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.

I was really excited for this YA thriller, the premise was truly intriguing, but unfortunately it didn't grab me. I was really trying to get into the story and the characters, but something was missing for me. I had to stop reading it and DNF.

I went into this book blind and enjoyed the themes it tackled and societal commentary it made. The story had good pacing with high stakes which kept you interested throughout.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy of this book.

Cooper King finds himself in over his head when he joins his friend/brother-figure on a looting spree during a march. Suddenly he is standing there, stolen goods in his bag, gunshots ringing in the air and someone ending up dead.

This is a fast-paced YA-thriller that keeps you guessing. I listened to the audiobook and I enjoyed it. Some parts of the dialogue felt a bit unnatural but I don´t know if it was or if it is because english isn´t my first language. When it comes to the murder mystery I really didn´t know what the outcome would be which I liked.

The book fell a bit flat for me but I don´t think I´m the intended reader so I don´t want that to stop anyone from giving this a try!

I rated this book 2.5 stars.

This was an incredibly inspiring story of a young man’s journey in the city and his efforts to make a positive difference in his community.

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.

As a 47 year old adult, I still love YA and even Middle Grade books. I eat them up! However sometimes there is a book that doesn’t completely click for me so then I put on my hat of how the intended audience will respond to it. That’s exactly what I am going to do in this review.

I found the writing was solid! It was fast paced, energetic and filled with age appropriate language and culture. I think teens will really enjoy this dual POV mystery. I particularly enjoyed that it was a male/female duel POV which helps give it wider appeal.

Many YA books appeal easily to a more mature audience but I think this one has its limitations, particularly due to the language choices. I consumed the audio ALC for this which I think I helped with some of the prose such as when sound effects happened, but over all I did struggle with it and expect I wouldn’t have preferred the eARC.

The two narrators, Aubrey Joseph; Megan Sousa did an ok job with the recitation. However, Ms Sousa in particular spoke incredibly slow and drawn out. If I wasn’t able to adjust the speed I don’t think I could have made it through the book. So I am going to suggest the ebook or physical copy over the audiobook

This book comes out on May 6th 2025. It would make a good addition to a school library.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from MacMillian Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

🎧📖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.

My heart was pounding this entire time I was listening to this audiobook!

Cooper is pressured by his brother to go on a looting spree and someone ends up dead. A suspect is taken into custody.. and it’s not Cooper who is taken it, it’s Jason.

Monique is Jason’s sister and she wants to clear his name. And copper has a crush on Monique! She teams up with copper to investigate and along the way they start to fall for each other.

There were so many twists and turns throughout the story, some I didn’t even see coming!

I really enjoyed this audiobook and I’m looking forward to reading more of Nicks books.

Thank you NetGalley, Nick and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Publication : May 6 2025
Rating: ✨✨✨

#UpinSmoke #NetGalley

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.

I really enjoyed Promise Boys! So, I was excited to see Nick Brooks had a new book coming out! I enjoyed this story, but I struggled to connect to the characters. The narration was great! I really thought the characters were really brought to life!

Monique was the most enjoyable character! I appreciated her dedication to doing what was right and furthering a cause she believed in. I didn’t believe that Cooper was the right person for her, but their budding romance added a bit of innocence to an otherwise heavy book.

If you are looking for a murder mystery that deals with the struggles that BIPOC face, then I recommend listening to this audiobook. I look forward to more from this author in the future.