On the Come Up

Not quite in the same caliber as ‘The Hate U Give,' both in terms of writing and character development. The protagonist was a challenging character to root for. On one hand, you can understand her perspective, but on the other hand, her impulsiveness, immaturity, and lack of growth by the end of the book proved to be detrimental to the overall reading experience. Despite these drawbacks, the book remained quite readable, though.

I don't live this life, so I can't say with certainty, but it seems pretty “real” to me. Would connect with young teens. I was invested. Characters are developed very well. Easy to connect to.

5.0/5.0

I made a mental note to check out this book after I read “The Hate U Give” and I totally wasn't disappointed! This book made me think a lot, not just about the main character Bri's life, but about mine too. I can't wait for the movie adaption of this! The minute the raps get recorded I'm going to add them to my playlist. They were all very clever! The lines below are my favorite!

“You see they figure I'm a n** that's gon' rap ‘bout pulling triggers, Just to make their pockets bigger while the world yells I'm a sinner”

The entire thing was very well written and once I started reading it, it was hard for me to put down. Each of Bri's raps was thought out very well and it's obvious when you read them. Each one has a deeper meaning that is impossible to not appreciate.

Yup, she did it again, she made me cry! Thomas writes such good characters you can't help but believe in them and when they hurt you hurt too. On The Come Up maybe doesn't have as much to say as The Hate U Give or Concrete Rose but its protagonist Bri sure has PLENTY to say! This feels like it's a pretty personal write for Thomas, a teen rapper herself, and it's well written and enjoyable. Looking forward to reading more of Thomas' work in the future.

I enjoyed the overall story and found the events to be very realistic which also made it a little predictable because I knew how things would play out but in this instance it's not a bad thing. I did have some issues with the characters and didn't like how certain events were resolved between the three friends but overall a great read and one that should be read by everyone.

Bri's got a talent for poetry and has ambitions to become a great rapper. Through the book Bri must over come many hardships, feelings, and embrace the success of her talent. Some good and some bad, It helps build her as a character having the challenge to find herself through these events. Even in her success will have her challenges of people trying to take advantage, people misinterpreting her words to use against her. Even the tough acceptance consequences and the power that can happen through speech, and more important to find what matters in her life and the people in her life and use the powerful words to bring it together. Finding herself was a journey.

Bri is passionate and sensitive. Her reactions to her world and events feel real and genuine, I really got attached to her and rooted for her the whole time. Great book, I recommend on audio!

I liked this book a lot. All of the characters felt real and the conflicts arose naturally from the situations they were facing. I really liked the way the thought process Bri uses to come up with lines was written out, and the notes on her Ring battle verse in the endnotes. Some of it was a little predictable (I guessed the identity of Sonny's online friend almost immediately) but that's not always a bad thing.

Not as good as The Hate U Give. This one took a little longer to get into and the characters weren't nearly as clear as Starr. A compelling story and a very important perspective. Bri won me over in the end.

Great writing and I love how well I got to knew the characters but the main character annoyed me so much.
I can't wait to read this authors other book!

Highly recommend the audiobook!

A solid 4/5.

Now, before I get into it I have to admit that The Hate You Give (Thomas's debut novel last year) is easily one of my favorite books. It's so full of heart and raw and such a product of the times.

Another thing I want to recognize about this book is I am not its primary audience. This might very well mean something more to a black audience than me.

What struck me is that while Bri is not as likable as Starr, she's probably very indicative of what it's like to be a young black woman to certain people.

The critique I am comfortable giving is that I think that the end could've been more towards the middle, so we could've seen Bri push past Supreme and grow more into herself. I felt like ending when it was just beginning was a bit anti-climatic. I also didn't really care for the Malik subplot, I didn't really care.

Where the book does shine (like THUG) is in its familial relationships, specifically Bri and her mom. Her mom is a recovered drug addict and as someone who has lost family to addiction, it was just so amazing to see such a positive example of recovery for the addict and those who love the addict.

