Reviews tagging 'Death'

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

18 reviews

kitaliae's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I like this book, and the previous The Hate U Give;  it's clear that Angie is going to be an important voice of the next generation as she continues to write emotional, touching stores for an audience that is largely ignored.  I love Bri, she's so fiery and spunky, and I do relate to get struggles to chase her dreams and not be a burden. In a lot of ways I wish this book was more about her and her struggles with identity. It feels like parts of the book were rushed or sections were just left out. Nothing feels awkward or bad, just feels like there is depth missing from sections that really should have had more. So much of rap and hip hop in general is about identity and authenticity, and this book had so many opportunities to go after that and passed on it. The social themes in this book are amazing, but at points it feels like those plot lines were favored over Bri's story. (also this really didn't need a second love interest - it happened so fast it feels kind of icky)

On a personal note, it was really frustrating to have so much of Bri's fire dismissed as ODD by her brother. ODD exists, but it's not what Bri is struggling with and I wish it hadn't been included. So many black teenage girls get that label from the school system unfairly and having her brother reinforce that was really aggravating. It might have been a joke or whatever, but it comes off poorly when Bri had been nothing more than a typical teenager in her "outbursts".

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Racism, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Police brutality, and Grief

Minor: Bullying, Homophobia, Infertility, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

leeresbuchregal's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

enjoyable rap and poetry entries for and through the plot

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Gun violence, Racism, and Murder

Minor: Death

caoimhe9876's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Police brutality, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Blood

lilacsophie's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Grief

pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed Angie's sophomore novel and how it dives into the world of hip-hop and drug abuse. Bri's viral song makes people start talking and believe that she really believes the things she says in her songs. She's judged by her community and family members and really grows in this book from start to finish. I loved how Bri sounded just like a teen and was a huge gamer and nerd! I really enjoyed reading her character and the audiobook was amazing. I would highly recommend reading this on audio because the narrator does a phenomenal job with voicing each character and rapping Bri's lyrics. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, and Death of parent

Racial profiling, a brief mention of Harry Potter

dandelion27's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Police brutality

Minor: Homophobia

sheryl_macca's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Angie Thomas takes us back to Garden Heights in this, her second novel. We're in familiar territory and only a year or so has passed from the events of The Hate You Give. Setting up On The Come Up this way gives us an instant back story, an instant connection with the new characters in this story. It means that we're straight into the action from the first page which is exciting.

Brianna, a 16 year old rapper, is our protagonist. She lost her father in a gang shooting, she was separated from her mother as a child due to drug use so she's grown up hard and fast. With the notorioty of being her father's daughter Brianna has developed an explosive but deeply moral temper. She's out for justice not vengeance, she seeks change not chaos but in her youthful naivity she loses her way. 

I felt what Brianna felt and I believed Brianna was right when she believed it. Angie Thomas' writing does that to you. Her characters are real. She creates authentic people in a realistic world without any minutiae.

This one just misses out on a 5 star review though. The Hate You Give was a 5 star read for me but On The Come Up isn't as complex and not quite as powerful for me. I loved the rap lyrics, the changes in pace, the glimpses of the little girl at heart in Brianna and her growing understanding of responsibility. I loved how the systemic racism in multiple arenas was definitely present but was also just a fact of Brianna's everyday life. It wasn't the main focus but Brianna wouldn't be in her situation without it. It felt accurate. On The Come Up is memorable for the way it depicts racism, poverty and inequality but it's even more memorable for the emotional journey.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, and Grief

Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

karinreadsbooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use and Gun violence

Minor: Death