"Dear Justyce" by Nic Stone really hit me in the feels—it's a deep dive into some heavy stuff, but so worth it. Building on "Dear Martin," this book gets even more personal and intense. Stone doesn't hold back on the tough topics—racism, injustice, identity—they're all front and center. The story follows Quan's journey from juvie to trying to make things right, and every step feels real and gripping. Through Justice's letters, you see Quan's struggles and Justice's own growth, which adds this powerful layer of empathy and understanding. The characters are raw and complex, especially Quan's transformation and Justice's journey of self-discovery. Stone's writing is like poetry mixed with a punch in the gut—it pulls you in and makes you think. The way she weaves past and present keeps the story moving with this urgency that's hard to put down. And the ending? It's emotional, leaving you with this mix of hope and a fire to change things for the better. "Dear Justyce" isn't just a book—it's a call to dig deep into what really matters and to fight for justice and understanding.

This was a wonderful follow up to Dear Martin. Nic Stone continues to be an automatic buy author for me.

As a teacher, I appreciate how "Dear Justyce" invites readers to confront their own biases and assumptions about race, class, and privilege. Through Quan's journey, Stone challenges readers to consider the systemic factors that contribute to cycles of poverty and incarceration, urging us to advocate for change and justice.

In addition to its powerful social commentary, "Dear Justyce" also offers a compelling narrative that is both engaging and emotionally resonant. Quan's journey towards self-awareness and redemption is both heartbreaking and hopeful, reminding us of the resilience of the human spirit even in the face of adversity.

Overall, "Dear Justyce" is a must-read for high school students and adults alike. With its compelling characters, thought-provoking themes, and gripping storytelling, Nic Stone's novel is sure to spark important conversations and inspire readers to take action towards a more just and equitable society.

Nic Stone is one of my favorite authors. I have enjoyed both her middle grade and YA fiction. My favorite Nic Stone book has always been Dear Martin. However, i think Dear Justyce may be my new favorite. I especially loved her author's note explaining why this book was written. Young people that have been or still are in Quan's position were asking for someone to notice and recognize them. To help amplify their voices. I think Nic Stone very much succeeded with this book. It was important to show Quan's backstory and how some of his decisions, made with the best of intentions, began to spiral out of his control and with unexpected (or, perhaps, too expected) consequences. Nic Stone wrote this story in a way that I could feel Quan's fear, anger and hopelessness, and also when he began to feel some sparks of hope. This book honestly made the perfect companion to Dear Martin. These two books together tell a really powerful story. I look forward to reading more about these characters in the future.

Listen, my students and I loved Dear Martin and did not think we would enjoy this book as much, but we were wrong. Nic Stone has outdone herself and I actually had to buy several copies of this one for my classroom library because so many of my kids wanted to keep it and reread it. High praise considering they are self-described bibliophobes and nonnative English speakers!

I loved “Dear Martin,” so I had high expectations for this book and it did not disappoint. It’s been several years since I read “Dear Martin,” so I didn’t remember a lot of the references made throughout this book, but that didn’t detract from understanding the plot. I appreciate how this book is told from a totally different perspective than the protagonist, Justyce, in the first book. Quan, the protagonist of “Dear Justyce,” doesn’t have a caring mother, a desire to do well in school, a girlfriend, or a chance at a better life. Justyce has all of these things, so even in the darkest and most unsettling of moments, he ultimately has hope that things will be ok. We never see that from Quan. He is convinced that there is no hope or way out, which makes this book difficult but necessary to read. As a white, middle class, college educated woman, it’s easy to look at situations like Quan’s and say that people simply make wrong choices, but in their minds, they make the only choices that they have. I did feel like the ending was unrealistic (as Nic Stone even admits in the author’s note), but I was pleased with it. This book is a quick but emotionally powerful read. It allowed me to see the ways in which our class and legal systems work against many of our citizens.

An excellent and must-read companion to Dear Martin. The prose is top-notch and never fails to pack a punch.

