I very much enjoyed Kim Johnson's debut novel This is my America and I was excited to see what she brought us in her second novel. Overall the story is very good and timely. I felt it had a slow start, but by about halfway through I was hooked. Although I enjoyed this story very much, it also felt like Johnson tried to put too much into it. It dealt with racism, juvenile incarceration, issues of consent, gentrification, and dealing with Covid. I realize that many of those issues are interrelated, woven into our social structures, but dealing with so many aspects of racism in one book meant that we didn't get a deep look at them. Perhaps the interrelation was one of the points, but for me it made the novel feel overloaded. All of these are important issues to look at and I hope that Johnson writes them into further novels, but I hope that she focuses in on one or two rather than trying to take it all on at one time.

3.75, rounded up. I wanted to like this more than I did. The premise is great, the mystery component is compelling, but I found fault with the writing. The many social issues felt too obviously woven in. The pacing felt sluggish & like I was beaten over the head with some of the details. It felt long to me in many parts and took me longer to read than it should have. I enjoyed it, but was taken from my enjoyment by the issues I had with it.

This was a fast-paced YA read about Dre, recently home from juvenile detention wrongfully accused. We follow Dre as he navigates family, friendship, and trying to stay on the right side of probation.

The premise of the story was promising. I was intrigued by the Whitaker family. The mixed race, blended family with both biological and adopted children had a lot going on. I was rooting for Andre as he tried to figure out what happened to his friend Eric and deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andre made a few reckless decisions (staying out late, putting himself in harm's way), but I chalk it up to his age. It was a timely novel that addressed many social issues - specifically racism & law enforcement. It was a little heavy-handed at times, but it was a true reflection of today's world.

I don't know how to start this review. I really loved this book and I think that more people need to read it when it comes out. I'm not going to lie this was a little it of a hard read at times but I think that it was well worth the payoff.

Invisible Son

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The was just wow. I was emotionally tied to this story Andre Jackson is new released from Juvenile Detention and is trying to find his footing in the world now.Andre was falsely convicted and starts to get to the bottom of what happened. While Andre tries to rekindle his relationship with Sierra, his best friend’s sister, but finds out his best friend is missing. Sierra and Eric were adopted by a “perfect” and racial level diverse family but soon it comes out they are not as perfect as everyone thinks.
Several topics covered in this story include Covid 19, racial injustice, false imprisonment, racial and socioeconomic divide. This book didn’t shy away from the incident that marred the world we are living in and the author handles this depiction well. I thorough enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing story of a teen out on probation for a crime he didn't do. Soon after he returns home the corona virus shuts down his world again while he tries to friend that he took the fall for. With help from old friends truths come to light about his friend and the family that adopted him and his sister. Can he save his friend from a horrid fate? Or will his probation restrictions, protests for race issues, a shut down city, and other factors get in his way.

WOW! What a POWERFUL book!

Kim Johnson’s latest, INVISIBLE SON, was so captivating to me. It was so interesting to see the nation of the past few years through the eyes of a young, black teen who’s just home from from juvie after being wrongfully accused of a crime.

All Andre Jackson wants to do when he gets home is rekindle a budding relationship with his neighbor Sierra, who is an adopted child in a “perfectly” racially diverse family across the street, and clear his name in a crime he did not commit. He believes that the only way he can do that is to find Sierra’s brother, Eric who disappeared shortly after Andre’s arrest. With his ride or die best friend, Booger, he sets out to do just that. But that’s not going to be as easy as it sounds.

With politics, policing, prejudices, protests, …oh, and did I mention a pandemic(?), Andre faces a serious up hill climb. Throw in an unauthorized, menacing former corrections officer who can be found lurking around seemingly just trying to catch Andre violating the conditions of his release, including an ankle monitor, and Andre is dragging a 100 lb ball up that hill. Thankfully he has a REAL supervision officer, Marcus, who ‘gets it’.

As a former at risk youth supervisor myself, this story took me back to the time I spent working with these wonderful kids who had so much to offer this world! BRAVO, MS. JOHNSON! BRAVO!!

Kim Johnson once again knocks it out the park. This woman proves why she is a force to be reckoned with. Page after page this story pulls you in leaves you wanting more.

Phenomenal book that hold the pulse of the time so perfectly. He not only accurately depicts how closed-in and scary Covid-19 was, but of how the wrongly accused and tried of black an brown peoples. This should be required reading high school for everyone. Props to you Kim Johnson, I will read anything you write because of this amazing book! Thank you for gift or being able to read it.

