After loving his adult essay collections, I was so excited to see Eric had a young adult novel coming out. This book shows how much his voice shines, as I happily enjoyed this, as well as his (more subtle) commentary.

Linus and Harrison are best friends from Baltimore. Both are queer Black boys with a platonic bond between each other that i think teen readers will find heart warming and relatable. After watching Ferris Beuller's day off, they have their own adventure (or misadventure) filled day. This is a book rich with relationships, including great family bonds.

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.

I randomly listened to Kings Of B'More by R. Eric Thomas because I liked the colorful cover and because I wanted to prioritize reading more books about BIPOC LGBTQ characters. This book is about two queer Black boys who live in Baltimore. It is one of those books that takes place over a day. You see, Linus is going to be moving to Charleston and this is devastating to Harrison as Linus is his best friend and truly gets him. So, Harrison decides to send his friend off in fashion - taking Linus through the sites of Baltimore on a Ferris day inspired by watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The two end up going to a museum, their first Pride and a rooftop party while giving their parents' tracking app the slip.

Kings Of B'More alternates between serious and fun. I LOVED this book. I loved the shoutout to Ferris Bueller's Day Off which is one of my favorite movies. Also, loved how one of the Aparnas in this book is known as Cool Aparna, but the other Aparna is actually a really good friend. Additionally, I was so into the lessons both boys learned about themselves and their friendship and identities in this book. It's just an excellent read. The audiobook is narrated by Torian Brackett who was new to me, but I'd listen to more from. It is 9 hours and 59 minutes, but. listened to it sped up. Absolutely would recommend this young adult contemporary book.

I received Kings of B'More as an arc for a physical review, so thank you so much Penguin Books and R. Eric Thomas!

Kings of B'More follows best friends Harrison and Linus as they attempt to accomplish a perfect Ferris Bueller's Day Off before Linus moves away. This has a LOT of things going for it, even with its maybe simple premise.

I think the book is cute! There is some authenticity to the characters, even Harrison who is an over the top queer theatre kid. He balances out Linus who is much more stoic and grounded, especially with his more difficult upbringing.

This book has great queer POC characters, but I give it major credit for not venturing into a romantic situation and just focusing on the friendship between the characters! I feel like that's so rare to find!

However, the book read pretty slow and young for me. It's a young adult book, but I wish it would have trusted it's readers more to have maybe some bigger conversations, especially since we see it somewhat in Linus. It just feels like there's a lot of slow build-up in the story, but without any real payoff.

I have people I'd recommend this to, but I would LOVE to see how R. Eric Thomas writes in a new adult setting!

beautiful story about two teen boys and it really highly the joys and importance of queer platonic friendships.

This was a really fun read. It made me feel seen and happy. I shared a review on my TikTok expressing how much I wish I could have had a book like this in high school and how excited I am for young readers to get this. I am looking forward to what Thomas writes next.

Kings of Bmore is fun summer read that follows two queer Black friends, Linus and Harrison. This was full of queer and Black joy and I adored the emphasis on platonic relationships. I read this originally due to it's relation with Ferris Bueller's Day Off but it ended up being quite different. Despite that this was an overall great book. We learn a lot about both characters and they were enjoyable to read about.

I particularly cherish stories centering on forms of love other than the romantic, and I'm delighted Kings of B'More exists as one of these tales.

Kings of B’More follows Harrison and Linus (who are, strangely enough, both ME in personality because hello musical theater-loving ball of anxiety & sad and lonely history nerd), two queer Black teens from Baltimore, facing drastic changes to their friendship. Linus is to move to Charleston with his father, and he thinks a clean break is necessary for him to move on. But, inspired by Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Harrison sends his best friend off with a spontaneous (well, minus the part where his friend Aparna helps him create a detailed itinerary LOL) adventure around their city.

And so, they sneak around their protective parents to take a trip to Washington, DC, attend a pool party, and enjoy their first time at Pride. This book is full of hilarious hijinks, but it comes with so much heart because these characters confront personal worries, family trauma, and their experience of this friendship amidst it all.

R. Eric Thomas writes of deep platonic love with such intimacy and awareness that the intersections of Harrison and Linus's lives were tangible. I feel these characters' emotions in my bones, and it aches in the way pressing on sore muscles does, all bittersweet. I have had to say goodbye to so many places and people, and though most of those goodbyes ended with finality, I have found a soft comfort in friends (like the one in slide 2) into whom I can fall right back.

