On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But when her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Bri finds herself at the centre of controversy and portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. And with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it – she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.

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***I was sent a copy of this book for review. Everything in this review is my own honest opinions.***

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Its hard not to compare On The Come Up and The Hate U Give because both are written by the same author and both have some really strong and important issues. But having read The Hate U Give two years ago and remembering that I couldn’t put it down, I had very high expectations for On The Come Up. I remember being gripped and so engaged with The Hate U Give that I couldn’t put it down and I experienced the same feeling reading On The Come Up as well. I thought the story was intriguing and original, Bri was determined and interesting main character, and as with THUG the writing was absolutely amazing.

On The Come Up is about Bri who wants to be the worlds greatest rapper. She wants to better her family’s life and become a brilliant rapper like her father was before he died. But when her first rap song goes viral for all the wrong reasons the world starts to judge Bri and label her has a bad influence and a menace. Bri now has to work even harder to clear her name and become the rapper she has always dreamed of being before it’s too late and her family looses everything.

I really liked Bri as the main character, I thought she was a really interesting character with so many levels and depth. One thing I did like about Bri was that she has just as many flaws as strengths, and that made her more relatable to me because she seemed more real and genuine. Bri is a determined young adult but can sometimes rush into things without fully thinking things through, and I can really relate to this. I also enjoyed reading about her family, her mum, her brother and aunty, I thought they were really strong and well developed characters. I was not too fussed on the love interests but that didn’t hinder my reading experience.

I managed to read On The Come Up in just a couple of sittings one evening and I enjoyed every minute of it. One thing I really liked was that we got to read some of the raps Bri wrote, and it made reading this book even more enjoyable. I thought the writing brilliant. Angie Thomas has a way of creating characters and stories that will have your eyes glued to every single word and not want you to put the book down. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us.

If you are looking for a book that will inspire you and will have you glued to your seat for hours then I would definitely go out and buy On The Come Up because you will not be disappointed. This book tackles and calls out issues that need to be heard as well as being a really engaging and interesting read.

I rate this book 4/5 stars