As much as I wanted to read this book when I was first granted access via NetGalley I never managed to get round to reading it. I have now gone back through and read the Synopsis and found that now this book is just not for me and will not be reviewing. I want to thank the publisher for allowing me to have access to the book but due to my tastes changing in reading this book no longer appeals to me.

This is a great book. There was so much that I enjoyed.
The writing style was unique but suited to the style of the book.
I loved the book

Very relevant and poignant story, definitely something that should be read by everyone what with our current political climate resulting in protests and riots as we try to change our world for the better

The Black Kids is a YA coming-of-age story set during the 1992 riots in LA. Ashley, the main character, is enjoying the last days of her senior year with her friends when a jury acquits the four LAPD officers who brutally beat Rodney King. This news is a turning point for Ashely, a wealthy Black teenager who has grown up surrounded by white friends. After years of living in a privileged bubble, she begins to question things.


This is a story about a teenager who makes questionable decisions in a society where Black people are expected not to make a single mistake. It’s a story of a young woman who spent years not caring about racism, but who little by little begins to understand her own identity and starts to be fed up with the racist comments of her white friends. A powerful YA read about race, class and privilege.

This was even better than expected. I'm not usually a fan of ya anymore, but this novel struck all the chords!! Highly recommend.

I did not get around to reading this book prior to it’s publication date and it has since been archived therefore I cannot leave a review at this time.

As well as a beautiful cover, this book was brilliant. Very insightful and powerful read surrounding the 90's LA riots. I think it's quite an important read and very well written. I'd recommend it.

4.5 STARS

This has had massive praise since it's release and been included on many essential YA reading lists and rightly so. Another book set in the 90's, this time in California during the LA riots. We follow a black teenage girl attending a prestigious, mainly white high school and how she now sees herself, her friends and her family during the violence that breaks out. This was an emotional, eye-opening story that I gained a lot from. It's difficult to read at times with the stark look at racism and police brutality but it was really well told and it's a book I think everyone should pick up.

An interesting insight into the impact of the LA riots of 92, from a relatively privileged black teenager’s perspective.

I enjoyed the historical aspects of this and the way the author created the ‘feel’ of LA at that time for a kid who was black but somewhat removed from the actual violence. I liked the references to Tulsa too, although heart-wrenching. That black families are experiencing generational trauma on top of the fact that racist incidents are still occurring is just awful, I got where her parents were coming from trying to shield their girls from that ‘weight’. How are people supposed to get out of such a situation apart from by being perfect, and even then you can’t be perfect all the time as the author shows.

I didn’t particularly like Ashley as a character but she did grow and I still felt for her at times with the racism she faced from her so-called friends. I really liked LaShawn, he was adorable, however none of the characters were that well developed which is a shame in a book dealing with such important subject matter. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s aimed at a younger audience but there was nothing to them, it was all surface level interactions and wasn’t very deep. I need a back story to truly root for a character, and we didn’t hear much of that about any of them so it was difficult to empathise much unless really worrying stuff was happening to them.

Furthermore in terms of plot, considering it was set during a massively turbulent time not a lot happened. The storyline with Lana seemed promising but didn’t really go anywhere and the whole thing felt like the author didn’t go far enough with anything. That said I guess everything that happened was pretty realistic in terms of one teenager’s senior year so if you think of it that way it made sense. This is fiction though so I’d like a bit more bang for my buck.

Overall I give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 here for how well the author captured how people felt at the time, but it wasn’t my favourite read. I’m not a black teenager though so maybe I can’t really judge it that well, but as a history student and teacher it didn’t go far enough in my opinion.

Set in LA in 1992, this is a story about a group of friends dealing with the aftermath of the killing of a Black man and the police who were acquitted. Riots soon start and the main character Ashley has a hard time dealing with everything crumbling around her. This was poignant and brilliantly written.

This book was so good. It hits hard because this is set in the 90s but the events here could be today and that is awful. How have we not made progress from the 90s when police are still using unnecessary force to attack black people and how is there still the fight for equality?

This book was a little difficult to get into at first as it felt like we were constantly bouncing around as Ashley narrates but as I figured out we were following her thoughts I got into the story. Ashley has been raised in an affluent area of LA and her parents have protected her from so much of the world. She is aware she is black and there is discrimination but as she has grown up in a predominantly white community it's almost like it doesn't directly impact her. In the wake of the riots following the Rodney King trial she comes to some realisations about herself, her family, and her friends. She goes through things a senior in high school shouldn't have to go through and begins to understand why her sister is so angry.

