This was an okay read! I felt myself constantly getting confused with the flashbacks, dancer names versus real names, and the different povs. The overall theme was lost with all the plot twists. I didn’t really connect with any characters up until the journal entries, but I don’t think if should’ve taken that long to piece together all that information. The end was a little all over the place (don’t want to spoil anything) but I did like the twist and felt like it needed more explaining. I would say personally the only character I liked was Damaris, (charm) only because I felt like that was the character we knew the most about!

"Boom Town" had all the ingredients for a tense, atmospheric thriller, but it didn’t fully land for me.
The premise hooked me right away, a determined protagonist searching for two missing women in Atlanta’s underworld, with a past and personal stakes that make the case hit hard. Lyriq is a strong lead on paper, and there are flashes of real tension and atmosphere that made me want to keep reading. I also appreciated how Nic Stone wove in themes of power, privilege, and the blurred lines between friend and foe.
But as the story went on, the pacing felt uneven, and I never quite connected deeply with the characters or their relationships. Some twists didn’t have the impact I hoped for, and the emotional beats that should have hit hardest didn’t stick with me. It’s a bold, original concept, and I can see it working for readers who love gritty, character-driven mysteries,but for me, it wasn’t the read I expected.
Thanks to Netgalley and the author for this book.

idk.. y’all sayin P-Valley but it gave “Delinda's Dolls” (no dudes lol) from “Beauty in Black.”

I wanted messy secrets, sharp twists, and a story that wouldn’t let me go. What I got was… good in parts, but the pacing kept breaking the vibe.

The multi-POV, the back and forth between present and past, characters going by and nickname then government name made it hard for me to keep the character and storyline straight.

It was almost a DNF, but I wanted to see it through.

Thank you @netgalley, @SimonBooks, & @nicstone for this digital ARC.

Wow. This book was raw and real. There are lots of tough topics, so check trigger warnings but man did I feel like I KNEW these characters and struggled with them.
I got a little confused in the timeline at times, but that's a me thing.
I would recommend this to anyone that wants a grittier story with some suspenseful moments at the end.
Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC!

Boom Town is a compelling thriller that will hook you from the very first page! I devoured this story. The multiple POVs, the mystery, the atmosphere, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

I was so invested in this story. The plot was perfectly paced, swapping between before and after Felice’s disappearance. I loved the voices from all the characters - they were so distinct and engaging. I needed to know what happened to Felice, whether Brett and Lyriq were complicit in her disappearance, how Damaris’s disappearance fit into the plot, and how everything would come together in the end.

This story touches on so many important topics - the lack of attention when Black women go missing and the dangerous, yet enthralling, world of sex workers. I can’t recommend this novel enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love Nic Stone and her YA titles, so I was really excited for this! She does character development so well. I did enjoy this one, it took a bit to get into, but overall really great.

The mystery, the characters, and Boom Town! Such a good story. I loved the pacing and the storylines of my fave characters. Demaris was a bit annoying with her decisions but that's to be expected since she's so young lol.
I also think the author brilliantly wove in the issue of Black girls and women going missing and nothing being done about it by police or society. Sex workers also deserve to be safe.
A brilliant book! Highly recommend.

I will be recommending this book to anyone that listens!

Wow that ending just had me floored!! I absolutely devoured this book. It's a mystery + psychological thriller + plus women's fiction & that combo was literally the perfect balance.

The multiple POVs provide an insight into the mindset of each character and honey that epilogue really brought me to tears. Getting a peek into the past & present also heightened my questions of what really happened to Charm & Lucky. The fact that two missing dancers are linked to the same person had me on the edge of my seat. And the interconnectedness of them all came together in the best way possible.

And let's be honest, any book set in ATL has me intrigued. I love the small nuances like Boom Town, Purple Unicorn and the descriptions of areas I know.

Nic Stone is an auto-buy author for me and her first adult novel really took it up a notch!

I was SO excited to hear Nic Stone debuting an adult thriller so this was an instant request! I've read all of her other books so it wasn't a surprise that I loved this one so much.

I won't lie, at first this was a little tough to get into. With the different timelines and most of the main characters having multiple names, it was difficult to keep track of everything - I found myself flipping back and forth to remember who was who and make sure I had everything straight. From there, once I picked up momentum I had a hard time putting it down! Stone has a naturally poetic writing style, making this engaging, emotional, and impactful all at the same time. It touched on a lot of societal issues that women of color face in our country and I just absolutely loved Lyriq's character.

Any lover of thriller books and SVU will devour this one - thanks so much for the ARC!

I was hoping to enjoy this, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The premise was promising and intriguing; however, the execution wasn't the best. I enjoyed how it shed light on important issues such as the lack of urgency when it comes to missing black girls, specifically those who are sex workers. However, the writing style wasn't for me. I honestly spent most of this book confused and struggling to follow what was happening. There wasn't consistency in name usage as it went back and forth between characters' dance names and real names. This caused a lot of confusion in remembering who was who. Additionally, there was a lot of excessive internal dialogue that overpowered the plot and made it difficult to connect the dots. I finished this book just as, if not more, confused and with lots of unanswered questions.

