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Angel & Hannah
This sweeping, unforgettable reimagining of Romeo and Juliet tells the story of an interracial couple in 1990s New York City who are determined to protect their love against all odds
Hannah, a Korean American girl from Queens, New York, and Angel, a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn, fall in love in the spring of 1993. Hannah, who comes from a strict Korean home, meets Angel, a free and beautiful boy, at a quincea�era:
Beyond flushed, sweating bodies pushed,
pushing like cattle below black & buzzing speakers, under a torn pink streamer
loose as a tendril of hair--lush--
his eyes. Darkluminous. Warm. A blush floods her.
Hannah sucks in her breath, but can't pull back.
Music fades. A hush
he's a young buck in the underbrush,
still in a disco ball dance of shadow & light
Their forbidden love instantly and wildly blooms along the Jackie Robinson Expressway.
Told in seasons Angel & Hannah holds all of the tension and cadence of blank verse while adding dynamic and expressive language, creating new kinds of engrossing and magnetic forms. The hip-hop sonnets and poems are dynamic, arresting, observant, and magical, conveying the intimacies and sacrifices of love and addiction and the devastating realities of struggle and loss.
Committed to cultural details and the vernacular of Queens and Brooklyn, this is a hip-hop love story, not of the Capulets and the Montagues, but two New York City kids trying to survive and grow within their families and communities, driven by an all-consuming love.
Hannah, a Korean American girl from Queens, New York, and Angel, a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn, fall in love in the spring of 1993. Hannah, who comes from a strict Korean home, meets Angel, a free and beautiful boy, at a quincea�era:
Beyond flushed, sweating bodies pushed,
pushing like cattle below black & buzzing speakers, under a torn pink streamer
loose as a tendril of hair--lush--
his eyes. Darkluminous. Warm. A blush floods her.
Hannah sucks in her breath, but can't pull back.
Music fades. A hush
he's a young buck in the underbrush,
still in a disco ball dance of shadow & light
Their forbidden love instantly and wildly blooms along the Jackie Robinson Expressway.
Told in seasons Angel & Hannah holds all of the tension and cadence of blank verse while adding dynamic and expressive language, creating new kinds of engrossing and magnetic forms. The hip-hop sonnets and poems are dynamic, arresting, observant, and magical, conveying the intimacies and sacrifices of love and addiction and the devastating realities of struggle and loss.
Committed to cultural details and the vernacular of Queens and Brooklyn, this is a hip-hop love story, not of the Capulets and the Montagues, but two New York City kids trying to survive and grow within their families and communities, driven by an all-consuming love.
192 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
December 11, 2022
How about a young adult Romeo and Juliet retelling told in verse?!
About the book: “This sweeping, unforgettable reimagining of Romeo and Juliet tells the story of an interracial couple in 1990s New York City who are determined to protect their love against all odds.”
Hannah is Korean American and Angel is Puerto Rican. One from Queens; the other from Brooklyn. It’s the 90s when the two fall in love after they meet at a party.
The verse has a hip hop, lyrical feel. It’s emotional, gritty, and sensual; what you would expect from a Romeo and Juliet retelling. As with R&J, the centerpiece is LOVE, but this time, it has a backdrop of systemic racism, intersectionality of cultures, and joy. So much love and joy.
Fans of other novels in verse will love this one, and even if you are unsure about the form, it will likely make you a fan.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
About the book: “This sweeping, unforgettable reimagining of Romeo and Juliet tells the story of an interracial couple in 1990s New York City who are determined to protect their love against all odds.”
Hannah is Korean American and Angel is Puerto Rican. One from Queens; the other from Brooklyn. It’s the 90s when the two fall in love after they meet at a party.
The verse has a hip hop, lyrical feel. It’s emotional, gritty, and sensual; what you would expect from a Romeo and Juliet retelling. As with R&J, the centerpiece is LOVE, but this time, it has a backdrop of systemic racism, intersectionality of cultures, and joy. So much love and joy.
Fans of other novels in verse will love this one, and even if you are unsure about the form, it will likely make you a fan.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
April 26, 2021
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
I have nothing but so much praise for Angel & Hannah. From the first page, I was hooked, and by the last, my heart had left my body.
