Boys Come First
- Downloads：8431
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-24 11:21:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Aaron Foley
- ISBN：1978695896
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
This hilarious， touching debut novel by Aaron Foley， author of How to Live in Detroit Without Being a Jackass， follows three Black gay millennial men looking for love， friendship， and professional success in the Motor City。
Suddenly jobless and single after a devastating layoff and a breakup with his cheating ex， advertising copywriter Dominick Gibson flees his life in Hell's Kitchen to try to get back on track in his hometown of Detroit。 He's got one objective—exit the shallow dating pool ASAP and get married by 35—and the deadline's approaching fast。
Meanwhile， Dom's best friend， Troy Clements， an idealistic teacher who never left Michigan， finds himself at odds with all the men in his life: a troubled boyfriend he's desperate to hold onto， a perpetually dissatisfied father， and his other friend， Remy Patton。 Remy， a rags-to-riches real estate agent known as “Mr。 Detroit”， has his own problems—namely choosing between making it work with a long-distance lover or settling for a local Mr。 Right Now who's not quite Mr。 Right。 And when a high-stakes real estate deal threatens to blow up his friendship with Troy， the three men have to figure out how to navigate the pitfalls of friendship and a city that seems to be changing overnight。
Full of unforgettable characters， Boys Come First is about the trials and tribulations of real friendship， but also about the highlights and hiccups—late nights at the wine bar， awkward Grindr hookups， workplace microaggressions， situationships， frenemies， family drama， and of course， the group chat—that define Black， gay， millennial life in today's Detroit。
Suddenly jobless and single after a devastating layoff and a breakup with his cheating ex， advertising copywriter Dominick Gibson flees his life in Hell's Kitchen to try to get back on track in his hometown of Detroit。 He's got one objective—exit the shallow dating pool ASAP and get married by 35—and the deadline's approaching fast。
Meanwhile， Dom's best friend， Troy Clements， an idealistic teacher who never left Michigan， finds himself at odds with all the men in his life: a troubled boyfriend he's desperate to hold onto， a perpetually dissatisfied father， and his other friend， Remy Patton。 Remy， a rags-to-riches real estate agent known as “Mr。 Detroit”， has his own problems—namely choosing between making it work with a long-distance lover or settling for a local Mr。 Right Now who's not quite Mr。 Right。 And when a high-stakes real estate deal threatens to blow up his friendship with Troy， the three men have to figure out how to navigate the pitfalls of friendship and a city that seems to be changing overnight。
Full of unforgettable characters， Boys Come First is about the trials and tribulations of real friendship， but also about the highlights and hiccups—late nights at the wine bar， awkward Grindr hookups， workplace microaggressions， situationships， frenemies， family drama， and of course， the group chat—that define Black， gay， millennial life in today's Detroit。
Reviews
Kim
，
Let me preface my review by saying I'm from Detroit （born and raised） and I went to Cass Tech （since one of the characters in the book noted that Cass students always have to tell you they went to Cass）。 I appreciate the fact that Foley puts Detroit front and center in Boys Come First。 This book really did feel like a black gay Sex and the City and the "city" is a main character just like Dominick， Remy， and Troy。 I wish the book had stuck to one character （Dominick） rather than trying to tell t Let me preface my review by saying I'm from Detroit （born and raised） and I went to Cass Tech （since one of the characters in the book noted that Cass students always have to tell you they went to Cass）。 I appreciate the fact that Foley puts Detroit front and center in Boys Come First。 This book really did feel like a black gay Sex and the City and the "city" is a main character just like Dominick， Remy， and Troy。 I wish the book had stuck to one character （Dominick） rather than trying to tell the stories of all three guys because it felt schizophrenic at times。 There's just too much going on here: gentrification， date rape， domestic abuse， drug use/abuse， gay kids。。。It's exhausting。 For me， Foley's writing is strongest when he's dealing with Dominick and when he's discussing Detroit。 （Bonus points for Foley mentioning Thatcher， a cross-street I lived between as a kid。） I didn't find the voices of Remy and Troy as compelling or interesting and， if the book had focused solely on Dominick， my rating would have been higher。 I did enjoy Foley's writing and I'd definitely read another book by him。 。。。more
Scott
，
I enjoyed reading about the misadventures of this Detroit-based friend group。 Aaron Foley masterfully mixes humorous gay dating scenarios with friend drama while layering in his love of Detroit and the affects of gentrification on the Black characters。 The book’s only weakness was its ending， which is abrupt and too pat after a creative layup from the pages preceding it。
Gino Liardo
，
