Let Me Hear a Rhyme

I really loved the 90s vibes and racial commentary. I thought this could have had more pull to the mystery because this was more of a character study to me than any of her other books

All these black and brown bodies dancing under red lights. Skins glistening, white teeth shining, laughing, drinking . . . this is what our people were always supposed to look like. Filled with joy, love, and happiness.” Ch 32, pg 240 Jasmine

Liked it, but didn't love it

After their best friend, Stephon or Steph suddenly dies, Quadir and Jarell team up with his sister, Jasmine, and pretend he is still alive after Steph becomes famous for his rap music.

Pros

+90s rapper references

+Music is one of the central themes to the story. I like the character s' know their stuff and have conversations about music.

+Written in AAVE. It adds to the character personalities

+Parents are present. Sure some of them may dead or absent but we hear at least one half of the parents. A lot of YA books avoid involving the parents at all so it was nice to see parents in a few scenes for once.

+Slow burn romance.

+Small feminist discussion. There's one scene where a group about female rapper and what they rap about.

+Black history. I liked that a little black history facts were said throughout the novel


Cons

-Steph tapes got popular waaayyy too quickly. I felt like anytime someone listened to them, they instantly fell in love with his music. It feel unrealistic for someone just starting with no press to be popstar status already.

–Their whole plan seemed unrealistic. In real life, it would have fallen part early on. There no way studio would want to with a person they never see.

–The three POV's. with all the flip-flopping it was kinda hard to keep track of who's POV I was in.

-Jarell was so annoying at first but I became used to his POV as the book went on. Some the dialogue was still cringey tho.

-The book was super long. It seems to drag at one point

-Ending was kinda rushed. Suddenly one character was nice and the injuries of two characters seemed to be forgotten.

All in all, despite the cons, I appreciate this book for letting into the world of the 90s, learn a little black history, and the importance of hip-hop in the nineties.

this book perfectly encapsulates the lengths you will go to in order to celebrate someone you love

more thoughts to come

Though the central story line is a murder mystery, this is her most joyful book yet! At it's surface, it's a love letter to Brooklyn and 90s hip hop, but going deeper it's about friendships, survival, loyalty, and who has the right to make choices/have their voices heard (spoiler - everyone!). The audio narration is shared between 3 characters, and they were all great, especially the voice of Jarrell. As someone who was a teenager at this time, I loved the walk through nostalgia, but I think kids will enjoy the look into what is now history for them!

4.25 stars

First of all, do yourself a favor and get the audio. I really enjoyed this one. You may expect to find: character development, NY hip-hop history, social commentary, mystery, sick rhymes, and hope. What are you waiting for? Give to fans of Angie Thomas, Nic Stone, & Jason Reynolds.

So I love this book so much. It made me go to my 90s r&b and rap playlist on. I was listening to music and reading this book. So I stop reading a lot but I was getting into the music lol.(note to self don't listen to music when you are reading)