For you if: You like emotional books and/or want to reading more (or try reading) novels in verse.
FULL REVIEW:
Thank you to One World for granting me a review copy via NetGalley. I was blown away.
Angel & Hannah, a novel in verse, is a Romeo and Juliet retelling about a Korean-American girl from Queens and a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn in the 1990s. Yes, it sounds incredible. And yes, it is incredible.
First, let’s talk about the story — emotional, beautiful, heartbreaking. Hannah comes from a lonely, strict home with a secret ugliness, and Angel lives the reality of NYC in the 90s, where drug trade and violence are part of everyday life. Then the two meet at a quinceañera, and their whole worlds are turned upside down. The story is broken into four sections for the four seasons, but it moves fluidly through time across the span of several years as we watch the rise and fall of their great love. There is a lot of pain in this book — addiction and loneliness and loss and heartbreak. But there is also so much beauty, and not a little bit of hope. And I so loved the fire inside Hannah and the softness inside Angel.
Now let’s talk about this novel being in verse. Ishle Yi Park breathes life into language, with poetry that’s both gritty and gorgeous. This isn’t the kind of poetry that leaves you scratching your head, feeling like you missed something — it’s the kind with rhythm and subtle rhyme that feels inevitable, that carries you forward while demanding you slow down, that breaks your heart wide open, that wants you to read it again and this time out loud. It’s the kind of poetry that will appeal to those who read a lot of poetry just as much as it will appeal to those who barely ever read poetry.
By the end, my heart had completely left my body. I wanted to flip back to page one and start all over. And I wanted to tell everyone that they should read it immediately.
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Pregnancy and abortion; AIDS/terminal illness; Drug and alcohol use/abuse; Domestic abuse (from the perspective of a child); Violence; Racism and racial slurs; Sexual assault (mentioned)
TL;DR REVIEW:
I have nothing but so much praise for Angel & Hannah. From the first page, I was hooked, and by the last, my heart had left my body.
For you if: You like emotional books and/or want to reading more (or try reading) novels in verse.
FULL REVIEW:
Thank you to One World for granting me a review copy via NetGalley. I was blown away.
Beyond flushed, sweating bodies pushed,
pushing like cattle below black & buzzing speakers, under a torn pink streamer
loose as a tendril of hair—lush—
his eyes. Darkluminous. Warm. A blush floods her.
Hannah sucks in her breath, but can't pull back.
Music fades. A hush
he's a young buck in the underbrush,
still in a disco ball dance of shadow & light
Their forbidden love instantly and wildly blooms along the Jackie Robinson Expressway.
Angel & Hannah, a novel in verse, is a Romeo and Juliet retelling about a Korean-American girl from Queens and a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn in the 1990s. Yes, it sounds incredible. And yes, it is incredible.
First, let’s talk about the story — emotional, beautiful, heartbreaking. Hannah comes from a lonely, strict home with a secret ugliness, and Angel lives the reality of NYC in the 90s, where drug trade and violence are part of everyday life. Then the two meet at a quinceañera, and their whole worlds are turned upside down. The story is broken into four sections for the four seasons, but it moves fluidly through time across the span of several years as we watch the rise and fall of their great love. There is a lot of pain in this book — addiction and loneliness and loss and heartbreak. But there is also so much beauty, and not a little bit of hope. And I so loved the fire inside Hannah and the softness inside Angel.
Now let’s talk about this novel being in verse. Ishle Yi Park breathes life into language, with poetry that’s both gritty and gorgeous. This isn’t the kind of poetry that leaves you scratching your head, feeling like you missed something — it’s the kind with rhythm and subtle rhyme that feels inevitable, that carries you forward while demanding you slow down, that breaks your heart wide open, that wants you to read it again and this time out loud. It’s the kind of poetry that will appeal to those who read a lot of poetry just as much as it will appeal to those who barely ever read poetry.
By the end, my heart had completely left my body. I wanted to flip back to page one and start all over. And I wanted to tell everyone that they should read it immediately.
CONTENT WARNINGS:
Pregnancy and abortion; AIDS/terminal illness; Drug and alcohol use/abuse; Domestic abuse (from the perspective of a child); Violence; Racism and racial slurs; Sexual assault (mentioned)
May 29, 2021
"She traces her finger over his sad map of scars. If America let them, would they spin fast & gold as a Celia Cruz classic, lilting songs into the sea?"
