I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

This is a fast-paced and great read. I enjoyed the author's previous work, and I also really enjoyed this one. I love the way Brooks explores the topics in this book in an interesting and nuanced way. I also love the exploration and development of the characters' relationships. I loved how Cooper and Monique's relationship changed, but I also love their dynamics with other characters. Overall, this was a fantastic book, and I can't wait to see what else the author writes in the future.

⭐⭐⭐

✨His attention to her. In that moment, I was prepared to lose my life. ✨

📖
After a woman is murdered during a protest in Washington, two teenagers' team up to find the real shooter before someone they care about takes the fall.

My Thoughts:
I liked it! I enjoyed the thriller of piecing the puzzle together. Monique and Cooper were a great team. I thought they had a great dynamic, and their romance was cute. I felt it to be predictable for sure, but the pace of the book was great—it was a fast-paced thriller read.

-Dual POV
- YA
-Mystery/Thriller
- Mild language
- Death of parent
- Ch 22 (at the end implied sexual innuendo)
- Child death

As always thank you to Net galley and and Nick Brooks for the ARC review stay Blessed everyone 😊

This book gripped me from the first chapter and didn’t let go. The tension, the stakes, the heart—it’s all there. I flew through it because I had to know what would happen next, but I also found myself lingering in the emotional moments between Monique and Cooper. Their chemistry is so real, and I loved how the story gave space to both the thrill of the mystery and the weight of what they were up against.

There’s a lot packed into this one—social justice, loyalty, family, guilt—and it never feels heavy-handed. Just raw, real, and so well done. Cooper’s internal struggle was especially compelling, and I found myself rooting for him even when I was frustrated by his choices. And Monique? She’s a powerhouse. Determined, fearless, and totally unforgettable.

If you're into thrillers with big emotion and sharp social commentary—this one hits all the marks. It’s intense, fast-paced, and full of heart. Nick Brooks is officially on my auto-read list now.

A story set in Washington DC about a Black Teen, Cooper, that gets in over his head helping out friends in a heist. His friend, Jason ends up getting arrested and charged with murder. Cooper does not believe Jason is guilty, so Cooper with the help of Jason's sister attempts to solve the case. This turns into a love story intertwined in a who dunnit mystery. It hits at some hard gut wrenching points on the struggles black teens face every day. This is a page turner that kept me up late into the night reading.

As a big fan of THUG, I was really excited to be approved for this one. While I don't know that it was completely up to par emotionally, the book was well done. I think this would be popular with the teen/YA crowd. I loved the dual POV.

It was a good book. It had a lot of potential but lacked situational realism. The police would not let go of a colored child after they confess and a 17 year old cannot overpower an adult. But the cultural realism was epic and I could feel that I live that life because of that book. It was beautiful and heart breaking. The lives of the colored people need improvement. Period.

Nick has done it again with this one! I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Nick Brooks does it again with another fast paced, timely mystery. I liked the dual point of views. Brooks tackles some heavy subjects in this book. For the majority of the book the pacing fit the story until the end. I think the end was rushed and could have been flushed out a little more. I will be purchasing this for our library. Our students will love it.

Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks is starts off strong and finished even stronger. The story itself is engaging focusing on important issues in society dealing with racial injustice. There are so many great discussion topics you could use to discuss if you read this with high school students. There is some violence and a little romance, but nothing super inappropriate for teenagers. Overall, this is a great book to read for someone wanting to discuss racial injustice with young adults.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of the book. These opinions are my own and I really loved the book because of the many themes in it.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks in exchange for an honest review. This was a good murder mystery set during human rights protests. I enjoyed the love story that bloomed during the investigation and the corruption that can happen in any job.

3 stars
Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. It felt very predictable and hyper focused on certain things that were not important parts of the story. I found myself putting the book down and not being super interested in picking it back up. The dual POVs were bland to me and didn't add anything.

Thanks to NetGalley and crew for the ARC!

The highly anticipated second YA novel from Nick Books did not disappoint. I loved Nick's first YA novel, PROMISE BOYS, so I'm absolutely honored to read an early copy.

It happened again. Another young unarmed black man was murdered by a police officer in Washington DC. And now, the politicians of DC have suspended summer youth programs. What are the kids supposed to do now?! The black community stands together at a peaceful protest downtown. Cooper King had a job lined up for the summer till the program suspension. His mother recently passed away and his dad has been picking up extra shifts at his job to afford things. Cooper needs money not for himself, but so his dad doesn't have to work so hard. His big brother figure, Jason Simms, has the answer. During the protest, they're gonna loot a high trending clothing store and resell the items to make up their cash flow. But nothing ever goes right in a large crowd. Gunshots are fired and all hell breaks loose. Cooper made it out, but he learns the next day that Jay was arrested and charged with the murder of a female. Oh, and that female just turns out to be a police officer. This leads to him reaching out to Monique, Mo. They were childhood best friends till Coop became distant in the aftermath of his mom's death. Mo is beyond shock, angry, and scared that her big brother was arrested for something she deeply believes is untrue. In light of this unfortunate situation, Coop and Mo rekindle their friendship to investigate the truth of the event to free Jay. As the summer heats up, so does their romantic feelings for each other begin to finally unravel. The only thing is, Coop is holding back a big secret from Mo about the day of the protest. Cooper King needs to find out the truth, not only to free his big brother, but to free himself, and hopefully he can still win his girl.

