From my blog post, part of the first paragraph about this book: When I saw that they had a FULL cast for the audiobook, I knew I really REALLY wanted to listen to it and my friends, I would HIIIIIIIIIIIIGHLY recommend taking that route because the narrators did a superb job! It’s a little under 5 hours and you won’t want to pause it (I finished it in 2 days). Since I listened to the audiobook, I couldn’t highlight things said (and I don’t know how to clip things, lol) but I definitely was taking mental notes.
*There is more to this review but there are multiple paragraphs so go check it out if you can.*

This was truly an amazing audiobook, filled with so much texture and the narrators really did their respective characters justice. This was an audio feast!

One note: the audiobook file I downloaded from NetGalley cut off about 60 pages before the book ended, luckily I didn't get to this until it was already published so I could check out a copy from the library to know how it ends.

The format of PROMISE BOYS took a bit for me to get into the swing of it, but once I did, I really enjoyed how the murder mystery played out given how large of a cast had a hand in narrating the plot. This was a gripping read that I think murder mystery reading teens will really enjoy.

This audiobook has a full cast, which was a nice touch given the multiple points of view and they all did a great job. It was narrated by: Alfred Vines; Anthony Lopez; Brad Sanders; Christopher Hampton; Eliana Marianes; Hannah Church; Henriette Zoutomou; Jaime Lincoln Smith; Maria Liatis; Renier Cortes; Suehyla El-Attar; Xenia Willacey.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Macmillan Young Listeners in exchange for an honest review.

What a wild ride! This YA Fiction is perfect for anyone who loves a good mystery solved through multiple POVs. This has some Good Girl's Guide to Murder meets Aces of Spades vibes. I really enjoyed the audio performance of this one...multiple narrators and great sound editing. Definitely recommend!

Unfortunately, the last hour of my audiobook was cut off but I enjoyed what I listened to of this book. The story is really interesting and the mystery is intriguing. I enjoyed the characters, they are all likable and endearing. I enjoyed how the author reveals their back stories a little bit at a time. I really liked hoe the story was told from each character’s point of view. I enjoy when authors incorporate interviews or interrogations into a story so I was happy to see that in this book. I thought the full cast narration was great! I also enjoyed the music and background noises. This audiobook almost had the feel of a podcast which I really liked,

Promise Boys is the story of three boys who are wrongfully accused of the murder of their school principal. They band together to try to solve the murder in order to prove their innocence. It's a powerful story tackling topics around race, poverty, education system, family and corruption.

I can't recommend enough that you listen to this one on audio. It is performed by a full cast and really makes the story come alive.

Highly recommended.

with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Promise Boys
by Nick Brooks
Narrated by Alfred Vines; Anthony Lopez; Brad Sanders; Christopher Hampton; Eliana Marianes; Hannah Church; Henriette Zoutomou; Jaime Lincoln Smith; Maria Liatis; Renier Cortes; Suehyla El-Attar; Xenia Willacey

Rating: 4.7/5 Stars

What struck me first was the narration of this book. I loved it! The full cast of actors really brought each and every character to life. Nick Brooks wrote an excellent story that is exactly as the summary said it was a great mix of One of Us is Lying, and The Hate U Give (which is a favorite of mine). Three ethnic boys are being accused of the murder of their school principal. Their school, this "Urban Promise" prep school, sounds like a nightmare, and the administrators and teachers are VERY strict. It seems as if there are motives to be had everywhere. You get a good glimpse into each person's life, their families, and other characters that are key figures in the school that they go to and others in the neighborhood.

I won't give anything away, but I really enjoyed this one. I wish it had been a little longer, to be honest, as it was under a 6 hour listen. I'll be looking forward to more stories by Mr. Brooks. I see great things coming from him!

Thanks to #NetGalley, MacmillanAudio, and the author for the chance to listen to and review this great ARC!

From the very start this book pulled me in! The audio version was amazing and the story is powerful and gripping!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read and review this book. I LOVED this book as an audiobook and highly suggest that EVERYONE listen to the book. It adds sooo much character and emotion to the characters and really makes you feel a part of the book. I believe my ending of the book was cut off, because I never found out what actually happened to the person in question, but still highly rate this book and hope that it is fixed when it is released.

