Overall, Up In Smoke didn’t quite hit the same level as Promise Boys, but it still offers a fast-paced, socially conscious mystery that touches on real issues like police violence, systemic neglect, and community action. It’s definitely worth a read if you’re into stories where the stakes feel personal—and political.

A combination of the Hate You Give and The Firekeeper's Daughter - Up in Smoke was more than a YA mystery. This high-stakes, fast-paced novel blends social commentary with the thrills of who dunit murder mystery. IT spotlights how youth in lower income communities can be targeted and taken advantage of, I would not classify this as a young adult, but a book where the main characters were young adults; even adult readers should enjoy this thought provoking novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book!

Up in Smoke is the story of a young Blank man, Jason, who was arrested for murdering a woman during a protest. His sister Mo and friend Cooper are determined to prove his innocence. Readers are taken along as they unravel what really happened, which was a quick, if ultimately somewhat flat journey. I love that this book is so short for teen readers who need that. And for those readers, this book is perfect. For me personally, I would have loved to have seen a little more suspense and a little more depth to the mystery. I did find Cooper and Mo to be likable and interesting characters and I think readers will enjoy the small romantic subplot. I will be adding a copy of this to my classroom library as I do think it is perfect for many teen readers!

When Jason gets framed for a crime he didn't commit, his sister Monique and friend Cooper are in a rush against time to figure out who committed the crime. This book takes a serious look at racial issues and police corruption.

This book FLEW by. I read this on one afternoon, I had to know what happened. Cooper and Mo are a great team, and I love the whole trying to figure out the crime ala One of Us is Lying. It is definitely upper YA, but I think could be a great point of learning about some ongoing racial issues in the USA.


Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this book! All reviews are left honestly and voluntarily.

Cooper King was never the type to get into trouble, but Jason was just so convincing. Another city jobs program was cut, another young black man was gunned down by police, another peaceful protest devolved into chaos around the edges, and Jason was ready to turn his newfound confidence into action. Cooper was pulled into Jason’s looting, his plan to take back what they’re owed by their corrupt local government. But soon after the group was separated in the surging crowd, a gunshot went off and Jason was arrested for murder. Now, the police are searching for his three accomplices, including Cooper.

Cooper knows that Jason didn’t murder anyone, so he teams up with the only other person who seems to know it: Jason’s younger sister, Monique. He can’t tell Monique that he was part of Jason’s crew, but he can still work with her to solve the case… as long as he’s not discovered and implicated first.

I'm a fan of Nick Brooks’ debut, Promise Boys, so I was really thrilled to get my hands on Up In Smoke. I love the premise of a good kid getting pressured into a bad situation, only to have it explode into something much worse. Plus, who doesn't love a mystery? The novel needed a few more credible suspects, though, as it didn't feel like there were enough possibilities to really stew over prior to the reveal. Everyone who could be a suspect was counted out very quickly and it didn't lean into suspense well.

While Cooper is our main narrator, we also get lots of Monique's POV. Monica leads the peaceful protest. She writes poetry. She firmly believes in her brother's innocence. But we don't see a ton of personality from her outside of her righteousness and her (very mutual) crush on Cooper. The few scenes where that romantic tension is explored felt sweet, but they didn't have many moments of true connection. The description calls it a “will-they, won't-they romance,” but it was pretty quiet and clear cut.

At just over 250 pages, Up In Smoke was a really breezy read. The other side of that coin is that I would've liked to see things fleshed out a little more: Cooper and Monique's relationship with each other and with their community, the organizations at the center of the mystery, and the secondary characters. None of them were bad, but I don't think they reached their full potential. The ending also felt rushed and I didn't love how it played out.

While it doesn't quite live up to his first novel, Nick Brooks invites readers into a tense, multi-faceted mystery that examines racial tension, corruption, and community ties.

Cooper King is a Black teenager persuaded to engage in looting during a protest by an older friend named Jason. Jason is also the older brother of Cooper's crush, Monique. During the protest, a police officer is shot and killed. Later, Cooper realizes that Jason has been arrested for the murder, but Cooper is sure that Jason is innocent of the crime. Cooper is determined to help Monique clear her brother's name, but can he do it without revealing that he was at the protest?

Overall, I liked the realism of the situations in the story, but it felt a little rushed to me., especially at the end.

Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), and NetGalley for a review copy of this title.

This book definitely had me gripped, as the book developed I felt more drawn into it as the mystery unfolded.

Three stars, but I have a few thoughts.
The story, narrative, and overall plot were genuinely compelling. However, it lost me along the way. Everything felt crammed into such a short book and rushed timeline that I struggled to connect with the characters. As a result, I found myself losing interest in the resolution. While I appreciated the realistic situations and themes, the ending ultimately fell flat for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this one.

