Exquisite story writing in this dual narrative which follows two young brothers, Joe 17 and Finn 12, as they grow up in inner city Dublin. Finn is battling with illness while Joe is struggling not to follow in the footsteps of his Da, who is a brutal drug runner. The characterisation is superb, as we start to learn more about the family and get truly pulled into the story. We see the true love and caring between Joe and Finn as they both move toward dangerous waters that could affect their whole future. This brilliant debut novel has moments of heartbreak and moments of humour within a superb storyline. A truly excellent read and highly recommended.. Many thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for my ARC copy.

Finn, you’ll always have a little piece of my heart.

A beautiful gem about life, loss, and love. Raw and gritty. Pure and hopeful. So incredibly touching.

Boys
don’t cry? I bet everyone does while reading this impressive debut—even the tough ones.



This story doesn’t need a lot of words. Two brothers. Joe, seventeen, a talented artist. Finn, a sweet twelve-year-old. Living in Dublin. Their dad, working for a gang. Eventually, in prison. And Finn gets sick.



‘I’ve never seen Da cry. He tells us that crying is a sign of weakness. That boys don’t cry. That boys should never cry. So we don’t. Ever. Unless we’re in private, when nobody sees.’



I loved this magnificent novel; I was hooked from the first page. Reading the second page, my chest already tightened. And that ending ...

Even though the story is harsh, the writing is tender and sometimes even humorous. The (brotherly) love shown throughout this book is beautiful, and I want to scream out loud: PLEASE READ THIS! According to some reviewers, it’s even better than Shuggie Bain (I’m going to find out soon myself).

It took me a while to understand the structure of this and once I did I was shocked by how touching the whole thing was. Also loved the writing style and how easy to read it was.

This short debut novel is going to stay with me for a while, all of its love and all of its heartbreak. It tells the story of two brothers, Joe and Finn, growing up in a Dublin tower block. Their life isn't the easiest with their dad doing the dirty work for a local gang leader and their mum trying to keep everything going. Then everything takes a turn for the worst when 12 year old Finn gets sick. From there, it switches between two narratives: Finn's of his time being ill, and Joe's in the present day where their father is in prison and Joe is trying not to end up like him.

This was a stunnning debut. The love between these two brothers has stuck with me days after finishing it. Despite everything life is throwing at them, they stick together and look after one another. There is such a depth of caring in every corner of this novel.

It's a rollercoaster of emotions. Following a child's narrative of being ill with hospital visits and all the worry surrounding him isn't the easiest. Nor is Joe's present day where he's on a slippery slope to following in his father's footsteps, the last thing he wants to do. Hope and inevitability are at war throughout. You want so badly to right the world for these two but it seems impossible.

As a Dublin native I might not be in the best possition to judge but the writing style balanced its thorough Irishness well while still being broadly relatable. Dubliners have a way of talking that can be confusing but I don't think too much will get lost here. The author does a great job at developing Finn and Joe's narrative voices. I came away feeling like I know them and really care about them which is what you want from a book like this.

This is going to be one of my favourites of this year. I couldn't recommend it enough and I'm already excited to read whatever Fíona Scarlett has in store next.

We are fully immersed in Dublin in this debut by Fíona Scarlett. The language, the atmosphere, the references, it's all there. It's a page-turning read, with me staying up late into the night reading the first 60% of the book as I couldn't put it down.

This is a beautiful book told in dual timelines from two brothers - one ill and one dealing with the aftermath of this. An underclass family in an underclass neighbourhood without even a touch of being assumed "poverty porn". Themes of grief, class, family, crime, childhood illness, friendship, drugs and the connections between them are all present without being hit over the head with them.

The characters and characterisation of them is brilliant, everyone is well developed for such a short novel. The relationships between characters are well developed. Some of the best I've read, especially for a debut.

I laughed, I cried, I was homesick for Ireland. I can see this being included on the curriculum in the coming years.

I don't think any words I could type would do justice to this beautiful novel. Pre-order it now for release in April. I can't wait to see what Fíona will come out with next. I hope this become the highly talked about book it should be.

Boys Don't Cry but readers might.... This is a heartbreaking portrayal of family bonds and grief that will stay with you long after the last page. The characters are brought to life so beautifully - they feel real enough to reach out and touch, and the setting and language are highly evocative too. I look forward to more from Fiona Scarlett.

