Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

56 reviews

taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas is a prequel to her book The Hate U Give, focusing on Starr’s father, Maverick as the main character. I was a little sad to not have a female main character (because I love Starr and Bri), but I think in this case, it actually worked to the story’s benefit. I really loved Mav, and watching him go through his struggles first hand was a more rewarding journey than I was expecting it to be. With most prequels, I am annoyed by the fact that we know where the characters end up, but there is a lot that Starr doesn’t know about her dad in The Hate U Give. This actually makes this prequel feel fresh and new, even though we already know the fates of the characters. I think this book also address a lot of really important social issues, that are important to understand in order to promote discussion and progress in certain areas. I think that like the other two in this series, Concrete Rose is an important read that is worth everyone’s time, regardless of age.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Racism, Addiction, Classism, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Death, Racial slurs, Gore, Gun violence, Child death, Vomit, and Sexual content

demyajanayxo's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

if angie thomas can’t do anything else, she will move me to tears. i loved mav in the hate u give and it’s no different here. his backstory fleshes out and develops his character so well. this book also shows the cycles of gang violence. the parallelism was done so well.

mav witnesses dre’s death and starr with khalil’s.

my chest got tight when baby khalil was introduced, since we know how his story ends. i’m grateful that concrete rose ends on a slightly positive note, because i can’t take more heartbreak. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Addiction, Blood, Cursing, Death, Racial slurs, and Violence

marmillade's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Addiction

zombiezami's review

challenging reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Classism, Violence, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Murder, Death, Pregnancy, and Bullying

Moderate: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Excrement, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Stalking, Vomit, Drug use, Police brutality, Mental illness, Medical content, Death of parent, Confinement, and Addiction

Minor: Slavery, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol

Incarcation, Gang violence

eyescanbecruel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Violence, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Pregnancy, and Drug use

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, and Abortion

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Racism, Abandonment, Grief, Toxic friendship, Death, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Drug use, Cursing, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content, Infidelity, Abortion, Addiction, and Medical content

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense fast-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

Wow was this a good book. I’m so happy she decided to write this because maverick was probably one of if not my favorite character in the hate you give. I just really enjoyed getting his back story and to see how certain things came to be. This talks about such important topics. I really liked the characters in this especially the family. This book had me going through all the emotions. I’m so glad I finally read this one and enjoyed it. Plus the cover is gorgeous. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Classism, Murder, Racism, Drug use, Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, and Violence

vercopaanir's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

It made me furious about the state of our nation and emotional and hopeful for Maverick and his family. I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Violence, and Drug use

Moderate: Addiction, Gore, Drug abuse, and Excrement

Minor: Abandonment, Biphobia, Medical content, and Slavery

thebranchlibrary_'s review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Drug use and Addiction

nytephoenyx's review

emotional slow-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

Lately, it seems there are a lot of books out there, particularly young adult books, that feature main characters who are minorities struggling with young pregnancies and/or dangerous neighborhoods. While Black trauma is a tired storyline (more Black joy! More Black people just being regular people!), Concrete Rose has a good reason for its setting – it’s the prequel to The Hate U Give. There are some books that leave an imprint on the world… The Hate U Give is one of those. So how does the prequel – the story of Starr’s father Maverick – hold up?

It’s good. Really good. But it’s not great in the same way as The Hate U Give, so it’s important not to hold it to those expectations. It probably won’t change your life or make a deep, clarifying impression like The Hate U Give. But it’s also not trying to – this isn’t a book about social justice. It’s a book about the struggle to support and survive. And it’s written well – well enough that sometimes I forgot I already know how this story ends.

Angie Thomas is an excellent writer. When talking about her books, I think it’s very easy to talk about the important subject matter to the exclusion of all else. And the subject matter is important, don’t get me wrong, but I think we need to appreciate how skilled she is. Her novels are extremely accessible. Whether you are a 54-year-old white man living in the southern United States, or a Black teen in France, the characters are relatable and the message is universal. Her books asked for human decency, honesty, integrity, and hard work. They give us characters who find joy in small things, grieve together, and lift each other up. They beat the odds, even if it’s only in small ways. What’s not to love?

Concrete Rose follows Maverick Carter as he learns to navigate life as a highschooler who hasn’t been as careful as he should have been and ends up taking care of his three-month-old son when the mother abandons him. Maverick is a good father – he cares about his children deeply. He does his best, despite all of the odds being against him. His father is in prison, his mother is barely home because she has to work two jobs, and Maverick tries to make ends meet by selling drugs. With his cousin’s help, he tries to go clean, but the universe has other plans for both Maverick and Dre.

If you’re sensitive to reading about child care, pregnancy, and all the little bits and pieces that come along with that responsibility, this book is going to be difficult. Quite a lot of the book is about parenting and includes just about every bodily fluid you can think of in one scene or another. It’s not what I’m used to in YA, but because of this focus, Concrete Rose offers a unique perspective. Maverick stands apart from the stereotypes in that he is a responsible, loving father doing his best and most of the focus of the book is on teenage fatherhood, not his relationship troubles or the background gang warfare. It’s a perspective that wasn’t out there before, and important to both set an example and share diverse life experiences. For my own reasons, parts were difficult to listen to, but I appreciated the perspective.

If you like Angie Thomas‘ books, this is an absolute must read. It’s a worthy prequel to her debut, but it’s also a good book on its own. Knowing that Concrete Rose is about Starr‘s father is just a bonus. If you haven’t already picked it up, I recommend reading this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Pregnancy, Death, Gun violence, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Abandonment, Excrement, and Vomit

Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Addiction, and Abortion