Boys Don’t Cry is one of those rare books in which you become so immersed in the lives of its characters, you forget – for fleeting moments – that you’re reading fiction.

It’s phenomenal stuff.

It’s a powerful debut novel that deserves all the praise it’s currently receiving.

I do wish it was slightly longer, however.

The novel is well paced for the most part, but a major incident that occurs in the final few chapters of the novel raises a host of questions about the fate of certain characters.

Questions I was desperate for answers to.

On the whole though, Boys Don’t Cry is an emotionally-driven, sometimes dark, but overall endearing examination of adolescence, grief, and the pressures faced by young men in a hyper-masculine environment.

With all this in mind, I would strongly recommend that you pick up a copy!

Like so many people, I was so moved by Finn and Joe, the brothers who narrate Fíona Scarlett's debut novel, Boys Don't Cry. The book paints a vivid picture of life growing up in a tower block of flats in Dublin, and despite difficulties in their upbringing they have their joyous memories and beloved friends and most of all, each other. Joe is the elder, protective brother who shields Finn from the trouble at home and looks after him when their father has to go to prison. However, when Finn becomes ill their fragile happiness is shattered and Joe is forced to leave his childhood behind and survive in a cruel world.

I particularly liked the relationships between the people living in the flats making the best lives for themselves as possible, despite the power that feared criminal "The Badger" worlds over all of their families, and the exploration of how people from "better" families treat Joe. I only thought that some of the action towards the end of the book is a bit rushed and unclear, the slower, more reflective passages are so touching. This is a short but powerful first novel that should be consumed in as few sittings as possible so you can get fully immersed in this lovely, sad story.

Loved this book, great characters and although not a completely unusual topic it had some more unusual elements and was a true tear jerker at the end.

What a book, I'm so raw with emotion after it. This is hands down one of the best books I have read.
The story is told from the view point of Finn and Joe, brothers who live in a Dublin tower block. There father Frank is the muscle for a notorious gang leader. Joe is determined he isn't going to go the same way as his da. When Finn falls ill everything changes.
I honestly loved this book, the story was so beautifully told, the emotion spilled through the pages.

This is the story of brothers Joe and Finn who live in Ireland. Life for the boys is not easy as Finn is diagnosed with an illness and their father is in prison.

The story is told in alternating chapters from the brothers perspectives. I enjoyed Finns chapters much more than Joes.

This book is written so well and is emotional but I felt that something was lacking.

Prepare for tears with this one.

Boys Don’t Cry introduces us to brothers Joe and Finn. Joe is 17, a gifted artist and older brother to 12-year-old Finn. They live with their Ma and Da in the Dublin tower block ‘the Jax’. It’s not an easy upbringing, especially with a Dad involved in a local crime gang, but Joe tries his best to protect his baby brother from the worst of it. That’s until Finn gets sick and it all starts to fall apart.

From the beginning I was enamoured with these two brothers and their “us against the world” attitude. Joe’s protectiveness of Finn made me miss my own baby brother who I haven’t seen since Christmas due to travel restrictions (and who, if he sees this, will groan considering he’s in his mid-twenties and hates that I still treat him like a baby…)

When Finn falls ill, it’s the scenes in the hospital with the doctors that will break your heart as the poor little fella tries to choke back tears, because he feels he needs to “stay strong” and not cry.

Meanwhile Joe is trying to escape the shadow of his father and avoid repeating his mistakes but it proves difficult when those around him have decided who he is based on where he comes from. You can feel the desperation in his mother as she tries her best to get through to him while also trying to address and deal with her own trauma.

It’s a long time since a book has made me cry but this short novel really packs a punch. The description of grief is so accurately portrayed – how it takes time to heal from loss, and that it can hit you at any moment. Usually when you least expect it.

It also investigates vulnerability in young men and tackles the way in which they are taught to “man up” and not show their emotions (something that I hope as a collective we’re getting better at dealing with). It demonstrates the importance of boys being able to show how they’re feeling and the implications if instead they try to hold in those emotions.

A brilliant debut novel.

