Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

49 reviews

bookdrunkard78's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

oceanbluetay's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol

hmwoodward's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I've heard so much about this book and seen it as required reading in my high school's classrooms, so I decided to read what some of my students are studying these days. I am so glad I read this book, even though it was often challenging.

This book shows you a side of police brutality that we don't get to see - how those who are left behind process and respond to it. Star grapples with her responsibility to her murdered friend and the risk of speaking about it to the public. You watch as life goes back to "normal" as you follow Star to school and with her family. Though the death is no longer the only focus, it is a grief that weighs on Star and the community, on top of all the other trauma they experience in the form of poverty or drugs or gang activity, etc. The world stops at the news of a death at the hands of the police AND at the trial AND at the decision, but they're gone when the news cycle ends again.

Through the course of the book, you get to know and love (most of) the characters, despite their many flaws. You get to understand why people in challenging situations pick what appears to be a wrong choice since the odds are stacked and no choice is a good one sometimes. You watch as the people around Star grow and hear the stories of others who grew in their challenging environment. 

I listened to this on audiobook and appreciated the narrator because it felt like I was in Star's head. The narrator brought these powerful and emotional moments to life so vividly. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

musicalpopcorn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense fast-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

5.0

I hate that a book like this has to exist but if it must, this book is perfect. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

_ren's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

The most refreshing writing style I have read in a while.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse and Abandonment

Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

corriejn's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Excellent and engaging novel-- handles issues like racism, police violence, poverty, gangs, drugs, incarceration, domestic violence, code switching, microaggressions, and activism as part of a nuanced story with well-developed characters, avoiding falling into cliches or wrapping everything up with a neat bow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol

inpalemoonlight's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

lawbooks600's review against another edition

emotional 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

5.0

Representation: Black and Asian characters
Score: Nine points out of ten.

The Hate U Give succeeded where other novels failed. I've read books like this before, but none were as outstanding as this one. I wanted to read this story for a while after seeing it in my recommendations, so I picked it up from a library I went to. When I finally read and finished the narrative, it was spectacular. It's the first five-star read of the year. 

It starts with the first person I see, Starr Carter, living as if she's split in two. One half lives in an impoverished neighbourhood while the other lives in a PWI. Everything looks typical until a person shoots and kills her best friend, Khalil, who is unarmed. The book is slow but I can understand since it's over 400 pages, yet it still feels like every page is necessary. 

I liked that the author allowed me to connect to Starr more as she developed, and I appreciated all the other characters in the fictional composition. They're all realistic and complex. The author explores the themes of racism and injustice well as I could see how people can make subtle racist comments and how they can be in solidarity with each other. The climax is bittersweet as I see crowds protesting over Khalil's death, all while the police do nothing about the culprit. When I closed the final page, it never felt like I left The Hate U Give at all, since that world is, unfortunately, so similar to the one I live in, especially when there are people against injustice in real life. The sneak peek of On the Come Up immediately made me want to read it and other creations from Angie Thomas.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Full trigger warnings: Death of a brother and a child in the past mentioned, murder, blood, grief and loss depiction, racism, racist slurs, gun and gang violence, physical assault and injury, hospitalisation of a person, fire, explosions, imprisonment, drug and alcohol abuse

jayden_chancery's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

pacifickat's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense 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? No

4.75

The audio version of this book narrated by Bahni Turpin is masterful. I only wish I had read it sooner.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Gaslighting

Minor: Alcoholism and Confinement

PTSD, guilt, shame, fear, gang violence, threats of violence