Concrete Rose

 Concrete Rose

Author: Angie Thomas

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Year: 2021

I’m pretty sure whatever I say about this book is not going to do it justice. 

Concrete Rose is the prequel to Angie Thomas’s mega hit The Hate U Give and tells the story of teenage Maverick Carter. 

At first glance, Maverick is the stereotype of the Black teenage boy we’ve seen for far too long. He’s in a gang, sells drugs, doesn’t really have a clue about what he wants to do after high school, his father’s in jail, his mom is always working, and he has a baby. But Maverick is so much more than what’s on the surface. He’s caring and thoughtful. He embraces fatherhood and learns to make difficult choices that go against the rules of the street. He starts to grow into the man he will become. 

Thomas crafts Maverick’s character with such nuance and grace. You can’t help but root for this kid. All the characters are so very and compelling as they help Maverick make the decisions of how he will live his life and raise his family. 

Thomas is a master storyteller and she once again has delivered a powerful and thought provoking novel that will stay with you. I just can’t string the right words together to say just how incredible this book is. I can’t recommend this book enough. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

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