This book gives exactly what it promised to. It delivers timely social commentary as well as a compelling mystery. The first third of the book or so is set up through interviews and news articles before diving in to get the perspectives of our three main suspects. The POVs all feel distinct and having the multi-media aspect keeps the story really fulfilling.

The social commentary comes through clearly and it does an impactful job of explaining how Brown and Black boys are villainized in America, even when they're succeeding at what they do. Yet, the book remains hopeful throughout the story, and J.B., Trey, and Ramon have strong support systems.

Promise Boys and Nick Brooks absolutely deserve all the praise they've been getting.

The audiobook is phenomenal - the full cast production and sound effects really take it to the next level.

This is a perfect YA mystery. The fast pace, multiple narratives and believable, relevant teen situations are sure to win over even the most reluctant teen reader. I love to see a teen mystery in the vein of One of Us Is Lying (Karen McManus) or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Holly Jackson) with black and brown male protagonists. That kind of representation is so needed in YA mystery genre. As a librarian who has worked with many teens, I know this book has an audience that has been waiting for a book like Promise Boys for so long. This book has the drama, scandal, romance and important themes of social justice that teens love! The audio version of Promise Boys is AMAZING. It is produced with a full cast of voice actors, music and sound design. I really loved this book and look forward to more stories from Nick Brooks!

The Promise Boys by Nick Brooks is a Young Adult thriller/literary fiction. Unfortunately, my recording ended too early, right before the big reveal and the wrap-up. I was able to still listen to the end of the book on a different website a few days later.
This is a fast-paced, immersive YA novel that covers a lot of important aspects of our society: race, racial profiling, poverty, gender, unfairness, greediness of those in charge and many other issues. The narration of the audiobook is wonderful: a full cast of talented actors brought the characters to life. The mixed media narration probably worked better as a book. However, the publisher was still able to give us a feeling of it being different pieces of interviews, social media posts and interactions, newspaper articles using clever sound effects.
I hope some actual young adults read or listen to this book. To hear a voice and a story that they can relate to or to learn a few things about the struggles some of their friends may face. And maybe it'll help prevent an unnecessary and cruel death.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with a copy of this audiobook. My review is voluntary and all of my opinions are honest.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for an advanced listening copy of this one in exchange for an honest review.

A very bingeable audiobook narrated by a full cast. When I saw the book being compared to Angie Thomas, Karen McManus and Jason Reynolds I was a bit skeptical, but I think that Mr. Brooks delivered, and this book deserves its comparisons.

It is a YA mystery so you must enter into it with the knowledge that it will not be the same as an adult read.

The world of Promise Prep Academy was one that was easy to get sucked into. It is a crazy school to picture with the strict rules (no talking in halls, following a line in the halls, etc), but these settings always pull me in.

The characters were all well written and easy to understand/feel for. Each had their own dreams and challenges, and I wanted them all to win and find success.

I really enjoyed this one on audio and applaud the full cast narration as I feel it added to the enjoyment of the story.

Promise Boys is an excellent YA thriller set in an inner city high school. At the beginning of the novel, the principal is murdered. Immediately a handful of BIPOC boys are under suspicion for the murder. Told from each of their perspectives and voiced by a full cast, this audiobook brings us each of their individual stories as well as the story of how they come together to catch the killer and prove their innocence.

I recommend jumping into this book as blind as you can. Nick Brooks does an amazing job of portraying realistic, messy teenagers and adults as well as all the issues common in schools today. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm glad that Macmillan Audio approved my request for the audio arc because wow! The ensemble cast was amazing! Each narrator brought so much life into the character that they portrayed. Even the short sections with interviews and news reports felt authentic.

I see other reviews mention that the setup took a while, but I actually really liked knowing each character, their backgrounds, and the intertwining relationships between them, their families and friends, their neighborhood, and not to mention, how their complicated relationships with the school, Urban Promise Prep, and its staff members affect everyone on varying levels. This is more of a character study and an examination of how inner city boys and their problems (whether real or perceived through a racialized lens) can be fixed through harsh rules and strict discipline.

While I was hooked on the whodunnit in the second half of the book, it turned out to be secondary to the character study aspect of the story. And tbh, I was disappointed that it ended so abruptly, hence the 4 star rating. There were still so many loose ends. I wanted a character study AND a mystery, but we can't all get what we want. Sigh...

