Well, this book was a bummer.
The synopsis really appealed to me, but the execution? It totally failed to hold my attention.
I didn't connect or care for the characters at all and the writing, in my opinion, was not easy to go through. Also, this book most of the time, again...in my opinion, reads a lot YA, which I wasn't expecting, since it isn't marketed as young adult.

The story opens with the death of Craig, unfolding into a story about how his local friends deal with both the aftermath of his overdose/suicide and the imminent threat of gentrification.

Unfortunately, the story is poorly written. It is nearly all dialogue and while there are far too many characters, not a single one is likeable or remotely sympathetic. Even Craig, whose death underlies the premise of the story, doesn't have much depth or backstory. The constant references to specific geographic landmarks are useless if you're not from Troy and distracting even if you are. This very much felt like a rough draft.

I would recommend this to bitter townies looking for a story about small town friendship, who don't mind a story with more emphasis on plot than character development or writing quality.

The cover was immediately recognizable to me because it’s my hometown of Troy, NY. I couldn’t wait to read it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Three star read in my opinion. Several characters that are affected by the MC’s death. I found the writing to be mediocre and the story didn’t flow as well as
I had hoped it would.

My favorite parts were when Troy landmarks were mentioned!

I found this book so tiresome I decided not to finish it. I hardly ever quit a book before the end. Perhaps I just don't fit the target audience, but I found the writing to be juvenile, for young teen boys who want to be cool. A run-on narrative that goes nowhere.