Scan barcode
kyarabereading's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
I gave this book 5 stars because it is one of my favorite books I read this year, and I definitely see myself reading it over and over again. It's not a perfect book, of course, but I truly do think it is deserving of this rating.
One of my favorite things about this book that I don't think it gets enough love for is the relationship between Starr and her family. I think it is genuinely one of my favorite depictions of a family in a book. This family is so realistic and heartwarming and funny and so so full of love. It is a crazy thing to read a book where you can feel that love radiating off the page so strongly even though the characters are not even real. You could see that too with the Garden Heights community. I loved the interactions Starr and her family had with members of the community. When you read this book, you truly feel like the characters have known each other for ages and that they care about one another even though they aren't related by blood. The characters in this story feel so real and that makes them that much more loveable to me.
Obviously, this book gets a lot of love for how reflective and informative it is on the struggles that Black people face in America, especially when it comes to things like police brutality, micro-aggressions, systemic racism, etc. That's truly one of the things that makes this book so important and impactful. Without saying too much, what I truly appreciated about how this story handled the issue of police brutality against the Black community is that it didn't give you this perfect happy ending. It is a good happy ending, but it is very bittersweet. I have seen countless TV shows, movies, etc. cover police brutality and they paint this fairytale where everything goes perfectly and justice is served exactly as we would hope it would be. And it would be super sick to live in that world, but we don't. We live in a world where things are much more complicated, where things don't always go the way you would hope, and I'm glad Thomas showed that reality. I'm glad she didn't sugarcoat a single thing.
I'll admit this though: Though I appreciate how honest it is about these issues, I think sometimes it does read like a PSA-type video, like one of those videos teachers would put on to teach you about bullying. The way that those informative bits were inserted into the book felt unnatural at times, and it took me out of the story a little bit. But I will say that I am much older than the target audience for this book, and I think that could be part of it. If this book is meant for a primarily teenage audience that will most likely discuss this book in class, maybe it needs to be more obvious and clear about the points it is making. I think that can be a good thing too.
I'll also say that this book, like most books about teenagers written by adults, did not completely grasp how teenagers communicate. I think Thomas did a better job than most because most of the dialogue sounds very natural, but every once in a while I came across a line that had me cringing a little bit. My qualification for saying this is that I was a teenager during the time that this book is set in (lol), so sometimes the dialogue read like an adult trying to sound like a teenager.
A final little tidbit of criticism: The pacing for this book was a little all over the place. I usually don't mind books where not much happens because they're set in the real world and the real world is not all that exciting, of course. But at times it felt like there was a lot of unnecessary filler that dragged the book down a bit. It, unfortunately, got a little boring at times because of it.
Thomas is a great author, and considering this is the first time she ever published a book, seeing what she achieved with The Hate U Give is incredible to see. I'm incredibly happy for her, and I hope she is having a prosperous and fulfilling career.
One of my favorite things about this book that I don't think it gets enough love for is the relationship between Starr and her family. I think it is genuinely one of my favorite depictions of a family in a book. This family is so realistic and heartwarming and funny and so so full of love. It is a crazy thing to read a book where you can feel that love radiating off the page so strongly even though the characters are not even real. You could see that too with the Garden Heights community. I loved the interactions Starr and her family had with members of the community. When you read this book, you truly feel like the characters have known each other for ages and that they care about one another even though they aren't related by blood. The characters in this story feel so real and that makes them that much more loveable to me.
Obviously, this book gets a lot of love for how reflective and informative it is on the struggles that Black people face in America, especially when it comes to things like police brutality, micro-aggressions, systemic racism, etc. That's truly one of the things that makes this book so important and impactful. Without saying too much, what I truly appreciated about how this story handled the issue of police brutality against the Black community is that it didn't give you this perfect happy ending. It is a good happy ending, but it is very bittersweet. I have seen countless TV shows, movies, etc. cover police brutality and they paint this fairytale where everything goes perfectly and justice is served exactly as we would hope it would be. And it would be super sick to live in that world, but we don't. We live in a world where things are much more complicated, where things don't always go the way you would hope, and I'm glad Thomas showed that reality. I'm glad she didn't sugarcoat a single thing.
I'll admit this though: Though I appreciate how honest it is about these issues, I think sometimes it does read like a PSA-type video, like one of those videos teachers would put on to teach you about bullying. The way that those informative bits were inserted into the book felt unnatural at times, and it took me out of the story a little bit. But I will say that I am much older than the target audience for this book, and I think that could be part of it. If this book is meant for a primarily teenage audience that will most likely discuss this book in class, maybe it needs to be more obvious and clear about the points it is making. I think that can be a good thing too.
