When people talk about kids making bad choices, we don’t talk about fighting back against the lessons we are taught of toxic masculinity, institutional racism, and the worship of wealth/consumerism to the detriment of family and community. Thanks to the brilliance of Ms. Thomas’ writing we are able to walk a mile in Maverick’s shoes and truly understand how difficult his choices are. And what a brave and loving man he is because of the choices he does make. The most loving of fathers, partners, and friends, Maverick has something to teach all of us. A lesson in empathy and courage and I am HERE for it.
Come for the amazing storytelling, stay for the cameo of one of Nic Stone’s characters. Freaking brilliant.

When I read The Hate U Give I took the title to heart. Now this prequel show cases that hate and where it came from. I loved reading about Maverick as a character. To finally see where it started, how he fought against it, and how that hate grew. This book opens my eyes to things in its sequel that I missed the first time around and now I look at it differently reading this book and then The Hate U Give right after it. These stories are different and in my opinion Concrete Rose shows the prejudice, the hunger, the poverty, the lifestyle, the desperation, the fight that all builds that angry world viewpoint of hate. In The Hate U Give you see Concrete Rose' Hate being passed until finally someone pushes back.

One of the best things I did while in library school was read The Hate U Give for my YA Materials class. Angie Thomas did an incredible job of portraying the realities of systemic racism and why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important. Angie does another important job in Concrete Rose by portraying the struggles of a young black man who is expected to do nothing with his life and must make life altering decisions. This is without a doubt, one of the most authentic books I have ever read. From the language that Angie uses, to the rules of the streets that are presented to us, and Mav’s growth within the book. The best part about this being a prequel is that while we know that Mav faces hardships in this book, and in between this book and THUG, we also know that he experiences true joy as well. For many readers, myself included, Concrete Rose acts as a window or a sliding glass door, and of course, and more importantly, for other readers it will act as a mirror. This concept was introduced by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop (1990 ix-xi) and is also an important concept when it comes to collection development for young readers.

Concrete Rose also comes out at such an important time. During the summer of 2020, there have been numerous protests around the United States for racial and social justice and for an end of the shooting of black people by law enforcement. It also comes out almost a week after the events that transpired on Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, when white Trump supporters were encourage and allowed to storm the Capitol building in Washington DC, highlighting once again the differences in how people of color and white people are treated by law enforcement.

This backstory to THUG is exceptional. No prior knowledge of the characters is necessary. Ms. Thomas presents authenticity of motive, of struggle, and of character in Mav- the featured character in Concrete Rose. The birth of his first son at 17, Seven, is Mav's wake up call to grow up. But with no role models and easy money to be found in dealing drugs, the choices he has to make are many and not easy. This book is heartbreaking because it is so very real- children having children, with no way to help themselves or their babies. Well done.

The strength of this novel is Maverick. He is a strong character who is flawed while being a loving father, son, and friend. Maverick is the kind of complex young African American male characters you don't normally see in books.

I have been waiting for more from Garden Heights since THUG was published and could not wait to get my hands on anything Angie Thomas writes. Concrete Rose is even better than I hoped! I feel the nostalgia for the 90s and love every single detail she incorporates between the two generations... every question seems answered; every person appears - and not just appears but is completely developed so the stories seamlessly click. I could not be happier with this sequel and am looking forward to hearing the audiobook version when I reread it (his VOICE - aahh!). Thank you so, so much to #Netgalley for the opportunity to preview #ConcreteRose by Angie Thomas. My students have a tiny lottery going to see who gets to read the paper copy when I bring it to school Wednesday - I know they'll love it as much as I did!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. I was expecting big things from this book because of how much I loved The Hate U Give, and it did not disappoint. Concrete Rose is the prequel to THUG and focuses on Maverick, Starr's dad. It took me a second to situate myself to the characters because it's been years since I read THUG, but once I remembered how the characters were connected, I couldn't put this book down. Thomas is SO good at creating characters that feel like real people. The book was funny, emotional, and tense at times. We learn about Maverick's relationship with his first son, Seven, and his future wife, Lisa, in addition to some tangential characters that appear in THUG. I thought Thomas did a fabulous job of capturing the many conflicting definitions of what it means to be a Black man in America. Every high school teacher in America needs a copy of this in their classroom!

Thomas, who is American, is the author of the best selling teen books "The Hate You Give" and "On the Come Up". This new release is the prequel to "The Hate You Give" and tells the story of Maverick, the father of the main character in the original book. Maverick, the son of a gang leader who is now in prison, is a low level gang member and deals weed. He has a girlfriend and hopes to finish high school and maybe even go to college. His life changes, however, when he finds out he is a father and the mother is not his girlfriend. Although Maverick's story is dark at times, the author tells it with humour. Although I own a copy of "The Hate Your Give", it is still sitting in my 'to be read' pile, so I can safely say this book can be read without having read the first. This is a wonderful recommendation for teens and adults alike. I really enjoyed it.

