hannahreads1070's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
4.5
emmarj's review against another edition
5.0
On the Come Up is perfect from cover to cover. It's very different from The Hate U Give mood-wise but takes place in Garden Heights and makes several references to THUG. I'm not super into the whole music writing process or the fame-making aspect of music writing, so I put off reading this forever. I really wish I had picked it up right away because it was AMAZING. Even the music writing parts!
On the Come Up deals less with the violence of marginalized communities and more with the covert parts of oppression such as profiling, "passive racism," and the cycle of generational poverty. It isn't any less hard-hitting though. This book is so refreshingly good, I can see myself rereading it in the future.
On the Come Up deals less with the violence of marginalized communities and more with the covert parts of oppression such as profiling, "passive racism," and the cycle of generational poverty. It isn't any less hard-hitting though. This book is so refreshingly good, I can see myself rereading it in the future.
vinireadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I love The Hate U Give. It's one of my favorite books. So was very excited to see what Angie Thomas's other books were like, but was also a little scared of being disappointed by them!! So it took a while for me to actually pick up On the Come Up! But since I was reading way too much fantasy this month and wanted to read a YA contemporary, I started On the Come Up via audiobook!!
And Angie did not disappoint! On the Come Up was phenomenal. It was so good!! Definitely one of the best YA contemporaries I've read all year (I actually haven't read many this year, but of the few I've read, this was the best).
On the Come Up follows sixteen-year-old Bri. She 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, with bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to.
The Hate U Give and On the Come Up have many similar elements. Both of them deal with racism and growing up as a black teenager in America, and both have strong family dynamics. But I feel like both are very different in terms of themes and tone. A lot of The Hate U Give is about Starr trying to find her voice, but On the Come Up is a lot more about Bri trying to make her voice heard by others.
I loved Bri. She was a fantastic main character!! Bri can be harsh and rude at times, but I saw a bit of myself in her recklessness and identified with her teenage angst. Overall I appreciated how real Bri's character was. She felt like a real teenager; she acted in ways that teenagers probably would.
I did not expect and really loved to see how this is kind of a companion book to The Hate U Give! They don't have the same characters, and I'm pretty sure that the characters from the two books don't even meet at any point, but they are both set in the neighborhood of Garden Heights, so you get to see a lot of the consequences of the events of THUG.
I'm so excited to read Concrete Rose!! Especially since it's Maverick's story. Will definitely pick it up soon!! Also, if you can, really recommend listening to this book on audio!! The narrator sings the raps and it's PERFECT.
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And Angie did not disappoint! On the Come Up was phenomenal. It was so good!! Definitely one of the best YA contemporaries I've read all year (I actually haven't read many this year, but of the few I've read, this was the best).
On the Come Up follows sixteen-year-old Bri. She 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, with bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to.
The Hate U Give and On the Come Up have many similar elements. Both of them deal with racism and growing up as a black teenager in America, and both have strong family dynamics. But I feel like both are very different in terms of themes and tone. A lot of The Hate U Give is about Starr trying to find her voice, but On the Come Up is a lot more about Bri trying to make her voice heard by others.
I loved Bri. She was a fantastic main character!! Bri can be harsh and rude at times, but I saw a bit of myself in her recklessness and identified with her teenage angst. Overall I appreciated how real Bri's character was. She felt like a real teenager; she acted in ways that teenagers probably would.
I did not expect and really loved to see how this is kind of a companion book to The Hate U Give! They don't have the same characters, and I'm pretty sure that the characters from the two books don't even meet at any point, but they are both set in the neighborhood of Garden Heights, so you get to see a lot of the consequences of the events of THUG.
I'm so excited to read Concrete Rose!! Especially since it's Maverick's story. Will definitely pick it up soon!! Also, if you can, really recommend listening to this book on audio!! The narrator sings the raps and it's PERFECT.
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bubblegumbook's review against another edition
5.0
WOW I loved this book. I got it from the library and read it for three days straight, I couldn't put it down. I haven't read a book that completely sucked me in in a while. I was so invested in this story, in these characters. I love how raw and emotional and intense this book is. The injustices against Black Americans were highlighted so poignantly yet are so so necessary to be spoken about. This book made me FEEL. I cared for Bri so much on her journey and loved her from the beginning. I loved her friends, I wish I had friends that were ride or die like that. I love how the romantic aspect in Bri's life was handled, it was just so realistic and sweet. I love how family was a big topic in this story, how your family affects you deeply. Also the music and the lyrics Bri came up with were fire, I have even more mad respect for Angie Thomas. There were so many themes touched on in this book that were discussed so well. This is an excellent, beautiful, heartbreaking, hope-filled story that is now indelibly in me.
team_mosaic's review against another edition
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
angie thomas has done it again! on the come up is incredible - the character, the story, using rap as a part of the narrative device... it was such a wonder to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Police brutality, Violence, and Drug abuse
nazirarahman57's review against another edition
4.0
"That’s when I learned that when people die, they sometimes take the living with them."
"There's only so much you can take being described as somebody you're not."
"But it's kinda like saying one side of the Death Star is safer than the other. It's still the goddamn Death Star."
I absolutely devoured this novel. I absolutely loved the characters (especially Jay and Trey) and plot. I can't wait to read The Hate U Give, and I feel like everyone should read this.
"There's only so much you can take being described as somebody you're not."
"But it's kinda like saying one side of the Death Star is safer than the other. It's still the goddamn Death Star."
I absolutely devoured this novel. I absolutely loved the characters (especially Jay and Trey) and plot. I can't wait to read The Hate U Give, and I feel like everyone should read this.
kiturak's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.5
madmaura's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It’s hard to follow the authors first book. I didn’t love this quite as much but it is still fantastic.
thewildnorry's review against another edition
3.0
This book was very meh.
I’m not going to spend time comparing it to The Hate U Give, but I do think it’s worth noting that this feels as if it’s written by a different author. The plot is all over the place and a mess. While I knew in my head that there was something at stake for the character (primarily because the author told me so again and again) I did not FEEL like there was much at state. There was also tons of deus ex machina at play here which felt like lazy writing rather than an actual tool. (And no it didn’t matter that the author acknowledged this. It actually made it worse.)
Every character was one dimensional and showed no growth. There was no chemistry between any of the couples. There was little resolution to any of the problems.
It was messy and boring.
I’m not going to spend time comparing it to The Hate U Give, but I do think it’s worth noting that this feels as if it’s written by a different author. The plot is all over the place and a mess. While I knew in my head that there was something at stake for the character (primarily because the author told me so again and again) I did not FEEL like there was much at state. There was also tons of deus ex machina at play here which felt like lazy writing rather than an actual tool. (And no it didn’t matter that the author acknowledged this. It actually made it worse.)
Spoiler
Jay and Grandma’s miraculous reconciliation despite tons of fights, anyone?Every character was one dimensional and showed no growth. There was no chemistry between any of the couples. There was little resolution to any of the problems.
It was messy and boring.