(Trim the TBR) The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - 4.5 stars

[annapi]

I've put off reading this for so long, and even now that its number came up in a challenge I was a bit reluctant to get into it, knowing I was in for some depressing moments. And yes, those moments were there, but it was also not as bad as I was expecting.

The story is told in the voice of 16-year-old Starr, who sees her friend gunned down by a cop after being stopped for DWB - "driving while black". We go through the aftermath of that with Starr, and see all the ways it ripples through the community and families. It's heartbreaking because you know that although this is fiction, this sort of thing happens for real.

But the ending was not your rah-rah uplifting feel-good cliche that I was half afraid it would be. The author keeps it real, and yes, she chose a more upbeat ending than she could have, but it's a YA book, it has to be. And she did it very, very well. I am so very glad I was finally pushed into reading this, even though it was almost as difficult to get through as I expected it to be.

I don't know why, but something holds me back from giving it a full 5 stars, but I'm giving it 4.5, and I can't round down. Highly recommended.

[Charlotte]

Great review! I loved this book and it was 5 stars for me last year when I read it. It actually caused me to change me view on a few things and I picked up a few more books that focused on race. I’ve got her next book sitting on my IRL TBR and want to read it. Got myself into too many challenges this year.