Reviews

Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson

kim_j_dare's review

4.0

In 1998 Bed-Stuy, three friends try to come to terms with the shooting death of someone dear to them. When they find some tapes of Stephon's and realize what a talented rapper he was, they get the audacious idea of trying to bring him the fame they believe he deserves. Mixing the tapes he left behind, they're able to get him airplay, but when a rep for a major label wants to meet "the Architect," Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine quickly realize they're in over their heads in a dangerous world of money, music, and drugs. And the secrets they are all keeping from each other only increase the danger. The pulsing energy of the hip-hop scene in Brooklyn comes to life in this novel that's part mystery, part study of grief. Highly recommended.

joyreadsbuku's review against another edition

emotional funny informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

4.25 stars - this was the book I didn't know I needed! Absolutely loved the 90's vibes, the music, the nod to the movies, the lingo, the vibes, love love love. The charachters were great and funny, Quadir's corny jokes had me laughing and Jarrell was also funny, and I loved Jasmine's vibe. I even liked Ronnie. The pace was perfect and the story/plot was amazing. Steph has some awesome friends, but I had hoped there were more repercussions for his murderer (the audacity, tuhh). What a beautiful love letter to hip hop. A great palette cleanser too! I feel like growing up in the 90's was a "you just had to be there" moment/era, and the vibes translated through this book so well and it had me singing along with the Biggie songs. This book is just *chef's kiss*

claire100's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

booksirl's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

abbyl819's review against another edition

3.0

The premise of this sounded so interesting, but in reality it was much slower paced than I thought it would be. Their plan to take Steph's music to the next level takes a lot longer to develop than I would have thought, and they don't pull off their scheme for as long as I though they would be able to. I am really happy with the ending, and the way that all of the characters work out what to do with Steph's music and figure out what happened to him.

seymone's review

4.0

4.25 stars

angelaptrice's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

melodys_library's review

4.0

This book brought me BACK to 1998. It’s a fast-paced, part murder mystery, part social commentary, part love letter to Brooklyn. Jackson dropped knowledge of hip hop and Black history throughout, and I was here for it! Also, the cover art is dope.

Dislike: Too many ellipses…

missberlyreads's review against another edition

emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

slsj_'s review

5.0

I can’t even properly articulate how much I actually enjoyed this book.

So instead I’m just going to put bullet points as to why you should read it.

- it’s hilarious
- the characters and their development are amazing
- the storyline flowed even (especially) with the multiple POVS
- it represents people of colour and black neighbourhoods
- HIP HOP and RAP are a central theme
- it’s set in the 90’s
- the writing style is so unique: this is a gem of a book that uses slang in a way that didn’t want to make me tear my hair out