Let Me Hear A Rhyme.

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CONTAINS SPOILERS

In this standalone novel, Tiffany D. Jackson tells the story of three Brooklyn teens who plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he is still alive.



Biggie Smalls was right. Things done changed. But that doesn’t mean that Quadir and Jarrell are okay letting their best friend Steph’s tracks lie forgotten in his bedroom after he’s killed—not when his beats could turn any Bed-Stuy corner into a celebration, not after years of having each other’s backs.



Enlisting the help of Steph’s younger sister, Jasmine, Quadir and Jarrell come up with a plan to promote Steph’s music under a new rap name: The Architect. Soon, everyone in Brooklyn is dancing to Steph’s voice. But then his mixtape catches the attention of a hotheaded music rep and—with just hours on the clock—the trio must race to prove Steph’s talent from beyond the grave.

Now, as the pressure—and danger—of keeping their secret grows, Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine are forced to confront the truth about what happened to Steph. Only each has something to hide. And with everything riding on Steph’s fame, together they need to decide what they stand for before they lose everything they’ve worked so hard to hold on to—including each other. 

 

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Powerful.



I have wanted to read LET ME HEAR A RHYME since it came out last year, unfortunately, my library did not have it at the time. Now that I have read it, I see why there were so many good reviews about this book. It was a powerful and memorable book. LET ME HEAR A RHYME is a story that will have you thinking while you are reading. A couple of years ago, I read MONDAY’S NOT COMING , which I fell in love with instantly. I had a feeling that I was going to love this one as well. I did not enjoy LET ME HEAR A RHYME as much, but I still loved the story, the characters. The way that characters spoke sometimes, it was a little hard for me to understand what they were trying to say. However, I loved the story in general, and I loved the relationships between the three characters. It is incredible how much the three of them loved Steph that they wanted the world to know about his music. One of my favorite parts about the book, the fact that the lyrics were included in the book, some of it is still stuck in my head.



I loved the name that Quadir, Jasmine, and Jarell came up with for Steph, to promote his music. The Architect, isn’t that catching? I know that if I heard a name like that, I would be curious. Of course, I could not help but be curious, how long they would be able to keep it up. How long would it take until it was discovered that Steph was dead? I know if it were me, if Steph kept missing the appointments for his music, I would be curious, and I would wonder what is going on. I got to say, and they were able to keep a secret for longer than I thought they would be able to get away with. I loved the fact that they didn’t give up, that they found a way, to keep on promoting his music, to try and get him a record deal. Having a story told from multiple points of views, it made the story so much more interesting, considering how different the three of them were, a chance to get each of them better. I loved all the characters; however, my favorite from everyone was Jasmine.



The mystery surrounding Steph’s murder, had me turning on the pages until the end. Like Jasmine, I wanted to find out who killed Steph and why. Did he get into some trouble, or was there something else? I felt that none of them would get any closure, not until they found out what happened to him. LET ME HEAR A RHYME is unlike any book that I have read before, and it is one of the things that I loved about it. It was real. I could never imagine how it was during that time, yet I felt as if I could as I read the book. A highly recommended book.