Joe and Finn are brothers who live in a tower block in Dublin. Their Dad has a sketchy past, in and out of prison for as long as they can remember. Their mother is weary in every conceivable way.

Joe has a scholarship to a school that will allow him to fulfil his potential as a budding artist - but when Finn falls ill, what's the point of anything anymore? A local criminal is only waiting to pounce on Joe and use him for his own gain. But if Joe goes down that road, how the hell will he get back off it?

This was gorgeous. So sad and evocative, so Dublin without being a parody of Dublin. We get both Finn and Joe's POV here, and if your heart doesn't break for both of them I'll be very surprised.

The ending was slightly confusing for me but it was still one of the best books I've read this year.

This is a heartbreaking debut novel due out in April. Set in the working class Dublin, this dual narrative explores love, grief, and family legacy. Between twelve year old Finn falling into sickness and his older Joe navigating male identity (who is he with or without his da who drifts in an out of prison) and grief, I had a lump in my throat throughout.

It reminded me a little of Elaine Feeney's As You Were and Grief Is The Thing With Feathers by Max Porter with its body narrative, sparse writing style and upsetting innocence. While I think the emotional climax of the book could have been more clear, I also think that Scarlett expertly shifts the focus of the book to what matters - life, loss and love.

I can't wait for others to read this book. I've a feeling everyone will be talking about it.

This short debut novel by Fíona Scarlett, due to be published in April, is a dual narrative by two brothers, Joe and Finn, growing up in the flats in inner city Dublin. Their father is a henchman for a notorious gang leader; their mother is trying to hold it all together.

Finn is 12 and on the brink of adolescence when tragedy strikes. Joe is 17. A gifted artist with a scholarship to a private school, Joe is determined to avoid the path his father took before him and which everyone around him expects him to take. But as events unfold, will he take the path of least resistance?

It’s a gritty working class tragedy, and a tale of brotherly love, with humanity and a despair/hope dichotomy at its core.

The dialogue is light, comic and colloquial, but emotion runs deep and I found myself fully invested in the characters and the story. I loved the strong female characters, urging the men in the story to do better. You’ll need to have the tissues handy for this one 😭. The final chapter is totally devastating.

The drama at the climax of the book was for me not executed as cleanly or clearly as it could have been but otherwise, a stunning debut and I would recommend seeking this out when it’s published in April. It has tv/film adaptation written all over it too. A stellar 4.5/5 ⭐️

**This book will be published on 22 April 2021. It’s available to pre-order from all good booksellers. I was grateful to read an advance digital copy courtesy of the publisher @Faberbooks via @NetGalley. As always, this is an honest review.**

So I actually really enjoyed this book. There were areas where I felt the writing didn’t flow, but I think this could be a reflection of the kindle edition. I love the emotion shown between the 2 brothers, Finn and Joe, and not many books depict that!! This did however make me well up on several occasions. I would actually like to read more from this author!

I found this a difficult but moving read. I normally love Irish stories but this one, not so much. Boys Don't Cry is told from the point of view of two brothers, Joe, a talented artist, and Finn. They live on a run-down estate in Dublin and from the beginning we learn that Finn is sick. Their father works for the local gang leader and Joe tries to avoid being drawn into his world of violence and drug dealing while dealing with the decline of his brother's health. I was gripped by Finn's voice but not Joe's. However, I would still read other books by this writer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the opportunity to read and review Boys Don't Cry.

I’d heard about this book, I kept seeing recommendations (including one from Marian Keyes). I’m not always keen on Irish fiction- something gets lost in the dialect or the way people speak to one another- small insignificant phrases that put me off. I liked the idea of this book and thought I’d give it a go.

The story is told from the perspective of Finn and Joe - brothers who haven’t had the best upbringing. The timelines are not linear but where other authors have tried and failed to use different voices and a different time to get to the end point, Fiona Scarlett succeeds. The two voices are distinct and because of the way the story is approached you race through the book without realising (I devoured this in about 3 days). In some ways you know what’s coming (hints at the ultimate outcome for Finn) but that doesn’t take away the sting when you get there. I very rarely get choked up at books. I had to pause several times through the last 10% of this one because I couldn’t see the page through my tears.