Time jumps, real names, stage names... a little confusing to keep up with. Not too bad, I've enjoyed her YA books, so I was excited to read her debut adult mystery!

If a mystery/thriller was based on the life of the strippers in Atlanta, GA. It was decent read but the multiple POVs were a bit hard to keep up with. Definitely would need to annotate while reading this one to make sure you can keep up with each storyline.

Thank you Simon Books for the ARC! 🫶🏾

Give me 500 more mystery/thriller books about Black women exotic dancers right now!!! This book gave me P-Valley/Players Club/maybe even some Beauty in Black vibes for sure & I’m a fan🤏🏾🤏🏾🤏🏾

Boom Town follows three exotic dancers working at a strip club in Atlanta, Lyric, Lucky, and Charm, two of which go missing within a year of each other, and one that tries to uncover the truth about what really happened to them. I really loved how Lyric’s quest to find the truth about their disappearances revealed a whole series of lies and pattern of folks not protecting Black women exotic dancers. I literally on the edge of my seat trying to guess what would happen next because each woman’s story connected to the other in hella surprising ways, so you just can’t put it down!!! You could def read this one in a day.

I don’t think I’ve read *any* books that highlight the unique experiences of Black women exotic dancers or sex workers & we need more of that. The only thing that confused me were the switches between their stage names/real names, and having to switch/reread different portions to understand how the timelines matched up. I didn’t mind the changes in pace because the writing made me hella invested in the depth of these flawed yet very real characters. The writing was gripping and came in HOT, so I can’t wait to read more adult books from this author!!

#SimonBooksBuddy

Boom Town by Nic Stone ★★★★☆

A pulse-pounding adult thriller set in Atlanta’s most notorious Black strip club, Boom Town follows former headliner Lyriq Willburn as she hunts down her missing “sister,” Charm. Stone’s vivid prose and fierce heroine bring to life a world of secrets, power imbalances, and the resilience of Black women. While a few info-heavy chapters slow the pace, the social commentary on gentrification and invisibility gives every twist emotional weight.

Highlight:

“They thought we were invisible—until we showed them how loud we could be.”

When exotic dancer Damaris AKA "Charm" goes missing another former dancer Michah (Lyriq) is anxious she's about to relive her past. Years ago Lyriq was a headliner at Boom Town, the strip club where she now works behind the scenes. Her dance partner at the time Felice (Lucky) also went missing and Lyriq never fully got over it. As she starts to uncover more information behind the two disappearances she realizes she may be in over her head and the situation becomes more than she bargained for.

This was Nic Stone's first adult novel and I wanted to love it so much! Unfortunately, I had a difficult time keeping up with all of the characters' names and the past and present story line threw in more confusion. Every character had their real name and a nickname and I just couldn't keep them all straight. Make sure when you pick this book up you can devote some time to it, that may help keep the characters straight if reading a lot at once.

Boom Town is a black strip club in Atlanta. When one of the dancers, Charm, goes missing, it seems eerily familiar to earlier days when a dancer also went missing. As another dancer, Lyriq, does her own sleuthing, she has to decide if it’s worth her life to uncover the truth.

This book is ultimately about race, privilege, wealth and secrets. The author artfully humanizes sex workers and those less fortunate than others. Written in dual timelines, we see how some of the dancers came to their choices in life and why. I think this story empowers black women and showcases their strength and resiliency.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC.

Nic Stone delivers a vibrant, soul‑stirring journey in Boom Town, blending humor and heart in equal measure. The ensemble cast pulses with personality—each voice uniquely memorable as they navigate community change, friendship, and identity. Stone’s dialogue snaps with wit, while her serious themes around belonging and growth are handled with nuance and warmth. The narrative brims with local color and engaging conflicts that feel both grounded and universal. Ultimately, Boom Town is an uplifting, empowering celebration of diverse voices and shared humanity—Smart, funny, and fiercely alive.

The story follows three exotic dancers, two of whom go missing, leaving the third to uncover the truth about their disappearance. As the plot unfolds, secrets, manipulation, and systemic neglect are revealed, creating expert suspense. Paced, and the twist at the end is genuinely shocking.

This story effectively highlights the often underrepresented experiences of exotic dancers, women of color, and sex workers—stories that are rarely told. I appreciated the perspective shared and the lengths these individuals go to in their pursuit of justice. Stone writes with such intensity that it kept me engaged throughout, even during the slower moments of the story.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

3.5 stars. rounded up to 4 stars.

I didn't know what to expect going into this one, and yes, I was surprised. The characters got a little confusing to me, with real names and stage names being interchanged, and the time frames being different -- my tablet (and me) had some difficulty following along the time changes. Other than that, the book was an interesting look into a world of which I have limited knowledge. As this is the author's first foray into adult fiction, well done.

This screamed Netflix mini-series to me.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Loved the pacing of Nic Stone's Boom Town. I was engrossed as soon as I started and wanted to see how everything would play out. Only one loop I don't want to post any spoilers, but there was one loop I would have loved to see closed out. between Lucky and Lyriq. Other than that, this was a well done book and def provided P-Valley vibes.