To sum up the solace I found in this book, I deposit these two quotes here: "Your heart will break in this life, but when it does break, I hope every crack makes space inside for love," and "[t]hings are going to change. We're going to change. But we'll meet each other new every day. Believe that."

*thank you Penguin Randomhouse for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

We follow two queer black boys and best friends Linus and Harrison after finding out the Linus is moving to another state. After watching the iconic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off at family movie night, Harrison decides to create a Ferris day for the two of them and hijinx ensue.

I loved the premise of this one and was so excited to get to it. I loved seeing Pride from the perspective of new goers and I loved Harrison’s parents and their movie nights. I also was frustrated by his sister and also felt like every friend and side character was too “manic pixie” to be real. I also understand that the communication trope is very normal for teens not able to say how they feel, but it’s also been done so many times before. There were things i really enjoyed and quite a few things i found underwhelming.

Kings of B’more is about two queer Black best friends, Linus and Harrison, living in Baltimore who do everything together…until Linus reveals he’s moving with his dad to Charleston at the end of the week. Inspired by a family movie night showing of Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, Harrison is inspired to give himself and Linus one big day of adventures to face their fears and solidify their friendship before the big move.

**Thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review**

I really wanted to connect to this story more than I did. Ferris Beuller is a classic and taking that inspiration and focusing it on two queer Black kids, yes please!!

There were a lot of fun theatre references that as a theatre buff I enjoyed, and the pure love a friendship has to offer! I love that the main characters didn’t have to fall for each other and that their deep friendship could be celebrated.

However a few things made it hard for me to stay connected. There was a scene in a museum where blatant racism is shown in a way that took me out of the story. I’m not saying that racism shouldn’t be portrayed, but this story is about these boys’ friendship and the scene felt distracting and like it didn’t add anything to the story. I don’t know what I could learn from that scene besides some people suck? I wish the boys had reflected on it more if more of a meaning was to be drawn from it, it just kind of happens and is over and the story moves on without addressing it.

Also the story is broken up by a sub-narrative about a friend who is helping to cover their tracks so their parents don’t find out. However I don’t know what her perspective added to the story. I would have liked to see the boys adventure and talk more and have those other scenes cut.

Lastly the parents were so overprotective for fear that their boys might get hurt or racially profiled. It was really truly sad. Again, not a bad thing, but it felt like the focus of the story lay in the joy and hope in their friendship and the need for the boys to be constantly tracked and limited took away from the story. I spent so much time thinking about that that I didn’t connect to Linus and Harrison as much as I wanted to.

I still think this is a story that many will find joy in and appreciate. It was harder for me to connect with but I believe it will hit the mark for some. We need more beautiful stories celebrating queer Black voices and I’m sure this author will have many more great stories to share.

This YA debut is full of joy, black queer representation, and a coming of age story.

With junior year starting in the fall, Harrison feels overwhelmed by everything coming up. But, at least he has his best friend Linus. Except Linus is moving out of state at the end of the week. So they have an adventurous last day together.

TW: racism, abandonment, alcohol consumption, and suicidal ideation

“Your heart will break in this life, but when it does break, I hope every crack makes more space inside for love.”

With junior year starting in the fall, Harrison feels like he’s on the precipice of, well, everything. Which is why Harrison is grateful that he and his best friend, Linus, will face things together. But at the end of a shift at their summer job, Linus invites Harrison to their special spot overlooking the city to deliver devastating news: He’s moving out of state at the end of the week. To keep from completely losing it—and partially inspired by a cheesy movie-night pick by his dad—Harrison plans a send-off à la Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that's worthy of his favorite person. If they won’t be having all the life-expanding experiences they thought they would, Harrison will squeeze them all into their last day together.

This book was not what I expected!! Going in I was prepared for a very lighthearted journey with two queer, black best friends but the story was much deeper and tackled some complex topics. I absolutely loved that we got this story of platonic love because not every love story is a romantic one!! While Harrison’s character felt very one-dimensional for me in the beginning of the novel, but overtime we got deeper into his character and I found myself growing to love him.

