I absolutely loved The Hate U Give and I think I am going to enjoy Concrete Rose just as much - I have pre-ordered myself a copy.
This extended sampler gets straight into the story of Big Mav and gives a great insight into his younger years. After finishing the sample, I was desperate to get my hands on the remainder of the book. Thomas writes fantastic novels and this one will definitely follow suit.

Didn't realise this was a sampler when I requested but what I read was so good. So good I went and bought the book in fact!

Got drawn into this story right from the start, its written in a very engaging, absorbing way. She is very good at describing the world that these young people live in and how they are trying to survive. I'm not sure I've read a book about teenage parenthood from the perspective of a parent before never mind the father. It was wonderful to see the bond with his son and the way he wanted to take care of him. Sadly, I only got a sample to review but i will definitely be getting the book to read, as I need to know what happens next....

Yes yes yes! I have been eagerly waiting for the release of Concrete Rose as I was such a fan of THUG! I love that this is a prequel and we’re getting to find out about Maverick’s history as he was such a great character in THUG. I would honestly read anything that Angie Thomas writes, it’s such easy reading but explores such important themes.

The sampler has definitely intrigued me and I’ve just purchased the paperback so I can find out what happens!

This is sure to be another hit with teen/ya readers. Angie writes the most vivid and authentic characters, even with this sampler I can see this will be an engaging and though-provoking read. Angie Thomas is certainly showing her staying power with this latest offering and is most definitely an important author for our times. Definitely another addition for the school Library.

I really enjoyed this preview. Maverick was one of my favourite characters in The Hate U Give, and it's fascinating to see his story from when he was the same age as his daughter, and how we know he hits rock bottom to build himself back up.

I can't wait for the final copy of this book to be published so i can devour the whole thing.

This extended sampler was such a hook, I am almost sad I read it, because now I have to wait for the rest of the book!
Set seventeen years before the story of Starr, in The Hate U Give, Concrete Rose is the story of Maverick Carter, Starr's dad.
Absolutely going to be reading this when it is out fully.
Fantastic.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Walker Books for an extended sampler, in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant first look at what is sure to be one of the biggest titles published in YA this year! So good to get back into the world of Garden Heights and to delve deeper into Mav's mind. It took a few pages to get into his voice but once I was in I was so hooked.

Title: Concrete Roses
By: Angie Thomas
Published by: Walker Books
Theme: Historical Fiction | YA & Teen
Pub Date: 12 Jan 2021
Review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3739820066




This prequel to Thomas's The Hate U Give sees main character Maverick Carter's life is about to spin on its head. Yes he has average teenage worries such as school, will he make it into collage next year, will his girlfriend go to college without him. However Maverick is also a member of the King Lords. He sells weed for them, which helps him earn money and stay safe. His father was a member before he went to prison, without the King Lords Maverick would be a target for his fathers past enemies.

You would think this would be more than any seventeen year old could handle but Mav is about to find out that he is a father. College seems a distant worry. What will he do now he has been left holding the baby and forced to quite his drug running.?!

Sleepless nights, caring for a baby, school and work. Will Mav manage his new roles? He tell's himself that now he has to be a real man, to man up. (what ever that means) Maybe he would have handled it all until a loved one is brutally murdered.


The way Thomas uses slang to portray the wold in an honest way was captivating. It was not a struggle to keep up for the most part. Having grown up in the 90's on a lot of American TV I understood the majority of the pop references. Unfortunately I did miss out on most of the off the basket ball terminology. I don't follow the sport (though Ireland does have its own team),

There is of course a lot in just the 99 pages I got to read. Of course race was one of them. It also seems that the women in this book may not feature as much but are certainly seen as big parts in the live of these young men. Mav's mother being just one of them.

However I did find it degrading to woman how Iesha is told to have sex with Mav by King "I went to king's crib stressed out 'bout it. He asked Iesha to take my mind off things." and later Mav says. "King hooked me up with Iesha one time".

I felt I was just getting into the story when the sample ended. They picked the perfect place to end the sample. I plan to finish the book as soon as possible .

~ Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas ~

I fell into the trap of reading a sample! Set 17 years before the events of The Hate U Give, this is the story of teenage Maverick finding out he is a father.

