On the Come Up

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas's second novel, a sort of sequel to The Hate U Give. I say sort of sequel because it is works as a standalone. The characters do not know each other. But Bri lives in the same neighborhood as Starr and does refer to the incidents of that story.Bri wants to be a rapper. Her father was a locally famous rapper and she seems to have inherited his talent. But she also wants to forge her own path and not only be known as "L'il Law." She does battle and shows she can hold her own. But it's a racist profiling and takedown at her school that thrusts her into the limelight, especially when she uses it to her advantage.Bri is part of a group of kids who are bused in to one of the nicer districts. It's a great program. I live in the area that was first in the country to do this urban-suburban type program and have former students who went through it. Bri's struggles, and those of her friends who also get bussed in, are rewal. It may not always show up as strongly as in this book, but the profiling and microaggressions do. I hope people realize this more and can work toward better solutions.This is also a story about the rapping world. I fully admit that the bulk of my knowledge of battles come from watching Eminem in 8 Mile. As her career advances and people start to shower praise and expectations on her, it also becomes a story of finding yourself and staying true to yourself as you share your message. And that's another good theme for people to ponder.The sophomore novel is always the most difficult one to write. But this story is strong and shows that Angie Thomas is here to stay, even beyond THUG. I know there is one more book in this world and I look forward to reading it.

Another inspiring, magnificent story.I fell in love with ANGIE THOMAS’S Writing when I picked her debut novel, THE HATE U GIVE which I read last year, twice. I been excited about ON THE COME UP from the moment that she announced it on twitter. How could I not? Considering how much her debut novel affected me. When I started reading ON THE COME UP I was instantly hooked, to both the story and the characters. I had feeling that it would be a story that I would fall in love with. I did. I even recommended to a few of my friends as well. ON THE COME UP was different on THE HATE U GIVE and in the good way. I loved how Bri kept on fighting, despite what others said about her, to her. Not once did she give up on her dreams, and to me that’s dedication, courage. You cannot help but love Bri, and I know that she is type of person that I would love to be friends with. I don’t rap and only listen to rap music sometimes, and I thought that Bri’s rap that she came up with was catchy, and I actually found myself singing along with it few times, while I was reading the book. I hated how others started treating her afterwards, I understand that they thought the message that she was sending to others, but that gives them no right to assume what that song was about. I don’t know how she did it, how she handled it for as long as she did. If it was me in that situation, I wouldn’t be able to. That was one of the things that I loved about Bri, and how she kept going after her dream, no matter what was said about her song.What I loved the most about this book was how realistic it was. Poverty. Addiction. Gang is something that actually happens, and I am sure that it is what a lot of people can relate to. Bri, she dealt with so much in this book. Besides Bri, her mother was my second favorite character in ON THE COME UP but then how could she not be? She’s recovering addict and just by reading this story, I saw how much she changed, and how hard she worked to provide for her family. She even gave up her education. I felt proud for her, and at same time I felt sorry, how hard she had work to provide for her family, and yet sometimes that wasn’t enough. I knew that Bri and her mom had their moments, especially when it comes to Bri;s rap, but I feel that was because she was afraid that she might lose her, the way that she lost her husband. She was trying to protect her. Despite their arguments, I knew that in the end they would be there for each other. Like Bri’s mother was when she found out what the guards at the school done to her, how they treated her. I knew that they would deny it, but I knew what they did was wrong, and that they shouldn’t been allowed back in school afterwards. I smiled, I cried, I got angry and I got scared while I read ON THE COME UP . It was as if I was feeling the emotions that characters were feeling in the story. It was…spectacular.Just like THE HATE U GIVE , ON THE COME UP will be a book that you will be thinking about long after turning the last page, the story that you will be talking with your friends about. I did. I thought about the story, and the impact that this book had on me, days after I finished it. I fell in love. I am already eager to see what ANGIE THOMAS will come up with next. Highly recommended. A must read.

Loved it. Angie Thomas writes about the black experience in such a relatable way. I enjoy every story she tells and On the Come Up was no different! 5 stars!

After reading and loving The Hate U Give, I was really looking forward to reading On the Come Up.We meet teenager Bri who wants to follow in her dead father’s footsteps and become a famous rapper. Her home life isn’t the easiest with a mother who is a recovering drug addict who is struggling to make ends meet and an older brother who was A star student of which her teachers are expecting the same from her. There is a lot of pressure on her shoulders and I felt for this young girl who doesn’t want to upset anyone but also wants to follow her dreams.I also felt for Jay, Bri’s mum in the story. She is trying to do the best for her kids but never seems to get a break or enough money to pay all the bills. It’s a toss up between no food or having heat and electric. It really hit home at how many families find themselves in this sort of situation. It was interesting to see how this family unit worked together to try and make ends meet.The author touches on many topics within the story and it all makes for a very up to date read with issues that are present in the here and now. Whilst I think this story is more aimed at young adults, I think older adults can still very much appreciate this story of a young girls struggles to follow her dreams.On the Come Up was a story that I had no problems getting caught up in. I did slightly worry that it might not be for me as rap music isn’t quite my scene but I really got into it and was routing for Bri to come out on top. It’s not just about following your dreams but about family and there was plenty of drama going on that had me worrying about Bri and certain members of her family. Whilst it didn’t have as big an impact on me as The Hate U Give, it’s a good read that kept me turning the pages.

