Where did I get it? I pre-ordered it from Round Table Books as I knew I wanted to read it, and I wanted to support them. I utterly recommend them!
What's it about? It's a prequel to The Hate U Give! It's about Starr's dad Maverick! You may remember in T.H.U.G that Starr has an older half brother, Seven. His mum is Iesha, and when he was tiny, everyone thought King was his dad. But then right at the beginning of Concrete Rose, Maverick discovers via DNA test that Seven is his baby. Iesha then takes off, leaving Maverick looking after his son full time.
Maverick lives with his mum, Faye. I think we see her in T.H.U.G. too. His dad is in prison. He was a King Lord gangster and was arrested when Maverick was around nine. He was sentenced to like forty years in prison or something, and is in a prison three hours away from The Garden where Maverick lives, meaning thet don't see him very often. I can't remember if he makes an appearance in T.H.U.G but I really liked him.
Maverick's girlfriend Lisa breaks up with him because he's had a baby with Iesha, and he is desperate to get her back. He has been selling drugs with his friend King, but he also wants to do the right thing so he gets a job in the grocery store with Mr Wyatt, his next door neighbour. But he is a King Lord, and that means certain things in The Garden. There's stuff going on with the big homies, including Maverick's cousin Dre. King is selling drugs without their say so, which will end in trouble (I wish I could remember what has happened to King in T.H.U.G!)
Then of course we know there'll be Starr on her way soon...
I loved this look back at Maverick's teen years. I loved seeing who he was and how through the course of the book he grows up, becomes a man, and shows up for everyone who needs him. I love how close he is to Faye, and she is a brilliant character. I also loved the relationship between Maverick and his dad - I loved how soft and raw and honest with each other they could be. I cannot say how much I loved this book.
What age range is it for? 15+
Are any main characters LGBTQ+? I don't want to spoil anything, but yes, and this was a very, very sweet part of the book
Are any main characters people of colour? Of course! I think most people in the book are Black.
Are any main characters disabled either mentally or physically? No, I don't think so.
Is there any sex stuff? Yes. It's not graphic, but it is there.
Are drugs mentioned or used? Yes, mentioned. There's some mentions of drug users, but they're not a main part of the books.
Is there any talk of death? Yes. No spoilers, but it is quite graphic, and I really didn't remember what had happened when Maverick was a teen that we were told in the first book.
Are there swear words? Yeah, a few
What criticisms do I have? My ONE criticism is that it was SO SHORT. I wanted 150 pages more! I could've read SO much more about this family. I do think Angie made the right choice to end it when she did, though.
Would I recommend the book? Yes, definitely
Why did I choose to read it at this point in life? I'd forgotten it had arrived then my kittens knocked over my pile of books next to the bed and I though, oh yeah! Let's pick that up soon! So I did
What do I think of
the cover? It's lovely. I loved having a visual of Maverick.
What other books is it like? There's a book I read as a teen where a dad had to look after his baby by himself, so it kind of reminded me of that.
How many stars? Five out of five! So, so good.
Where is the book
going now? I want Lee to read it - he's read both of Angie's previous books so I definitely think he should read this too!
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