This book tackles incredibly important and timely social issues with care and authenticity. The representation throughout is meaningful, and the story brings up thought-provoking questions about justice, loyalty, and the weight of personal decisions in the face of systemic injustice.

While I appreciated the themes and found the premise compelling, I personally struggled with the pacing. Some parts felt rushed, especially during major plot points, while others dragged and made it hard for me to stay fully engaged. Ultimately, I didn’t finish the book—not because it wasn’t good, but because it didn’t quite hold my attention all the way through. That said, I still think it’s a worthwhile read, especially for those interested in contemporary stories that blend mystery with real-world relevance.

Nick Brooks is a gifted writer who brings a story to life. Up in Smoke gives readers different perspectives of characters and their actions to make us think about the choices we make. This book left me understanding life from a different perspective than my own.

It is a page-turning mystery that will keep you reading until the end!

Thank you to the publisher for a digital ARC.

"unmask a murderer or take the fall."

One girl trying to clear her brother's name after he was taken into custody once a protest went deadly-and one boy who is hiding a deep secret, not daring to risk getting dragged down for the crime as well.

I really loved this book! I'll definitely be purchasing a copy in the near future. I think a lot of people would enjoy it (but I really think it should be a required reading). I also listened to the audiobook format and I adored that version too!

I absolutely love Nick Brooks writing. It’s so immersive and I feel his books always have a really good message. This is a fast and easy read that will have you wanting more! I think this is well made for the targeted audience and it is so important to see more diverse characters like the ones represented in this book. Representation matters and this book is proof of that. Well done!

What a thrilling YA mystery! This one had my heartbeat racing toward the end trying to figure out who the real shooter was. I was hooked from the start. This book also tackles racial injustice and police violence in a realistic way—it didn’t feel forced. I really enjoyed reading this one.

Thank you MacMillian Children’s Publishing Group and Henry Holt and Co. for the arc.

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Tropes/Themes: Social Justice (injustice), amateur detective/sleuth, friends to lovers

This book was such a fast, intense read. I loved Promise Boys so much and this book was a similar vibe- which I LOVED. Cooper and Monique are the MCs in this story, and they are doing their best to clear Jason's name after he is accused of doing something on the day of a protest that gets out of hand.

Monique and Cooper have been friends since they were little, but they had a gap after Coopers mom passed away. Regardless, they still care deeply about each other. When Monique and Cooper start to investigate all the clues that they are finding, everything gets more complicated because Cooper isn't being honest.

There were a few red herrings and the author did a good job of making me think they were reliable clues, but alas they were not. THe end of the book was surprising, but going back I saw how all of the dots were connected. I also love that there is an album to go along with the book. I haven't listened to all of it but I love the vibes of connecting the two forms of media.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and was excited to read another book by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Brookes thriller is around the Black Lives Matter movement and protests. Between social media and conspiracy theories it showed how easy it was for a young man to get caught up in a bad situation. The two POVs kept it interesting however some of the good parts that had the drama that sucks you in felt rushed and then some of the other parts like police investigating seerned to drag on too long. Overall it was a nice read.

This book missed the mark for me. It was a bit too predictable, and there wasn't overfocus on some plot points that really warns all that important to the story overall. I didn't really connect with the characters, though I did appreciate the dual points of view. Overall, I never clicked with the writing style.

The themes surrounding social justice in this book drew me in from page one. I really enjoyed the character dynamics, but the suspense could have been built a bit more. Overall, it was a great short read that would be perfect for reluctant readers with it's short chapters and timely topics. It was easy to finish within a couple days.

Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks is an intriguing crime thriller.
A great thriller that keeps you reading late into the night.
An extremely well written story with an intricate plot and skillfully drawn characters. it's a real page turner.

This was a quick and intriguing crime thriller with a great subplot around racism and police brutality.
The plot is very real which makes it easy to follow and believe but it is a little hard to believe that teenagers are trying to solve this case. But I appreciate that each path they follow makes sense.
I think the connection between Mo and Coop is really sweet and I definitely was rooting for them to get together. I also could feel his anxiety about being involved in the looting and not wanting to tell Mo about it.
I think I would market this more as a crime thriller or a crime mystery, it doesn’t read as a traditional thriller.
Overall, it’s fun, quick, and has a good lesson, I’d give it a 3.5-4 stars

Nick Brooks does an incredible job creating characters that feel real—there’s definitely someone in this book you’ll see yourself in or recognize from your own life. It’s a fast-paced, emotional story that hits hard in places but stays relatable and engaging from start to finish.

This book doesn’t hold back. It dives headfirst into the realities of being young, Black, and caught in a system that’s rigged from the start. It’s about truth, loyalty, and the impossible choices we sometimes have to make between protecting ourselves and doing what’s right. The themes are bold, the emotions are raw, and the message? Unforgettable.

4.25 out of 5 stars.

I really enjoyed Promise Boys and was excited to read this story but sadly it didn't engage me the same way. The story had short chapters, good pacing, but I was just bored with the story.

I loved this book. It gave the feel of what people will do for someone they love. Going to the end of the earth to protect someone they love. I wasn’t anticipating the plot twist, The team work that went into saving someone’s life, was evident in this book. 10/10 for me.

