Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the copy of Up In Smoke, this review reflects my personal thoughts.

Up In Smoke is a YA mystery/thriller in which we follow main character Cooper in his quest to solve a crime before his best friend is charged for it. These characters live in a rough neighborhood in Washington, while protests over the recent killing of a black teen have been happening more and more often. Cooper gets involved in something he shouldn't and that ends up putting him closer to the crime than he expected. This gets even more complicated when the person helping him solve the crime is his best friend's sister, Mo, who also happens to be Cooper's long time crush.
This book follows two black teenagers trying to find the truth in a web of ever more complex clues and red herrings, where police are involved and a lot seems to be at stake.

Some things in this book worked for me, while others sadly fell a little flat.
The teens appeared to be teens, which I appreciated, they sounded like teenagers and they acted like teenagers most of the time too. Yet they got into situation that need a little too much suspension of disbelief for my taste. Very few consequences and a road to the answer that seemed a little too easy to navigate.
The mystery itself was interesting and well constructed, but the pace felt at times a little too rushed.
The chemistry between the two main characters was there, I didn't particularly think it was a true "forbidden romance" but I was rooting for them since the beginning.

I thought overall it was a good quick read with some messages that at times they did feel a little "holier than thou" but that are still important to write about. It reads really quickly and I would definitely recommend it to a younger audience, who I think would enjoy it more than I did. The quick pacing would really help new readers stay hooked on the plot.

This book was certainly a page turner! 3 days to read because I didn't want to stop. Jason's journey has you feeling all of the emotions and I will certainly be recommending this to the high school librarian!

Thank you, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, for the copy of Up In Smoke by Nick Brooks. This book reminded me why I love YA books, even at my advanced age. I loved the insight into teens and their lives, slang, and relationships. Cooper was a great main character, and his dilemma about the secret he was hiding made me yell at him and want him to come clean. The story was intriguing and timely, and would make a great movie. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

"Up in Smoke" is a young adult realistic fiction novel by Nick Brooks. Cooper is a Black teen in Washington, DC. During what is supposed to be a peaceful march, Cooper is pressured to go looting with his friend, Jason. When there is a shooting and a local woman is killed, Cooper's friend gets blamed and arrested. Did he do it? Will Cooper get arrested? Cooper and Jason's sister team up to try and find the real killer, but he has to hide the fact that he was part of the looting. A tense mystery that discusses the realities of racism and police violence, this is a recommended purchase for all YA collections.