I do not consider myself much of a YA reader. I find most novels in this particular category to be way too angsty. I already survived an angst-filled teenaged life and don't like to look back. However, I devoured The Hate U Give, as did my reluctant reader niece. I was very excited to receive this ARC. I fell in love with the Maverick in THUG, and couldn't wait to learn his backstory with baby Seven. I was not disappointed.

I got the ARC yesterday and read it in one sitting. I almost never do that. Angie Thomas' characters, pacing and dialogue are incredible. I could see, feel hear and smell that setting. Maverick's character was written as a normal kids trying to do the right thing, not some superhuman perfect man-boy. I loved the relationship between him and his mother. Faye may just be my favorite mom in a book. I'd love a pre-prequel on her and Adonis.

I pray that Angie Thomas keeps writing books. If I'd had books like this as a teenager back in the 80's, I would have been so inspired to write my own. She's a national treasure. I actually think this book is better than THUG, and that you don't necessarily have to have read one to enjoy the other. Perfect stand alone books.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure: I have not yet read The Hate U Give. It’s always been on my TBR list, but it’s always checked out from my library and it just slips my mind. But even without knowing the character this book has in common with The Hate U Give, I loved Concrete Rose so much. This author does SUCH realistic dialogue that it almost felt like reading a screenplay. Smart, real, and IMPORTANT. This will be beloved for years to come. 4.5 stars.

Another absolutely incredible read from Angie Thomas that tackles being a teen parent. Maverick's story is just as captivating as Starr's story. Thomas has created such a vivid, realistic world where characters just leap right off the page. Every character's voice feels so distinct and necessary to the story. Maverick felt so complex and his story will help guide teens who are going through similar experiences. This is an absolute must read for any fan of compelling, character driven stories.

Thank you so much Harper Collins and NetGalley for an ARC of Concrete Rose. As soon as I heard Angie Thomas was releasing a prequel to The Hate You Give from Mavericks perspective I knew I had to read it.
This books follows Maverick as he struggles being thrown into adulthood. Maverick must now take care of his son all while going to high school, navigating the gang in his neighbourhood, and deciding on the type of father he wants to be.
This book was absolutely amazing, everything I expected and more. When reading the Hate you Give it’s told from Starr’s perspective. We only see Maverick as a strong, wise father but in Concrete Rose we see him rise from a struggling teenager to a man. This story of Maverick focuses on him making mistakes, owning up to himself and growing into a father to his kids.
This book is beautiful, at the heart of it it really is about a fathers love and what he would do for his children.
If you’re a fan of the hate you give you have to read this book, and if you haven’t read the hate you give this is a prequel so you can which ever in either order

Maverick was one of my favorite characters from The Hate You Give so I was excited to hear that Angela Thomas wrote a prequel to that book focusing entirely on Maverick's life and how he came to be such a role model and inspiration for THUG's Star. Concrete Rose is such an interesting story that confronts most stereotypes of black men in America. Like her other books, Thomas wrote about complex issues and emotions in a way teens can easily understand and find meaningful for continuing conversations. I will recommend this book to all of my high school students to read as well as Angela Thomas's others.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for this ARC of Concrete Rose in exchange for an honest review.

This one kept me up all night reading. I loved Maverick as a father in The Hate U Give, but reading his story - I love him even more. The time period or music and pop culture was spot on, taking me back to my own teen years. This is a book I will be sharing with everyone from YA through adults.

Concrete Rose is a MUST read for those who loved The Hate You Give. The prequel takes us back to when Maverick Carter is a 17 year old boy, struggling to find his way, living in the shadow of his gang leader father. Between gang life, a girlfriend who wants more out of life than the gang, and his best friend/cousin Dre who keeps him out of trouble, Maverick was doing okay until he found out he is a teenage father.

I now need to go back and reread The Hate You Give as now I understand Star and Seven's father so much better.

***Thank you Angie Thomas for releasing your new novel to NetGalley early.*** I can't wait to purchase several copies of this for students in my classroom.

This novel tells the story of Maverick Carter who was the father in The Hate You Give. The story gives perspective about the struggle for young black men growing up in the city.

