Review: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

One the Come Up by Angie Thomas was the much anticipated 2018 follow up to The Hate U Give; I was so excited about it I bought it release week, if not release day. Then I was for some reason too nervous to read it, then I moved to London for a year (leaving my books behind), and I finally got to it because I want to read Concrete Rose but am beholden to the publication order. I am very glad I finally read it!

We follow Bri Jackson, a 16-year-old high school student whose dream is to become a rapper. Bri is a huge rap nerd, she has talent, and she wants to make it as close to now as possible because she wants to save her family from poverty and let them have the room to actually pursue their own happiness. Her mom Jay, a former drug addict, is working as a church secretary while going to school to become a social worker. Her brother Trey is working at a pizza place because he could not find a better-paying job after graduating from college. Bri is very close to her Aunt Pooh, who helps her with her rap career and makes her money dealing drugs. Bri's best friends Malik and Sunny, are both dedicated and talented and have been Bri's friends since babyhood. Bri wants to help her family, get her Aunt out of her current lifestyle, maintain her close friendships with her friends, achieve her dream, and she is dealing with being assaulted by the guards from her school.

Bri is a super well-developed and complex character. She is loyal and intensely dedicated to her people while also being hotheaded and impulsive. I really loved getting to see how her brain worked; her thoughts are very conversational and really let you watch the decision-making process. You can see Bri barreling headfirst into a problem, but you completely understand all the factors that lead her to that situation. I particularly loved how big Bri's heart was; she really wants to help her family; she wants to become a big name in large part to get her Aunt out of her current life and to let her mom and brother achieve their dreams.

There are excellent romance plotlines in this book. I had too much anticipation around finding out who the boy Sunny was texting was (and I loved the Simon shout-out). I had it figured out pretty early on, but the anticipation waiting for the reveal was excellent. I really liked Bri's romance in the book as well, this novel doesn't focus a lot of time on the romance, but every moment exploring Bri's love life is used well and provides an excellent emotional journey for those involved.

I don't seek out books about music or book that include social media, but Angie Thomas is excellent at integrating both into her books. Obviously, this book has a lot of music, it is about a girl trying to make it as a rapper, and it is woven into the story excellently. We understand how Bri makes her music and what music she is drawn to. So many books have the characters using social media in a way that makes zero sense to me, but this book has top-notch social media usage.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the family relationships. Thomas paints a complex family, and as the book unfolds, the reader is exposed to the different layers of their story. I liked seeing the tensions and issues that created wedges within this family. I also loved seeing the different ways the family healed during this book and discussing things that could not be healed. Angie Thomas writes an incredible family.

Angie Thomas became a force with The Hate U Give, which has been on the NYT bestseller list for over 200 weeks. That book centers police brutality and racism, and Thomas receives so much praise for her handling of social issues in fiction. On the Come Up also deals with social issues, namely classism, racism, police brutality (not the same focus level as THUG), and sexism. Thomas is excellent at crafting an engaging story that has a strong message. I was hooked the whole read and really love the social commentary Thomas provides. She provides space in the narrative to present the arguments that go against her message, and she shows the real ways those ideas cause harm while she dismantles them. I just adore Thomas's writing.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads and The StoryGraph. I would recommend this book to anyone who loved The Hate U Give, to people who like music in their books, and to those who just want a deeply thoughtful and interesting YA. I loved this book and am so excited to go read Concrete Rose!