I didn't think I was ready to read a book about the pandemic and all the political unrest that came about alongside it. Turns out I was wrong. Because I really liked this book.
It opens with Andre getting out of juvvie, with an ankle monitor and a lot of kind, but gruff instructions from his case worker. Andre is a little indignant about the whole thing because he knows he's innocent of the crime he was convicted of, but he wasn't able to convince anyone else of that, so he did the time. He feels that it's totally unfair that he still has to be monitored.
His indignation fades when he gets home to discover his father hasn't even bothered to stay home from work to greet him. He's embraced by his grandparents and quickly reconnects with his next door neighbors, one of whom is his long-term crush, Sierra. But everything isn't the same. Sierra's brother Eric is gone and no one seems to know where or why. Andre has suspicions - Eric was definitely involved in the crimes he was convicted for - and he's been counting on him to be able to prove his innocence.
Andre starts searching for Eric, but things just don't add up. Leads turn into dead ends and it becomes increasingly certain that Eric's adoptive father is lying - but about what? As COVID19 spreads and people begin getting sick and dying, even those close to Andre, the search for Eric becomes more complicated and dangerous.
And when Sierra joins the Black Lives Matter protests on the streets, Andre is forced to make some difficult decisions about his own life and the community he so desperately wants to hold together.
There were a lot of issues brought up in this book, but because they are all seen through Andre's eyes, it never felt overwhelming. He is a wonderful POV character, a good kid who has seen and experienced too much to be innocent, but wants more for himself than the life he sees others falling into. He's smart and passionate (especially about 80s and 90s music, which makes for an interesting quirk) and endlessly loyal to the people he cares about. He's not naturally a rule breaker, but is not above exploiting a loophole if he finds one and it's useful.
The other thing I liked very much about this book was that Andre's family were close by. So often in YA books, parents and authority figures are killed off or just absent (and yeah, I'm guilty of that as much as any other YA writer) but both Andre's family and Sierra's were very present in the book, whether for good or bad.
The background of COVID and the riots grounded this story into a reality that felt very contemporary and scarily accurate.
So I'd recommend this one. It's exciting, sad, scary and very relevant.
But don't just listen to me. Here's the blurb:
From the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of This Is My America comes another thriller about a wrongly accused teen desperate to recclaim both his innocence and his first love.Life can change in an instant.
When you’re wrongfully accused of a crime.
When a virus shuts everything down.
When the girl you love moves on.
Andre Jackson is determined to reclaim his identity. But returning from juvie doesn’t feel like coming home. His Portland, Oregon, neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying, and COVID-19 shuts down school before he can return. And Andre’s suspicions about his arrest for a crime he didn’t commit even taint his friendships. It’s as if his whole life has been erased.
The one thing Andre is counting on is his relationship with the Whitaker kids—especially his longtime crush, Sierra. But Sierra’s brother Eric is missing, and the facts don’t add up as their adoptive parents fight to keep up the act that their racially diverse family is picture-perfect. If Andre can find Eric, he just might uncover the truth about his own arrest. But in a world where power is held by a few and Andre is nearly invisible, searching for the truth is a dangerous game.
Critically acclaimed author Kim Johnson delivers another social justice thriller that shines a light on being young and Black in America—perfect for fans of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone.
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