I am so glad Angie Thomas decided to write this prequel to THUG featuring Starr’s dad, Maverick. I have put off reading it because I knew it would be a difficult read. This was such a moving and emotional book. The choices Black men have to make it this world are so unfair. I wish every person would read this book. It brought me to tears and rage several times.

Angie Thomas delivers another compelling story with Concrete Rose, the much anticipated prequel to her novel The Hate U Give. Set in Garden Heights, this novel takes readers on a raw and emotional journey through the eyes of Maverick Carter, a seventeen-year-old boy navigating the complexities of family, loyalty, and self-discovery.
Thomas's storytelling effortlessly captures Maverick's voice while contrasting themes of masculinity and vulnerability. The reader witnesses the challenges he faces as he grapples with the expectations of his family, the allure of the streets, and the responsibilities thrust upon him at a young age. Concrete Rose is a must-read coming-of-age story that delivers a powerful message of hope and redemption that will stay with readers long after they turn the final page. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Not me staying up until 4AM to find out what happens. Concrete Rose was as riveting as THUG and I loved hearing Maverick's story and seeing his growth.

The book delves into living as a Black teen in the nineties - Maverick is a lower-ranked gang member, he is figuring out how to be a father when his father isn't around, and he's dealing drugs outside of gang-related sales, all while trying to maybe finish high school.

Concrete Rose touches on a lot of big subjects, but the biggest theme was dealing with toxic masculinity. What does it take to be a man? And what do you have to sacrifice in order to become one? Mixed with bullying, murder, and revenge, we see a lot of aspects of how the culture and the life has affected those around Maverick, as well as how he grows and learns from it.

Seeing Maverick in this stage of life after seeing him in THUG was jarring - he's just a kid with a kid, he has no clue what to do with his life, and he's lost. Far from the patient and fantastic father we see in THUG, Maverick's story is just starting. At times his story is heartbreaking, at others gruelling, but he finds joy, and I love that we got to see this side of him - where he starts and, in THUG, where he ends up.

TW: teen pregnancy, gun violence, death, bullying/peer pressure, racism, drug use, drug dealing, gang violence; mentions drug abuse, domestic violence, and postpartum depression

Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Balzer + Bray via HarperCollins Canada and HCC Frenzy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Rating 3.5. “Roses can bloom in the hardest conditions." I wasn't the biggest fan of Maverick in THUG so I was hesitant to pick this up. However, it was interesting to get his backstory and why he is the way he is in THUG. Even though much of what happens to Mav in this story was rough to get through in the end he persevered because of the help of those people around him who loved and supported him. It's sad to think that these horrific things happen to kids all the time and they don't have that support system in place or even the resources to lift themselves up. Thomas' writing shows the complexities of life including the tragedies and triumphs of people whose stories have rarely gotten told. “The apple don’t fall far from the tree, but it can roll away from it. It simply need a little push.”

I’m judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got me to read on even though it was among 296 other books I’m charged to read.

I’m grateful for what Angie Thomas has done for YA

I didn't think I could love an Angie Thomas book more than the Hate U Give, but this one was close. I loved getting to learn more about Maverick. Maverick was one of my favourite characters from the Hate U Give and after reading Concrete Rose, I love him even more,

I don't think that I can give enough stars to this book. It is just as emotionally gut punching as The Hate U Give without replicating it. It gives us a story that not only is it's own but builds on the story that we already know about the characters we first meet in THUG.

Brilliant!

This was a good story. I love that Maverick's mom was disappointed in his life choices but was still supportive and helped him out despite all the financial hardships she was already facing. I loved the clinic that Maverick and Lisa went to and I hope that clinics tailored to BIPOC communities actually exist in the States because having someone understand your situation without judgement is something everyone deserves. Looking forward to reading more of Angie Thomas's books in the future.

Fans of The Hate U Give will love learning more about Mav’s youth and past in this prequel. Angie Thomas is such a great writer, she has a gift for creating characters that are so real feeling. Even when they struggle and make bad decisions she shows the humanity and depth that people have and their capacity for redemption.

So good. If you liked _The Hate U Give_, you'll love this one.

Our protagonist is no other than Maverick Carter. He is a member of the King Lords, but his older cousin, Dre, and his mother definitely see other things for Maverick. As a senior in high school, with one baby and another on the way, it is hard for him to see another way to get the money he is going to need in order to fulfill his responsibilities as a man.

This novel brings up the cyclical nature of racism in communities and also the expectations of men in society.

This book is sooooo goood!!! I loved every bit of it. It's like I was there in the story as I read every page. I felt every feeling, every emotion that Maverick felt. Brought me to
tears. ( I'm so in love with Angie Thomas's writing).…this is my first time reading her books. Can't wait to read
another!❤️

I was sceptical to read The Hate U Give when it first came out. However, once I started I enjoyed the story Angie Thomas created. The character of Starr’s father was fleshed out in the first book. This adds a whole new layer to his experiences and what led him to become the father that we know him to be. Highly recommend.

Yet another hit by Thomas! Maverick is such a relatable, realistic character with a genuine teenage voice. Fans of the universe Thomas has created will enjoy seeing his early life and how he came to be Starr's cool dad, and new readers will enjoy the story.

This book was just so amazing. I've read Angie Thomas' other books and they were just as good as this one. I would highly, highly recommend that you check this one out!! It's so good!

Powerful as always—Angie Thomas does it again, no surprise there. Fans of THUG will enjoy it as well.

I do not normally read YA but I loved "The Hate U Give" (along with everyone else) and "Concrete Rose" did not disappoint. I really recommend it to teens and adults, even if you don't normally read YA.

Maverick Carter is just a 17 year old senior slinging drugs and pledging Kings to survive in his Garden Heights neighborhood. Then in one day he discovers that he is a father and becomes the sole caretaker for his son. Mav starts doing what he must to straighten out and be the father his son deserves. He gets himself a job at the corner store and stops hanging out on the streets. Everything feels like it might work out until his cousin Dre is murdered in cold blood. Then just when things couldn’t get worse, Mav learns that he’s got another baby on the way. How does a young man make the means to provide for his family the legal way?
This book brings readers back into the world of Garden Heights pre-The Hate You Give (1998.) Readers will recognize some of their favorite characters throughout its pages. I laughed through the first half of the book while Maverick was figuring out how to be a dad. We need more books that show readers that being a teen parent isn’t going to ruin their lives, just make it harder and carry more responsibility.

A satisfying prequel. This book really did answer a lot of the questions I had about Maverick from Thomas' first book.

After enjoying Maverick in The Hate U Give, it was great to learn more about his backstory and the experiences he had that led to the father he became. Many of the adult characters in THUG feature in his story, as well, giving a deeper understanding of the relationships that play out in the first novel. Fans of THUG will love Concrete Rose!