On the Come Up by Angie Thomas is a compelling coming age story about truth of one’s words and perception of being labeled a thug/hood rat while teenage female African-American rapper manages life and expectation. This is the second novel by Thomas after her blockbuster debut of The Hate U Give, this novel takes place a year after the incidences in that novel (all events are referred to and just a place and time setting and as a reward for the reader who read The Hate U Give, but there is no recurring characters). This is a really good follow up to the excellent The Hate U Give, which was five starred review by me, It manages to look at real issues of poverty, drug addiction, gang influence, and all the effects it has on the family. The rhymes and raps are really good, and very smart.

The Plot: Brianna (Bri) has always wanted to be a rapper just like her dad Law, only problem is Law was gunned down when she was just a baby. So to her mother Jay who turned to drugs after her husbands death and her older brother Trey who hides a lot of resentment for his father still is not the career path that anyone wants for Bri, but she is determined. The only one she can trust with her raps are her two best friends from school Malik and Sonny and her Aunt Pooh who is a drug dealer in the local gang and looked up to Bri’s father until his death. Bri goes to her first rap battle and catches lighting in a bottle, as she beat the son of her late father’s manager. Bri gets a couple of offers and ends up recording a song On the Come Up that is based on a hostile incident that happened at her school based on racial profiling. Her song that express her anger towards the incident is misinterpreted leading some to think that she is a gangster and disses a rival gang of her cousin, the same gang that killed her father might want to harm her.

What I Liked: The novel moves at a fast pace, every scene has a purpose. Really good scenes depicting what really being poor is about. I like the way the story analyzes one races point of view against the other in terms of Bri’s rap being violent or provoking violence. The scene where Jojo the eight year old idolizes Bri as a gangster, and she learns the consequences of her words. The relationship angle worked of Bri finding love. I did call early who Sonny’s online mystery date is and was really happy with the results. I liked seeing the cultural reaction to the Marvel film Black Panther to the story. I really liked the raps, and how thought provoking and clever they were. I loved the portrayal of Trey the brother and how much he sacrifices for is family.  I like the LGTBQ side characters.

What I Disliked: The descriptions of people was really lacking so some people were hard to picture for me. Bri was sometimes very hard too like because of her actions and how stand offish she is, it’s explained but it takes a while to get there. I thought the church scene was the only scene that was not needed and that scene was way too long. I wanted a little bit more wrap up at the end, and want to know what happened to Pooh in general and the Crowns at the concert.

Recommendations: On the Come Up is a really good important read, I personally liked The Hate U Give more but this is a solid story that takes hold of you. Angie Thomas doesn’t use big words or amazing prose, but she gets to the heart and the truth of her character’s so effortlessly. Also if you like Angie Thomas you should check out the excellent Jason Reynolds as well. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars it was super close to five but didn’t meet the standard for me. I will be eagerly anticipating Angie Thomas’s next book. A little warning the book does have a fair bit of cussing, so if you get it for a younger reader consider that, but i do think it’s an important read.