There exists a New York City of working class Koreans, Puerto Ricans and other communities of color that is so rarely dignified by poetry on the page. This is a text that humanizes us through the rhythms of our daily language, the wounds that separate us apart and sew us together, and the music of the relationships that allow us, many of us, but not all, to survive and persevere. Ishle Yi Park returns with this second book like a champion reclaiming a title because only someone who is of the worlds can write about these worlds like she does. And yet this isn't a comeback novel. It’s a love story that is authentic and artful, youthful and timeless, gritty and glowing, tragic and tremendous about young people who found love in this rough and cruel place. Celebrate this!
There exists a New York City of working class Koreans, Puerto Ricans and other communities of color that is so rarely dignified by poetry on the page. This is a text that humanizes us through the rhythms of our daily language, the wounds that separate us apart and sew us together, and the music of the relationships that allow us, many of us, but not all, to survive and persevere. Ishle Yi Park returns with this second book like a champion reclaiming a title because only someone who is of the worlds can write about these worlds like she does. And yet this isn't a comeback novel. It’s a love story that is authentic and artful, youthful and timeless, gritty and glowing, tragic and tremendous about young people who found love in this rough and cruel place. Celebrate this!
April 24, 2021
ANGEL & HANNAH is a stunning YA novel-in-verse that tackles the question, "Can young love survive?" through a retelling of the classic ROMEO AND JULIET.
Realistic, intense, gritty, and softened by the masterful lyricism of prose. Perfect for those who want another read in the vein of THE POET X and THE LONG WAY DOWN, this is perfect for them! Written in an overtone of tragedy and grief, don't think it's just a sad story because where the sadness lies, notes of strength and power are woven throughout making this novel gleam. I am so glad I read this gem!
Be forewarned that this book is---raw and gritty and intense in language at times so if you are sensitive to swearing, mentions of, and brief descriptions of sex (though not explicit, more fade to black kind of stuff), this may not be for you.
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me the book to review!
Realistic, intense, gritty, and softened by the masterful lyricism of prose. Perfect for those who want another read in the vein of THE POET X and THE LONG WAY DOWN, this is perfect for them! Written in an overtone of tragedy and grief, don't think it's just a sad story because where the sadness lies, notes of strength and power are woven throughout making this novel gleam. I am so glad I read this gem!
Be forewarned that this book is---raw and gritty and intense in language at times so if you are sensitive to swearing, mentions of, and brief descriptions of sex (though not explicit, more fade to black kind of stuff), this may not be for you.
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me the book to review!
May 30, 2021
My heart. It hurts.
August 17, 2021
This story about a forbidden love between a Korean American girl and a Puerto Rican boy from opposite tracks of life is raw, gritty and doesn't pull any punches. I thought it worked perfectly as a novel-in-verse while telling a vivid and emotional story about first love, as well as its harsh realities and the heartbreak that comes with it.
The writing is not only beautiful, but manages to be both spellbinding and hard-hitting all at once.
✨ "She flies on a magic carpet of words"
✨ "(Pssst. Just letting you know, dear Reader, that sometimes these sonnets don't rhyme. Don't keep perfect couplets, terza rimas, quastrains, or strict form, because Life often spills outside da lines! Just like paint, just like pain.)"
✨ "How loving him, she moved
from girl to flesh to martyr to dagger
to stone to water to woman."
This book was not what I had been expecting at all, but in a good way.
The writing is not only beautiful, but manages to be both spellbinding and hard-hitting all at once.
✨ "She flies on a magic carpet of words"
✨ "(Pssst. Just letting you know, dear Reader, that sometimes these sonnets don't rhyme. Don't keep perfect couplets, terza rimas, quastrains, or strict form, because Life often spills outside da lines! Just like paint, just like pain.)"
✨ "How loving him, she moved
from girl to flesh to martyr to dagger
to stone to water to woman."
This book was not what I had been expecting at all, but in a good way.
