I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Pritty by Keith F. Miller Jr. Series: Pritty #1
Published by HarperTeen on 11/14/23
Genres: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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On the verge of summer before his senior year, Jay is a soft soul in a world of concrete. While his older brother is everything people expect a man to be—tough, athletic, and in charge—Jay simply blends into the background to everyone, except when it comes to Leroy.
Unsure of what he could have possibly done to catch the eye of the boy who could easily have anyone he wants, Jay isn’t about to ignore the surprising but welcome attention. But as everything in his world begins to heat up, especially with Leroy, whispered rumors over the murder of a young Black journalist and long-brewing territory tensions hang like a dark cloud over his neighborhood. And when Jay and Leroy find themselves caught in the crossfire, Leroy isn’t willing to be the reason Jay’s life is at risk.
Dragged into the world of the Black Diamonds—whose work to protect the Black neighborhoods of Savannah began with his father and now falls to his older brother—Leroy knows that finding out who attacked his brother is not only the key to protecting everyone he loves but also the only way he can ever be with Jay. Wading through a murky history of family trauma and regret, Leroy soon discovers that there’s no keeping Jay safe when Jay’s own family is in just as deep and fighting the undertow of danger just as hard.
Now Jay and Leroy must puzzle through secrets hiding in plain sight and scramble to uncover who is determined to eliminate the Black Diamonds before someone else gets hurt—even if the cost might be their own electric connection.
Short and Sweet Review
Pritty centers around two teens, Jay and Leroy. Jay is more soft around the edges and isn’t one to find himself in a lot of trouble. Leroy is more rough around the edges and is one to find himself in trouble even when he isn’t looking for it. Jay seems to think he belongs in the background but Leroy always notices him. We see a group called the Black Diamonds who are dedicated to protect black neighborhoods in Savannah, but someone is coming after them and isn’t afraid to start killing to get what they want. Leroy is closely affiliated with the Black Diamonds as his brother and Aunt currently run it and Leroy knows to keep Jay safe he needs to keep his distance.
Pritty is a deep novel, we have Jay and Leroy and it truly feels like a coming of age novel. Jay has a lot of character development throughout the book, so does Leroy but I thought Jay did a lot of growing. The Black Diamonds are a group that want to protect black neighborhoods but when a reporter ends up dead and someone shoots at Leroy and Jay things change. Taj is Leroy’s brother and the head of the black diamonds and he’s basically an older brother and a father figure for Leroy. Jay has his older brother Jacob who tries to protect him. The book is about Jay and Leroy but also so much more, it includes love, family, and friends. There’s a lot that goes on through the book but I think my favorite part is seeing the effort Leroy puts in to show Jay that he truly does care about him. There is also a bit of a mystery surrounding who is after the black diamonds and I’m interested in seeing how that will play out in the next book.
Pritty is a beautiful book, and its raw and thought provoking. Jay and Leroy are characters that you can connect to and feel for. I loved the integration of the families and seeing Jay and Leroy’s upbringing. Jay and Leroy are different but when they get together the world around them disappears. This is a book I highly recommend.