I'll also say that this book, like most books about teenagers written by adults, did not completely grasp how teenagers communicate. I think Thomas did a better job than most because most of the dialogue sounds very natural, but every once in a while I came across a line that had me cringing a little bit. My qualification for saying this is that I was a teenager during the time that this book is set in (lol), so sometimes the dialogue read like an adult trying to sound like a teenager.
A final little tidbit of criticism: The pacing for this book was a little all over the place. I usually don't mind books where not much happens because they're set in the real world and the real world is not all that exciting, of course. But at times it felt like there was a lot of unnecessary filler that dragged the book down a bit. It, unfortunately, got a little boring at times because of it.
Thomas is a great author, and considering this is the first time she ever published a book, seeing what she achieved with The Hate U Give is incredible to see. I'm incredibly happy for her, and I hope she is having a prosperous and fulfilling career.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, and Blood
Minor: Vomit
afion's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, and Vomit
Moderate: Sexual content, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Infidelity
georgiesutton's review against another edition
4.5
I absolutely raced through this. I laughed and cried, with and for the characters.
I really believed Starr was a teenager and I found it funny how Tumblr is her world because that was so me.
This story is about so many real people and anger and pain and suffering. It gives humanity to names on the news because no one deserves to die because of their skin or who they are and what they have done.
I really believed Starr was a teenager and I found it funny how Tumblr is her world because that was so me.
This story is about so many real people and anger and pain and suffering. It gives humanity to names on the news because no one deserves to die because of their skin or who they are and what they have done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Child death, Death, Violence, Gun violence, Racism, Murder, Hate crime, Grief, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, and Vomit
sarahkinney's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Hate crime, Violence, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Blood
renzo_d's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Racism
Minor: Vomit
cady_sass's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
5.0
There isn’t anything that I can say to do this justice. An absolute must read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Cursing, Murder, Hate crime, Police brutality, Classism, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Vomit, Infidelity, Addiction, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
rachel1's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Blood, Child death, Racism, and Gun violence
Moderate: Cursing, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Vomit
summerif's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual content and Domestic abuse
laurataylor's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Vomit, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Gun violence
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
Starr Carter is one of the best YA MCs I've ever read. This book's kinda unconventional writing wasn't hitting the spot for me at the start, but once I fully immersed myself in the story, it captivated everything in me. I loved Starr's inner thoughts and how she detailed and reasoned them. I loved her relationship with both her parents but especially with her dad. It's so wholesome! I also really liked how Angie Thomas showed the every day life Starr lives that is full of happy and wholesome and normal moments but also juggles the moments of sadness where they should be and it doesn't end up contrived. As someone who grew up poor and homeless and living in what folks considered “dangerous” or “ghetto” neighborhoods, I related to this so much. White and/or middle class people some(most)times tend to think that we only wallow in despair and bemoan our life and there's no joy or normalcy. And some even think that's how we should behave all the time, lol! But honestly, fcuk them and fcuk that. I hope they read this book and realize how classist and racist that thinking is. I almost broke down reading the ending, though, and seeing all the names of people murdered by cops knowing so many more could be added in future editions of this book. Which is enraging to me that this book is among the most challenged/banned books list bc none of what Angie Thomas wrote was fabricated with ill intent or a smear. I'm a Latine so I wasn't given the talk in the same way Black kids have, but even then, I think most POC minorities grow up fearing cops one way or another. I know I do. I don't feel safe with cops around. I don't like them. They're nothing but glorified security guards who only exist to “protect” assets. And personally, I have been affected in my life by how cops have stereotyped and harassed my own dad. Reading how Starr has to see her dad humiliated and harassed by those cops messed me tf up. And yet, Angie Thomas went out of her way to be conciliatory and wasn't flat out ACABing pigs which is where she kinda lost me bc actually she should've. There are so many great things about this book and it doesn't matter if you're 16 or in your 30s, this book will speak to your soul and open up many things. It's definitely already a classic. The only thing that's like a me problem that made me take out half star in pettiness was the constant HP references. Like some were even funny, I'll admit it as someone who is not a HP fan and barely has a grasp of the story. And this was published in a time when the HP author was still relatively tolerated and still admired bc she hadn't been openly hostile towards trans people, but still, it was very nauseating tbh. I know I'm not one to talk bc I'm always referencing my favorite book series too, and in REAL LIFE, but I feel I have an excuse, mine is kinda obscure so it's more like a signal to see if someone gets it, but with HP what's the point??? Anyway, that's the only annoying thing going on in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Vomit
Moderate: Domestic abuse