I don't want to say it was an enjoyable read as a lot of what Ashley experienced wasn't fun but it is told through the perspective of a teenager so she is enjoying herself and although so much of what she sees does impact her she is still trying to enjoy her senior year with friends.

I really liked how Ashley experienced the breakdown of a friendship. You saw at the start that Ashley didn't feel totally comfortable with the actions of one of her friends but you also got to see their history together. They grew up together and that shared history can cause you to hold onto a friendship longer than you should. Ashley was not blameless, she made mistakes, but you saw her accept and try to apologise for these things as she grew but when you're friend isn't willing to do the same it's often the only option to end the friendship and even though the other person was awful I was still sad for Ashley.

This was such a good book told during a tumultuous time in the past but it really is relevant to today.

I loved this book (so much so it took my a while to review) Loved the cover and the book felt interesting and fresh!

Really good, pacy YA; although it is quite traumatic in places. Still worth reading and having in school libraries.

A brilliant, insightful, and devastating novel that brings light to the LA Race Riots of 1992. Reading this in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder only made it yet more upsetting to see how far we haven't come up. Ashley is a lively and engaging teen who doesn't quite realise how sheltered her life has been, until everything boils over. Add to that the crushing realisation that she might singlehandedly have ruined someone else's career and Ashley has got a lot to work through in this book. She takes it in stride though, educating herself and us in the process, as she develops a deeper understanding of race and privilege and how that affects her. Moving and educational, I would highly recommend for anyone who wants a YA book with a little bit of punch, that will teach you something and break your heart a little.

Thank you for providing access to this book. I'll be reviewing/featuring this book separately from NetGalley as I have a physical copy.

I've found a new love for contemporary books set sometime in the last 50 years or so, and one of those is The Black Kids.
This novel is set in 1992 in Los Angeles, during the trial regarding police brutality against Rodney King. The events in this novel are a mirror image to police brutality in the present day, a novel set almost thirty years ago.
The main character initially feels very detached from the riots and protests engulfing LA, but steadily over the course of the story Ashley discovers family secrets and unflinching truths.
The Black Kids had a strong beginning and an explosive ending, it is an impactful take on classism, racism, white supremacy and police brutality.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, we need more books like these, it’s an eye opener in so many ways. On the other hand, as many others readers, I felt the main character was not particularly likable and I struggled with some parts of the story. Overall the book tried to cover so many topics (big ones, important ones) but I thought it ended up being difficult to focus on a specific one.

This book is such an eye opener with what is going on in today's world.

I learned so much from reading this book, highlighting the hurt and injustice for the black community, and what they face, even still today!

It's such a gripping read, learning about a teenage girl's life in the 1990's LA riots which are still being seen today. It discusses hard topics throughout including, mental health and protests to name a few. I couldn't ever imagine how it felt to go through what the characters go through within this story.

**I was provided with a copy of the book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

Only knowing that this novel was set in 90’s LA during the time of the Rodney King riots, I went in expecting the storyline to parallel that of The Hate U Give but it turns out I was way off. Where the two books actually parallel each other is in how much they mirror current times. The Black Kids comes from a totally unique standpoint as THUG but touches on many of the same themes in just as powerful a way.

The book follows Ashley Bennett, a privileged Black teen whose parents’ lifestyle has sheltered her from a lot of the hardships of life, as she become more socially and politically aware of the world around her.

Christina Hammonds Reed does extremely well at both capturing the teenage voice of the protagonist and unflinchingly addressing heavy topics. Ashley isn’t the most likable, but is such a well written character and I really enjoyed seeing her character arc. Not only does this coming of age story touch on the themes of race, identity and police brutality on a worldly scale, it is also a very introspective read and commendably explores familial relationships and toxic friendships also.

It did take me a while to get into this one and by the end I do feel like there were a few things that weren’t fully resolved hence I knocked off a star. But all in all I think this is another one of those ‘must read’ YA books!
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars

Really enjoyed this one. I mean besides the awesome cover it was a very good coming of age novel. I hope the author will release more titles like this. Will definitely recommend.