YOUR FINAL MOMENTS

A teen boy struggles after his best friend dies.

High school senior Hakeem Hawkins has been clean for four months; he’s finished therapy and is attending weekly Narcotics Anonymous meetings. But when Miles Parker is hit by a bus, things stop making sense. Everyone says Miles died by suicide, but Hakeem can’t believe it. He and Miles had an agreement: They’d send a red flag emoji if they ever needed to connect immediately. Hakeem starts to blame himself for missing the signs that Miles was having such a hard time. When Eliza Fitzpatrick joins NA, she provides Hakeem with support and demonstrates the kind of understanding only someone with their own darkness possesses, and the two grow closer. Then Hakeem gets a mysterious phone call from beyond the grave—it’s Miles, saying he was murdered, and he wants Hakeem to discover the culprit. Hakeem becomes set on figuring out what really happened to Miles, no matter the consequences; as someone in recovery, he realizes that everyone’s watching him for signs of a relapse. Although Coles explores many intriguing themes, they’re not woven together cohesively, and the novel feels disjointed. While the supernatural element is interesting, it doesn’t play a clear role in the story and as a result feels forced. Eliza is white, and Hakeem and other main characters are Black; the story doesn’t delve into culturally specific aspects of substance abuse and trauma.

An ambitious exploration of addiction and grief that ultimately doesn’t coalesce.