I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed this one a lot more than I anticipated. The conversations in relationship to the power dynamics that occur between educators and students was quite interesting. 4.5 Stars

Promise Boys is a YA thriller/mystery that follows the J.B., Ramon, and Trey as they attempt to clear their names when they are framed for the death of their prep school principal. Told through a variety of perspectives, readers follow along as they attempt to clear their names of the crime.

What Worked: I'm not going to lie. I was extremely nervous going into this book because of the topic. What I thought would heavily focus on the systemic racism that exists in the context of the judicial system actually covered the power dynamics that exist between students and teachers. It also explored the school to prison pipeline in a realistic way that will enlighten readers. Some of our very own children are conditioned to obey authority and to never question that same authority in a way that is reminiscent of those that serve time in jail and/or prison. I appreciated how these topics were handled and discussed. It not necessarily a topic that I see frequently in YA and Nick Brooks does a hell of job presenting these facts to the reader. Surprisingly, I also enjoyed the way that Brooks utilized a plethora of perspectives to capture the story. While some may find this to be a distraction, I think it was vital to getting not only a well developed plot, but also truly dynamic characters. It also reinforces the idea that we shouldn't be so quick to judge or LABEL our teens. It's never easy to tell what is going on in someone's background and labels, especially those given to children and teenagers, can be damaging. The audiobook for this was also FANTASTIC. The full cast production made a fast paced, entertaining plot even more of an enjoyable of a read.

One of my test of enjoying a mystery and/or thriller is the ability of the writer to keep the identity of the true murderer till the very end. Brooks knocked it out the park. I had a list of suspects and not a single one of them came remotely close to the identity revealed at the end of the book.

Honestly, if you're looking for fresh, new, and fun talent as it applies to YA mysteries and thrillers, I would definitely recommend checking this one out. I can't wait to read his middle grade book as well as anything else he writes in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The concept of this book sounded very interesting to me, and I really liked that it wasn't a super long book because these kinds of books can tend to drag on.

I also really enjoyed the characters in this story as well and that we followed each of their POVs, but I didn't find myself getting very captured by the story. I also really liked how the book was separated out, but overall, this one just fell flat for me.

This was such a great book!

I want to start off by saying that Nick Brooks' writing style is amazing. It allowed me to fly through this book, as I wanted to keep turning the pages as I tried to solve the murder mystery.

I thought J.B., Trey, and Ramon were all great characters to follow in this book. The three of them all come from different backgrounds, and yet I found myself rooting for all of them to succeed from the very beginning.

One thing that I think this book could have improved on is the balance between exposition and the actual story. The first half of the story was mostly setting up evidence and the characters (mostly through exposition). The second half was when we really got to follow along as the characters played detective and tried to solve the mystery. I will say though that I enjoyed how the book used different methods to convey the evidence (like interviews, newspaper articles, and side character voices, etc.)--that was cool.

I really thought I was going to love this one. Dark academia, murder, diversity? What's not to enjoy? While the story was good, I just personally didn't like the writing style.

I loved this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This delicious thriller spotlights how many of our system often condemns boys of color to failure long before they have a chance to succeed.

At Urban Promise Prep School they vow to turn boys into men. When the death of Principle Moore incriminates three young students of color. Ramón, J.B. and Trey find them themselves in a race against the clock to prove their innocence. Unless they can solve this crime and find the real murderer, one of them is going to jail.

Nick Brooks's Promise Boys is an iconic YA mystery that touches of topics of systemic racism, income inequality and political corruption. As you read this book you will feel all the feels, you will get goose bumps, your hair will stand on end and most importantly…. You will realize that you should know someone who has the life skills to pick a lock with two bobby-pins 🤪

This is a book that you will enjoy ever moment of, I PROMISE!

*Note that I received a pre-release copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review

The story progression and character development is just right, good pacing and believability. I was engrossed in this one and couldn't put it down!

I'm a complete sucker for an academic t
psychological thriller, and this one did not disappoint. I agree with the comparison to The Hate U Give, as well. I feel like usually these types of books are from the female perspective (or maybe I've only read female boarding school thrillers), but this was super refreshing being from the boys' perspective. A great thriller that keeps you reading late into the night while also being an eye-opening social commentary.