I really enjoyed reading this extended sample. The dialogue was pretty brilliant, it helped pace the book really well and before I knew it I was finished! Set in an inner-city neighbourhood in the 90s, Thomas expertly transports readers into the past in this moving exploration of black manhood.

As soon as I finished I pre-ordered the book on my Kindle so I can get started asap! Out on January 12th 🌹

This little taste was just not enough. I can not wait for the full book to release on January 12.

Concrete Rose takes place in the past and follows Maverick Carter, Starr's father from the Hate U Give. We join him when he has just turned 17 and has just found out he is a father. He is now trying to balance high school, a legit job, and being a father.

It was really interesting to get a look at characters that were side characters in The Hate U give as main characters now and the same age as their children in The Hate U Give. I can not wait to read the full novel in just under two weeks when it comes out.

Angie Thomas certainly does not disappoint with her vivid imagery and excellent character development shining through in just the first 100 pages. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Hate U Give, or who enjoys hard hitting contemporary.

I have just read the extended sampler of Concrete Rose and immediately added a preorder to my basket. Angie Thomas has a knack of plunging you into a believable poor neighbourhood full of truth and angst, focusing on the struggle of black teens.

Concrete Rose is the prequel to Thomas’ acclaimed debut novel, The Hate U Give. The story focuses on teenager Maverick (Starr’s father from The Hate U Give) and the choices that he has to make to get by, Loyalty and a desire to support his Mom cause Maverick to turn to the only life he knows, drugs. With his Dad in prison and his reputation to uphold, he doesn’t have a choice. That is, until he discovers he is the biological father of a little boy he later calls Seven,

I would recommend this book to all students. In my opinion, Angie Thomas is an essential writer for our young minds.

Even from the extended sample, I can tell this is going to be a heartbreaking, powerful book and I cannot wait to read the rest!

It was impressive and wonderful to see just how quickly I was pulled back into the world of the Garden. It's been a year and a half since I read Bri's story and much longer since I first met Starr, but Angie Thomas' writing is so familiar and engaging that I was immediately won over by this new story.

It's great to see Angie Thomas navigate a different style of story telling, in that she's taking us back through the past of Maverick's history and leading us up to the present of THUG, rather than leading us towards a mysterious unknown. She deftly weaves details of what we think we know about Mav and holds our attention with the HOW of his journey, nor just the what. Definitely going to recommend this new novel to my students, especially because it's a poignant reminder that parents are people too!

Thank you netgalley for sending me this extended sampler. This is the first I have read of Angie Thomas’ work and I was instantly gripped and fully immersed into Maverick’s world. I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out for him and will definitely be ordering when released.

Many Thanks to the Angie and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before being published in exchange for an honest review.

However I was dissapointed as I read the 98 pages and I can´t carry on reading it until I get it for my library, which it will be end of January?

The book started with a bit too much of slung for me. I struggled a bit to understand when the guys were talking in the basketball court, but once into the chapters and the story I really enjoyed it. AS the characters are the same, it´s like you know them already pretty well.

I´m pretty sure it is going to be as good as The hate u give, which all my students and I love and all my 30 copies that I got when Angie Thomas came to Clapham Libraries are gone!!!!!

I'm hooked and so sad this was only a sampler, I've just had to pre-order it. I loved hearing about the backstory of Maverick and enjoyed being inside his head. The backdrop of the late 90s is so nostalgic, I can see this being a bestseller without a doubt. I'd also recommend for those like me who don't read young adult often.

Ok. I need to read this book. How Am I supposed to wait? How is it possible? My heart is already broken and I know this book will, as always with Angie, be a tough read!

Thank you so much to Walker book for allowing me to read this sampler.

I am beyond excited to read the rest of this book when it is published- I have been counting the days slowly and can’t wait any longer. After reading THUG Maverick was one of my favourite characters from the book and when I heard about the book it excited me even more.
The writing so far has been promising & the character development is been really aswell.
I loved this and cannot recommend this enough

Oh my goodness this is a fantastic start to a book. I have only read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas so far. I absolutely loved how we get the back story of Maverick and Lisa and life before Starr. I loved that we found out about Seven and why he is given the unusual name.

I speed read the first hundred pages of the sampler in about an hour and really can’t wait to read the full book. Angie Thomas is great at tugging at your heart strings while making it clear which characters deserve your love, no matter what mistakes they make.

Thoroughly enjoyed it.