Concrete Rose tells the backstory of Star's dad from The Hate U Give. Seventeen year-old Maverick Carter has lot going on. He's smart. He's funny and good-looking. He's loyal to his friends and family. He's a gang member. He's the son of a former gang leader. He sells drugs to help his mom pay bills and he just might be the father of a baby birthed by his best friend's girlfriend. A lot going on. Maverick Carter has to grow up sooner than he would like and his burdens at times seem unbearable. But through it all, Maverick, "an independent thinker," has to decide what kind of man he's going to be. Will follow in his father's footsteps or will he forge a path all his own? Angie Thomas has created another fictional masterpiece that has heart and soul.

This book was received as an ARC from HarperCollins Children's Books - Balzer + Bray in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am a fan of The Hate U Give and hearing this story really just opened my eyes on how some are just unlucky in life not just by their living quarters but how people treat them just by their way of life and how they look. Despite life not going his way, I commend Maverick for taking chances and still being there for his family especially for his son. Being in the bloodline for the King Lords and having the gang gene in him, Maverick still stayed true to himself despite the trouble he was in and who was looking for him. This just goes to show that no matter the circumstance all is possible if you believe and it is a really good eye opener on some of this issues such as Black Lives Matter and how all deserve to live a happy life.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

So, I forgot that Starr's dad was named Maverick Carter until the very last page of this book. I mean, it's been years since I read "The Hate U Give", and I have yet to see the movie (I'm notoriously bad at consuming visual media in a timely manner), so it totally slipped my mind! I just saw Angie Thomas' name on the NetGalley list of available ARCs, and I snapped it up fast. I really enjoyed T.H.U.G. when it first came out, and have always enjoyed what an easy recommendation it is for reluctant readers in my classroom. I was hopeful I could add another book to my library from Thomas, and I can happily say that this will find a home amongst my other books when I am able to return to classroom.

As I mentioned before, this story centers around Maverick, a high school senior with a potentially bright future ahead of him -- he's got a great girlfriend, Lisa; he's ready to tackle this year at school and possibly get into a good college. This all takes a dramatic turn when he finds out he has a son with a girl he slept with once on a break with Lisa. Maverick spends the remainder of the book balancing the expectations thrust upon him as a young father and a young black man. With few role models, a father in prison, and the pressure of the King Lords gang, navigating life isn't easy to put it simply.

At the heart of this book, Thomas unpacks and addresses themes and topics centering on the stereotypes and expectations of black men. When Mav decides he wants to leave the gang, he has to confront a lose-lose situation -- get jumped or agree to take a charge for someone -- neither of which are options he wants to consider. He needs to be a provider for his new family, but the minimal wage he earns as a part-time worker in his single-family household won't cut it. Dealing drugs is a solution, but one that comes with its own strings. He would love to graduate and work on his future, but there are more pressing, real issues he's facing that prevent him from focusing wholly on his studies. When he has to handle grief, he needs to balance the expectations people have of him as a black man with his very real emotions, which left not dealt with could lead to even more grief and destruction. Throughout all of this, I was stressed, and kept thinking about how this is more than just fiction, but reality for many, maybe even some of my students.

I found the prose to be less engaging than THUG, and not because Thomas utilizes AAVE for Mav's voice. I think as a reader, I tend to connect less with the opposite sex, which is a great reminder about the choices I make for books and my own students. I could empathize with Mav and I was interested in his story, but I have trouble engaging with male protagonists in realistic fiction. I really enjoyed Mr. Wyatt who had some of the greatest lines in here, as well as Dre (his cousin) and his mom. The other minor characters, including his girlfriend and best friend, fell a little flat for me, despite getting a lot of page time. I also found myself predicting some of the outcomes and plot points, but then after thinking about it, I realized that may say more about our society than it does about Thomas' narrative structure...

While I think this book is certainly for any gender/non-gendered individual, I definitely see this being a way to get some of my more reluctant male readers into a book. I think Mav's character is an excellent study of resilience and growth (peep the book title) that many students can relate with and look up to.

In this prequel to The Hate You Give, 17-year-old Maverick Carter's life is great - he has a sweet girlfriend and his cousin's always there for him. Then he finds out he's a father, and his new born son changes everything. He deals with things the best he can, but is it enough?

In Concrete Rose, we revisit Garden Heights. Maverick Carter is 17, the son of an incarcerated former gang leader, has a baby on the way and is living in a community where being in a gang is a matter of survival. In this world, it is expected that he will amount to nothing and become just another statistic. The pressure Maverick is under at such a young age is insurmountable.

