Coming from the same author as The Hate U Give, this book has a lot of hype to live up to. I am extremely happy to say that this book lives up to the hype and then some.

I was thrilled to receive an Advanced Reader's Copy of the book from a friend who works at a bookstore just yesterday. Although this book can be considered quite the tome at 464 pages, I read it all today. I simply couldn't put it down. This book has it all; action, suspense, family drama and love, friendship drama and love, school issues. It's an excellent teen saga. The emotion in this book is drawn out in such a way as to make this book very easy to relate to, regardless of the reader's background.

Bri wants to be a rapper like her late father, "Lawless". Over the course of the story she finds success isn't always as simple as working hard and that it often comes with difficult choices and plenty of ways to make mistakes.

The best thing about Angie Thomas's characters is that they're realistic. Her teenagers are real. They make poor choices and have to deal with the consequences. The adults often have the same problems. No one is perfect in this world, which is what makes this book such an excellent mirror for some of the problems facing our society, our schools, and our students.

I'd love to say more, but I don't want to spoil the book. I feel safe in saying that this book is every bit as relevant as The Hate U Give. However, it stands on its own, in its own merit, as a masterpiece.