Maverick is seventeen and belongs to the King Lords. They are in his blood as his dad was a top dog in the gang. When his dad has to go to prison, Maverick joins to the gang for protection. When Maverick is forced to grow up quickly, he finds that gang life isn’t so easy and the consequences are harsh and he faces a huge crossroads.
Angie Thomas writes in such a conversational manner that you feel like you are there, hearing the conversations first hand. I loved getting to know the back story of Maverick. If you loved The Hate You Give, you should pick this one up.

*An ARC of this book was provided by NetGalley.

Thank you so much Netgalley for sending me an ARC of one of my most highly anticipated reads for 2021. I am a huge lover of all things Angie Thomas and when I realized she was writing a prequel to The Hate U Give staring Starr's Dad Maverick, I was all for it. Maverick was a very interesting and influential character in THUG, but it was not his story. I did know know I needed to hear his story until Thomas released she would be writing this prequel.

Synopsis
This novel takes place 17 years before THUG and follows Maverick Carter, a 17 year old boy living in Garden Heights. Since Mav was eight, he has been living without a father figure because Adonis got busted for and is not serving 40 to life in jail. He had to grow up quickly and after seeing his mother struggle with financially. There's only one sure and fast way to make money in Garden Heights, and that is affiliating yourself with a gang. It's also the only way to truly be protected.

His life is soon turned upside when he discovers his one night stand has now made him the father two 3 month old, Seven. Juggling school, work, a baby, and the King Lords is difficult enough, but he soon finds out his long term girlfriends (now x), Lisa, and is pregnant with his second child.

Maverick soon has to face the harsh realities of his life. He has to come to terms with being a father while not having one in his life for nearly a decade, losing a brother figure to senseless gang violence, and losing friends since he has a baby.

Things I Liked
- Maverick! This story is told through 1st person POV. You got to see Mav through Starr's POV in THUG, but now you get to be inside his head and understand what he had to deal with and why he is the way that he was in THUG.
-Seeing familiar characters from THUG! Baby Seven was so cute and baby Kahlil nearly killed me. And of course Starr is mentioned at the very end.
- Maverick's growth. He had to make a lot of tough decisions and compromise a lot. Being a parent is not easy, especially not as a single teenage father.
- Bi representation
- Before you call someone a thug or ghetto, please check your privilege and understand that no one goes through life perfectly. Sometimes people do what they need to in order to survive and raise their family.

Things I Didn't Like...
-It's over :(

Concrete Rose is the perfect prequel to The Hate U Give. Young Maverick's story is compelling, authentic, and oh so relatable for young people. When I read this book, I felt like I was there; like I was an omniscient presence in Garden Heights. This book made me want to reread The Hate U Give to see the continuity in Big Mav, Lisa, Starr, and all of the other characters Angie Thomas brings to life. I believe that this book will open up the eyes of my rural students to have an out-of-the-body experience in a different world where kids their age have totally different life experiences, goals. and dreams. I will definitely be recommending this book to my students when it is released!

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think this one and On the Come Up definitely compliment The Hate U Give. Nothing can beat that one, but this gives a great idea and insight to who Maverick was and the start of his awakening in a new life.

Wow! This book is magic. So much back story about Big Mav and what happened before Starr’s story in The Hate U Give. I audibly gasped at several points when learning more about certain characters and how they all intertwine in Garden Heights. This book is a wonderful edition to the stories we love from Angie Thomas.

Son, one of the biggest lies ever told is that Black men don’t feel emotions. Guess it’s easier to not see us as human when you think we’re heartless. Fact of the matter is, we feel things. Hurt, pain, sadness, all of it. We got a right to show them feelings as much as anybody else.”
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In her stunning return to Garden Heights Angie Thomas delivers a beautiful prequel to The Hate U Give with the YA book where we get to see Starr’s father Maverick’s story set seventeen years before THUG takes place.
Maverick is doing his best to make it as a 17-year-old high school drug dealer to help put food on the table for him and his mom, but when he finds out he’s going to be a father—twice—he has to decide what it means to be a man and the hard choices facing him.
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This book took us back to the beginning where it all started. I absolutely loved Maverick throughout the entire story. He didn’t always make the best choices, but he handled them like a man and did the best he could for his family. This novel makes me want to reread and rewatch THUG. It was like going back to a favorite place you’ve missed. Well done, Ms. Thomas. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC. Everyone buy your copy January 12!

