Review: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Title: On the Come Up Written by: Angie Thomas Published: February 5, 2019 by Balzar + Bray (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.  On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

I loved The Hate U Give and so I was excited to read Angie's second book. And I am so glad I did because this book really solidified Angie as a tremendous talent when it comes to writing engaging and timely contemporary fiction.

One of the things that I love about Angie as an author is the way she balances serious and complex issues without making them feel preachy. I don't read a lot of contemporaries ans the ones that I do, I like to have that balance serious and light moments. It's what makes the book feel more realistic and true to life. Like The Hate U Give, On the Come Up does a really good job of portraying the struggle people of color are going through, and how the system is built to keep them down. She doesn't shy away from things like racism, poverty, gangs, and drugs. Bri's life isn't easy and she and her family are struggling to make ends meet but their still full of humor and love for one another. That contrast gave the book a lot of depth and balance.

But what made this book so complex and relatable is Bri and her struggle to decide who she wants to be versus what other people expect her to be. One of the tings I love about reading YA is that there is always this struggle, this coming-of-age story where the character has to decide for themselves who they are. With Bri she did this under the guise of her rap career. She writes what she feels and the song blows up but when people expect her to be everything that she trying to rap against she needs to decide if what her image should be. And while this is a kind of specific problem, it still felt really genuine and relatable. It helped me connect with Bri and gave her character a lot of depth.

Although connecting with Bri was not very hard for me, in general I really liked Bri as a character. She's not necessarily going to be the kind of person everyone connects with. She's brash and reckless and is the kind of person who speaks before she things sometimes. Her mouth and temper gets her into a lot of trouble throughout the book. But I liked that she wasn't shy and she stood up for herself. Her choices weren't always the right ones, but they also aren't easy choices. I listened to the audiobook for this one because I really like the narrator, Bahni Turpin, but I was honestly a little nervous because she also narrated The Hate U Give and I didn't want to feel the same. But it didn't feel that way at all. Bri's voice shined through loud and clear, and it was a voice I enjoyed a lot.

Bri was not the only interesting character though. One of the things Angie does so well is the family dynamic. I really loved the way she handled Bri's family. Her mom, Jay, was such a complex character. I felt like the relationship they had played a lot with the trope in YA of the absent parent. Jay used to be absent but now that she is sober and around she is struggling to prove to Bri that she can take care of her, even though she is struggling to make that happen. I really connected with Jay's story and rooted for her to succeed. I also really love Bri's brother Tre. He and Bri had a lot of love and affection for each other as they had been through so much but they also had that sibling relationship where they don't always get along. Some of the funniest moments came from those two messing with each other.

All in all, I think this a fantastic follow up to the Hate U Give. It stands on its own as a fantastic read with a complex look at the issues people face today, great characters, and the perfect amount of humor and love.

I give On the Come Up by Angie Thomas 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. I would very highly recommend this book and honestly all of Angie Thomas' books. Fans of The Hate U Give should check it out. If you are a fan of contemporary novels I would absolutely recommend this one.

Have you read On the Come Up? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Audiobook Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Title: The Hate U Give Written by: Angie Thomas Published: February 28, 2017 by Balzar +  Bray (HarperCollins) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life

Okay, yeah, I get it. This book was amazing. It’s really nice when a super hyped book actually lives up to that hype. This is a book that I had heard great things about and I loved. I was honestly nervous because I don’t usually like serious contemporaries but this was really well balanced and really impactful.

Angie Thomas does a great job in pulling you in right away by connecting you to the main character Starr. I seriously loved Starr. It’s easy to like her though. She’s snarky, intelligent, and compassionate. You feel her struggle as she is torn between two worlds, neither of which does she feel like she fully fits into. It was really nice seeing Starr figure out her place in these worlds, and the world in general throughout the book. Her development throughout the book was subtle but enough for it to make an impact. Seeing her speak out for what she believed in and the people and places she cares about made her all the more likable by the end of the book.

But she was not the only interesting and likable character. I think the heart of this story is in the family. A lot of times we see YA novels where the parents are not around and if they are they are a negative influence. This book could have done that (and to be fair it kind of did but just not with Starr) but it didn’t. Starr’s parents were around and they were so involved. You could tell they loved her and wanted what was best for her and her brothers (who were also amazing, I seriously loved Seven). But they were also just fantastic on their own. I really liked her father Big Mav. He was such a freaking dad. But like in the best possible way. He was corny but still so funny and tough but seriously loving. Her family was just great. And their relationship was great. It added a great layer of humor and heart to the book.

But Starr’s family wasn’t the only great characters. From her friends at school, to the people around Garden Heights, to the local activist all the characters were complex and engaging. I listened to the audiobook and Bahni Turpin really did an amazing job. I already loved her and her narration but I think I love her even more now. The characters cake Alice in this book. There was a massive cast and she made them all feel unique and interesting. Plus she really got the tone and emotion that came with this book. It could have fallen really flat but not in Bahni’s expert hands (mouth?). It’s no wonder this book was voted best audiobook of the year by Audible. That is well deserved.

But I also want to take some time to talk about the plot of this book. It’s an extremely serious and topical event. With everything going on in the world a book like this needs to exist. It addresses a lot of really serious issues and it does it in a way that makes you think. I don’t like when books beat you over the head with their message and this book definitely didn’t do that. It had its point, it addressed that point but it didn’t come off and preachy and didn’t take it too far. I think even if you don’t like serious issue books you will still like this one. And if you do like them you most certainly enjoy this. But I think the reason the book didn’t get too extreme with it’s message is that it balanced it all out with humor and heart. Those are the kinds of contemporaries I enjoy and that’s what I loved about this book. It made you laugh, it made you cry, and it made you think. Isn’t that all you can ask for in a book? I think so.

I seriously flew through this book. I couldn’t stop listening to the audio. I really loved it. I wish I hadn’t waited to read it but I am glad I did read it. I get why it is such a favorite with a lot of people. It was really amazing.

I give The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! If you are like me and you have been waiting to read this book for some reason, stop waiting. This book is worth all the hype and accolades it has been getting. It's a fantastic, impactful, and important read. Definitely buy it.

Have you read The Hate U Give? What did you think? Give me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!