Definitely a fun read！ Funny， sad and heart-warming all at once。 What I loved most about this book was feeling seen。 Although it centers around black gay men specifically， I still felt seen as an “othered” queer person。 It was refreshing to read a queer book that isn’t about white twinks。 It touched on important topics such as racism， ageism and gentrification in arguments that really features both sides of the coin due to having multiple narrators。 It makes you think。 There were a few moments t Definitely a fun read！ Funny， sad and heart-warming all at once。 What I loved most about this book was feeling seen。 Although it centers around black gay men specifically， I still felt seen as an “othered” queer person。 It was refreshing to read a queer book that isn’t about white twinks。 It touched on important topics such as racism， ageism and gentrification in arguments that really features both sides of the coin due to having multiple narrators。 It makes you think。 There were a few moments that truly made me LOL and even one point where I cried。 I think this is an interesting， thought provoking read for people of any sexual orientation or race。 You will be challenged socially by this book。 I take a star off because the golden moments were slightly sparse for my taste。 Also， because the millennial characters have some ingrained fatphobia （inherently as they are millennial queers） that is not really dissected the way the other topics are。 Adding those moments of the characters wanting to stay thin without the intense discourse the rest of the social issues receive， made it feel slightly like being in the basic Hell’s Kitchen gay bars that the author so deeply drags。 Still - those moments are few enough that I think it doesn’t taint the story or wasn’t too， too triggering for me personally。 Overall - I suggest it for a casual， Sex in the City style read。 。。。more
Vanessa
，
DNF---Officially DNFing this book。 I'm giving it 3 stars for its humor & how it discusses issues like racism & gentrification & relationships。 I have just lost interest in it & felt like it was dragging on at many points。 Perhaps I will revisit it in the future。 DNF---Officially DNFing this book。 I'm giving it 3 stars for its humor & how it discusses issues like racism & gentrification & relationships。 I have just lost interest in it & felt like it was dragging on at many points。 Perhaps I will revisit it in the future。 。。。more
KN
，
I readily admit that I am not the target audience for this novel。 Some friends decided to read it and another recommended it but I assume that he has not actually read the book。 If you’re interested in three Black gay men from Detroit who would greatly benefit from substance use rehabilitation， on-going trauma informed therapy， and emotional intelligence development， then this is the novel for you。 by the middle of the novel， I realize I was hate reading it。 I wondered if there would be a payoff I readily admit that I am not the target audience for this novel。 Some friends decided to read it and another recommended it but I assume that he has not actually read the book。 If you’re interested in three Black gay men from Detroit who would greatly benefit from substance use rehabilitation， on-going trauma informed therapy， and emotional intelligence development， then this is the novel for you。 by the middle of the novel， I realize I was hate reading it。 I wondered if there would be a payoff and， well， there is not。 These three men neither liked nor respected one another。 Many of their relationships felt transactional and if the author was highlighting this aspect of their lives， the woman who is the catalyst for any transformation appears at page 293 （of 313）。 There did not seem to be an ending in sight so when it does come as a punctuation to another episode of the characters’ inability to stop abusing substances， it’s abrupt and does not address the previous 300+ pages。 I did appreciate that it piqued my interest in Detroit and its different neighborhoods。 。。。more
Nadia Jonesy
，
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book to review。 The book was okay for me。 It was funny but it just didn't have a strong story line。 Not really a book for me Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book to review。 The book was okay for me。 It was funny but it just didn't have a strong story line。 Not really a book for me 。。。more
Joi
，
3。5 rounded up。 The flow of the story was off。 The way the point of view changed made it difficult to follow at times。 Overall good book。 I like that it came together at the end。 And by the end， I cared about the characters。 It reminds me of a black man’s Waiting To Exhale。 Can’t go wrong with that。
mari Mcf
，
I only read 50% of this book。 I didnt like it。 It has good representation since its told by 3 povs。 But the characters dont do much。 Maybe the last half is better but its not a lot of plot， action， movement。 Its alot of internal and external dialogue。 Nothing goes on。
Katie Susko
