Omg. This book was amazing. Breathtakingly, legitimately amazing. I wish I could've read this sooner, but it was completely worth the wait.

Some thoughts:

» The writing and the story was so real and raw. Starr told it how it was, and nothing was hidden or sugarcoated. It was a story accurate to real life, in all aspects. (I can't personally vouch for the accuracy of being black, but other people have.)

» It was modern. I know a lot of contemporaries are, but this one just really felt modern. It mentioned Twitter and Tumblr and Harry Potter, and issues that teens really face.

» All of the characters were so real. If I broke each one down this review would be miles long, so let's just say they all felt like real people, and I loved it. Starr, her family, Chris, Kenya, Maya, all of them.

» Starr's family was awesome. First of all, they were hugely present, and that just doesn't happen enough. Her parents did scold and ground her, did care for her, did actually have their own lives. Her brothers were more than just annoying side characters. There was real conflict in her family, particularly between her parents and Uncle Carlos.

» Real non-familial relationships. Her friendship with Kenya. Her friendship with Maya. Her fight with Hailey. Her relationship with Chris. They all felt like experiences I might have. None of them were perfect, and that's needed more of in YA. Not just friendships, but flawed ones. That also goes for romance.

» Everything felt necessary and relevant. I never found anything boring or unneeded or only put in to further the story. I also thought the pacing was perfect. It kept the story equally interesting for nearly 450 pages, to the point where I binged this in 3 days, even with a heavy workload from school. I didn't want to put this down. And did I mention it also messed with my emotions?

» The Hood Trio and Starr's dad's theory of Hogwarts house gangs. Both were awesome and made my nerd heart happy, as well as being amusing, so they deserve a spot on my list.

» So!! Many!! Good!! Quotes!!

I could go on, but I think you guys get the point. I loved every page of this book. It was an entertaining story that also carried an important message/theme and packed an emotional punch.

I know everyone has already said this, but I'm going to say it again. If you read one book this year, make it this one. Angie Thomas knows how to write an unbelievably good book, and as a debut no less. This is 200% worth every bit of hype!!