I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Short and Sweet

Starr witnesses the wrongful murder of her best friend Khalil who was shot by a police officer. Starr is the only person who knows what happened and she’s left wondering if she should speak up or be quiet.

Characters

Starr: Our main character. Starr is raw and true to herself and honest. She’s the voice I needed I ended up loving her while reading this book. Starr is clearly going through a hard time after seeing Khalil die but that’s not the only friend shes lost. I loved seeing Starr make decisions about what she should do and with every decision I was proud of her I knew she was scared and didn’t feel brave but she was, she spoke out even when it scared her and that spoke volumes about who she is.

Romance

There’s not much romance, mainly because that’s not the focus of this book. Starr does have a boyfriend and the relationship was interracial which had Starr questioning things after the shooting. When Starr and Chris were together I thought they were cute he called her fresh princess based off the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Quotes

“A hairbrush is not a gun.”

“Because there will always be someone to fight. Maybe it’s my turn.”

“I always said that if I saw it happen to somebody, I would have the loudest voice, making sure the world knew what went down. Now I am that person, and I’m too afraid to speak.”

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

My Thoughts

~ We’re taken to the heart of Garden Heights in this book. Violence, gangs, and drug dealings are the norm here. But a shooting that is making national headlines, thats not so normal.

~ Starr has to balance her two lives, Starr from Garden Heights and the Starr that goes to Williamson a predominately white school on the other side of town.

~ I loved Starr’s family and how they were supportive of her decision to either speak out or not. Each family member has their own problems and I grew to love them and was just hoping nothing bad happened to him.

~ Things were tense and I was worried about Starr’s family and friends and their safety, there was violence, threats, and riots.

~ After what happened so much changed Starr had to figure out who was the good guy who was bad, who to trust, who is actually a friend and who’s not. I felt for Starr so many of the dynamics she knew changed after the shooting.

~ Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, The Hate U Give this book tackles important issues like race and authority in a black community.

Overall

This is the most honest and heartbreaking account of what is going on in America right now. This is an important book and I think everyone needs to pick it up. I have nothing bad to say about this book and I want to commend Angie Thomas for writing this book its amazing and it’s not a topic that has been talked about in young adult books. I found myself crying at times but then smiling in the next few pages because of the love and support that Starr was shown. The Hate U Give is indescribable and a book worth reading!