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was good， and I loved reading a novel set in Detroit， which doesn’t get a lot of attention in the literary world。 First， the good。 It was great to see adult male friendships play out in both healthy and unhealthy ways。 It’s another topic that isn’t covered in modern books， and I think watching these characters interact could inform any friendship。 Detroit was portrayed very accurately - I was laughing out loud at many references。 And it was great to see LGBT relationships in a mainstre This book was good， and I loved reading a novel set in Detroit， which doesn’t get a lot of attention in the literary world。 First， the good。 It was great to see adult male friendships play out in both healthy and unhealthy ways。 It’s another topic that isn’t covered in modern books， and I think watching these characters interact could inform any friendship。 Detroit was portrayed very accurately - I was laughing out loud at many references。 And it was great to see LGBT relationships in a mainstream book。I think there were a few storylines that could have gone more in depth: the Felix storyline， Dom at his new job， the closing of the school。 These all seemed to have a lot of potential for impacting these characters， but they weren’t fleshed out enough。I would love to read about these characters more。 Maybe there will be a sequel？ 。。。more
Shannon
，
Overall it was a good book and I would’ve given it a 4， but the ending was definitely way too rushed and ended with a nice little bow without addressing a lot of little things。
Demetrius
，
Black， beautiful， and bodacious Some of the grit reminded me of Terry McMillan。 Appreciated the many tensions of class， race， gender， and more。 Look forward to more from this author。Would love to see this as a well done miniseries on BET。 Feels like something they’ve LONG needed
James
，
Highly enjoyable read that highlights black gay culture， Detroit culture， and the fallout from gentrification in black communities。Readers should go in knowing that this books was not written for the white gaze and that white readers are likely to be a little confused by the culture， terminology， etc。 in the book。。。and may feel uncomfortable at times。 Good。The three main characters are well-developed with unique points of view， voices， backstories， and relationship issues。 Lawd。 The relationship Highly enjoyable read that highlights black gay culture， Detroit culture， and the fallout from gentrification in black communities。Readers should go in knowing that this books was not written for the white gaze and that white readers are likely to be a little confused by the culture， terminology， etc。 in the book。。。and may feel uncomfortable at times。 Good。The three main characters are well-developed with unique points of view， voices， backstories， and relationship issues。 Lawd。 The relationship issues。 Other than Rainbow Milk （Mendez）， I haven't read another book about the black gay experience， but Boys Come First definitely offers some insights。 Loved。 Some parts may be relatable to any LGBTQ person who has experienced fetishizaton。I enjoyed how the plot wasn't predictable。 In a white gay book， two of the guys would have ended up together。 Neat。 Easy。 The way this book reads， much better than that！ Unexpected twists are great。Also， TBF， this is not a romance novel， so if a cisgender woman picks this up expecting that， she will likely be disappointed。 Mileage may vary for other groups。 You do you。Not a complaint， but I wish I could figure out which character is which on the cover。 Maybe for the book's intended readers this is obvious， but I honestly can't tell， although maybe Troy is in the middle？ IDK。Overall， this really is a good read for LGBTQ readers and for people who really like the city of Detroit and for people who like fiction that deals with real-life issues and for people interested in potentially reading outside their comfort zone。 。。。more
Steven Nolan
，
This has a Tales of the City feel but is centered in modern Detroit。 The characters felt human， and I was immediately hooked。 I would read 8 sequels :）
emma charlton
，
Boys Come First centers around three Black gay friends living in Detroit。 Foley writes a solid image of the city and their history with it， as well as the unique intersectionality of the main characters' identities and how they navigate those together。 I'm usually a fan of character-driven novels， but this time I really just wanted a stronger plot to last through the whole story， even though I did enjoy following their friendship， relationships， and lives。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC！ Boys Come First centers around three Black gay friends living in Detroit。 Foley writes a solid image of the city and their history with it， as well as the unique intersectionality of the main characters' identities and how they navigate those together。 I'm usually a fan of character-driven novels， but this time I really just wanted a stronger plot to last through the whole story， even though I did enjoy following their friendship， relationships， and lives。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Colette
，
