mairimav's review
5.0
Woah. This is way too powerful. Angie Thomas proves time and time again that she can write a story full of heart and emotion and educational without ever being preachy, while handling maturely Complex social justice issues, like America's long (systematic) racism and its effects on the minorities' communities through the eyes of realistically flawed but wanting to grow (initially not for the right reasons but character development done right), love interests that are level headed and have their own sense of self (Lisa is not just a moral compass,. she's a powerhouse), complicated and multidimensional side characters and a plot that not only unravels naturally but also makes you think. This is essential BLM read for a reason, and from my humble perspective should be on everyone's reading list. Oh, yeah, and the main message: AMPLIFY BLACK VOICES
lucysian4's review
5.0
angie thomas is an amazing author, everything she writes is insightful and interesting. i really recommend for a light ish read that keeps you turning the pages :)
cass_ward's review
5.0
This book challenged a lot of the ideas I grew up with. Grief and growth and love were just some of the themes, but I think the greatest theme was hope. We are each born into the lives of our parents, and sometimes that’s where we stay, and sometimes it’s where we want to never end up back in. The decisions that Mav faced were big ones, and he never gave up wanting to do the right thing. Beautiful.
tchoupicalme's review
5.0
J'avais adoré THUG et ce roman est une vraie pépite. J'avais beaucoup aimé le personnage de Maverick et je voulais vraiment connaître son passé, et je ne suis pas déçu ! On voit un très bon développement de personnage et une histoire très intéressante. On comprend beaucoup mieux ses réactions dans THUG, et surtout auprès de sa fille. J'ai bien aimé le personnage de Lisa, même si elle m'a gavé à certains moments. J'ai aimé suivre Maverick dans toutes ses histoires entre sa paternité, les histoires de gang mais aussi la façon dont il essaie de s'en sortir.
afreema3's review
5.0
I feel like this is a 4.5 maybe a 4.75 because I enjoyed this book more than On the Come Up, but I feel like I enjoyed The Hate U Give more than Concrete Rose. All the specificities don't really matter though.
I was in a small reading slump after reading Passing and I had a paper due for a class before my Thanksgiving Break started so I was not reading anything for fun. I said to my mom the other night that I wanted to read something, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to read, and when I saw that the Free Library of Philadelphia had Concrete Rose available as an audiobook I decided to check it out, and boom I read the whole book.
While I have swayed away from reading ya books more recently Angie Thomas always pulls me in. I feel that she writes believable characters and I think that is why I enjoy her books no matter what. I also really liked the chance to explore Maverick's past and see another side to the characters in Garden Heights that we have not yet seen. While I want Angie Thomas to write other stories I do hope that she continues to grow and flesh out the Garden.
I was in a small reading slump after reading Passing and I had a paper due for a class before my Thanksgiving Break started so I was not reading anything for fun. I said to my mom the other night that I wanted to read something, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to read, and when I saw that the Free Library of Philadelphia had Concrete Rose available as an audiobook I decided to check it out, and boom I read the whole book.
While I have swayed away from reading ya books more recently Angie Thomas always pulls me in. I feel that she writes believable characters and I think that is why I enjoy her books no matter what. I also really liked the chance to explore Maverick's past and see another side to the characters in Garden Heights that we have not yet seen. While I want Angie Thomas to write other stories I do hope that she continues to grow and flesh out the Garden.
cmpaschall's review
5.0
I loved The Hate U Give, so I naturally wanted to read the prequel. This was another absolutely phenomenal book. Angie Thomas is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!
zara_18's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
casualspoons's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Not exactly a fun read (had me stressed for most of it) but it did an excellent job of capturing the real complexities of becoming a parent when you’re still a kid.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
katieeigenfeld's review
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
leilah_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
3.5