This is a great book that discusses racism, the injustices of innocent Black boys, growth, strength, and so much more. I was really hoping that Alex had the conversation with Isaiah sooner about his powers and then shared with him the vision so that they can work to changing the future. However, I do understand that the whole plot of the book needed to play out as it did to show us the readers what stereotypes, misjudging, and underlying racism can do to a community, a neighborhood. I didn't understand why Alex felt uneasy about Isaiah being in his room once they did make up. It was also weird to read that the younger brother was more mature and confident than the other brother. Overall, the text is easy to follow, there were funny moments, disappointing moments, and even happy moments.

This book made me sad, I loved seeing the brother rebuild their relationship and learn their family’s history

what if you had the ability to see the future by just touching an object or holding a person's hand? Would you want that power? This is what Alex Rufus has to deal with on a daily basis. His world is rocked when he foresees his brother Isaiah's death and the impending breakup with his girlfriend. He has to learn to navigate the world, not touching anyone while at the same time trying to figure out how to make his last few days with his brother the best ever. Then he discovers Isaiah's secret power and together the brothers need to find a way to break the 500 year old curse. This was a very different way to showcase anxiety and fear. Alex's anxiety flows a LOT throughout the story, any time Isaiah is not in his eyesight, he starts overthinking, believing that at THAT moment Isaiah was going to die. That felt like it was overstressed a lot in the story. Lesson to be learned, it's best NOT to know your future, just let it happen as it does.

Brittany Morris is a national treasure, let’s start there. I LOVED Slay and was nervous to see how she’d live up to it, but she was no sophomore slump for this novel. I thought Alex and Isaiah’s story was simultaneously so uplifting and heartbreaking all at once, and the way that she manages to write about the experience of being Black, particularly for young people, is nuanced and complex while still being so relatable. I sometimes thought she was trying to do a little too much with the story, but ultimately, it all came together beautifully. This is another one I’ll be pushing on all my reader friends. Loved it!

What a amazing book! I feel in love with this one. The story is spectacular, all the characters are super vivid. I recommend with my heart.

When I first received this book I did not know what I was getting myself into. I knew this book was going to pull on all my heart strings and fill my heart with so many feelings. This book deals with the trauma that Black boys and men face everyday in our society. People that struggle with anxiety should be warned of the heavy content. The intensity of the book made me have to put it down and take a moment.
Like with any thing this book may not be for you and that is perfectly fine. If you DNF the book because you can’t take the comment or can’t relate to the subject matter. Just appreciate the overall-ness of the book like the writing, the flow of the story, and quality of the written story.
I like how the book tells black boy/men trauma over generations. The fears our ancestors experienced are the same fears happening today. The Cost of Knowing dives deep into the Black male experience in America, the injustices they suffer in today’s society, and familial bonds. I love how Alex grapples with the meaning of being a man because no one is around him to show him what that looks like and in turn Alex has to show his little brother Isiah what a man is and looks like.
This book is well written I am glad I received it from the publisher and Netgalley. I give this book 4.5 star rating.

I sobbed my way through The Cost of Knowing, then promptly added multiple copies to my cart. The cover is phenomenal, the plot is pitch-perfect, and the characters are layered and sympathetic. I am normally not one for books with a supernatural bent, but Alex’s visions read as plausible and added so much to the storyline. More Brittney Morris, please!

“The Cost of Knowing” packed an emotional punch and Morris delivered a story about strong brotherly love that will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. The pacing is a bit off insofar as the beginning being weighed down by descriptions of Alex’s visions, which deftly convey his frustration, and the ending being rushed to the point where I wasn’t sure “it” happened. All in all, a powerful reminder of our societies pressures on Black males.

A gut-wrenching read that's well written and extremely absorbing. Isaiah and Alex's relationship is so realistic. Alex's voice sometimes came off a bit repetitive and slow but this did not detract from the story. My only complaint is that the book delivered what it promised. This was a difficult conclusion to process.

3.5 stars

I knew I wanted to read this book when it was compared to Dear Martin and They Both Die at the End. I loved Dear Martin and how such a short novel was so powerful and I loved They Both Die at the End, even though the ending is obvious but still hurtful at the same time. I wondered what the two of them combined, which seemed to be this book, would look like.

Alex is just trying to live his teenage life as normally as possible. He has a good job at the ice cream shop, a great girlfriend, the best little brother. However, one little thing stops him from achieving normalcy: whenever he touches something – a person or an object – he sees the future. He doesn’t know why or how, but he does. When he sees his brother’s death, that’s when it changes everything.

This book was definitely interesting, but not in an entirely good way. It’s told from Alex’s point of view and, for a good bit of the story, his view is exhausting. I’ve seen this mentioned a lot in other reviews, but the way his anxiety is played out and the details of cancelling out visions was confusing and distracting at times. I guess it was too detail-y. His relationship with his brother Isaiah is rocky in the beginning, but the timeline (albeit the reason for the timeline itself) was what made this story, in my opinion.

The supernatural part of this story was just weird. It felt random at times in such a contemporary novel, especially when ghosts made their appearances. It just felt like too many plot holes when it came to explaining powers, lineage, details of otherworldly stuff, etc. It was like it was written to be contemporary in a contemporary novel rather than a supernatural element. Sometimes it works, for example in They Both Die at the End. Other times, like The Cost of Knowing, it misses a few button holes. This is why the bond between Alex and Isaiah makes up for it, regardless of the ending itself, which I think shouldn’t have happened, but I’m not the writer.

The synopsis of the book expects the reader to experience something else than what is actually given to them and it’s a shame because the book is good, but only small parts that should have accompanied the bigger picture. It was rushed, too detail-y, too repetitive, not enough covered. You get the point. This won’t discourage me from reading more of Brittney’s work, though. I just wouldn’t consider this one a favorite of mine.

