan of contemporary writing and am normally there for the plot and character development.

That being said, I would still recommend this book to anyone, regardless of if you’re a fan of contemporary or not, because the murder mystery element added more layers to the story.

Scheduled to post 1/31/23.

PROMISE BOYS had me guessing who did it the entire time. Pretty much until the killer was revealed, I was guessing. I literally had no idea who it was other than I figured it wasn't one of the three boys. Other than that, Brooks did an excellent job of setting up a school of red herrings for people to follow trying to figure out who killed Principal Moore.

It's interesting because reading this, I couldn't help but think of Ron Brown College Prep the entire time. No relation to Promise, that I'm aware of, other than it's a school for predominantly Black boys to help them get the leg up in the world they need. Where Promise, at its end, did it through militaristic discipline, Ron Brown does it through love and giving these boys the attention and care they need that they wouldn't otherwise get in a public school setting. At least according to NPR's CodeSwitch. But having this understanding that there are schools like this, with this exact mission, helped root the story in reality even more for me.

I could feel the frustration of each of these characters. Ramón couldn't dodge gang life association despite the fact that he wasn't in one. But having a cousin who is was enough. And Trey and JB are basically angry Black boys who had a grudge against the principal (along with a number of people). Circumstances set them up nicely to be suspects in Moore's murder.

I liked the asides interspersed in the story from teachers, other students, neighborhood people about what could have gone down, what Moore was like, and what the boys were like to help paint a picture that I'll fall short of calling well-rounded. Hearsay doesn't really paint a well-rounded picture. But it added more context to the situation.

My favorite was JB and Keyana. I don't normally get googly-eyed over YA relationships, but ugh. These two just had my heart. I loved when Keyana was like I need to know you have my back too if the tables were reversed (understanding how often black women get forgotten in situations like these), and JB replies:

…I would hoist the whole planet up on my back and carry it around the sun, if you so much as whispered for me to do it.

Misty-eyed punch to my gut. But I got misty-eyed for Trey and his uncle, especially when his uncle realized the error of his own way. I won't spoil it, but that realization in that relationship had my eyes watery. And I can't forget Ramón and his abuela and her pupusas. The absolute love and community around these little stuffed tortilla pancakes and how they drove community and Ramón's desire to do right by his abuela by opening his own restaurant just had me floating.

I feel like the love and drive in PROMISE BOYS overshadows the horrible situation these boys are in. It's a circumstance we don't often get to see because we only see the police side of things. We don't see the human side of it. We don't see how accusations like this can be ruinous and the effect they have on boys like this and the lives they've built. PROMISE BOYS is riveting and will keep you turning the pages until you hit the back wall of the book. By then you'll be completely satisfied.

4.5

I received this review because I wrote the teaching guide for this book for Cake Kitchen. I cannot wait for this book to be in the hands of students!