On the Come Up by Angie Thomas - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Balzer + Bray/Harper Collins. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: On the Come Up
Author: Angie Thomas
Release Date: February 5, 2019

The Hate U Give REVIEW

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.

------------------------------------------------------------

Review: This book was excellent. Unfortunately, I finished reading this book months ago so this review may not be as thorough as I would like. I do remember absolutely loving this book, though. So if you enjoyed The Hate U Give, you will also find this book to be a wonderful read.

This is Angie Thomas's follow-up to The Hate U Give. It takes place in the same world and the events of that boo are referenced, but this is a whole new story following a different character in a different situation. Bri is an aspiring rapper. She has an incident with some racist security guards at her school. Her music inspires others. She tackles with the question of whether she is responsible for things she puts out into the world. 

One thing I absolutely loved about this book was the queer representation. There are multiple secondary queer characters. 

You should read this book. I obviously give it a 5/5.


--PAUL

Paul's TOP TEN Books Read in 2017

I read 47 of 50 books for my 2017 Goodreads Reading Challenge for a second year in the row. Thus, I am setting my 2018 Reading Challenge goal at 47 books. 2017 was the year of graphic novels for me.  I read so many Star Wars and Power Rangers comics, but also some great comics with queer representation. Since I read so many comics, I'm going to make a separate post about my TOP FIVE COMICS. This is the top non-comic books I read in 2017 (And I may have finished one of them on January 3rd, but it didn't count toward my 2017 Goodreads Reading Challenge). There were a lot of great YA books released in 2017 and I'm hoping to get to some of them this year that I missed. Below you will find the TOP TEN books that I read in 2017. Click on the titles or cover pictures for links to my reviews!  

 MY TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2017

10.Sapiens

9.Binti

8.The Crown's Fate

7.Dreadnought

6.Queer There and Everywhere

5.Of Fire and Stars

4.Leia: Princess of Alderaan

3.Windwitch

2.The Hate U Give

1.The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

What were your favorite books of 2017? What books are you looking forward to in 2018?

--PAUL

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Balzer+Bray via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: The Hate U Give
Author: Angie Thomas
Recent Release Date: February 28, 2017

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.

------------------------------------------------------------

Review: This book is everything. Everyone that lives in America in 2017 needs to read this book. 

This book is so well written. I had the feels immediately. And by the time I was 80% into the book, I was crying over something I did not expect I would. The characters are so real. This book opens the door into a world that may be different than your own. Books like this need to be made. Reading fosters empathy and this book needs to get into as many people's hands as possible. 

I give this book a 5/5 obviously. I could go on praising this book even more, but instead you should just go to Amazon right now and click BUY!


--PAUL