Wow!! This Book!!
It tells the story of Joe and his younger brother Finn. They live in what appears to be an inner city area in one tower block within a group of them. Their father is involved with the estate's notrois dealer and Joe is determined not to follow him into a life of crime. But then Finn becomes ill and their Dad goes to prison and the family are hit hard and Joe has to redouble his efforts not to be drawn into the life he doesnt want.
This is only a short book but its amazing. I read it in 2 nights. The story told between Finn and Joe is just beautiful and moving. Have tissues at the ready!

Well, this book broke me and lifted me in equal measure.
I can honestly say that every single paragraph moved me. I was angry, sad, frustrated, and ultimately bereft.
The characters were wonderful- Finn's naivety and worry for his family was staggering considering the situation he was facing, and this was just confounded by the humour he managed to emit through his pain. The funny lines were certainly needed to lighten the story throughout. Joe was an amazing big brother, not making the best decisions but always with the best of intentions. Even Da, who made me angry frequently by Scarlett does a fantastic job of explaining his actions, and ultimately leaving the reader sympathetic towards him.
I adored this book, and the relationship between Finn and Joe was written beautifully. After recently suffering the loss of my own sister last year, this was extremely poignant to me.
Absolutely stunning. I'd give it more stars if I could.

If, like me, you like your books to leave you as a broken, crying heap of a mess then this one is most definitely for you!

The story is about two brothers Joe and Finn. The story is told from both their points of view in alternating chapters, Finn's are slightly in the past and Joe's are in the present.

Finn is 12, and when he is diagnosed with cancer his chapters just tug at your heart. He has such a childlike innocence about him, it's so beautiful and moving.

The book is set in Dublin in a tower block of flats and in the background to the central storyline we also have the world of gangs and drugs lurking around.

Joe and Finn's dad is a part of this world and Joe is faced with choices over who he is and who he wants to become, not wanting to follow in his father's footsteps. He's a gifted artist in a scholarship in a private school yet he's surrounded by the friends and family he grew up with which is a very different environment. He's basically torn between the two worlds, not feeling like he fits into either of them!

This book covers so much in such a short story and it really does pack an emotional punch. It's so raw and honest. The characters feel so real. It really is just such an incredible debut novel that has well earned its place on my forever shelf!

The language, sense of place and sense of community is flawless. The author took a big risk in revealing Finn's fate early on, but what results is a tender and surprisingly hopeful story full of heart and respect for its characters. A lovely book.

This book broke me into a tiny thousand million pieces, it is so beautifully written and you just fall in love with both brothers and you are brought on their journey, it left me in tears, and I can’t stop thinking about them.

Fiona Scarlett tells the heart-breaking story of Joe and his little brother Finn, living in Dublin with their Ma and Pa. When Finn becomes ill, and their Da is imprisoned, Joe’s battle to avoid what he is expected to become, feels all the more difficult and isolating.

Through alternating chapters (Finn taking the ‘before’ and Joe the ‘after’) Scarlett shares with us their hope, pain, suffering and fear through their thoughts and deepest emotions. I felt deeply moved by both characters, and incredibly emotional reading this book. Scarlett writes a vulnerability into her characters, and I couldn’t help but feel protective of them.

Scarlett’s world building and story telling through the eyes of both boys, is honest, and real and quite beautiful. The themes tackled in this novel are incredibly difficult, but sensitively handled and I will include trigger warnings for: domestic violence, drug use and cancer.

If I were to criticise, it would only be that there was what I feel should have been a fairly significant passage of text where I couldn’t quite follow what was happening (and even now after re-reading I’m a little confused as to exactly what happened).

This book was so so sad, and made for such difficult reading, but it is so gorgeous and with its little glimpses of hope...I think it is worth the heart-ache.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this beautifully written novel.

This was a beautifully written book and I was drawn in to the characters immediately. I felt a strong sense of place and found it to be a captivating story. It felt shorter than most books so the ending felt abrupt but that might because I was reading it on a device so wasn’t aware!

Thank you to Netgalley, Faber and Faber and Fiona Scarlett for this ARC in return for my honest review. A raw and emotional read, I'm absolutely in bits after reading this book. This story told from dual perspectives of brothers Joe and Finn, growing up in a Dublin inner-city tower block it is told simply, yet tragically. This fantastic book made me laugh and bawl.