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone is a great YA own voices novel about the American juvenile justice system.

Dear Justyce is an excellent sequel to Dear Martin. It can be read as a standalone, but this series is so good I highly recommend reading both.

I love Nic Stone’s novels. I have read Dear Martin and now Dear Justyce. Both gave me the perspective of black teenagers. Stone’s characters seem so real. None of her characters are good or all bad. Her style of writing really gets you in the character’s head. You don’t only see what they did, but why they did it.

I highly recommend Dear Justyce to fans of Dear Martin, The Hate U Give, and Punching the Air.

Nic Stone is one of my "forever read" authors - and this book is just another testament to her ability to evoke so many emotions with her fiction. She's top.

I have won this book in a giveaway online and did not have the time to read it. I believe this book got archived before I had the chance and would have read it as I love Nic Stone who writes such incredible stories.

The sequel to Dear Martin, Nic Stone hits just as hard and once again tackles how institutionalized racism is and how criminalized young black men are. Equally heartbreaking and hopeful, Dear Justyce reunites readers with familiar faces, and puts Quan's struggles to the page. Stone has once again delivered a book everyone should read, and one that belongs in classrooms and libraries.

This follow up to Dear Martin was just as powerful and compelling as its predecessor. Nic is truly an unmatched voice and we are lucky to live in a time where we can read her work.

Nic Stone’s highly-anticipated follow-up to Dear Martin features Justyce’s friend Quan. Accused of shooting a police officer, Quan is awaiting his trial in a holding cell after entering a not guilty plea. He spends his time writing letters to Justyce, slowly revealing how he got there. Stone explores coerced confessions and the prejudice in the justice system. Stone has a true gift for character voices—Quan had such a distinct, funny, and captivating voice that kept me gripped the entire book. Though it can be read along, I think this book is best paired with Dear Martin to fully paint the powerful picture of these boys' experiences.

A follow up to Dear Martian, this book shows the troubles with our justice system and how many are set up to fail no matter what they do.

Dear Justyce is powerful, moving, and should be in every middle school and high school library. In the sequel to Dear Martin, Quan writes letters to Justyce about his experience in prison. Outside of the letters, we get to know who Quan grew up to be and where it got him today. The story is beautifully told and seamlessly transitions between past and present.

I read Dear Martin. It was good. I just finished Dear Justyce. It was great. I have to say I struggled along with Quan- my heart broke every time Quan's broke. His mother had her struggles, the people Quan trusted and respected left for various reasons. And how he ended up in jail is unfortunately probably not a unique scenario, but one that helps everyone understand how the disparity of racial percentages of incarcerations happens. The whole reason behind the book explained by Nic Stone gives the reader an insight that exponentially creates a more personalized story. And the dedications at the back of the book- you can't ignore those as well. The whole book makes you want to cuddle up to the characters and support them in any way possible. But read Dear Martin first, then this one. It's not mandatory, but it puts another spin on it.

Quan's life is hard, for many reasons. I think one of the best things Stone does in this book is show all the ways that the system could fail Quan (and does, in some cases). I think this book shares a lot of light about how the justice system works, in a context that isn't "Law & Order" or another heroic cop show. I think we need more media showing the nuances, especially about these children. This system is not designed to help children.

One comment I will make is that I wish I had a different car, or the cloudLibrary audiobook was rendered differently. It was hard to understand through my car speakers, although not on its own. Weird.

I was not the biggest fan of this, but I think it is because I am definitely growing out of the young adult genre. I am more of a romance reader now.

Nic Stone writes another masterpiece of middle grade lit that everyone needs to read. I loved this book so much!

Dear Justyce was much more raw than Dear Martin for me. I enjoyed seeing the other side of the coin and continuing with the neighborhood and the situations different people were in. It made me want to go back and read Dear Martin again. So many stories have been presented from the viewpoint of a Black student in a wealthy prep school. This book took the opposite approach with the question being asked, "Why you and not me?" It's another great book that allows me and my students to walk in someone else's shoes.