Even though I'm not good at completing them, I love reading challenges.  They're fun and they often push me to read things I wouldn't necessarily read otherwise.  So, this year, I'm going to sign up for five of them:


2020 Literary Escapes Challenge (hosted by Escape With Dollycas Into a Good Book)—I had a good time with the 2019 challenge, even though I only got 39 states and 15 countries, so I'm going to do this one again in 2020.  It's a fun one.


Medical Examiner Challenge (hosted by Rick Mills)—Even though this challenge is a little macabre (you count the corpses you find in the murder mysteries you read), it's fun and easy, so I'm gloving up for this one again in 2020.


Popsugar Reading Challenge (hosted by Popsugar)—I've never done this annual reading challenge before, but the prompts look intriguing, so I'm going for it.


Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge (hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews)—I've been enjoying a few different cozy mystery series, so I'm going to take this one on as well.


Middle Grade Reading Challenge (hosted by Becky's Book Reviews)—I love MG books, so reading 12 should be a cinch!

As a 40-something-year-old white woman who lives in a gated, upper middle-class neighborhood in the heart of suburbia and listens to nothing more hood than "Ice, Ice Baby" every so often, I'm the first to admit that I am so not the target audience for books like On the Come Up.  Still, I appreciate this novel and others like it for helping to expand the reaches of YA lit to include depictions of teenagers of all races, faiths, ideologies, cultures, etc.  That being said, I personally found On the Come Up a bit difficult to read, particularly because it uses strong language (F-bombs in every other sentence) and lots of rap/hip hop terms and related lingo that I didn't always understand.  Beyond that, though, On the Come Up features a strong, likable heroine who's trying to both accept the hand she's been dealt and rise above it by following her dreams.  Though flawed, her friends and family are likable, authentic characters as well.  Plotwise, the novel is compelling but also wordier than necessary.  Overall, though,
it's an intriguing read that teaches some important lessons about family, friendship, racism, standing up for yourself, and forgiveness.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of SLAY by Brittney Morris)

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