On The Come Up tells a story firmly grounded in our present time, navigating high school friendships, complicated family relationships, financial difficulties, social media, and viral fame from the perspective of a young black woman growing up in America. Bri's voice is unforgettable, the plot is immersive and lively, and the cast of supporting characters also shines. The rap battles and Thomas's use of music in her storytelling are amazing. Thomas's writing continues to connect strongly with her teen audience, but older readers will equally find this story compelling, honest & deeply resonant.

I have to admit that I was disappointed by this. It was by no means bad, but after Thomas' incredible debut, The Hate U Give, I was expecting more (although, yes, On the Come Up was written in a short space of time and I shouldn't compare). So let's start with a spoiler-free overview. Teenage Bri (pronounced 'Bree' and short for Brianna) is an aspiring rapper. Her family is falling on hard times, and her rapping success may be the only way forward. On the Come Up follows Bri's story as she navigates prejudice, hip-hop, relationships and dreams. What I really liked about this was the richness of culture that continued from The Hate U Give. Garden Heights feels like a real place, and the characters are completely believable. In this novel, the cast of characters was more diverse, with more LGBTQ+ representation, which I appreciated... in theory (more on this later). Also, had this book been written by a different author, the hip-hop included could have been really jarring – not that I know anything whatsoever about hip-hop. However, Thomas has experience in this area and it worked perfectly. And yes, it is certainly appropriate for hip-hop novices like myself. Oh, and one last thing: as a geek myself I did smile a lot at the Star Wars references, though I can see how they'd be annoying (and I really need to see Black Panther! Now!). Okay, now for the negatives... To be entirely honest, I felt the plot was a bit non-existent. It didn't seem to have much in terms of structure, and as I was reading I felt myself thinking 'ohh, this was written so this would happen, and then this could happen'. Basically, I wasn't immersed in the plot so it felt a bit orchestrated.SPOILERS FROM NOW Sonny's plot line! Argh! I was really on board with this, with the reference to reading Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli - which is great, by the way - but it spiralled until it felt like Thomas had included a sub-plot that was basically Simon Vs. but really not as good. I felt like Albertalli practically deserved crediting for it. (I know Thomas and Albertalli are friends, but even so.) Sonny and Miles deserved better... they're kinda cute together as well?? It was really obvious that Miles was Rapid, but that's not really the point. So I didn't like that rep. And what about Aunt Pooh? I mean, can you really write a book with so much emphasis on discrimination and not explore the queer black woman's story even a little? I swear her girlfriend just vanished with a couple of slapdash excuses. Honestly, most of the LGBTQ+ rep in this seemed like it was thrown in 'because I'm so diverse!'. That was super annoying. Talking of relationships, I honestly did feel a bit 'Argh!' about Bri's romantic plot, too. I read another review which said it got in the way a bit, and I have to agree. Malik himself seemed a bit bland, come to think of it, actually. We never really understood what made him so great, which did make Bri/Curtis very obvious. And Aunt Pooh again! I really, really liked her so I hate to say this... but the whole going to prison plot did come across as a bit unnecessary for the story? Like, what was the point of including it? I'm up for debate on this, though. Okay, last thing. The ending. Would Bri's grandparents really have had such a speedy change of heart? What on earth brought that on? That seemed extremely out of character. Gah. So yeah. I felt a bit let down by On the Come Up, sadly. I loved the setting, I liked Bri, I liked her family (though it wasn't anything like the loveable awesomeness of Starr's family in The Hate U Give), I liked the hip-hop and learning about something I had no clue about before. I just didn't like some of the other stuff at all. If you read this after The Hate U Give, I would warn you that you may be disappointed, though, as I said, comparison is a little unfair. But then again, it's still worth a read, probably. Yeah, it swears, and yeah, there is stuff about drugs and gangs, but seriously, that's life for some people, so please don't not read because of that. I'd say it's suitable 12+ if you're a relatively mature reader. Oh, and like the true geek I am, I'm ending with a Hamilton quote to sum up my thoughts: you could've done so much more if you only had time...

It’s not often that an author can make you put down a book out of frustration of the main character making stupid mistakes, but pick it up again because you have to see how they make it right. This book makes you laugh, cry, feel angry over the justice system and plain racism in society and love all the characters. I couldn’t put it down even when I wanted to.

I loved this book. As a fan of Angie's The Hate U Give, I thought I'd read this novel.Just proves when the odds are against you, sticking at what you believe in will take you very far.