On The Come Up

Author: Angie Thomas
Genre: Teen Contemporary Fiction
Type: Hardcover
Pages: 447
Source: Personal copy
Publisher: Balzar and Bray
First Published: February 5, 2019
Opening Lines: "I might have to kill somebody tonight.

Book Description from GoodReads: Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

My Review: After devouring and waxing poetic about Thomas' debut novel, The Hate U Give, I was among the eager fans awaiting On The Come Up. It is a coming-of-age story about a Black teenage girl named Bri who finds her calling, the power of her own voice and, ultimately, discovers who she wants to be.

I easily connected with Thomas' writing style. It's powerful, engaging and authentic as she shows Bri and her family's struggles to make ends meet and deal with their complicated past. Through her dialogue, she reveals the bonds between the characters and adds humorous bits, delightful nerdy references and some solid banter.

I loved that Bri is so different compared to Starr (the main character of THUG). She is brash, headstrong, outspoken and occasionally makes poor choices but its through those choices, and their consequences, that we see Bri find out who she wants to be. She is flawed but passionate and once she focuses on what's important to her, she is a force to be reckoned with.

Angie Thomas need not worry about Sophomoric Writer Blues. On The Come Up is a wonderful, thought-provoking read about self-discovery and while many readers may not connect with Bri's hip hop world, Thomas has written a story about relatable issues (loss, friendship, the messiness of family and standing up for yourself) and allows her readers to take a look at the world through Bri's eyes and walk in her Timberlands for at least a few hundred pages.