Review: Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
I famously tell people that I canceled plans on a Friday night to stay home and read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Not only is it an incredibly poignant and important story that pulls the reader in, the characters were so engaging that I could not put the book down. It’s one of those books that is sprinkled with magic. I had similar feelings toward Thomas’ sophomore novel, On the Come Up, and was counting down the days until I could have Concrete Rose in my hands.
It did not disappoint and might now be my favorite of Garden Heights companion series. It is warm, honest, funny, romantic, and raw. Maverick Carter is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time and getting to know his high school years filled up my soul. This book is a MUST READ.
Synopsis: “If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.
Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.
Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.
Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.
When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.” —From the publisher
What I Liked:
The Foreshadowing—Since this is a prequel, we are able to see some glimpses into Maverick’s adult life when we follow Starr’s story in The Hate U Give. There are a lot of parallels between what happens in this story and later on, grounding these characters even more for us.
Maverick and Lisa’s Relationship—I can’t get over how much they love each other, even through all their ups and downs. We know how their story ends, but getting to follow their love story from the beginning, bumps and all, made me just want to hang out with them.
What Didn’t Work:
As per usual when it comes to Angie Thomas, nothing. She writes characters better than anyone and I hate how quickly I read her books because now I have to wait another two years to read one.
TW/CW: Incarcerated parent, gang violence, allusion to postpartum depression, death, loss of a family member, gun violence,
Character Authenticity: 5/5 Steam Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 5/5