On the Come Up Book Review

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

Considering the immense popularity of Angie’s brilliant debut The Hate U Give, it’s not really surprising that On the Come Up is one of the most anticipated books of this year. It’s been on my wishlist ever since I read the synopsis about six months ago, and I’ve been dying to grab a copy. Thankfully, my local Waterstones even had a special edition with purple stained edges, which I am going to be super excited to get signed next week.

The novel begins with protagonist Bri awaiting a call to see if she’s gotten into the rap battle ring. It’s a nice and swift opening, one which immediately grabbed me and kept me hooked. I knew she must, otherwise why would Angie start writing there, or about her being ‘on the come up,’ but I was still tense as I waited with Bri for that call.

The rest of the novel seems equally tense. It was awful reading about how Bri’s family were struggling with bills and how her dreams seemed tied not only to her own personal success, but were slowly becoming more and more her only way to help the family get out of their situation. It raises some interesting questions about the importance of success and the money that comes with it, and how such triumphs can completely change a person’s life regardless of their situation. It definitely made me like Bri a lot more. I liked her anyway, but there were times where she crossed some lines that made me wince. She’s headstrong and stubborn, with a clear moral compass, but she’s entering into a world that so often deals in stereotypes which go against how she wants to see herself. And sometimes, she crosses those lines in some pretty tense ways.

Perhaps even more so than The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas’ second book explores the notion of ‘black rage’ and the class problems that so often lurk behind the word ‘racism’. Bri’s family are practically destitute, skipping out on bills and barely managing to put food on the table. They’re still a loving and supporting family, but it is a world away from the mostly financially stable family that surrounds Starr. I did love that it was set in the same area though, as it gave the narrative a much richer feel. There were several references to the events in The Hate U Give too, which directly impacted on the lives of the characters. Again, I thought this was a great way to continue to grow the world Angie Thomas has created, as well as showing just how far-reaching the riots and police shooting of an unarmed black boy in THUG extended.

The characters in the book were a delight to read about too. Bri is obviously my favourite. She’s so determined and strong, and she absolutely knows what she wants to do with her life. Her friends were both funny and provided some much needed light-hearted scenes amongst the tense atmosphere. And then there are the smaller, but no less important characters. Bri’s Aunt Pooh definitely represented an interesting and heart-breaking example of how social classes can force people into bad situations. Bri’s mum tells a similar story. I was absolutely there for her character growth and her interactions with Bri. Supreme was perhaps one of the most interesting– partly because he offered a tantalising glimpse of the success story Bri wanted, and partly because, even before we encounter him in the rap battle, we know he’s bad news.

Overall, I’d give On the Come Up a 9/10 stars. It was a delightfully easy read, and definitely provoked some interesting debates, but it lacked some of the oomph of The Hate U Give and never quite lived up to its predecessor.