Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Concrete Rose

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Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

44 reviews

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Lately, it seems there are a lot of books out there, particularly young adult books, that feature main characters who are minorities struggling with young pregnancies and/or dangerous neighborhoods. While Black trauma is a tired storyline (more Black joy! More Black people just being regular people!), Concrete Rose has a good reason for its setting – it’s the prequel to The Hate U Give. There are some books that leave an imprint on the world… The Hate U Give is one of those. So how does the prequel – the story of Starr’s father Maverick – hold up?

It’s good. Really good. But it’s not great in the same way as The Hate U Give, so it’s important not to hold it to those expectations. It probably won’t change your life or make a deep, clarifying impression like The Hate U Give. But it’s also not trying to – this isn’t a book about social justice. It’s a book about the struggle to support and survive. And it’s written well – well enough that sometimes I forgot I already know how this story ends.

Angie Thomas is an excellent writer. When talking about her books, I think it’s very easy to talk about the important subject matter to the exclusion of all else. And the subject matter is important, don’t get me wrong, but I think we need to appreciate how skilled she is. Her novels are extremely accessible. Whether you are a 54-year-old white man living in the southern United States, or a Black teen in France, the characters are relatable and the message is universal. Her books asked for human decency, honesty, integrity, and hard work. They give us characters who find joy in small things, grieve together, and lift each other up. They beat the odds, even if it’s only in small ways. What’s not to love?

Concrete Rose follows Maverick Carter as he learns to navigate life as a highschooler who hasn’t been as careful as he should have been and ends up taking care of his three-month-old son when the mother abandons him. Maverick is a good father – he cares about his children deeply. He does his best, despite all of the odds being against him. His father is in prison, his mother is barely home because she has to work two jobs, and Maverick tries to make ends meet by selling drugs. With his cousin’s help, he tries to go clean, but the universe has other plans for both Maverick and Dre.

If you’re sensitive to reading about child care, pregnancy, and all the little bits and pieces that come along with that responsibility, this book is going to be difficult. Quite a lot of the book is about parenting and includes just about every bodily fluid you can think of in one scene or another. It’s not what I’m used to in YA, but because of this focus, Concrete Rose offers a unique perspective. Maverick stands apart from the stereotypes in that he is a responsible, loving father doing his best and most of the focus of the book is on teenage fatherhood, not his relationship troubles or the background gang warfare. It’s a perspective that wasn’t out there before, and important to both set an example and share diverse life experiences. For my own reasons, parts were difficult to listen to, but I appreciated the perspective.

If you like Angie Thomas‘ books, this is an absolute must read. It’s a worthy prequel to her debut, but it’s also a good book on its own. Knowing that Concrete Rose is about Starr‘s father is just a bonus. If you haven’t already picked it up, I recommend reading this one.

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kalzeb's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

4.75

Content Warnings

arrow_thru_my_reading_slump's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you loved The Hate U Give, you'll adore this book. Every dynamic between the adults in THUG has the groundwork laid in this prequel and it was so wonderfully done.

It felt real. Each conversation felt like I could hear it spoken in my head perfectly. You truly root for Mav, even when he makes the wrong decisions. He is a fantastic main character and his journey in this book is truly beautiful.

I also loved that this story was even given a chance, given the tough topics within. It isn't often that a YA book tackles teen pregnancy/parenthood in a positive light, with so many examples of supportive adults and sage advice from elders. Is there some tough conversations? Of course. But you could feel the love each person felt for Mav as he struggled to find himself.

I'd love to see this given a film adaptation. My 90s kid heart loved all the music, film and sports references.

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-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

4.0

Title: Concrete Rose
Author: Angie Thomas
Series: The Hate U Give, #0
Genre: YA
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: January 12, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Authentic • Vital • Revealing

📖 S Y N O P S I S
Concrete Rose returns to Garden Heights where young Maverick Carter knows the importance of family. The son of a former gang legend, Mav does the only thing he knows: dealing for the King Lords. Mav thinks he has everything under control, that is until he finds out he is a father. When offered the opportunity to get it out, he takes it, but it isn't easy.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Another extremely powerful story from Angie Thomas! Tackling similar topics, this one follows Mav as he tries to navigate being a father, a son, a high school student, and a gang member. I really enjoyed getting to know his character more and the offering of a new perspective. It tackles pervasive stereotypes about young black men, and for me, it really humanizes the young black male experience. There is so much realness to the characters, and the pacing is spot on.

Some of the aspects I really appreciated were Mr. & Mrs. Wyatt as parental figures - they endeared themselves to me instantly. Secondly, I absolutely loved the metaphorical and symbolic nature of the title (revealed at the end), as well as, the chapter headings. Sometimes it is the little things that can be so powerful.

On a personal note, I tend to struggle with prequels that come out afterwards, and in the beginning I had trouble keeping track of the characters in relation to THUG. I'd be curious if this would have been the case it I'd read this one first. With that said, it can easily be read as a standalone, but my advice would be to read it before THUG for context.

I didn't love Concrete Rose as much as The Hate U Give, there is so denying Angie Thomas is a supremely gifted writer and I will without a doubt be picking up anything and everything she writes.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• THUG fans
• contemporary readers

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Bushes? Them things look like twigs. 'You only putting roses in this bed?'
'That's the plan. Roses need space to grow. Why you ask?'
He got greens, green beans, tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries - all kinds of fruits and vegetables out here. 'Seems like a lot of space to give something you can't eat.'
'You might be right,' he admits. 'I like to be reminded that beauty can come from much of nothing. To me that's the whole point of flowers.'"

Content Warnings

morganperks's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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saltyy_sarah's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

kthedestroyer's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-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

4.0

Okay so... I don't really have much to say about this book.
I really liked the pacing and the writing style which is probably the main reason that I really enjoyed reading it. I wasn't really expecting the whole novel to be around very convenient baby-making but okay, whatever. It was fine I guess. The story isn't something that I would normally enjoy but as I said earlier, there are other attributes to it.
The characters are enjoyable and they usually feel like real people in real-life situations. I like Thomas's representation of black people and their life in her books but still... how can no one use a condom on those streets? Like, everyone has babies at 17. And then they repeat their mistakes. Yeah, it's very convenient but that's just a minor observation.
Overall the book was good and would be great to get me out of a reading slump.

Content Warnings