Bri was a bit of a spoiled brat for about 90% of the book. I would have loved to see the story from Jay’s perspective instead.

Content: loads of language, drug dealing, mother was a former addict, violence

2 Stars ( )

I found the character to be a bit abrasive, but the book was interesting enough and flowed so fast I finished it in an entire day. ( )

They'll never truly understand because they don't wanna understand someone like me (pg 282)."

Respectability politics aside, I really liked this story. It's refreshing to read about a black girl and even more so one that is an awesome MC/rapper but still a prideful, funny, and vulnerable little girl. Also, thank you for acknowledging that police brutality happens to black women too and the snapshot of the sexism in hip-hop.

Also, I like the subversion of the MAJOR SPOILER: childhood lover. I thought Curtis would turn out to be a butthole and use Bri for clout. That's the cliche way things usually end, so I'm glad it did not. He traded her timbs for Nikes like a Cinderella. AWW. I enjoyed that conversation they had after the 5-O booked Aunt Pooh. AND I called it! I knew Miles was Sonny's internet bf. It all just fit too perfectly. :D

I absolutely loved Bri's grandaddy. Her grandparents, shady grandmom and all, are a gem. Honestly, I loved all the people that were around Bri. I liked seeing a healthy brother-sister relationship because I get tired of seeing sibling at odds all the time. I liked Jayda a lot. I want to root for Jayda and her struggles, her strengths, and her love. I hadn't thought about the stigma of black people who have recovered from substance abuse. I honestly just never thought about it. I have seen my share of stories with characters starting drugs and doing them and trying to quit, but I cannot really think of one that explored the after effects when they got sober. Kudos. On the otherhand, Malik was on the weaker side. Did he ever come clean to Shana?

For nitpicks, I feel like there are too many Wakanda Forever references haha. Bri, Sonny, and Malik will throw that into a conversation whenever possible.
they allow.

Rant over. But this is good. This book made me feel things.

Anyway, I guess the takeaway from On the Come Up is to try to present yourself in the best light possible. Fair. But my above point still stands. I don't have to prove myself to anyone. Bri knew she wasn't being true to herself; she didn't like this false character she was playing/being misconstrued. It's easy to get roped into playing the part someone else or society wants you to play.

Overall, read this. The narrative is crisp and relatable with loveable, realistic characters. The rhymes are nice too. AND Bri likes Lauryn Hill too? Girrrrllll. "That thing, that thing, that thing"

Yoooo, that epilogue! THAT AIN'T NO STUDYING hahaha. ( )

Bri's story is authentic and relatable. The teen struggles of figuring out who you are and what you want are amplified by her family circumstances and by the societal pressures. Go Bri! ( )

Bri is navigating life as a black girl at an urban magnet high school. Her home life is precarious--mom is a former drug user who has just lost her job and her father, a semi-famous rapper, was killed when she was little. Bri wants to be a rapper like her father, and when she is harassed at school by white security guards, she records an angry rap which gains a lot of followers. But is this who she really is?
I think Angie Thomas has created an empathetic character in Bri--pulling for her all the time you see the forces of life pushing her down. ( )