June 8, 2021
I very different take on Romeo and Juliet, and I am here for all of it. It was so good and felt so real, and accurate. Which might be strange to say but I not only felt enveloped in their relationship and struggles with themselves, each other, everyone else, but there was just so much that I connected with not because I felt it or because of the 90s but there were things I resonated with because they felt true because they are. Which is why I loved it so much, it reminded me of being in love and all the good and so much of the bad and it reminded me of the relationships my friends had. It was real, I loved it.
August 19, 2022
Wow. Just wow.
I absolutely love books written in verse. There's something about that writing style that captures my attention and draws me in. The writing in this book is beautiful.... captivating even at times.
If you have triggers, you should read the TWs for this book first. There are mentions of SA, violence, racism, and other difficult topics.
In Angel & Hannah, we follow out two MCS as they venture into a "forbidden" love of sorts. This is considered a Romeo and Juliet retelling. Hannah is a Korean-American girl from Queens. She comes from a strict home where she is just a tad lonely. Angel is a Puerto-rican boy from Brooklyn, the area he lives in isn't the safest, and he's often witness to violence. The book takes place in the early 90s. The book is told through the seasons of a few years. The entire book tells their story... with all of its love, pain, and more.
I absolutely love books written in verse. There's something about that writing style that captures my attention and draws me in. The writing in this book is beautiful.... captivating even at times.
If you have triggers, you should read the TWs for this book first. There are mentions of SA, violence, racism, and other difficult topics.
In Angel & Hannah, we follow out two MCS as they venture into a "forbidden" love of sorts. This is considered a Romeo and Juliet retelling. Hannah is a Korean-American girl from Queens. She comes from a strict home where she is just a tad lonely. Angel is a Puerto-rican boy from Brooklyn, the area he lives in isn't the safest, and he's often witness to violence. The book takes place in the early 90s. The book is told through the seasons of a few years. The entire book tells their story... with all of its love, pain, and more.
May 17, 2021
Angel & Hannah by Ishle Yi Park is a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet in vibrant poetic verse. The story follows Hannah, a Korean-American girl from the Bronx and Angel, a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn who quickly begin an intense relationship. The sense of place is stunning and gorgeous, set in early 1990s New York. The story largely takes place in Angel’s world. I loved being immersed in Angel’s Brooklyn neighborhood with his family and neighbors, though I wish we could have also gotten to know Hannah’s family and background better. The story becomes heavier and more ominous as Angel and Hannah struggle with their sometimes very bleak circumstances as teenagers and their seemingly doomed relationship. Overall a very affecting, beautiful story told in verse.
Thank you Random House / One World and NetGalley for providing this ARC.
Thank you Random House / One World and NetGalley for providing this ARC.
June 2, 2021
Ishle Park is one of my favourite poets because she consistently immerses the reader in the story and makes setting into character, and souls into places. I loved this collection of stories woven into one tale about the beauty and hardship of love. As an Asian woman, I appreciated so much reading something featuring BIPOC and AAPI characters, a personal and experiential depiction of systemic racism but also BIPOC joy/resilience, about the intersection of cultures and communities, and as always with Ishle Park's work, the yearn and fight for personal freedom.
April 6, 2023
Bittersweet af
Read
March 17, 2021A love story told in verse, Angel & Hannah is a realistic, gritty and yet totally romantic story of two teens from different worlds finding love.
The writing is lyrical and mesmerizing, each part introduced by an overview of events like a Greek chorus. The writing was solid and rhythmic, ebbing and flowing as if someone was beside me speaking. I like how different Angel and Hannah are, how they see their differences as strengths and how each's foreign world shows different challenges they must face.
The overall tone of the book is tragic and sad, with glimmers of hope and lines of strength woven in. It was hard for me to read, heartbreaking and anxious as the teens struggle with sex, love, drugs and racism. I can't say I enjoyed the book because for me, it was pretty hard to read and I grew frustrated with the characters very early on. That said, it could be a very updated and organic account of teens and the problems many face. I love the setting and how the setting played such a major character in the story. There are a lot of beautiful nuances about race, culture, poverty and class. I love the raw and powerful language and incredible strength the author displayed in the characters.
Angel & Hannah is a good discussion book to read, one that should be digested with friends. I like how the author didn't shy away from hard topics, how circumstances play a bigger role in relationships, how sometimes love isn't the end of the story.