This may be a work of fiction, but the story is all too real. This book will make you think about the causes of these real life social problems. It is a “reality” that should shame anyone with a conscience. This book will stay with you.

Every time I start an Angie Thomas book, I think it will be fine. And then I’m blown away. The same is true with Concrete Rose. Thomas’s third book serves as a prequel to The Hate U Give, following Starr’s father, Maverick, during his turbulent seventeenth year. After finding out that he’s a father, Maverick does his best to step up and care for his son, but he’s constantly pulled back and forth between gang life and dad life. It’s difficult to escape the King Lords, the gang Maverick reps, and also tempting to remain under their protection. Over the course of the novel, Maverick deals with terrible loss, but also discovers the man he wants to become. Overall, an excellent, realistic novel.

Loved this book. You get bits and pieces of Maverick’s story in THUG but having him tell his story just hits different. Full of emotion, struggle, and love, this is a great prequel.

Angie Thomas has done it again! Concrete Rose, prequel to The Hate U Give, is a raw and powerful coming of age story. In Concrete Rose, we return to Garden Heights, this time to the late 1990s, with a 17 year-old Maverick as our protagonist.

The Hate U Give is one of my favorite books of all time, and while On the Come Up did not become a fast favorite, Concrete Rose will be a book I revisit. It’s been a few years since I last read The Hate U Give, and reading Concrete Rose made me want to reread it with new insight into the past. That said, this book stands on its own, and does not require reading The Hate U Give for understanding/appreciation.

Because this book takes place in the past as a prequel, there were certain plot points that could only go in one direction. Despite that, Thomas kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the novel, and I found myself trying to remember how things worked out to get a sense of where the plot might go.

This was the first time we’ve seen a male POV from Thomas, and I’m so glad she made this choice. Thomas created a layered, multidimensional, and beautifully flawed character in Maverick, who is struggling with what it means to become a father and a man. Throughout the book, Maverick grapples with concepts related to masculinity, his role in his relationships and the community, and his plans for the future.

This is no after-school special, and Thomas did not hold back in this novel in order to make it palatable to classrooms. The language is gritty, the events are dark, and the choices Maverick must make have high stakes. Thomas’ choices broaden the appeal to adolescents and adults alike, though it might make Concrete Rose less of a hit with school administrators (oh well).

I’d been anticipating this book for so long, that I’m only sad that I no longer have it to look forward to.

Thank you to Netgalley, Angie Thomas and Balzer and Bray for an advanced copy to review.

Concrete Rose does not disappoint! Considered a prequel to The Hate U Give, Concrete Rose follows Starr Carter's father, Maverick, when he was a 17 year high school student. Maverick is trying to live his best life, dealing small time drugs and rolling with his friends, until life hits him with a harsh reality and he finds himself becoming the father of two small children. Now Maverick must navigate high school, earning money legally, and caring for a new baby. While gang life offers him money and safety in numbers, is no longer safe for his growing family. Hard choices need to be made,

Angie Thomas once again writes a world of characters that are highly relatable even if the reader has absolutely no experience with gang life or urban settings. I was absolutely rooting for Maverick to come out on top, but at the same time was on the edge of my seat as the repercussions from the choices he makes played out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an ARC of this novel.

Angie Thomas takes us back to Garden Heights in this prequel to The Hate U Give. In Concrete Rose, we get to know Starr’s father, Maverick, before Starr is born. It’s 1998, and Maverick, just 17 years old, is a teen father struggling with raising a child, staying in school, making money to help pay the bills and finding his place in the King Lords gang. This novel deals with grief, violence, gangs, and teen parenthood. I absolutely fell in love with Maverick and Lisa, and you will too! Recommended for fans of Angie Thomas and Jason Reynolds. A must read for fans of The Hate U Give!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This was another great one from Angie Thomas. I read THUG a while ago, so honestly I"m not sure if I would have realized that this was a prequel about Starr's father if I hadn't read the author's note at the beginning. Maverick is a great character you can really root for, even when he's making not so great decisions.

Wow! I'm always excited now when there is a new Angie Thomas coming out, and this book was a stunner! One of the things I loved best about The Hate U Give was Starr's family; they were weird and wonderful and so I was really excited to get this peek into the early days of the family! Maverick was a great character in the first book, and he is a great character here and I enjoyed this book so much. I love that Maverick is such a great character that we can feel such empathy for him as he makes both good and bad choices. From the point of view of writing characters, I'm of the opinion that Angie Thomas is the best writer in YA.
Thanks SO MUCH to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.