Dear Justyce

Edit: edited my star rating. Had some time to let this book sink in and it made me realise I didn't care about it as much as I had with Dear Martin.

This one didn't have the shocking factor the other one had. It still was a decent read!

Dear Justyce is a sequel to Dear Martin, but it reads more like a companion novel. It follows the life of Quan from childhood to present day where he is awaiting trial for murdering a police officer. This time, the book flips back and forth from letters to Justyce and chronological story telling. At times, the book gets hard to read because the author uses big spaces to illustrate when Quan is feeling overwhelmed or having a panic attack, but it is a quick read.

Quan's story is one not often told in fiction. I love how this book centered around his thoughts of really, when did things change for him. Was it a moment? Or was it inevitable? The story is empowering, albeit it is obviously not we know these tragedies tend to go. But, I think Stone gives us an example of a different kind of story that we should be able to tell and should be our goal. If all children in juvenile detention centers had such a dedicate support group, maybe their stories would end more like Quan's. It's a good read, especially for fans of Jason Reynolds and all who appreciate YA Fiction with lots of character development.

Nic Stone is my new writing hero. She nails everything, plot, dialogue, characterization but still manages to be hella versatile with each new book.

Thanks to a child-free morning (

ARC from NetGalley. 4.5 Teens will love this as much if not more than Dear Martin. You don't have to have read Dear Martin before reading this, but it's a direct continuation of characters and story, so it'll make more sense & increase your enjoyment of you have. You'll see updates on not just Quan but Justyce, SJ, Doc, and Jared, and on Quan's side, Martel, Trey, and Brad. I knocked of half a star because there's some weirdly abrupt plot explanation (especially the scene with Justyce, SJ, & Jared in car). The story is ultimately hopeful, and though you want it to be true, it's unfortunately not that believable, so I'm glad Nic addressed that in her note at the end. A great discussion book and class read for 8th - 10th ELA. This will definitely be on the next Project Lit list! I plan to get multiple copies for the library, because demand is going to be HIGH.