The writing is lyrical and mesmerizing, each part introduced by an overview of events like a Greek chorus. The writing was solid and rhythmic, ebbing and flowing as if someone was beside me speaking. I like how different Angel and Hannah are, how they see their differences as strengths and how each's foreign world shows different challenges they must face.
The overall tone of the book is tragic and sad, with glimmers of hope and lines of strength woven in. It was hard for me to read, heartbreaking and anxious as the teens struggle with sex, love, drugs and racism. I can't say I enjoyed the book because for me, it was pretty hard to read and I grew frustrated with the characters very early on. That said, it could be a very updated and organic account of teens and the problems many face. I love the setting and how the setting played such a major character in the story. There are a lot of beautiful nuances about race, culture, poverty and class. I love the raw and powerful language and incredible strength the author displayed in the characters.
Angel & Hannah is a good discussion book to read, one that should be digested with friends. I like how the author didn't shy away from hard topics, how circumstances play a bigger role in relationships, how sometimes love isn't the end of the story.
May 11, 2021
Poetry has never really been my thing. I have read some poetry that I have enjoyed but never felt I could review or read poetry collections. However, this past year, I've been introduced to some stories in verse and I think this is my best way to go with poetry and I'm loving it.
Angel & Hannah is equally hopeful and joyous as it is sad, hard and challenging. Hannah, a Korean American girl from Queens (oh, that's me too, YAY) and Angel is a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn. This is their version of Romeo & Juliet as this interracial couple grows together while facing hardships. Park certainly doesn't deviate from subjects such as racism, poverty, culture and classism. She also doesn't deviate from showing the absolute beauty of both of these cultures. I don't think I can even come up with the right words for how gorgeous this story is.
Some parts were heartbreaking. And this story is told in a very raw voice. I think the intensity is met with lyrically gorgeous storytelling that gives us a balance of gritty beauty. Certainly a thinking piece and one that would do well for a book club discussion. I can't recommend this enough.
Angel & Hannah is equally hopeful and joyous as it is sad, hard and challenging. Hannah, a Korean American girl from Queens (oh, that's me too, YAY) and Angel is a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn. This is their version of Romeo & Juliet as this interracial couple grows together while facing hardships. Park certainly doesn't deviate from subjects such as racism, poverty, culture and classism. She also doesn't deviate from showing the absolute beauty of both of these cultures. I don't think I can even come up with the right words for how gorgeous this story is.
Some parts were heartbreaking. And this story is told in a very raw voice. I think the intensity is met with lyrically gorgeous storytelling that gives us a balance of gritty beauty. Certainly a thinking piece and one that would do well for a book club discussion. I can't recommend this enough.
June 5, 2021
A very sweet novel in verse...more verse than novel (it felt very poetic—not sure that’s an upsell to HS kids or not). The more poetic parts demanded re-reads (sometimes for plot, more often for breath-taking stylistic choices by the author).
Plot-wise, the unexpected twists in this one are where it shines. There are some comparisons to R+J but other than the forbidden love/star-crossed love, I’m not sure it really aligns enough to make the comparison. I loved the ending, however, and just how very realistic it felt (when you write what you know—readers can tell!).
There are some warnings for students—sex, drugs, violence. None of it is glorified, but it may not be appropriate for younger readers.
Recommended.
Plot-wise, the unexpected twists in this one are where it shines. There are some comparisons to R+J but other than the forbidden love/star-crossed love, I’m not sure it really aligns enough to make the comparison. I loved the ending, however, and just how very realistic it felt (when you write what you know—readers can tell!).
There are some warnings for students—sex, drugs, violence. None of it is glorified, but it may not be appropriate for younger readers.
Recommended.
July 6, 2021
4.5 stars! I don’t have the capability of explaining how beautiful the language in this book is, and just how important Angel & Hannah’s story feels - you have to let Ishle Yi Park show you!! This novel-in-verse is gorgeous and tender and raw but will also absolutely tear out your heart and leave you gutted with its fearless and heart-stoppingly powerful tackling of hard truths. The blend of the different forms of poetry, especially the hip-hop influenced verses, are all actually amazing. Highly recommend (whether or not you like poetry - in fact, especially if you think you don’t like poetry)!