Was it worth a read? Absolutely. Did we need this novel? Maybe not.

I really appreciated Angie Thomas's note to readers at the beginning of CONCRETE ROSE, in which she explained that during production of the THUG movie, she was inspired to dig into Maverick Carter's back story. I agree with her that he was the most interesting character in THUG, and his late teens are definitely full of things to explore.

One of the best parts of Maverick in THUG was how he at once represented and challenged all the stereotypes for Black men. Because he spent so much time reflecting on his early life with Starr, I'm not sure we needed CONCRETE ROSE, in which we just see all those stereotypes play out (gang member, teen father, school dropout, etc). Yes, Mav still does his best to break out of what society tells him to be, but he's also a teenager dealing with the same impulses all teenagers have. As always, though, Thomas is amazing at depicting how American society is stacked against Black people, and I particularly liked seeing Mav's visits to his own father. However, ultimately I found that adult Mav in THUG to be much more interesting.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for this review.

Mav was one of my favorite characters from the Hate U Give, so I was so excited to read this book. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

It was very interesting to see the challenges that Mav had to overcome in order to make positive changes in his life and earn money cleanly.

*SPOILER ALERT*
While I loved this book, it left me wanting to know more. How did Mav and Lisa make up and get back together? In THUG, they have such a beautiful relationship, but it ended uncertainly. Was Lisa allowed to move back in with her parents? How was Starr raised? How was Mav able to get out of the gang?

I was waiting for the answer to that last question for most of the book.

Overall, I really liked it. It just left me with so many unanswered questions, and not a lot of closure. The book kind of ended unexpectedly.

Concrete Rose had me from the “Dear Reader” note where Angie Thomas explains how Russell Hornsby’s portrayal of Maverick inspired this prequel. Hornsby’s desire to truly know and understand the character prompted him to ask questions about Maverick’s past (especially his teen years). This forced Angie to dive into how Maverick became the man and father we see in THUG and who we get to learn more about in Concrete Rose.

I cannot wait for this to be released, I will be buying multiple copies for our library!!!

Great to get the backstory of Maverick Carter as he navigates teen fatherhood, loyalty and gang life. Fans of The Hate U Give will run to the shelves for this book.

Maverick Carter is getting by the best he can. With his father in prison, it is up to him to help his mother out where he can. Odd jobs won't cut it, but dealing will. With a little extra cash he can help at home and also keep himself lookin' fly. As a lil' homie in the King Lords, he is always trying to live up to his father's reputation even though his cousin Dre has encouraged him to stay as much out of the thick of it as possible.

Things swerve for Mav though when he finds out that Iesha's baby is his and that a one time hook up has forever changed his life. When she takes off and leaves the baby in his care, Mav has to step up as a father and a provider. Though he gets a job in Mr. Wyatt's grocery store, it isn't enough to keep everything afloat. Torn between wanting to do what he knows is right, providing for his family, and a need for revenge when a loved one is murdered, Mav faces devastating choices every direction he turns.

This companion to The Hate U Give was stellar. Maverick's story gives so much insight to the man we meet in Thomas's first Garden Heights story. I also appreciated the opportunity to see some of the other adults from Garden Heights and to learn more about their origins as well. There were many moments when Mav faced decisions that so many young men and women face-- decisions that they shouldn't have to make. It was heart-wrenching, even knowing where he ends up in the future, to journey with him through each choice. It had been long enough since I read THUG that I didn't have all the details still in my memory, so you may want to re-read it before starting Concrete Rose.

I highly recommend this book!

Angie Thomas has done it again with Concrete Rose, a prequel to The Hate U Give following seventeen year old Maverick, Starr’s father. The novel is gripping from start to finish. You will feel emotions for the characters you already know the future for and those you haven’t yet met. We get the story of Mav in the 90s. Readers of THUG will find some things familiar, yet intriguing to learn the hows and whys. We see Mav raising baby Seven and dealing for the King Lords and how he goes straight. It’s not such an easy thing to do. Thomas explores Black boyhood and fatherhood with her raw words that paint a very real picture. If you enjoyed THUG, you’ll fall even more in love with Mav in Concrete Rose. I truly cannot recommend this novel enough. Highly recommended!!

This book delighted me as a fan of The Hate U Give, but it moved me as a reader as well
My students will be clamoring to get their hands on this book