I loved R. Eric Thomas' book of essays and the same sense of humor really shown through in this novel, even though its a completely different genre.

Thoughts and Themes: I was quite pleased when Penguin teen provided me with a copy of this book so that I could provide a review. While I haven’t seen the movie Ferris Bueller, I was intrigued because this book centered around two Queer, Black males, and their friendship which is something that I rarely see in books.

I tend to find Queer books focus so much on the romance that they leave the friendship piece out, or that if there’s another Queer person in the book it’s an automatic relationship so I loved that this book didn’t go that route. Throughout the whole time of reading this book, I was waiting for there to be some romantic gesture made and I just didn’t feel that spark between the two guys so I was happy that they didn’t have any romantic feelings toward each other. I do really love that this book talks about how this is different from a typical friendship and the love that they have for each other that is platonic but still so important and valid.

I love how this book was a take on Ferris Bueller and how the characters point out how different it is because they aren’t white, straight guys. I thought it was important that this was pointed out because some of the events that take place throughout this story are because they are Black, Gay guys.

Characters: In this book, you are introduced to several characters through their interactions with our main character, Harrison. You get to meet his best friend, Linus, his sister Corrine, his parents, and Linus’s dad, as well as some of their friends, Aparna.

I really loved the friendship between Harrison and Linus and how we see it develop throughout this book. I love that we get a chance to see how this friendship started and how they both feel about their friendship. I really enjoyed how they both didn’t have to say anything to just understand each other. This whole friendship reminded me of me and my best friend and how space and time don’t change things for us, it’s more than words can describe but this book put that friendship into words.

I also really enjoyed the relationship that Harrison has with each of his family members and how we see this throughout the book. I like how his parents explain why they are so protective of him and I like how close his sister is with him. I like that we also get to see her being protective of him throughout the book and how she also understands him.

Writing Style: This story is told in the third person through an outside narrator, and you also get some show notes from Aparna that are written in the first person. I really liked getting the chance to see both what Harrison and Linus were up to and what Aparna was getting into to keep their travels a secret.

I loved the pieces that were written by Aparna as I felt like she was the actual narrator for this whole story and she was retelling that day. I know that this isn’t the case but it’s nice to think that she just knows all because it fits her character.

I also really liked that this was told in the third person because we got to see what each person was thinking or what each of them was doing at different moments in time. While the majority of the book was focused on Harrison, you did get glimpses of Linus and his thoughts.

This was such a cute and wholesome book. I did find the pacing to be a bit strange and there wasn’t a lot of conflict to drive the plot, but the characters were sweet. I loved Linus’s POV. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to these characters.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was a very cute comparison of Ferris Bueller’s Day off, especially the little ways that queer existence is written throughout this book. You can very clearly tell the two characters care a lot about each other and I love that in books.

This novel felt absolutely magical! As somebody aging out of the YA genre, YA is becoming more of a hit (rare) or miss (often), however this book as an absolute hit. The novel centers two queer boys who are best friends that is /not/ a romance, which I found to be so unique and refreshing. I loved their relationship, and loved how well developed each character was. The book is a Ferris Bueller retelling of sorts, and while I hated the Ferris Bueller movie I absolutely loved this. Both characters were so endearing and lovely, I didn't find myself wanting more depth from them at all. This book also has some fantastic discussion of race, sexuality, and the need for community and representation which I found to be so lovely and authentically written. I want 5 more novels from this author, and I want them stat!

Thank you to Penguin Teen, Bookish First, and Netgalley for an arc of this book!

When Harrison learns his best friend, Linus, is moving away in a few days, he plans an epic "Ferris Day" inspired by Ferris Bueller's Day Off to try and cement their friendship and make sure Linus knows how much he matters.

This is such a cute and fun book about the importance of friendship and platonic relationships! I wasn't a huge fan of Harrison's narration, but I really enjoyed Linus' pov and I loved watching their friendship and the ways they showed each other that they mattered. This book is super cute and wholesome and I definitely recommend picking it up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Alcohol

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Racism

Thank you Penguin Teen for sending me an arc/finished copy for an honest review.

3.5

Kings of B’More was a fun read that's filled with black joy and how friendships are as important as romantic love.

Romantic love seems to be the focus for most books, and it’s nice to read a story that shows how strong and powerful friendships can be.

Harrison is a great friend that did everything in his power to give us Linus, how best friend the best last day to prove that their friendship will last forever.

My one con for this book is that I felt by the end that it was dragging a little bit and that it needed to be 50 or so pages less.

And one of my favorite lines from this book is “Your heart will break in this life, but when it does break, I hope every crack makes more space inside for love.”

Overall, if you’re looking for a cute black queer story, then this is the perfect book to pick up.

In perfect time for Pride, R. Eric Thomas delivers a fast-paced, fun, and joyful story that places emphasis on what it means to be Queer, Young, and Black. Harrison and Linus' dynamic was so good and was the glue of the story. This take of Ferris Bueller's Day Off will make you laugh, emotional, and may give you flashbacks to the stress of standardized testing. STILL, I LOVED IT. If you're looking for a fun read to get you excited for Summer, grab this one up on release day! I really loved the ending especially!

I read the first half and skimmed the rest since I lost interest. I found this book boring and paced weird, there wasn't really any conflict, action, or emotion so I wasn’t invested in what was happening. And the dialogue felt stilted and the two MCs voices were indistinguishable to me. I’m still not sure if they were switching POVs or not. I expected this to be a modern retelling of Ferris bueller but with marginilized MCs and was intrigued, but that wasn’t quite what this is. The MC watches the movie and decides to try and recreate it (badly), but theres honestly very few similarities.

This was a lot of fun! It’s really great to see books about platonic love along with a story about two queer black boys. Also if you grew up with overprotective parents or dealing with difficult parental relationships.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm so glad this comes out in May. It's the perfect book to read right before or during Pride.

Kings of B'more is about two gay best friends. Harrison and Linus have been best friends since they first met. Harrison feels like he's on the precipice of everything: college, standarized testing, the rest of adult life. He's so glad he has his best friend Linus to count on. But when Linus tells him, he's moving away, the two boys are sent into a tail spin.

Harrison decides he has to make a grand gesture to cement his and Linus's friendship. With the help of his friend Aparna, he plans a grand adventure a la Ferris Bueller's Day Off before Linus leaves. What starts off as the perfectly planned day, quickly devolves into spontaneous side quests and dodging parents/authority figures.

This book was so much fun. It's absolutely full of queer Black joy and I loved every second of it. The ending had such a powerful message about how strong friendship is and how it should be cherished. It made me so emotional at the end!

I love both Harrison and Linus. They were so easy to relate to and I loved seeing their various relationships to family and their friendship circle. Going to the Pride Fest and other various activities with these two was so much fun. I loved getting to explore Baltimore with them. Then we had Aparna's intermissions which were so quirky and fun! I loved how she sets the scene like a theatre production.

Overall, cannot recommend this one enough. It's full of queer joy and celebrates friendship in a way that I don't often see in YA.

Rep: Black gay male MC, Black gay male (autistic-coded) MC, white bisexual female character, side MLM couple (interracial white and Black partners), queer female side characters, nonbinary side character, Indian-American female side characters both named Aparna, several Black side characters.

CWs: Abandonment, alcohol consumption. Moderate: suicidal thoughts (from a side character), racism.