Promise Boys is the kind of thriller that goes beyond a "whodunit" and truly explores the socioeconomic and racial inequities in education. While the main story revolves around three boys (Ramon, Trey, and J.B.) who have been accused of murdering the principal of their urban prep school, voices from a number of other people contribute to making this story particularly impactful. Urban Promise Prep is a school that demands absolute perfection from its students, who are primarily boys of color. Any infraction can get them kicked out of school or humiliated in front of their peers. It is a school that seems to model itself after a prison-- a breaker, not a maker, of men. However, that seems to be exactly what the community wants it to be.

With this novel, Nick Brooks shines a light on the way that implicit and explicit biases play a role in some of our most important institutions. This is a well-written, fast paced, and eye opening read.

3.5 stars: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝘂𝘁:

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗱:
-the use of charter schools as sometimes problematic, topical, provocative,
-kids of different racial backgrounds, highlighting their connections
-building is tension and mystery surrounding the murder of the principal

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝗗𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲:
-simplistic ending - wrapped up far too neatly
-fast pov changes - I would’ve liked to dive deeper into characters before switching
-writing style a bit simplistic for me, tho it is YA, but teens can handle complexity

This new author shows great promise and I look forward to what he writes next:)

A solid thriller that also gives you a glimpse at what it's like in America for young men who aren't white. The mystery is fairly easy to solve, but it's still intriguing. And if schools like this really exist - and I fear they do - we should shut them all down immediately.

Promise Boys is a dark academia mystery/thriller. Three boys at a private school determined to lift students of color up each have beef with their overbearing principal. When he gets shot at school, they are the prime suspect. Working together for the first time ever, they try to prove their innocence.

Excellent recommendation for high school library. 3.5/5

Promise Boys is a mystery that gives a socially relevant message about stereotyping, the value of cooperation, and false perceptions. It gives lessons about those themes to the reader without being obvious. It also doesn’t follow the usual formula for murder mysteries. The story is told through interviews of classmates, friends, and teachers, along with police reports and suspect interrogations as well as personal reflections of the three boys at the center of the story. I have not read any mysteries that use this format. Promise Boys is truly unique and engrossing.
A charismatic principal of Promise Academy is murdered. Each of three teenagers-J.B, Trey, and, Ramón- are students at the school and each is accused of the murder based on the stereotypical views of others. The boys form an unlikely partnership in order to solve the mystery and exonerate themselves. They enlist the help of fellow classmates. Others at the school become possible suspects , but the teens eventually find out they were not involved. At the end of the book the mystery is solved and the principal turns out to not be the kind of upstanding person he was thought to be and the murderer turns out to be someone others would not have suspected.
I think this novel would appeal to even those who usually do not want to read mysteries . It truly can appeal to almost any reader. Also, it can be enjoyed by adults, even though it is considered a book for young adults. I highly recommend reading it.

Yes! Excellent book from cover to cover. Fast paced with an air of mystery and a hint of rebellion/awakening!

This book would be perfect for students to read.

One day Principal Moore is found dead in the school. The suspects are 3 students from the elite inner city prep school. All rumors begin flying. Who actually murdered the Principal?

I teach 8th grade. I adored this book. There are so many lessons. It discusses racial biases in society as well as ageism in the sense that teens are often automatically guilty. The characters were great and interesting and I enjoyed the mystery of it. I felt the roller coaster of emotions throughout the story as the characters struggled with trying to prevent their future from slipping away. I think many inner city students will be able to relate. This was a great YA story.

2.5 stars Three young boys accused of murdering the principal of their charter high school. Should be a page turner from the start. There are a lot of things that are good in this book, but there are threads that don't add, but actually detract from the story. Took a little too long to get to solving the murder but readers will cheer on all three students as they figure out who is at fault.

The principal of a prep school is murdered. Three students are the main suspects and must work together to prove that they're all innocent.

I think one of my favorite things about this is the format. At the beginning, you get a little bit from a bunch of different people before you get chapters from the main three characters. Trey, J.B., and Ramon all have distinct enough voices that they aren't easily confused with each other. The writing is also easy to read. All of the chapters are very short, and so is the book itself, which makes it a really quick read.

Rep: Black main and side characters, Latino (El Salvadoran mostly) main and side characters, an ESL speaker, and non-standard English speakers.

CW: racism, murder, gun violence, physical violence, blood, cops being dicks, and mentions of child pornography, cancer death, death of a parent, incarceration of a parent, gang violence, and addiction.

I look forward to what Nick Brooks writes next.

I'm on the fence with this one. Some of the male characters were a bit hard to keep straight. The "big reveal" wasn't really a surprise. Therefore, it wasn't as much of a mystery as I'd hoped. I did like how the guys worked together in hopes of sharing kindness and trying to make the world a bit better.

Promise Boys is an interesting book that takes the reader on a ride from perspective to perspective as the boys try to figure out the person behind the murder. This is a high interest and timely read. I would add it to my classroom library and give positive book talks about it.

Thank you to @FierceReads, NetGalley, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group/Henry Holt and Co. for sending this e-arc of PROMISE BOYS by @officialnickbrooks to read and review!

PROMISE BOYS by NICK BROOKS is a young adult mystery following three teen boys that are forced to investigate their principal's murder to clear their names. Urban Promise Prep School was created to help create boys into men with extreme discipline, rules, uniforms, and all. For some, attending Urban Promise could be life-changing and launch them into the school/career of their dreams. What J.B., Trey, and Ramon don't expect is being suspects in their principal's murder to be the life changing event.