After being told not to go to a Black Lives Matter protest Coop decides he wants to go and with his best fried Jason. Things happen while there and a police officer is shot and killed because Jason was there he was charged for the murder. Monique is a girl that Coop likes as well as Jason’s sister.

In Up in smoke we see Coop and Monique build their relationship all while trying to clear Jason of the Charges.

I really enjoyed this book but it didn’t quite hit Promise Boys level. I felt like the romance came when they should have been solving the murder.

Overall a good book!

Thank you to #NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for allowing me to read *Up in Smoke* by Nick Brooks in exchange for my honest review.

Cooper King finds himself in a tough situation: he has lost his summer job opportunity, and he knows his dad needs money. When his friend Jason approaches him about being the lookout for a series of store robberies during protests in D.C., Cooper feels he has no choice but to say yes. Everything goes according to plan until gunshots are fired, and Cooper suddenly finds himself among the protesters with stolen goods. Thinking quickly, he makes it back home, but there's an unsettling silence from the other friends he was with. He can't shake the worry for Jason's little sister, Monique, whom he saw during the chaos.

The next day, everything spirals further out of control when Jason is arrested for killing someone at the protest. Meanwhile, Cooper grapples with developing feelings for Monique; he has loved her since they were kids. On top of this, he must find a way to stay out of prison himself. Determined to help Monique clear Jason's name, Cooper decides to join her in searching for evidence.

Nick Brooks has done it again, delivering another page-turning mystery filled with twists and turns that will engage even the most reluctant readers.

n Up in Smoke the MC is Cooper (aka Coop) King. It begins with a protest and Coop and his friends decide they're going to loot some stores. But as they are in the process of doing so, gunshots ring out and someone has been killed. Unfortunately, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and one of the buys, Jason, was arrested for murder.

Coop and Jason's sister team up to find the real killer because nobody who knows Jason believes he could murder anybody. But still the doubts began to creep in here and there due to evidence. What happens in the end is for others to read and find out...no spoiler here.

The book's intended audience is YA and I think it works well for that age group. I think there are some messages in it that might help some young adults to think about something twice if only while reading the book. All choices have consequences and bad choices will come with bad consequences.

I had the ebook as well as the audiobook. For me, the audio didn't really add to how much I liked the book. The reading was easy, fast-paced and not difficult to understand; however, having taught English in high school mostly to freshmen, I think the audio would be perfect for reluctant readers.

UP IN SMOKE by Nick Brooks

Pub date: May 6th, 2025
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Rating: 4 / 5


"There was only one way to free him. One way to free myself. I needed to find the shooter."

Cooper King should've just stayed home. Instead, he followed his closest friend and mentor Jason to looting the streets of DC amidst a peaceful protest. When gunshots ring out in the crowd, everything descends into chaos. And worst of all? Just 24 hours later, Jason is arrested for murdering a woman at the rally. Now, alongside Jason's sister—and Cooper's childhood crush— Monique, Cooper is set on revealing the true murderer and setting Jason free. But Cooper can't forget: he's a suspect too.

UP IN SMOKE is a thrilling novel that hits the ground running with action, intrigue, and introspection. The dual-POV and short chapters keep the plot moving, and the easy-to-read narration helps engage non-reader audiences. One of the strongest themes in this book is social justice. Cooper and Monique wrestle with the prejudices and violence in their community, being Black teens in turbulent social climates. They explore and question their own opinions on bringing about revolution, and the two see firsthand where corruption can develop both in justice systems and on the streets. While some readers may feel frustrated with the lack of communication between Cooper and Monique, Cooper's secrecy adds to his inner turmoil and heightens the stakes for his character and the greater conflict. Readers looking for a quick-read thriller with insights on injustice need to pick up Nick Brooks's sophomore YA novel ASAP!


(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!)

This definitely has the potential to turn into a series! Every once in a while I like to switch up from my normal fantasy/romantasy reads with a thriller/ya that doesn’t require as much world building and effort on my part and this was perfect!!

Set in DC while protests are taking place over police brutality and murder of innocent young black boys, a neighborhood is turned upside down when a protest turns to looting turns to tragedy. This was an easy read, kept me intrigued and I loved the twists. I would definitely recommend and will be hoping for a book two!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC!

What a thrilling ride! This fast-paced YA novel, set in DC, follows Cooper as he gets peer-pressured to loot during a protest and the aftermath of that choice. When a woman is shot and killed during the protest, and Jay, one of Cooper's crew, and his best friend (and potential love interest!) Mo's older brother, is framed and arrested for the murder, Cooper has little time to figure out who the killer is before the heat comes back on him. He and Mo work together to solve the crime, but the secret he is keeping from her about his looting involvement threatens to tear them apart.

I love how Nic Brooks doesn't shy away from the hard issues facing inner city teens, namely police brutality, racism, and corruption, and while I figured out the killer earlier, I still loved the journey. The rising tension between Cooper & Mo and his secret threatening to surface made for excellent, fraught pacing and the development of Cooper owning his mistake and working toward atonement is skillfully crafted. I also love that it's right around 250 pages with short chapters, making this an excellent choice for lower level students looking for an enticing read.

Thank you to Henry Holt Publishing and Netgalley for the e-ARC. This one is out May 6, 2025!