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A review by celia_thebookishhufflepuff
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
5.0
I'll admit I wasn't as attached to this as I was to [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190], but it grew to be a close second.
Warning: this review may contain spoilers from [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190] but not from [b:Concrete Rose|52822210|Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585585629l/52822210._SY75_.jpg|78970822]. Read at your own risk.
In this prequel, we see all the growth that Starr Carter's ([b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190]) father Maverick has to go through as a teenage father of two, in order to become the Big Mav of that story.
This one's a lot more powerful in terms of the gang rivalry, and also clears up a lot of unanswered questions from [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190]. For instance, we never do learn what Maverick did to take the hit for King, but we do see why it would have been possible. This gets at the heart of the cities where gang violence runs rampant because there really is no other choice, as well as the relationships that stem from this involvement. We see how Lisa takes Maverick back and begins to accept Seven as her son, even though she's not his biological mom. We see the deterioration of Khalil's parents and Iesha and King. We see how the decisions people make in high school and college can affect who they become later on in life.
[a:Angie Thomas|15049422|Angie Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1471998209p2/15049422.jpg] has a way with words. If I remember correctly, [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190] and [b:On the Come Up|35887567|On the Come Up|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518828924l/35887567._SY75_.jpg|56364068] both start slowly, but insert you into the novel in a way you don't realize everything has had you in the thick of the action all along. I definitely saw that with [b:Concrete Rose|52822210|Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585585629l/52822210._SY75_.jpg|78970822]. It's an interesting style that not every author can pull off, but Thomas does it in a way that always makes you want to keep reading.
As for me, I do want to keep reading. I'd love to see an 0.5 prequel where we learn more about Seven and Starr's early life and the way that Maverick and Carlos both become a part of the kids lives. I'd love a book from Lisa or young Seven or Starr's POV during those years.
I also know after this that I will need to prioritize a (long-overdue) reread of [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190]. It's been gathering dust on my shelf for too long, and I don't think I've ever actually read my own copy. I expect I'll go back to that one in mid August. It will be really interesting to read the two of them together.
Warning: this review may contain spoilers from [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190] but not from [b:Concrete Rose|52822210|Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585585629l/52822210._SY75_.jpg|78970822]. Read at your own risk.
In this prequel, we see all the growth that Starr Carter's ([b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190]) father Maverick has to go through as a teenage father of two, in order to become the Big Mav of that story.
This one's a lot more powerful in terms of the gang rivalry, and also clears up a lot of unanswered questions from [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190]. For instance, we never do learn what Maverick did to take the hit for King, but we do see why it would have been possible. This gets at the heart of the cities where gang violence runs rampant because there really is no other choice, as well as the relationships that stem from this involvement. We see how Lisa takes Maverick back and begins to accept Seven as her son, even though she's not his biological mom. We see the deterioration of Khalil's parents and Iesha and King. We see how the decisions people make in high school and college can affect who they become later on in life.
[a:Angie Thomas|15049422|Angie Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1471998209p2/15049422.jpg] has a way with words. If I remember correctly, [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190] and [b:On the Come Up|35887567|On the Come Up|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518828924l/35887567._SY75_.jpg|56364068] both start slowly, but insert you into the novel in a way you don't realize everything has had you in the thick of the action all along. I definitely saw that with [b:Concrete Rose|52822210|Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585585629l/52822210._SY75_.jpg|78970822]. It's an interesting style that not every author can pull off, but Thomas does it in a way that always makes you want to keep reading.
As for me, I do want to keep reading. I'd love to see an 0.5 prequel where we learn more about Seven and Starr's early life and the way that Maverick and Carlos both become a part of the kids lives. I'd love a book from Lisa or young Seven or Starr's POV during those years.
I also know after this that I will need to prioritize a (long-overdue) reread of [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190]. It's been gathering dust on my shelf for too long, and I don't think I've ever actually read my own copy. I expect I'll go back to that one in mid August. It will be really interesting to read the two of them together.