Finding His Voice at the Crossroads of Privilege and Progress
The final installment of Nic Stone’s unforgettable trilogy, Dear Manny, steps into new territory by handing the pen to Jared Peter Christensen, the boy who once hovered awkwardly at the edges of Justyce McAllister’s world. After journeying through the emotional earthquakes of Dear Martin and Dear Justyce, we now watch Jared attempt to navigate identity, accountability, love, and leadership. It is a bold narrative pivot. And while, in my opinion, this final volume is the weakest of the three, it is nevertheless a compelling and worthwhile read.
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone
Series: Dear Martin #3
more Volumes: Dear Martin, Dear Justyce
Genre: Coming of Age, Contemporary Fiction, New Adult, Young Adult
Published on 04. Mar 2025 by Crown Books
Pages: 193
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9781984829665
Language: English
Source: Amazon
Link to Goodreads
My rating: |
Jared Peter Christensen is running for president (of the Junior Class Council at his university, but still). His platform is solid—built on increased equity and inclusion in all sectors of campus life—and he’s got a good chance of beating the deeply conservative business major he’s running against.
But when a transfer student enters the race, she calls Jared out for his big-talk/little-action way of moving. Dylan’s accusations make him question just how “woke” he really is. But what’s the right way to bring about change? As the campaign heats up, feelings are caught, and juicy secrets come to light, and Jared writes letters to his deceased friend Manny, hoping to make sense of his confusion. What’s a white boy to do when love and politics collide? Will he have to choose between his head and his heart?
Buy here: Amazon*
More Books by the Author: Dear Martin, Dear Justyce
Find the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram
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Dear Manny ♦ Nic Stone
A Review
Opinion
From the beginning, this trilogy has thrived on emotional intensity. Justyce’s letters to Dr. King carried urgency and heartbreak. Quan’s voice trembled with anger and vulnerability. Compared to those deeply resonant arcs, Dear Manny feels slightly less piercing. The emotional depth that defined the previous books does not always strike with the same force here. Jared’s internal conflicts, while important, sometimes lack the raw immediacy that made the earlier volumes feel like open wounds pressed against the page.
Yet there is something undeniably refreshing about hearing Jared’s voice. The white boy who once embodied casual ignorance and insulated privilege has changed significantly since the first book. Watching his character arc unfold across the trilogy has been one of its quiet triumphs. In Dear Manny, that evolution takes center stage. Jared is running for president of his university’s Junior Class Council, armed with a platform built on equity and inclusion. On paper, he sounds like the ally he has worked to become.
But Nic Stone wisely refuses to let growth be tidy. Jared occasionally slips back into old patterns that echo his privileged white upbringing. The reflex to assume he knows best. The instinct to defend rather than listen. The comfort of speaking instead of sitting in discomfort. These moments are frustrating, yet painfully realistic. Growth is not a straight staircase. It spirals, it hesitates, it sometimes stumbles backward.
What elevates Jared’s arc is his awareness. He recognizes when he has messed up. He feels genuine shame. In fact, his shame runs so deep that he sometimes cannot bear to face Justyce, his Black roommate and friend. Justyce has always possessed an uncanny radar for Jared’s moral missteps. The moment something is off, he senses it. That dynamic remains one of the trilogy’s strongest threads. Their friendship feels layered and lived-in. Jared’s fear of disappointing Justyce speaks volumes about how far he has come.
The introduction of Dylan Marie adds another rich layer to the story. As a transfer student who challenges Jared’s “big-talk/little-action” tendencies, she refuses to let him hide behind progressive language. Her call-out is not cruel, but it is incisive. She forces him to examine whether he is truly committed to change or simply comfortable performing it.
Their growing closeness feels authentic from start to finish. I never doubted their feelings for one another. Both are hesitant to expose their romantic insecurities, yet they communicate openly about politics, identity, and ambition. That tension creates a believable emotional push and pull. Their chemistry is subtle rather than explosive, but it works. It feels like two thoughtful people circling something fragile and precious, afraid to name it and risk breaking it.
The political storyline, centered on Jared’s campaign for Junior Class Council president, cleverly mirrors the larger thematic questions of the trilogy. What does allyship actually look like? Can someone from a position of privilege enact meaningful change? When love and politics collide, is it possible to serve both heart and principle? These questions hover throughout the novel like an exam with no answer key.
If the book falls slightly short compared to its predecessors, it is because Jared’s struggle does not carry the same existential stakes as Justyce’s or Quan’s. His challenges, while significant, unfold within a framework of relative safety. That difference inevitably affects the emotional weight of the story.
Still, Dear Manny succeeds in offering a nuanced portrait of imperfect progress. It refuses to grant Jared an easy redemption arc. Instead, it shows that accountability is ongoing work. It shows that love demands vulnerability. And it shows that recognizing one’s wrongdoing, even when it hurts, is a form of courage.
Conclusion
As the trilogy’s closing chapter, Dear Manny may not reach the towering emotional heights of the earlier volumes, but it provides something equally valuable: perspective. It broadens the conversation. It reminds us that transformation is messy and incomplete. And it leaves readers with a quiet, persistent question about who we are when no one is watching.
In the end, that is more than enough reason to recommend it.
Dear Martin
Trilogy
| Dear Martin (#1) | Dear Justyce (#2) |
| Dear Manny (#3) |
About Nic Stone
Nic Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the US to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work.
You can find her goofing off and/or fangirling over her adorable little family on most social media platforms.
This review was also published at:
| Goodreads | Amazon |
| StoryGraph |
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