Kim Johnson does a wonderful job of making you root for Andre even when he is not making the best choices in how he is handling the things going on around him. Invisible Son deals with racism, abuse, adoption & belonging during the outbreak of COVID. There are a lot of social issues being dealt with throughout the novel but I love that Andre is surrounded by loving adults (his parents, grandparents, Terry, and even Marcus) that support him. This book will be easy to book talk to students.

Wonderfully written with a beautiful cover. Andre, the main character, was accused of committing a crime when he did not. The book focuses on this point, as well as the gentrification of his neighborhood, his missing friend and his changing friendships post-release from juvenile detention, as well as a love interest. The book takes place at the beginning of the pandemic and is very relevant for todays youth and young adults, including BLM rallies, Trump ridiculousness and other modern references. Overall I really enjoyed the characters and themes throughout this story and found it profound and relevant for todays readers. I think it’s a great read and important for todays teens and adults to pick up. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

Readers will empathize with an unjustly convicted Andre, who wants his life to return to normal. He is tethered by an ankle monitor with a curfew of 9 pm, supervised by a probation officer and must complete community service hours at Parks and Rec where he worked when he was sent to juvie for a crime he did not commit. The additional mystery of Andre's missing friend and next-door neighbor Eric Whitaker adds suspense to an already tense social justice thriller. The novel examines racial inequities, injustice, racism, the BLM movement, the George Floyd protests and gentrification while also showing the deep bonds of teenage friendship and love.

Andre wants to find out who set him up and why Eric has disappeared. The novel begins after his release as the coronavirus pandemic begins and social justice protests start occurring in his city. Andre also explores his feelings for Eric's sister, Sierra. The author rounds out this amazing thriller by creating authentic characters who have a music review YouTube channel where they livestream or video their reactions to popular music of the past - each chapter is a song on DJ Andre's playlist. This multi-layered narrative will appeal to all teens. I feel this will be as popular as read-alikes The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, All American Boys by Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. This is a must purchase for all school libraries and public libraries. I believe it will never be checked in for long as it also boasts the most beautiful book cover of 2023. Plan on seeing this title on YA book award lists in the future.

An innocent black teenager boy’s life can change in an instant when he is in the wrong place at the wrong time! Andre Jackson : a young teenager who just wanted to have fun with his friends for one night, lowering his guard, flirting with neighbor girl he’s having a big crush.

But very next day, he finds himself convicted with a crime he didn’t commit and sent directly to the juvie after accepting plea deal. He didn’t point at the real perpetrator. Instead of becoming a rat, he accepted his unfair faith and sent to his cell to spend his time in terror, questioning his entire life.

Now he’s out, under scrutinizing eyes of his parole office who acts like he’s a member of his family, returning back to his Portland/ Oregon neighborhood to live his grandparents. Both of his parents don’t stop by earlier to see him, buried their heads to their jobs or rejecting the idea that their son is not the innocent kid they raised anymore.

The Whitaker family is his only anchor left behind from his old life. Eric and Sierra are the adopted kids of the family who are also black, exploiting the privilege to be part of a powerful family. But when he knocks their door, he realizes things also changed about the Whitakers. Her long time crush Sierra already moved on, dating with the guy who ruined his life. And Eric is his friend who can help him to clear his name is missing. He left the house at the same night of his conviction.

Andre tries to adapt in a changing and chaotic world in the middle of pandemic where schools are closed, people are stay at home quarantine, crazy politicians giving inappropriate, unreliable speeches during their rallies.

He has to find a way to prove he is innocent and he has to take his old life back! Firstly he has to find where Eric is hiding. But when he starts searching the things he’ll find may change everything about his trust to the divine justice.

The conclusion of the book truly rocked my world and shook me to the core. Andre/ Dre’s honest, realistic voice and his heart wrenching story affected me deeply. This thought provoking, unconventional, powerful book is absolutely another MUST READ from the brilliant author of This is My America.
Giving my brightest five stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Random House Books for Young Readers for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

This was a great read and I was in aww reading it. I feel like it touched on so much that I'm sure is felt when returning from juvie. It's like you have to find yourself all over again and then you're dealing with things that weren't going on before such as COVID etc. I feel like this is a great read for YA adults to read so that they can see what could be. All in all I most certainly recommend this book. Thank you for the ARC

This was okay, but I felt that the plot was overall rushed and I also didn't really connect with the story or the characters.