I recommend this one to anyone who appreciates fun, nostalgic roadtrip novels, fans of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (obviously lol) and Alice Oseman, and anyone who appreciates incredible representation and musical theater references!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for providing me with an e-ARC of Kings of B'more!

Who wants to have a Ferris Day with me?!@!!

Also, wow, I Feel ancient that these characters had no idea what Ferris Bueller's Day off was when I watched it so many times throughout high school thanks to substitute teachers who had no other idea what to do with us.

Anyway, I loved the idea of Kings of B'more! & there were some scenes/adventures that I was absolutely living for. But after a while, I just found myself over it. Also, I recommend checking out reviews from Black reviewers who discuss how this isn't the Black Boy Joy book they wanted -- because those reviews are much more important than mine.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Kokila for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

With his junior year starting in the fall, Harrison feels pressured by the changes: standardized testing, college, moving away, the colleges and so much more. He's grateful, though, he will be face everything with his best friend Linus. But when Linus reveals he will move out of state at the end of the week, everything comes crashing down. To keep him from moving and himself from freaking out and losing it, Harrison plans a perfect day for them. They end up in a mini road trip, partecipate to a Pride, a dance party on a rooftop, while trying to keep their parents off their trails. In a pact where they promise to face things they are scared to do, nothing is more painful to say goodbye to someone you love.

Two Black queer best friends face their last day together with a brilliant and moving journey through Baltimore, facing dancing, partying, their first pride, new people and their own feelings in this amazing YA debut by Eric Thomas. This book is unbelievably amazing. It's brilliant, moving, soul-crushing and smile-through-tears good. I can't believe it. I'm so in love with every single thing in it. Harrison and Linus are wonderful main characters and their bond and love is so precious and powerful I can't.
This book is infused with joy and grief, saying goodbye and the fear of growing up and changing and, at the same time, with hope and love and so many good feelings it's impossible not to love it with all your heart.
Written skillfully, deep with feelings and actions, this book is pure gold and everyone should read it.

This was so good and after the joining the author on a zoom call I love this story even more. My only complaint is it was LONG.

Thomas’ Here For It was one of my favorite books of 2020, and while his latest is quite different (YA vs. essays) it’s equally as good. Full of fun, laughs, and heartwarming moments, you’ll enjoy this even if you don’t typically like YA. (And the narration is great.)

"Your heart will break in this life, but when it does break, I hope every crack makes more space inside for love." - Kings of B'more by R. Eric Thomas

I was excited to review Kings of B'more by R. Eric Thomas on the first day of PRIDE Month. I appreciated Here For It, the author's essay collection and enjoyed his first YA novel that primarily takes place on a single day in June.

Harrison and Linus, Black gay 16-year-old best friends, had their future planned. They would work summer jobs at the same place, graduate high school in a couple of years, and attend college together. That plan is ruined when Linus tells Harrison he's moving from Baltimore to South Carolina in just a few days.

Inspired by the classic 80’s movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Harrision secretly arranges a Ferris Day full of adventures for Linus. Of course, nothing goes as planned, and as events unfold, readers see them deal with a wide range of issues including race, family dynamics, economic resources, friend groups, and body identity.

It was a fun surprise to discover that this well-crafted coming-of-age novel features a movie I associate with my college years, and I hope it creates a new generation of Ferris Bueller fans. This will be a 'mirror' book for many teens and a 'window' book for others. I appreciated how the parents were portrayed and wondered if Linus and Harrison's relationship would change as a result of Ferris Day.

Thank you to Kokila Books, NetGalley, and BookishFirst for the review copies of this novel.

I wanted to enjoy this... I wanted to have a good time... Overall I found the musical references to be not the moment, the voices of each character to muddle together, the side plot that was supposed to pull the book together in the third act to be a distraction. I also just wanted something that was supposed to be light and fun... but no one was having a fun time... instead we had these microaggressive actions looming over so much of the narrative and how the parents were ultimately included. It just left a lot to be desired for me and ultimately I doubt I would pick this up again or suggest anyone I know to give it a go.

I love love loved the Ferris Buller's day off vibes. Seeing all the locations around Baltimore that are visited. It really is a slice of homemade pie. The friendship is wonderful and both characters are absolutely charming and easy to love.