Nick has a way of blending a murder mystery thriller while simultaneously tackling important topics of today's crazy world. Being a kid is hard, but being a colored, poor kid is even harder in this world. It seems like everyone is out to get you, even the people who are supposed to help. PROMISE BOYS and UP IN SMOKE are books our youth needs to have as a different way to learn, as well as to know they are not alone in how they feel. I hope one day we no longer have to worry about issues like this, but till then, voices like Nick's need be to spread. We need to do better for future generations.

I am not going to rate this book or review it. It was sent to me by mistake when I was trying to get another title. However, I was going to try and read it and review it, but after reading about 25% of it, I realized that it's really for older teenagers and maybe young adults. I wasn't interested in finishing it, and it's not fair to write it based on that.

Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks is about social injustice. A black teen was killed by cop and a protest is planned. During the protest, teenager Cooper King joins his friend Kevin and two others to loot a high end store. He’s agreed to be only the lookout. However, things go horribly wrong. When shots are heard, they all run in different directions. Now, a young woman is dead and Kevin has been arrested. Is Kevin innocent? Were one of the others responsible? Cooper and his best friend Mo (Kevin’s sister) are determined to find the truth. Up in Smoke is a good YA suspense novel. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

Ａｕｄｉｏｂｏｏｋ & Ｅｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Devoured this book! The topic is what young Black men, and honestly, people in general, are dealing with. This is my first book by this author, and it will not be my last. I'm keeping this review short and sweet. Highly recommend. Because, honestly, I could go on and on about how amazing this book is.

The audiobook is good; its dual narration and, honestly, the sound effects the male narrator added depth to the story and had me vibing with it more. I listened at 2x speed.

Pick this up if you love:
● high stakes, dual POV thrillers
● page-turning mysteries
● will-they-won't-they romance
● twists and turns you never see coming

Thank you, NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the audiobook and ebook in exchange for my honest review.

🎧📖This was my first book by Nick Brooks.

Cooper and Jason go on a looting spree. Gunshots are heard and someone is murdered. Jason is arrested for the murder. Monique, Jason’s sister, is determined to prove her brother’s innocence. Cooper joins her and they uncover things they never bargained for.

I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and suspense. A gripping YA thriller with dual POV.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian for the advanced audiobook and ebook.

Cooper and Jason are looting during a protest when shots are fired, and a person is found dead. Cooper fled the scene to later learn that Jason was arrested for the murder. Coop knows Jason is innocent, but he can’t come forward without discussing what they were doing. Jason’s sister, Monique, is willing to do anything to prove her brother’s innocence. Cooper and Monique team up to investigate what happened, but when they start uncovering deeper secrets, they learn that this is way over their heads.

Up in Smoke is a stand-alone mystery that covers many timely topics while also entertaining the reader. Brooks weaves together police corruption and inner-city youth trouble and includes a mysterious spin. Although the overall storyline is plausible, I don’t consider what the teens got away with believable, but most of us don’t read to experience the believable. Up in Smoke is a good read for most mystery fans.

3.5 rounded up to 4

Thank you to Net-Galley + Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the ARC!

A solid and easy to read YA novel about growing up Black in a post-2020 world. Very much a contemporary of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

I would recommend this book to new or young readers in my life as I feel it encompasses a lot of the nuances of being young and feeling alone in a world that can only be described as a dumpster fire. Where it could fall into a depressing spiral, it uplifts the reader, reminding them that there is always a better choice to be made and always someone to talk to.

4.5 stars rounded up

I feel like this could turn into a YA mystery series! Set in Washington D.C., Up in Smoke follows a Black teen boy who has gotten in over his head when agreeing to help friends loot during a protest for money results in his friend Jason is arrested for murder. Cooper doesn't think Jason would have killed anyone, and Jason's sister (Coopers crush) agrees. Together they embark on a dangerous quest to clear Jason's name and uncover what really happened. But Cooper has secrets that could damage this burgeoning relationship...

The start of this is a bit heavy and feels realistic - it's tackling very real and complicated issues involving systemic injustice and how people respond to that. But it's also a great YA mystery with characters finding clues and uncovering the truth, even if they have to put themselves in danger to do it. (As a parent this sometimes stressed me out, but that's kind of the deal with this genre!) Nick Brooks is doing great work and I would love to see his mysteries take off. The audio narration for both character POV's is excellent. I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

3.5 stars.

What a thrilling ride!

I love how Nick Brooks keeps it real in his books and doesn't shy away from the issues that Black working class teens face in their lives, particularly with systemic oppression and police brutality. While I didn't like this one as much as Promise Boys, I still had a great time.

While the whodunnit mystery provided a riveting element to the story (and definitely kept me on my toes), I actually liked the parts of the book that explored Cooper and Monique's relationship. The huge secret that Cooper kept from Monique made me nervous for them. It was like knowing that your friend or younger sibling was doing something wrong to mess up a good thing they had with their crush. Come on, Coop!

I wish this had been a 4 star read for me. Without giving away the end, let's just say that the vibes were very Scooby Doo and the gang and that kinda ruined it for me. But don't let that deter you from picking up this book.

Anyway, I'll be sure to follow Nick Brooks' writing career. He's definitely a rising star in the YA world.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) and NetGalley for this arc.