I didnt particularly love this one. It told a solid story about a corrupt system. I was torn about the romance. They would be knee deep into finding the killer & then emotions would be heightened lol. All and all. It was a decent YA read

This book unfortunately just did not mesh with me. I found the writing to be lacking and it was almost too YA for me in style. I struggled to connect to the characters and be invested and I wanted more for the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group for this ARC!

I loved the premise and storyline in this book. It takes place in D.C. and deals with real world problems. The author did a great job on this book and I really enjoyed it. The whole quest to find the answers and uncover the truth was suspenseful and i like the authors pace of the story. I will be looking into more books from this author as this was my first.

I loved the writing style and the concept of the book. I felt that the dual POV got to be a bit much and a little hard to navigate. There were parts of the story that I felt were focused on more than others and it didn’t add much to the effect. I would still recommend since the book!

First book i have read by this author. It was a fast passed young adult thriller. I liked the dual point of view as it allowed you to see mystery unfold and different view points. This also allowed for deeper character development. Would be interested in reading other books from this author, would recommend

Up in smoke was a quick thriller that I couldn't put down. It was such a page turner. I have never read anything from this author before but absolutely would love too.

When I requested this, I was thinking it was something similar to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. In a way, it is, but it is decidedly different as well. The Hate U Give was also mentioned, and I think it more follows that line than AGGGTM.

This book is set in pretty current day DC in what is obviously not a well off black neighborhood, and our main characters are a few young black men and women trying to make their way in life. There’s riots and protests and violence in the streets, and they end up tangled up in a murder investigation. This is a very racially charged book highlighting how difficult it is for a young black adult to make any headway in life, especially when the government defunds critical outreach programs. I don’t pretend to understand how it really is, but I do enjoy reading different perspectives, and this is certainly something I won’t ever have to experience as a white female. It’s a fairly linear plot line without a lot of bells and whistles, but I think that’s mostly because the author is more highlighting the struggles of the kids.

The female main character is a little one dimensional for me personally, but the MMC has a lot more POV chapters, so it makes sense that he has more range. There’s a blooming romance between them as well, but it certainly isn’t the main point of the book.

The writing is very easy to follow, although I did come across a typo or too (remember, this is an ARC, so that will likely be fixed upon publication), and the language lines up pretty well for our characters. I really enjoyed Mo’s poems as well.

I enjoyed this well enough, but it did take me a few chapters to really invest in it. The last half of the book reads very quickly though, mostly because there is just so much action involved. It isn’t something I’d normally pick up, but I have no regrets about reading it. 3.75⭐️

Cooper King finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation when his best friend Jason, who is like an older brother, is arrested for the murder. Jason's sister, Monique, is determined to figure out who really pulled the trigger, and asks Cooper for his help. Cooper battles his loyalty to Jason and lying to Monique, his longtime crush, as they investigate what really happened the night of the murder. One of the blurbs said Up in Smoke is perfect for Karen McManus fans, and I agree with this statement. Readers will enjoy the thrill of this young adult mystery.

Cooper, really a pretty good guy, keeping his head down, but this changes one night. A woman is shot during a looting spree and his best friend Jason is the prime suspect. Cooper teams up with Monique, Jason’s sister, to uncover the truth but the case becomes more and more complex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for the gifted ARC. While the storytelling style of this book was very accessible and bingeable, I (unfortunately) do not feel I will be able to recommend this book to my audiences. For one, why is there a clear moral agenda being imposed on the reader? There were several points where the protagonists reference the “right” way to protest, resist, and engage in the fight against systemic racism. Who is determining what is considered right or wrong? Additionally, I found it curious to quote Fred Hampton in the dedication of this book while actively writing a narrative that is both counterrevolutionary and quite literally the opposite of Fred Hampton’s ideology toward US criminal Justice systems. I was deeply disappointed by this book.

This quick read gets you hooked right away. There’s a rally/protest for an unjust racial shooting. Mid rally, shots are fired and someone else dies. One of the main characters and his buddies are in the wrong place at the wrong time, and are caught up in the chaos. What follows is a predictable plotline of racial profiling by the police and how can innocence be proven in such circumstances. Told in two viewpoints, one male and one female, the teens try to override the police in order to get to the bottom of who the real shooter was. Even though this isn’t a new plotline, it is still recommended for reluctant high school readers. 3.5 stars rounded up for the reluctant readers

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this advance copy of Up In Smoke. At first glance I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to proceed given the subject matter, but the more I read I quickly saw Nick’s approach and continued. This book is very chilling and thought provoking! You’ll be asking yourself questions such as what would you do to challenge injustice? Would you join in on the side of chaos or do as you were told and stay home? How far would go to help a friend? I honestly enjoyed this book so much and I couldn’t put it down! It has a Scooby Doo feel to it and you will be hooked from the very first chapter! The action, drama, tense decision making, with a sprinkle of romance will have you on the edge. Each chapter is more explosive than the next as the two main characters uncover the truth and the deeper they look, their friendship will be tested! I was in disbelief at the ending! Wow! I look forward to reading more books by Nick Brooks in the future!