It's so easy to forget that there's a human on either side, and I love Jay and everything she does for her children. I'm also happy to see them taking hard but necessary steps to get back on their feet. The seen where Bri goes with Jay to the shelter to get food was so powerful. It is shameful because unfortunately we live in a country where a significant amount of people think that handouts are shameful.

And as a teenager its doubly hard because while trying to find yourself you look to external factors like brand names and where you shop to help try on some different personas. 

Thomas continues to be strong. I'm definitely still a fan. If anything I would read this first, before THUG, but if you had to pick one, THUG all the way. But I'll have a special place in my heart for Bri and Jay.

Summary: Bri, a 16-year-old high school sophomore, wins her first rap battle, but that does not solve any of the problems at school or home.
On the Come Up is Angie Thomas' second book, following the massive success of The Hate U Give. While it took me a little while to get into the book, I think On the Come Up is a better book. It works particularly well as an audiobook. The narration is well done, but the lyric sections of the songs and all of Bri's internal rhyming makes the audiobook the more natural option for the book.

Bri is a 16-year-old. Her father was an up and coming rapper, who was killed when Bri was little. She remembers him more through the stories her family tells her than her personal memories. The tragedy of her father's death was compounded by her mother's depression that eventually led to a severe drug addiction. For years, Bri and her older brother lived with her grandparents, and her brother was her primary caregiver.

On the Come Up is a story of how hard work is not always enough. Bri's mother kicked her drug habit, and after a long legal fight with her in-laws won custody of her children. She has worked hard as a preschool teacher while going to college part-time to be a social worker. Bri's brother also did everything right. He graduated with honors from college, but the best job he can find in the area is at a pizza place. When Bri's mother loses her job because of a lack of funding for the preschool, they move from struggling to desperate.

Compounding the problem, Bri is a student at an arts high school in Manhattan. The students from her neighborhood know they are there as diversity and they are also frequently harassed by school security and teachers. Near the start of the book, Bri is violently taken down and handcuffed by school security, which also cascades into several events throughout the book.

I know that some do not like the language of intersectionality, but On the Come Up is an excellent example of it. The intersection of poverty, racism, sexism, trauma, lack of access to jobs and community support, etc., mean that these become exponential problems, not just the addition of issues. While there is language, violence, or discussion of violence, some romance, this is still a young adult book. Bri is presented as a teen, a child not yet grown, who is trying to make her way in the world but does not have the maturity to deal with the issues she is forced to confront.

As a whole, On the Come Up was a more satisfying book to me than The Hate U Give, not because of the result of the story, but because of the cohesiveness of the relationships. These were real, albeit flawed, people. Children were not able to solve problems that adults were unable to solve as so many young adult books illustrate. And the reality of systemic and individualized discrimination is well presented, not as an excuse for bad decisions, but as an illustration that discrimination removes the access to options.

Vacation reads #3
I have not read The Hate U Give, Thomas's first acclaimed book but got the timing right for this hold. Excellent characters, solid read, had some feelings, would give to my mother if it wasn't a library book.

Don't take me wrong, it's very good. Bri is true to her word and to her hood, and it all makes sense and good writing. But after Angie Thomas' first, expectations were skyhigh for me, and it's not as real or moving.

I'm a little late to this party, and many of my feelings can be summed up by other reviewers: maybe a few too many plot lines, maybe some unnecessary romantic relationships ... but hey, I remember high school, unrequited crushes took up a lot of my dang time and I always had way too many things going on. I can't really fault a high school story for including all the elements that a high schooler would experience, and I absolutely believed all these things could be going on at the same time for Bri (crippling poverty/instability, unsafe school environment, racism, family members that are involved with gangs and drug dealers, etc.).

I LOVED Bri's mom, Jay, and I really enjoyed the glimpse into the creativity of rapping. It was also fascinating, the idea of Bri's popularity among white suburban kids who want to freak out their parents, vs. the kids from her own neighborhood, whom she doesn't want to influence to carry “clips on their hips” and whatnot, but who experience life in the same community.

I don't really know why I don't feel stronger about this book, though I did enjoy it and think Angie Thomas is a great writer.

