Angie Thomas’ follow-up to “The Hate U Give,” her second YA novel, “On the Come Up” was a new story about growing up in Garden Heights with the struggles of gangs, drugs, gun violence, and the financial demands of making ends meet for a single mom with two kids.

I loved this story. I loved the depth of character in Bri Jackson, daughter of slain rapper, Lawless, her struggling single mom, Jay, and her brother, Trey, a college graduate who works at the local pizza joint because he can’t find other work in his chosen field.

This was everything I hoped for after reading “The Hate U Give.” I don’t know which one I enjoyed more. While I feel like some of the activism from her first novel was absent, there are lots of important themes and new considerations to think about for different situations with different reasons. This book is as important as Thomas’ debut novel and matches its intensity punch for punch!

I highly recommend it!

Get a copy of “On the Come Up” by Angie Thomas on Amazon here.