I ended up listening to this one on audio and I really enjoyed the full cast, it helped keep me engaged. I think if I read this physically I would not have been as engaged as I was. JB, Ramon and Trey must investigate their principal's murder in order to clear their own names. This is told from multiple POVs as well as interviews and articles from other people in the community which was helpful in getting to know the story and trying to figure it out yourself.

A beautifully written book that follows three brothers who make a promise to their dying father to always have each other’s back. While attending a private school for boys, their principal is found dead. An unpredictable novel that successfully navigated each boy’s experience. The author masterfully delved into controversial topics such as race, class, and the criminal justice system. Highly recommend!

This would be a good addition to the secondary school library. The external and internal conflicts are realistic. The main character is relatable.

The cover? Gorgeous! The Writing? Phenomenal! The murder mystery? Jaw dropping. This gave exactly what I wanted out of The Black Queen by Jumata Emill. The story had me hooked from the beginning to the end.

I listened to the audiobook version of "Promise Boys" and it's one of the best audiobooks I've listened to. It has an entire cast and ensemble and it's more like listening to a show than an audiobook. I loved it.

While, yes, it's an interesting mystery to find out who killed Principal Racist, it's a strong book for it's social commentary on racial and socioeconomic injustices.

It feels a little Get Out-esque and kept me entertained. I wasn't ever able to guess the real murderer, which was good.

I listened to the full cast audiobook and loved my reading experience. There are multiple POVs in this book that include four boys who are the prime suspects after their charter school principal is murdered in his office. The boys have to clear their names by finding who is the real killer. If you have some young men in your life that you are trying to get some books in front of, try this one.
I thought it did a great job of exploring the downsides of strict charter school rules targeted at boys of Color. The prison-like environment in the school that leads to this situation is something that should be discussed when reading this book.

I really liked this book, in fact I showcased it on my yearly vlog about titles I have read in the past year. I really liked the mystery element. The characterization of the characters was really special. I loved a lot about this book. However, I would have fleshed out the characters a lot more. This book was pretty short. I think that if the characters were a little bit more fleshed out and we delved deeper into the plot JUST a little bit, then it would have been a five star read for me. I really did like this book, though.

Three Urban Promise Prep school students become suspects when their principal is murdered. They must work together to identify the real killer and prove themselves innocent. Alternating POVs, we see the events leading up to Principal Moore's murder from the perspectives of J.B., Ramon, and Trey, mixed with the theories of other students/staff in the school and breaking news reports. The unique format is what helps this book stand out. I especially liked the full cast and sound features in the audiobook, but I'm not sure how captivating this would have been if I had read it instead of listening.

I ended up listening to this on audio and it did not disappoint with the full cast. If you have a chance, I highly recommend listening on audio for the full drama.

So many parts of this story resonated with me being a Latina woman but also things that I knew my own husband dealt with in school just for being a person of color. He is a high school dropout because he was labeled a problem child. There was a quote on the book that spoke about giving up on colored boys just because they weren’t learning the same as everyone else, so teachers immediately gave up on them. My husband experienced this.

In this story, a principle is murdered and three “problem children” are automatically suspected and one of them is almost framed for it without needing much evidence. He’s colored? That’s evidence enough. In this dark academia, we are all faced with what being different means and what being different can do to us.

Promise Boys is a murder mystery that follows three boys who are all suspects in their principal's murder. I flew through this book because I wanted to find out who the killer was. I liked how the author had the plot unfold by telling the story through multiple points of view for the main characters. The build up for explaining how the three boys could have been suspects was good and kept me wondering if one of the three hadn't actually done it.

A well written mystery set at an elite school. Deals with racism, stereotyping and treatment of others. HS students, both boys and girls, will love this book! Highly recommend.

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

A solid YA thriller that kept me guessing. Even though it's a relatively short book, I thought it was set up well and I enjoyed the different perspectives. There's a lot of characters to keep track of, but you get to know them quickly. Entertaining and timely.

This one actually got me - along the line of a Karen McManus mystery, this one was fabulous and diverse. I really enjoyed this book, and the dark corners of a mystery that it hit.