This is a triumph, like nothing I’ve read before. It has left me reeling. Probably the best thing you’ll read this year.

What a book! Any review would be inadequate for this debut novel. Once started it was impossible to put down.

The story centres around two brothers, Joe and Finn, who live on a run down estate in Dublin. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the brothers. Da, Frank, is the “heavy” for the local gangster, and is in jail. Ma is a barmaid at the local pub. This is a story full of love, loyalty, compassion and heartbreak, a real rollercoaster. The writing is brilliant, funny and effortless, wavering between grief and humour.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Joe is 17, a gifted artist and a brilliant older brother to 12-year-old Finn. They live with their Ma and Da in a Dublin tower block called Bojaxhiu or 'the Jax'. It's not an easy place to be a kid, especially when your father, Frank, is the muscle for the notorious gang leader Dessie 'The Badger' Murphy.

This book is so much more than the description. it is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions and givens you a feeling that when finished you do not forget. The book has grief at the forefront from the get-go but it is so much more than that, family and friendship is by far the key message you take away as well as love and some laugh out loud moment.s

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This is a compelling read. It tells the story of Joe and his family who live in a run down area of Dublin. Will Joe be sucked into his father's world of violence and drug dealing or will he better himself? The family are ultimately brought together through tragedy but have the lessons been learned? This is a very short book but beautifully written. It is gritty and poignant and I am sure the author has a bright future.

I don't know if I can do justice to this book, so will keep it simple.

Joe and Finn are two brothers living in the heart of Dublin on a tough estate, they don't have an easy life, but there is hope for Joe who is a gifted artist, as he wins a scholarship to a private school, sadly Finn becomes ill and Joe is torn between leaving him and getting out while he has the chance, or staying.

The story is told by both Joe and Finn in alternate chapters and is brilliantly written, I actually can't believe this is a debut novel, it is so beautifully done.

Highly recommended

An un-put-downable story of love, loyalty and breaking free of the ties of place, circumstance and expectations.
Brothers Joe and Finn live on a tough estate, where their violent father is caught up in crime. Joe, a gifted artist, has a lifeline out in the form of his place at a 'good' school, but this is thrown into jeopardy when Finn becomes ill. Will grief and anger meant that Joe inevitably follows in his father's footsteps?...

Joe and Finn are instantly likeable and very believeable, and both supported by strong female friends. Despite it's tough themes - drug-related crime, and childhood illness - this is a story filled with love. While the end isn't a complete shock, what is surprising is how much you care about every character, even the apparent 'villains' of the piece. Be ready with a hanky.

Boy Don't Cry is a very emotional book with themes of family, its told in a dual narrative of two brothers Finn and Joe telling the story about their lives in a tower block in Dublin. Boys Don't Cry is very similar in ways to Shuggie Bain. I enjoyed this one but found it hard to get into.

It is difficult to believe that this is a debut novel from the polished assurance of this story of a working-class Dublin family and the difficulties surrounding them. Two brothers, Joe 17 and Finn 12 living with their parents with Da working for a criminal gang, and Ma working in the pub, trying to hold body and soul and her ‘boys’ together – never far from physical violence. Joe is intelligent and a gifted artist, Finn just a regular boy trying to fit in until investigations are made into the bruises that mark his body.

Overwhelmingly this is a story about love, but not in the full hearts and flowers form: this is about love in its purest form. The form that is impossible to illustrate from familial love to first love and sweet awakenings which brings with it responsibility, fear and duty. We witness the care shown to Finn from his school teachers and the medical staff and even the concern of friends and neighbours.

A brilliant piece of writing, emotive, heart-rending with a deft touch. I cannot praise it enough. Did you like Angela’s Ashes? This is as poignant, as upsetting, as perceptive in its descriptions of the community. I could go on and on. Just read it if you have not yet had the chance.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Boys Don’t Cry by Fiona Scarlett

This is the honest, gritty story of two brothers living in a Dublin tower block, which touches on family, grief, and class. I struggled to believe this is a debut novel, because it left me bereft of emotion when it ended. A feeling this is very rare when reading a novel. I enjoyed the dialect, the descriptions were so vivid and real. I thought the characters were perfectly assured and real. What a powerful real this was.

Thanks to Netgallery for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review