April 19, 2021
I enjoyed this a lot but I know I would have enjoyed it a lot more in audiobook format! Written in verse and with piercing language, this book screams to be read out loud. Park weaves a gorgeous story of two kids from different backgrounds who find each other for a passionate and doomed relationship. I almost wish it was a little longer because by the time I was so engrossed in the poetry, it ended. Great for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and for those that want to read something short and sweet and a little different.
Read
May 23, 2021Under different circumstances, I think I really would’ve loved this one. But alas, I was a bit too distracted and I knew I should’ve waited.
HOWEVER!!! It really is such a beautiful and heartbreaking story, I really loved some of the last passages that really tore into my heart. Perhaps I’ll give it another go some other time.
If you loved POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo, this one really gave me similar vibes and I’m almost so sure you’d love this one too!
*TW: racist slurs, sexual assault, abortion, alcohol and drug abuse, terminal illness, domestic abuse, etc.
HOWEVER!!! It really is such a beautiful and heartbreaking story, I really loved some of the last passages that really tore into my heart. Perhaps I’ll give it another go some other time.
If you loved POET X by Elizabeth Acevedo, this one really gave me similar vibes and I’m almost so sure you’d love this one too!
*TW: racist slurs, sexual assault, abortion, alcohol and drug abuse, terminal illness, domestic abuse, etc.
Read
June 2, 2021This stunning adaptation of Shakespeare's classic story follows an all-black couple who are determined to protect their relationship against all odds. When Hannah meets Boricua Angel, he is a young man from the streets of Bushwick. They fall in love at a party, and soon after, Hannah moves in with Angel. The book's most compelling parts are those of Hannah's thoughts on her family, her culture, and her struggles with addiction. Angel & Hannah's poetry and hip-hop sonnets and verses are both dynamic and expressive, creating new kinds of compelling and magnetic forms.
July 14, 2021
This book was one to slowly savor.
The Verse delivery of this story was powerful, tragic, magical, sweet and full of pain.
It made me read slower.
Not because I couldn't understand it, but so that I could take it in respectfully.
The Verse delivery of this story was powerful, tragic, magical, sweet and full of pain.
It made me read slower.
Not because I couldn't understand it, but so that I could take it in respectfully.
March 19, 2022
Beautifully heartbreaking
April 12, 2023
Park's ability to use few words to evoke situations and feelings is remarkable. Though I admit to not being a huge fan of poetry overall, and especially "free verse" or whatever technical term might be applied to this work.
I was reminded of When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir while reading this book. It was starkly (and to me, surprisingly so) realistic regarding an environment of abject poverty and prejudice. I appreciated the two very different geographical and more importantly, cultural backgrounds of the two main characters.
Be prepared to draw your own conclusions from this one as a reader! And...note that most of our book club members did not catch on to the fact that the timeline skewed forward and backward at times. I, myself, had missed that, and upon reflection, it helped make much more sense of the sequence of events!
A tough read! But definitely one I would encourage everyone to do!
I was reminded of When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir while reading this book. It was starkly (and to me, surprisingly so) realistic regarding an environment of abject poverty and prejudice. I appreciated the two very different geographical and more importantly, cultural backgrounds of the two main characters.
Be prepared to draw your own conclusions from this one as a reader! And...note that most of our book club members did not catch on to the fact that the timeline skewed forward and backward at times. I, myself, had missed that, and upon reflection, it helped make much more sense of the sequence of events!
A tough read! But definitely one I would encourage everyone to do!
April 5, 2023
I close my eyes so she won't see/she kisses/ my eyelids, undoes/ each shirt button like a wish/and I let go, let her/keep opening/undressing/undoing/ me
Okay listen
I could have finished this book in a night. I really could have. I checked it out from my library, and then ten pages in I closed it, checked it back in, and bought it for myself.
I love the unconventional romantic pairing -- Puerto Rican and Korean... gorgeous, unexpected -- and the story itself wraps around you immediately. The verse is deep, raw, urban, lovely, and so, so poignant. This story is told in a way that sweeps you up, down and sideways, making your heart and stomach drop. I put it down for five months, because I didn't want to reach the end, for multiple reasons. Saying anything more will give things away, but I'll just say that once I finally got the nerve to finish this book, its bittersweet ending left me feeling hollow. This is one of those books that ruins reading for a while after you've finished it.