When I saw that this book was marketed towards fans of Karen McManus, Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, and Juliana Goodman, I couldn't pass up reading this immediately. With that being said, I think I set myself up for high expectations and ended up being disappointed in the long run. I was excited for the premise and enjoyed the majority of it. When switching between character POVs (the story is told through interviews, flashbacks, emails, texts, newspaper articles, and the current timeline with 4+ POVs) I was surprised by how easy it was tell who's who (I often struggle with differentiating characters when multiple POVs are introduced). Of the three main boys, Ramon is my current favorite; I found myself connecting with him and being more interested in his story than the other characters. I was frustrated alongside the boys and trying to figure out why someone would frame them for murder (it seemed like a wrong place, wrong time situation and they were being framed for the benefit of the murderer.) I was rooting for them to clear their names and to get the happy endings they were looking for. However, I started to lose interest around the 50% mark. I realized that the boys investigating the murder to clear their names hadn't really started yet and for me to be to 50% through felt slow. Their investigation felt quick and convenient, but I did read an ebook arc copy so I wouldn't be surprised if when these events happen differ in the physical copy or if edits were made. It wasn't making much sense to me how they made the connection. I was not surprised by the reveal. Not that it was bad, just that I think it would've been more shocking if it was a different character. With all of the that being said, I will be giving this three stars. If you liked the previously mentioned authors and academic mystery settings, check this book out!

My Content Featuring This Book: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkQZJburMR3/
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I freaking LOVED this book. It had so many perspectives, both from main and secondary characters, as we try to unravel the mystery at Urban Promise Prep. It serves up dark academia vibes, haunting mysteries, and just this feeling of general dread. Plus it has that lovely multimedia of texts, emails, and news articles throughout. I do feel like some of the mystery could've been foreshadowed better or maybe just upped the ante, but it's overall a really great YA mystery.

*Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Trey, J.B and Ramón are not friends, at least not until they are all suspects in their principals murder! All three are students at the renowned Promise Academy which often feels more like a jail than a school where young men of color are being made into “men” but where most find it suffocating and overbearing. Now these three young men have to work together to clear their names and prove their innocence, something that they wouldn’t have to do if their skin was a different color or they came from a different place. As a public school teacher this book brought up a lot of my feelings about Charter Schools in general as well the state of education in this country. I throughly enjoyed this book and look forward to bringing it into my classroom.

The Utban Promise Prep School is incredibly prestigious and promises to turn boys into men who will do great things. The school rules are very strict, no talking, no cell phones, demerits if you forget your belt or walk the wrong way. The principal, Kenneth Moore, is a beloved member of the community, but his students have a different opinion. He is shot and killed and there are immediately three suspects, all non-white boys. I loved these boys and admired their hopes and dreams. Ultimately these boys, who maintained their innocence, band together to solve the murder. The plot is unique and the characters and story simply amazing.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Urban Promise Prep School raises boys to be successful. It's not easy--there are high expectations. No talking. Walk correctly. Do your homework. Strict discipline requires the students to succumb to punishment and do better. It may not always be fair, but they'll learn.

J. B., Ramon, and Trey don't know each other, really, however, they all end up in detention. It's a bad day to be in detention. All the boys are separated from each other and from the detention monitor when a gun shot rings out. The principal has been murdered. He's the backbone of the school, the man who transforms these boys into men. Because the boys were in detention, they are the main suspects. They each have reasons to kill him--if one believes people can have a reason to kill another human. Two can be connected to the gun, but where is it now?

As the novel progresses, the boys discover new parts of themselves and truths about their personal lives, for J. B., Ramon and Trey have difficult home lives for different reasons. They also discover that they need to solve the mystery together. People who believe in them help as well. Is one of them the killer after all? Can they find a way to look for clues?

Overall, I enjoyed the novel. I did have trouble remembering which kid was whom because I could only read a chapter or two at night and the guys ran together in my head. I didn't think it was surprising who the murderer ended up being, and they really didn't have to do a lot of investigating. Therefore, the novel isn't really a mystery with clues and narrow escapes and suspenseful surprises. It's about the boys and how people can take advantage of people with limited opportunities and pre-conceived ideas concerning them. It's about working together to make the world better, to realize power and money corrupt, so fight to be recognized as a human and fight for others' recognition as well. Make the world better with kindness, not with power.

This was well written and had me turning the pages. Even if I was surprised by the reveal. I liked the ride and the three boys and the complexities of their lives.

This is the story of three high school students of color, falsely accused of murdering their principle. All with reasons to be angry at him for the repressive environment he created. The beginning of the book was a little slow and while I understand the chapters from various community members etc were trying to make a point, it might have worked better with less of this and more of the boys stories. They eventually came together to solve the murder

Promise boys is a gripping novel perfect for fans of the hate u give!! This novel is incredible. It’s perfect for anyone who likes a thriller ya.

WOW! Incoming YA mystery sensation!

The Urban Promise Prep School vows to turn boys into men. As students, J.B., Ramón, and Trey are all forced to follow the prestigious school’s incredibly strict rules, which are enforced by Principal Moore.

But when Moore ends up murdered and the cops come to investigate, these three are quickly marked as the case's prime suspects. With all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they go down for it. This incredible thriller shines a glaring light on how the system too often condemns Black and Latinx teen boys to failure before they’ve even had a chance at success.

This was such a fast read! It was so easy to get lost in, and before you know it a few hours have passed and you’re on the final chapter. I loved the format, with switching perspectives, interviews, newspaper excerpts, and more, it felt really fresh and helped drive the story along at a quick pace. I truly can’t recommend it enough to anyone looking for a YA mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!