The rain poured heavily, soaking through his jeans and his sweatshirt. The chill was getting into his bones, but nothing could be worse than the chill in his heart. He reached out and ran his fingertips over the engraving, the coolness of the stone shocking his system. As he smoothed his hand across the letters a vision filled his mind. A vision of smiles and joy. A vision of laughter and bear hugs. A vision of the good times to be had. Not all was lost… there was still good in this world.

The Cost of Knowing was a tale of brotherly love… a relationship that caused my heart to swell. We need more stories exploring relationships like this.
Alex and Isaiah, brothers trying to get through life after the loss of their parents, navigating the highs and lows as they learn how to live, especially now that they have these powers they don’t understand.

This was a unique plot and I enjoyed the connection between the brothers, but it was a heart-breakingly emotional read with some heavy topics explored. My heart hurts after this one, but I’m so glad I read this story.

If you like emotional, thought-provoking reads and the exploration between sibling relationships… I highly recommend this one.

TW: Racism, Death of Parents, Grief, Murder, Mass Shooting/Gun Violence, Hate Crime, Anxiety.

OMG this is potentially my favorite book that I've read this year. I wasn't in a good headspace when I tried to read this before publication, but I'm kind of glad that I waited to try to get back into it. It's the book that has brought me the closest to actually crying, and I read the majority of this in one sitting. The tension was so real and the stakes felt so high. Brittney Morris has become an autobuy author and I will read whatever she puts out.

Alex and his brother have been through hell and back since they lost their parents. Moving past that tragedy would be easier if Alex had not developed the ability to see the immediate future of everything he touches. This ability has been a hindrance until he sees the death of his younger brother. Morris asks readers what they would do if they saw the person they loved the most die and how far would you go to change the future. Readers can sympathize with Alex's exhaustion in seeing the future of items and the people around him. How much it takes on him emotionally and how he must wall himself off to protect his sanity and well-being. Alex and his brother are two sides of the same coin, making the plot richer and more dynamic. There are times that the transitions could have been a little more clear but overall a great book.

Alex can see into the future by touching objects. Whatever he touches he gets a detailed vision of what will happen to someone. When he gets a vision of his brother dying, he races to figure out how he can change the outcome.

I wanted to love it but I couldn't love it that much though I know where she was going with it. Maybe it's hard after the stellar Slay or maybe it was trying to hard to be too many things, it felt long.

The premise is Alex's ability to see things in the future and when he gets a sight that his youngest brother is dead, he panics and tries to find ways to prevent it, but there in lies a very intricate and unnecessarily awkward explanation about the story and powers. We're there with you Morris if you just told us Alex had the power and then you needed to prevent your brother's death.

The cover and title are fabulous yet it was drawn out without it being exciting enough to want to follow.

The Cost of Knowing is a beautifully heartbreaking piece of literature. It is for all the BIPOC youth who have to grow up to fast and lose their childhood. Alex lost his parents to a car accident when he was young. When they died, he gained the power of seeing the future. Now he's just trying to get through every day without the crippling anxiety of seeing how things will turn out and not being able to stop them...to the point that he's shutting everyone he cares about out. That is until he sees a vision with his brother in it. And he decides enough is enough. He's going to start living life with the people he cares about and try to put an end to the curse. It's a perfect use of magical realism.


Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ver since his parents died, Alex has been cursed with the ability to see the future. His visions have caused him severe anxiety that makes it hard for him to really be present and live a normal life. And then, things get turned further upside down when he has a vision of his younger brother Isaiah's imminent death.⁣
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Suddenly, Alex and Isaiah find themselves in a race with time, death, and fate. Together, they'll try to rebuild their relationship while grappling with their past, present, and future. ⁣
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The Cost of Knowing is a haunting, compelling, and tear-jerking speculative YA novel that I couldn't put down. It's a story of family, brotherhood, race, identity, Black boyhood, and how the past & future shapes lives.⁣
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This novel is out now, and I already know I'll be recommending it a ton at my library. It's a must-read for fans of Adam Silvera or Justin A. Reynolds! ⁣
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I love the originality and creativity of this story! I'm honestly already tired of reading about black boys as victims of racial violence but this book went beyond the racial stereotypes. I love how the author beautifully honored legacy and ancestry at the end of this story. A must-read for sure!

When I first saw <b>The Cost of Knowing</b> the cover blew me away! Gorgeous rendition by illustrator Alvin Epps showing two beautiful young black men.

Alex and Isaiah are brothers. They have lost their parents in a car accident. Life obviously has not been the same since their parents death. Each has found their own coping strategies. I loved how Morris developed the relationship between the two brothers. Their closeness, Alex's protectiveness and how he chooses to spend time with Isaiah were a beautiful show of brotherly love.

Both brothers have the gift (or curse) of sight. Alex can see into the future. When he touches an object he can see its fate or the fate of a person connected to that object. He learns that not all futures are rosy and bright and starts to fear these visions. He does everything in his power to prevent any accidental contact with objects after he becomes aware that he is powerless to change the future.

Another great aspect of the book is how Morris deals with "blood memory" and the impact that trauma has throughout the generations. She dedicates the book to all the black men who had to become adults before their time. The real curse for Black boys she says is that they are forced to pay this <i>"cost of knowing"</i> that everyone else has already outlined and dictated their futures for them . . . and usually the picture they have painted is bleak.

This one blew me away!! Brittany Morris had a skill for making relatable characters, and Alex and Isaiah are no different. I wasn’t sure where the book was going, but after chapter 2 I bought my ticket and was ready to go. Alex has the ability to see the future when he touches someone or something. Who knew it would be such a burden?! The growth of the brotherly relationship is what I’m here for! Students are going to love this’