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A review by rereader33
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
5.0
I had heard that this was considered to be the best YA book of 2017, and I completely understand why. All of the topics discussed in this novel are current, relevant, and worthy of intense discussion. This is a book that I feel everyone of all ages needs to read.
In terms of the characters, all of them were handled with care. Starr was a delight in every sense of the word: strong without being overbearing, kind without being saccharine, emotional and full of mixed emotions. In terms of YA protagonists, I feel that Starr is one of the more realistic ones to come out in recent years. A lot of YA protagonists fall into the trap of acting far too old for their age, which is often chalked up to them being "observant" or "mature" but in actuality is slightly unrealistic. Despite what Starr has gone through in her life, she is by far the most realistic teenager I have seen depicted in YA literature. Her family was very interesting as well, her parents offered a dynamic I did not initially see coming (but will not elaborate on due to spoilers) and other characters such as friends and other relatives were handled well.
The writing style fit the story and the main character's voice well. The constant change from slang to "proper" language emphasized how important language is in conveying a point as well as distinguishing yourself from others. I enjoyed how casual the language was and appreciated the moments where metaphors and elevated language was used more because of how sparingly they were used. The pacing was incredible as well, slowing down for the more grounded moments yet speeding up for dramatic moments. I never really felt like there were unnecessary moments or parts in the novel. Everything seemed to be there for a reason, even if the reason is because it was funny or charming.
I don't have any real complaints about this novel. Some of the conversations were hard to follow because there was a lot of slang, but that just required a second read-through. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, highly recommend it, and hope that Angie Thomas will grace us with her literary prowess again in the future.
In terms of the characters, all of them were handled with care. Starr was a delight in every sense of the word: strong without being overbearing, kind without being saccharine, emotional and full of mixed emotions. In terms of YA protagonists, I feel that Starr is one of the more realistic ones to come out in recent years. A lot of YA protagonists fall into the trap of acting far too old for their age, which is often chalked up to them being "observant" or "mature" but in actuality is slightly unrealistic. Despite what Starr has gone through in her life, she is by far the most realistic teenager I have seen depicted in YA literature. Her family was very interesting as well, her parents offered a dynamic I did not initially see coming (but will not elaborate on due to spoilers) and other characters such as friends and other relatives were handled well.
The writing style fit the story and the main character's voice well. The constant change from slang to "proper" language emphasized how important language is in conveying a point as well as distinguishing yourself from others. I enjoyed how casual the language was and appreciated the moments where metaphors and elevated language was used more because of how sparingly they were used. The pacing was incredible as well, slowing down for the more grounded moments yet speeding up for dramatic moments. I never really felt like there were unnecessary moments or parts in the novel. Everything seemed to be there for a reason, even if the reason is because it was funny or charming.
I don't have any real complaints about this novel. Some of the conversations were hard to follow because there was a lot of slang, but that just required a second read-through. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, highly recommend it, and hope that Angie Thomas will grace us with her literary prowess again in the future.