I stumbled across this one as a ‘Read Now’ on Netgalley and what a little gem I found！ This is Foley’s debut novel which was funny， poignant and thought-provoking。 I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main characters are three gay black men and that in itself was a joy and delight。Boys Come First is about being gay in America。 Being black in America。 Being a gay black man in America。 It’s about friendship， family， growth， how we cope during struggles， what it’s like to watch the city yo I stumbled across this one as a ‘Read Now’ on Netgalley and what a little gem I found！ This is Foley’s debut novel which was funny， poignant and thought-provoking。 I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main characters are three gay black men and that in itself was a joy and delight。Boys Come First is about being gay in America。 Being black in America。 Being a gay black man in America。 It’s about friendship， family， growth， how we cope during struggles， what it’s like to watch the city you love and call home change （for better or worse）。 It’s about the compromises we make for our work， our family and our friends， even if that means diminishing ourselves or ignoring our values。 It’s also about losing yourself in a relationship in a variety of different ways。As I write this review I’m realising just how much Foley was able to pack in there for our three main characters。 And， whilst we’re talking characters， Detroit is its own character。 Foley dives into the history of the city， its present and future， what that means for the residents that have been there for generations。 He beautiful describes the landscape， bars and clubs and restaurants till you feel that Detroit is all around you。 I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever Foley does next because I really really enjoyed getting to spend time with Dominik， Remy and Troy。 I also love it when a book allows me to spend time in a culture and city I’m not familiar with and Boys Come First like me peak into Detroit and its community。 。。。more
Shelby Elizabeth
，
***Thank you to NetGalley and Belt Publishing for the ARC***DNF'ed at 30%。The chapters rotate between 3 main gay characters: Dominick Gibson， Remy Patton， and Troy Clements， but only Remy narrates the story in first person perspective。 I don't know why this is？Dominick's eight year relationship with Justin has ended after he walked in on Justin cheating on him。 He goes back to Detroit to stay with his mom while he figures out his next move。 He is 33 now and "had goals before everything had falle ***Thank you to NetGalley and Belt Publishing for the ARC***DNF'ed at 30%。The chapters rotate between 3 main gay characters: Dominick Gibson， Remy Patton， and Troy Clements， but only Remy narrates the story in first person perspective。 I don't know why this is？Dominick's eight year relationship with Justin has ended after he walked in on Justin cheating on him。 He goes back to Detroit to stay with his mom while he figures out his next move。 He is 33 now and "had goals before everything had fallen apart: marriage by 35， a kid one year after that， a vacation home by 40， and his own advertising firm by 45。" His parents were in the medical field （mother an anesthesiologist and father oncologist）and were hoping he would want to be too， asking him if he was going to consider changing his college major。 He was working as creative director for a startup， Atomic Ranch， until it failed and he was laid off。 Eventually， Dominick gets a job at GearWorks。 Remy was always a good student and graduated co-valedictorian in high school， then got his degree from Oakland University and began his real estate career with Real Estate One。 "Because no one wanted to touch Detroit proper。。。I honed in on one area and made it mine。 I made it my mission to take over all the Villages: Indian Village， West Village， Islandview， the Gold Coast， and all those condos up and down the river。 That's my turf now。" He came into money from it and began buying nicer things for himself。"I started my own agency， and now I'm founder， agent， CEO， president， and HNIC of the 2501 Agency。" He got some billboard and called himself Mr。 Detroit。 As soon as the reader is made aware that he is involved with the project that affects the school Troy works at， they know there will be conflict between them that could possibly cost them their friendship。 He is also the friend that always has weed。 Troy works at Mahaffey School as a 6th grade teacher， and has been with his boyfriend， Roderick， for 6 months now。 He enjoys doing cocaine with Roderick when they are intimate together， and they take part in activism for the city。 However， the group that Roderick is a part of， Taking Back Detroit， does not want him to be open about the fact that he is gay because they are about protecting Black families， as in one mother， one father。 The author mentions a lot of Detroit history， what it was like for the main characters to grow up there， what they learned， and how they feel about it。All 3 are worried about the gentrification of Detroit。 If I had kept reading on， the fact that Remy is kind of contributing to it himself is sure to be a real problem in his friendships with them。 Just a warning， there are graphic depictions of sex， so if that is not your thing， please use caution in picking this up。 It just wasn't for me， but I do think it was well-written。 。。。more
Grace Burke
，
