Kings of B'more had so much potential and I'm slightly disappointed at the way this one turned out. What I thought was going to be a book that centered Black boy joy ended up falling into the trap of showcasing the trauma of what it's like to be a Black boy in America. CW: parental abandonment, racism, harrasement, mental illnessKings of B'more focuses on two queer Black boys who live in Baltimore by the name of Harrison and Linus. They are best friends and do everything together. In fact, Harrison plans for them to attend college together until Linus reveals that he's moving to Charleston with his dad. After watching Ferris Beuller's Day Off, Harrison decides to plan a last day for Linus in honor of their friendship. The two end up doing some pretty amazing things together while trying to avoid having to let each other go. There were a few things that I did enjoy about this book including the fact that it simply focused on the friendship between Linus and Harrison. I was happy to know that there wasn't some secret plot to get them together in a romantic way. This book literally was about the two of them exploring their deep love for each other and figuring out how to keep their bond once Linus moved away. I also adored Linus. It wasn't that I disliked Harrison, but Linus was definitely more my speed and my heart broke so much for him having to deal with the relationship that existed between him, his mom, and his dad. There was a level of complexity about him as a character that we didn't always get with Harrison and I appreciated that. It was a good contrast between the two personalities. While I wanted to enjoy the sightseeing and other various experiences that Linus and Harrison shared during that day, I was completely torn away from the story by the insertion of racism that happens at the museum. Honestly, this story didn't need to include that. I know that it is a narrative that deserves its space in the world of literature, but this was about two Black queer boys figuring out their friendship. Adding racism and then overbearing parents who constantly reminded them that they weren't safe and needed to be watched at all times was too much. It took the joy away from the novel to the point that I couldn't even fully emotionally connect to the ending which was supposed to be extremely sentimental. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that racism wouldn't have happened or that it shouldn't be discussed in books for teens, but give them something to be happy about. This book would have been at least a four star read for me without that element. Overall, I think it's a solid book and a lot of readers both teen and adult will enjoy it. There are theater references that I enjoyed. These may be over the top for some readers, but for me it was perfect and lends well to Harrison's personality. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the book was overshadowed by the racism and the overprotective parents. Nevertheless, I'll be interested in seeing what R. Eric Thomas writes in the future.