Fiona Scarlett, the author of this fabulous novel, is a primary school teacher in Ireland. This has perhaps helped to give her the insight which has enabled her to write this beautiful book from the dual perspectives of young brothers Joe, aged 17 and Finn, aged 12. I found the voices of both boys completely convincing as they reflected on their daily lives in a Dublin tower block. Their love for each other is what drives the narrative through very difficult times due to illness, violence, social class tensions and a lot of uncertainty. Joe and Finn are not the only convincing characters in the story. Their Ma, Annie, is a strong force in both boys' lives while their Da, Frank, proud and violent, causes conflicting feelings for both the boys. Joe and Finn's friends and peers also feature in the story and I really appreciated that for both boys their best friends were strong, supportive girls, Sabine and Jazz. I highly recommend this moving novel about sibling love, family relationships and life choices.
My thanks to the publisher via Net Galley for a complimentary ARC of this title in return for an honest review.

Boys Don't Cry is a harrowing but beautiful read. Set in Dublin, the story centres around Joe and Finn, brothers and best friends. Growing up in a tower block home, with violence and crime all around them, it is a harsh existence but Joe is Finn's protector. In alternate chapters we hear from Joe and Finn, and some of the chapters are incredibly difficult to read. Written with grit and authenticity, we learn about Joe's struggle to come to terms with the tragedy that has befallen his little brother. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just say that we learn about the events of this tragedy through Finn's words. The relationship between the brothers is so so beautiful and deeply moving.

As we move to the present we see Joe slowly imploding with anger and grief. A father in prison, a mother broken, and an aching gap in his life, he takes a path that leads to more tragedy. I may have missed something in the plot, but this was the only part I got a bit confused by. Joe had taken a call from his father (from prison). Yet later that day, he says he sees Da. I did also feel that this part of the plot was somewhat rushed.

Following a lucky escape, there's a swift change of gear when we see Joe, his Ma and friend Sabine embark on a journey together to enjoy all of Finn's favourite things as documented in a memory book he wrote, and which Joe, a talented artist, illustrated. For a very deep and heavy storyline, this was a surprisingly optimistic and positive conclusion, and I feel that perhaps the journey from overwhelming grief to acceptance was a little curtailed.

But overall, Boys Don't Cry is an amazing book. Gritty, heart-breaking, and extremely moving.

With many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this title in return for an honest review.

This beautiful debut novel did not disappoint and it indeed became a new favourite.

I don’t really want to get into the story in too much detail, since I do believe the least you know about this book is the better, but we do follow two brothers in two different timelines. Finn, the younger brother guides us through his life introducing a twist where all the family members are affected and we see the consciences of this event through the older brother’s eyes, Joe. Although it is a tragic story, you will find moments when you laugh out loud, but it will break your heart.

The writing is really simple yet gripping, the style really reminded me of “Catcher in the Rye”, somewhat casual yet hard-hitting, not shying from stronger language, but it did fit into the story very well. The descriptions are fantastic, and the characters are very well written.

This is a story about life, brotherly love and grief that I would highly recommend. It’s been a while since I finished it, but I still think about this book, and I’m pretty sure I will buy my own copy soon.

This book has at times made me laugh and has also had me in floods of tears. A wonderful story set in Dublin that has been written with such feeling and the characters are described so well, you feel like you are part of them. This is the authors debut novel and it is fantastic.

Boys Don’t Cry by Fíona Scarlett

What a fantastic debut novel from the shiny new talent that is Fíona Scarlett! A gritty emotional tale of family loyalty, love & grief, Boys Don’t Cry is an excellent read and one that will be talked about for a long time to come. Sure to be spotted on some ‘Best Books of 2021’ lists.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Faber & Faber for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I absolutely devoured this book in 2 sittings, and it destroyed me.

I don’t want to say much and give any of the story away, but you will need tissues here ok. Poor Finn becoming ill and him coming to understand what is making him ill is such a hard thing to read. The emotion you get from him in the book, at a young 12 years old is so moving. But what got me more was the love between the brothers, which is more prominent in the second half of the book. The sketches are a lovely touch too.

Fiona Scarlett has written a great story, full of brilliant descriptions of life in ‘the Jax’, it felt like I was there. The local slang and accents, the residents and the local hooligans, it all is so real. It’s a story of love and hope, and a lot of hard life knocks in there too. I’d definitely recommend you read it, massive thumbs up from me.

Thanks again to Faber and Faber, Negalley, and as always the Author, Fiona Scarlett.