I haven't read anything like this before。 A deeply personal story about 3 best friends， all gay Black men in their 30s， Foley explores mental health， toxic masculinity， and colorism within a community whose stories are rarely told。 While moments were difficult to follow and characters were sometimes easy to mix up， Foley tells a poignant story。 Dominick moves back to his home city after being dumped and fired the same day。 Troy， a school teacher in an abusive relationship， tries to protect his p I haven't read anything like this before。 A deeply personal story about 3 best friends， all gay Black men in their 30s， Foley explores mental health， toxic masculinity， and colorism within a community whose stories are rarely told。 While moments were difficult to follow and characters were sometimes easy to mix up， Foley tells a poignant story。 Dominick moves back to his home city after being dumped and fired the same day。 Troy， a school teacher in an abusive relationship， tries to protect his people from gentrification。 And Remy is a locally famous relator who has to grapple with his personal success and opportunities with protecting Black Detroit。 All 3 of them experience intense hardships and yet their love for one another is beautiful。 Foley's writing is funny and playful and accessible， while the story he is telling is real and representative。 This is honestly a must read， providing an insight into a particular community that， unless you are a part of you， you probably know nothing about。 。。。more
Novelist Dienne
，
Honestly maybe its because of the book cover， but the whole time I was reading this it felt like I was watching a heartwarming slice-of-life anime show where every couple chapters was an episode。 Definitely made it more enjoyable when imagined that way。
Raelee
，
I won this kindle book from a Goodreads giveaway。 I hadn’t read a romance in a while， so the intimate scenes were surprising at first。 I really liked the characters。 Each of the three main men was a full person and not just a stereotype。 I enjoyed experiencing the story from each of their perspectives。
K。J。 Charles
，
Novel covering the thirtysomething struggles of three Black gay men in Detroit: work， dating， friendship， struggling with racism and homophobia and family。 Very much a character piece， with tons of detail but not a great deal of plot or resolution。 A huge amount on Detroit （it does not come as a surprise that the author wrote a guidebook）。 It's a profoundly convincing "slice of life" read， even if it didn't wholly satisfy as a novel （but I am a heavily plot driven reader so YMMV）。 Novel covering the thirtysomething struggles of three Black gay men in Detroit: work， dating， friendship， struggling with racism and homophobia and family。 Very much a character piece， with tons of detail but not a great deal of plot or resolution。 A huge amount on Detroit （it does not come as a surprise that the author wrote a guidebook）。 It's a profoundly convincing "slice of life" read， even if it didn't wholly satisfy as a novel （but I am a heavily plot driven reader so YMMV）。 。。。more
ColumbusReads
，
Three Black， gay thirty-something’s in a gentrifying Detroit。 It’s not DINO （Detroit In Name Only） it’s real Detroit。 Hilarious， compelling， heartbreaking， queer， sex and lust。 A must read！ Hey， Detroit！
rad librarian
，
I really enjoyed reading this book。 I loved all of the characters - Dominick， Remy， and Troy。 They felt like a part of my friend group。 The author touched on so many relevant themes， like gentrification， mental health within the black community， dating in your 30s， stigmas within the Black LGBTQIA community。 I appreciated the story and how the author switched from first person to third person for the characters。 A modern gay Waiting to Exhale and I'm here for it。 I would love a sequel and more b I really enjoyed reading this book。 I loved all of the characters - Dominick， Remy， and Troy。 They felt like a part of my friend group。 The author touched on so many relevant themes， like gentrification， mental health within the black community， dating in your 30s， stigmas within the Black LGBTQIA community。 I appreciated the story and how the author switched from first person to third person for the characters。 A modern gay Waiting to Exhale and I'm here for it。 I would love a sequel and more books from Aaron Foley。 。。。more
tillie hellman
，
really really good。 funny and sweet and memorable
Vito
，
This book is fantastic， fresh， funny， ferocious and flirty。 I haven’t read a book like this in forever - loved getting to know Dominick， Remy and Troy as I cheered them on page after page。 The back cover said it best: sexy， heartfelt， unapologetically queer， and deliciously funny。 Will be comparing a lot of book to “Boys Come First” for a long time。
Latitude
，
This is an incredible read， for Michigan fans， millennials， and gays everywhere。 Featuring: a group chat done well in a book！ Detroit！ Black gays over the age of 30！ The changing landscape of Michigan and Detroit and growing and changing in our time！ M i c h i g a n， everywhere。 Five stars。
Logan Payne
，
THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD！！！ I loved the friendship among the men and getting to follow each of them individually
Kyra Grimes
，
loved the unabashed hating of white people and the great writing about gentrification。 couldn’t get past the changing pov and lack of plot。 for sure going to read aaron foleys future books
Danny Altman
，
Great read， engaging characters and timely subject matter。 I found myself reflecting on the character’s choices， navigating gay dating and gentrification， long after I’d set the book down！
Ang
，
Aw， I liked this。 Really sweet quarter-life（ish） crisis book set in a group of friends in Detroit。
Ian
，
Yes， yes， YESSSS！！！！！ 😍😍😍😍
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Boys Come First
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Boys Come First&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Boys Come First&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0