Despite that, I'd still highly recommend the audiobook. It was very well produced and edited. One of the best full cast audiobooks I've listened to, and I'm someone who's listened to a ton of audiobooks.

I'd love to read more by Nick Brooks. What a great storyteller and promising writer!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio arc.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of The Promise Boys in exchange for my honest review. This book is written by Nick Brooks and narrated by Alfred Vines; Anthony Lopez; Brad Sanders; Christopher Hampton; Eliana Marianes; Hannah Church; Henriette Zoutomou; Jaime Lincoln Smith; Maria Liatis; Renier Cortes; Suehyla El-Attar; Xenia Willacey. 4.5 stars!

The Urban Promise Prep School in Washington DC is the school that promises to turn boys into men, keeping them out of trouble. But when Principal Moore is shot and killed at the school, three young Black men are suspects. All three say they are innocent and decide to band together to investigate.

I loved listening to this audiotape, complete with background sounds to totally immerse you into the experience. I really felt for these characters - they were trying their best and couldn't catch a break, either from their home life or the extreme discipline and rules of the school. In addition, it was just a good mystery that kept you guessing.

YA students who are enthralled with "The Hate You Give" by Angie Thomas or "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone are going to thrilled to have another book with characters and setting to which they can quickly relate. The three students suspected of murdering Principal Kenneth Moore at Urban Promise Prep, JB Williamson, Trey Jackson, and Ramon Zambrano are like urban YA students' friends or classmates. Their ability to bond to solve the mystery and clear their names is believable. The Audio version is stellar with a cast that adds much to the telling of the story by playing different roles, having news briefs, etc. This would be an engaging work to play and discuss with students who are struggling or ESOL. I truly appreciate #NetGaley and #MacmillanAudio for the opportunity to listen to the stellar presentation of an exemplary YA novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the Audio ARC of this book. Unfortunately, this ARC ended at Chapter 22 and I had to wait to finish the Book, but it was worth the wait. I enjoyed the story overall. It did remind me of One of us was lying, but in a good way. I Really Really enjoyed the Audiobook and the way the full cast narrated it.

JB, Trey & Ramón 3 teen boys of color attend a strict school called Urban Promise Prep. When their principal is murdered, they become suspects in his death. We watch as they are unfairly treated by the police, media & their own school.They are determined to prove their innocence and find the real killer. We get to know each of the 3 boys hopes, dreams and ambitions while watching them become amateur sleuths.

Promise Boys is a gut punch of a book that is taut, suspenseful and so well written. The audiobook is very well narrated with a stellar cast.

This book fully demonstrates the systemic racism and bias in the US criminal justice and educational systems. It also shines a light on the ways in which society continues to demonize Black and brown children - especially boys

Thank you Macmilian Audio for my ALC

I’m pretty sure the audio file on the app cuts off before the story ends. Because ending with Keyona asking about a basketball schedule just ain’t it.

However the story so far is fantastic. It’s very much a whodunnit, but with the added complexities of race, socioeconomic status, and what it means to be a ‘good’ person in society.

When Principal Moore of the Urban Promise charter school is shot dead, three boys who were meant to be in detention immediately become the prime suspects. JB, Trey, and Ramon each know that they are innocent but circumstances and their position as Black and Brown boys from impoverished backgrounds makes it hard for them to prove it.

This short novel (6.5 hour audiobook) does a great job of peeling back the layers on the three boys’ lives and on the quasi-military operation of the school. None of the three like the school and chafe under its oppressive and often pointless restrictions but they all see it as a means to an end. We get to see their aspirations: to get to college, own a store front, play sports, and, ultimately, break the cycle of their family’s poverty. There is also some very pointed commentary on the way (some) charter schools use their position to enhance individuals both financially and in terms of their status.

The boys finally team up to investigate the mystery (because nobody else is going to) and once they are able to challenge the assumptions they made about each and about other people they begin to make progress. It’s all wrapped up rather hurriedly and there’s really no surprises.

The audiobook was a full cast performance with music and sound effects and, while I generally prefer a straightforward reading, the format of the book lent itself very well to this production style and, I think, enhanced a fairly straightforward story.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the audiobook review copy.

Note: the audiobook review copy finished at around the 41/2 hours mark. I read the remainder of the book but felt I'd got enough of the flavor of the audiobook to be able to review it.