Boys Come First

This hilarious, touching debut novel by Aaron Foley follows three Black gay millennial men looking for love in Detroit.

Suddenly jobless and single after a devastating layoff followed by a breakup with his cheating ex, advertising copywriter Dominick Gibson flees Hell's Kitchen and finds himself trying get his life back on track in his hometown of Detroit, where he's got one objective in mind: To exit the shallow gay dating pool ASAP and be married by 35--and he's only got two years left.

Dom's best friend Troy Clements, an idealistic teacher who never left the Motor City, 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 best friend, Remy. Remy Patton is a rags-to-riches real estate agent in town with his own problems--namely choosing between making it work with a long-distance paramour or settling with a local Mr. Right Now that's not quite Mr. Right--but his friendship with Troy may be compromised over his latest high-stakes deal.

Follow these three men as they confront their evolving friendship, but also individual hiccups--workplace microaggressions, bad Tinder dates, situationships, frenemies, learning the Tamia hustle--while attempting to navigate the new and changing Detroit.