Bri wants a career as a rapper (like her late father Lawless) but she doesn’t want to sacrifice her own identity as a young women. I think this is a great character quality and it intrigued me the most about her. Even-though she can be described by others as “aggressive” or hood-ish, I think Bri is struggling to find the approval of her mom, as well she’s wanting to be the shining star of her family and bring success to their lives. All this while also still grieving the loss of her father as a young child and struggling to find how that fits in her identity. So I really like her complex character and I that was the highlight of the book for me. However, I found some of the other characters like Aunt Pooh very frustrating and I didn’t feel like they were described well enough. A bit more backstory on her and Malik would have added something for me. .
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The book deals with themes of sexism, racism, social inequality, and justice. It’s a great story about personal triumphs and tribulations, and it’s definitely a book worth reading. I didn’t love it as much as The Hate U Give and I didn’t find it as groundbreaking or moving to me while reading it (which may be why I feel I don’t have much to say in a review) but it’s still a great book and I appreciate Angie Thomas' voice as a writer. .