Possibly Favourite Book of the Year - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas [Review]

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

"What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?"

Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.

GOODREADS // AMAZON

I’m having a really hard time writing a review for this absolute perfection of a book so I’ve finally decided to make a list of reasons why you should read it. (Although most of you have probably already read it and I’m the procrastinator Queen who’s reading this glorious book more than a year after it came out)

Anyhoo,

8 Reasons why you must read this book ASAP-

• #BlackLivesMatter and #OwnVoices - Do I even need to explain?

• It touches up on issues like passive bullying, passive racism and peer pressure.

“That's the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”

• Relationships with the complexities of relationships - In other words, realistic relationships. I’m not just talking about couples, but also friendships and the relationships between parents and kids.

- Starr and Chris aren’t the ‘perfect’ couple. They have the fights and arguments that come with being in a relationship. But they’re also really cute and I ship them so hard. I also love how when he’s sometimes being ignorant, Starr corrects him. This isn’t a book where the boyfriends and girlfriends always say the right thing. This is a book where young adults mess up but also learn to own up and correct themselves.

“He got a tan over break. I used to tell him he was so pale he looked like a marshmallow. He hated that I compared him to food. I told him that's what he got for calling me caramel. It shut him up.”

- All the friendships. This book showcases all those types. There’s the friend you don’t see often but you always fall into a comfort zone with them; the friend who’s alwasy around but you aren’t quite sure how exactly the friendship works, that friend you click with when you find out they’ve had a similar life experience, the cousins who are more like your best friends, the friend who’s a friend becasue you have mutual friends. This book has them all. I always get annoyed by the cliques in teen books where you have three friends and you’re a group and that’s it. In reality you have different types of friends and not all of them know each other.

- Parent-Children relationships - Again the author shows how every parent-child duo aren’t the same. There Starr’s mom who is literally the best book mom ever. She smothers them with love, grounds the, fights with them but OML she’s amazing. There’s moms who are ignorant of their children, moms who take their child for granted and I just wanted to go hug Angie Thomas for showing that not every relationship is the same. Some are peachy and some are rocky and they’re all real.

• Amazing band of secondary characters I grew to love and hold close. We hardly ever see that in YA. In this book we have three dimensional, wonderfully written secondary character who are as important to the movement of the plot as Starr. They also have thier individual equally important storylines. I adored Sekani, Starr’s little brother who’s the sweetest ever, her other brother Seven who’s dealing with violence at home, Maya, Starr’s Asian friend who is a lovely soul and Uncle Carlos who is hands down the best uncle ever.

• Starr - One of the most relatable character I’ve read in a very long time. I adored Starr. Even when she was doing stupid things that get her grounded. Also she loves Harry Potter.

• Life Lessons - One of the biggest reasons why it’s an important book. All those life lessons. You could be 80 and yet take away so much from this wonderful book.

“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”

• Simple but powerful writing. While I read this book I laughed, cried, howled and wailed. Angie Thomas writes beautifully and she knows the way into your hearts. There were times when I had to close the book, keep it a distance away and bawl because I didn’t want to get tears on the pages (#bookloverproblems)

“To every kid in Georgetown and in all “the Gardens” of the world: your voices matter, your dreams matter, your lives matter. Be roses that grow in the concrete.”

• It’s freaking quotable. Next time anyone is being a jerk - *picks up THUG. Finds the right quote. Puts away book. Screams the quote in said jerk’s face* Next time anyone needs a pick me up *Picks up THUG. Finds right quotes. Puts away book. Changes mind. Hands book to said person.*

Also a gentle reminder that THUG is the author’s debut. IT’S HER DEBUT. Angie Thomas is my queen, my inspiration.

A must read for everyone. It doesn't matter that it's classified as YA. EVERYONE needs to read this. Period.

Have you guys read this book? Are there similar books that I should read?