I listened to the audiobook, and On The Come Up has the same narrator as The Hate U Give did, and even though I listened to these books years apart, I kept picturing Starr in my head instead of Bri?? That was confusing, but I think that's a problem with me and not the narrator.

Okay first of all I will like to say that Supreme reminds me of Master P when I was reading this beautiful book. Idk why but every time Supreme comes up in the book I will think about Master P.


I love it so much. This book speak volumes for me. As a mom who see so much in a poor neighborhood in the Bronx. I know a little about the hood and trying to get out of the hood. So this book and all of her books speak volumes to me.

This book is so beautiful and the raps are so good. I can't wait for more books from Angie Thomas.

I give this book a 5 stars.

So good! I love Bri's voice and I can't wait to read the next book Angie Thomas writes.

Love another nuanced trip into Garden Heights. Bri is a great character, flawed and often unlikeable in her choices, but ultimately complexly loveable and wonderful, a truly REAL teenager. The family dynamics are great, as are the very realistic friendships. Thomas does GREAT character work with Aunt Pooh. The dialogue and songs are so accurate, Thomas has very few peers in that area. There were a few plot points that felt too easy (how would Supreme be able to take a minor to meetings/performances without parental permission?!) but overall very enjoyable. As always, strongly recommend the audio by the best narrator in the game, the true GOAT, Bahni Turpin.

If it's true that white middle class kids are the biggest consumers of rap and hip-hop, I hope that every single one of them reads this book. Arguably stronger than Thomas' blockbuster debut novel, [b:The Hate U Give 32075671 The Hate U Give Angie Thomas https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1535002553s/32075671.jpg 49638190], this book has a more challenging narrator and an unflinching look at urban poverty, crime, drug use, and unemployment, and how all of those factors are affected by racism. For hot-headed Bri, becoming a rap star is a creative outlet and a way to help her family. But by putting words to her frustrations and anger, she also gives ammunition to those who accuse rap of glorifying violence. Thomas really made me understand the thin line that rappers can walk through the difficult choices Bri has to make. The plot moves quickly and the secondary characters are memorable (I want a spin off book about Bri's BFF Sonny and the object of his affection). Angie Thomas writes for young adults of all ages (including this AARP member) about important issues but doesn't forget to create a good story as well. Highly recommended.

I love Bri so much - she's such a great character. Her snarky one-liners are SO great!

A fantastic follow up to The Hate You Give! Parts of this book had me in tears. I loved the growth of Bri throughout the book. I can't wait to recommend this to my friends and students.

5 stars

This isn't as well-crafted as THUG and I have a theory that this book was written before Ms. Thomas' first published novel. If anyone can confirm or deny this theory, please let me know.

I didn't feel for Bri the way I did for Starr. I think the difference was mainly that ‘The Hate U Give' encompassed so much for me. The family, community, social scene and it hit you right in the gut. On the other hand ‘On the Come Up' was more centered around Bri and what she wanted. Yes, there was talk about her father and mother (and I really, really loved Jay) and the struggles their family has seen, but despite Bri's talk about wanting to help her mom out it did really just feel like she was a selfish, hotheaded young girl.

And I get that. I was a selfish, hotheaded, young girl when I was 16 and I didn't have the sort of tragedy Bri had. She had every right to act the way she did, but it was so frustrating that she couldn't even hear what other kids her own age were telling her. She was a class A brat. It probably says something that my two favorite characters in this book were Jay and Aunt Pooh.

I also felt that the reason why THUG hit me so hard was because it really centered around the homicide and what that meant to Starr and everyone in the country. Here, she touches upon another huge problem, this time in our schools, but it wasn't central to the plot and it was kind of just relegated to the epilogue.

I gave the book to my daughter to read next and I'm curious to see how she likes it compared to how much I liked it!

I couldn't put this down. Bri's voice is so strong and compelling, she's a smart, funny teen who has gone through some real challenges and sometimes reacts in a realistically messy way. I was rooting for her the whole way, and I think that, like THUG, this book unpacks racist macro- and micro-aggressions in subtle and important ways.

I also love all the pop culture references sprinkled throughout–they add a lot of humor but also realism and timeliness.