Thanks, I hate it. Six out of five stars. 🥹
Okay listen
I could have finished this book in a night. I really could have. I checked it out from my library, and then ten pages in I closed it, checked it back in, and bought it for myself.
I love the unconventional romantic pairing -- Puerto Rican and Korean... gorgeous, unexpected -- and the story itself wraps around you immediately. The verse is deep, raw, urban, lovely, and so, so poignant. This story is told in a way that sweeps you up, down and sideways, making your heart and stomach drop. I put it down for five months, because I didn't want to reach the end, for multiple reasons. Saying anything more will give things away, but I'll just say that once I finally got the nerve to finish this book, its bittersweet ending left me feeling hollow. This is one of those books that ruins reading for a while after you've finished it.
Thanks, I hate it. Six out of five stars. 🥹
March 24, 2023
Elizabeth Acevedo introduced me to the supremacy of novels-in verses so I went into this one with that expectation.
While it didn’t live up to that standard, I really enjoyed and appreciated the language in this book. Because the story focuses on an interracial relationship between a Korean girl (Hannah) and a Puerto Rican boy (Angel), there isn’t a shortage of Hangul and Spanish in this book — the author narrated the audiobook and you can tell she’s in sync with both languages.
I also appreciated how this book opens my eyes to something I never considered: the effects of state-endorsed injustices and stereotypes on interracial relationships (that already have the strain of familial acceptance to deal with). Angel and Hannah also embody how one can move on from a love one has fought for, when it’s no longer serving them — even if it means proving naysayers right.
Ps: props to the author for performing the arirang song included in this book
While it didn’t live up to that standard, I really enjoyed and appreciated the language in this book. Because the story focuses on an interracial relationship between a Korean girl (Hannah) and a Puerto Rican boy (Angel), there isn’t a shortage of Hangul and Spanish in this book — the author narrated the audiobook and you can tell she’s in sync with both languages.
I also appreciated how this book opens my eyes to something I never considered: the effects of state-endorsed injustices and stereotypes on interracial relationships (that already have the strain of familial acceptance to deal with). Angel and Hannah also embody how one can move on from a love one has fought for, when it’s no longer serving them — even if it means proving naysayers right.
Ps: props to the author for performing the arirang song included in this book
February 14, 2022
Novel in verse is pretty popular in YA and I've read some really good ones, but this is the first I've encountered for adults. So well done! In pages of poems, some stand alone, some linked, we get the story of Angel, a Puerto Rican teenager from Brooklyn and Hannah, a Korean girl from Queens and a love story along the lines of Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story. They meet at a quinceanera, "where they stare boldfaced into Fate or Destiny" (13) and the attraction is instant and intense and a relationship begins. It's the 90s - no cell phones, so soon Hannah is lying to her immigrant parents, (though they are so busy with their nail salon they barely notice) riding the train for hours to get to him, but struggling in his neighborhood as a 'chinita' and missing the presence of trees. He is a 'street rat' and the book is gritty with the realities of his life and her life with him, but their love transcends this to some extent. Hannah graduates high school, Angel does not, (though not for lack of trying) and when she tells her parents about him, they kick her out. She moves in with Angel, his dying mother, and his little brother Rafi who was born with AIDS. Told in a cycle of seasons, with each of the 4 sections starting with a quote from the Song of Songs, and snippets of other literary works tossed in like a treasure hunt, this story is tragic for reasons other than the original it models. Place, prejudice, poverty all make their relationship much more complicated than 2 teenagers can handle and dooms them before they know it. Still they struggle valiantly to love each other, despite their cultural differences and the forces that throw obstacles in their way, seeing the best in each other and trusting their hearts in each other's hands. "They hold each other precious as gold Tahitian pearls in a world that doesn't value their true worth." (71)
October 24, 2021
Angel & Hannah is a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet about Hannah, a Korean-American girl from the Bronx, and Angel, a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn told in verse.
CW: Pregnancy, abortion, drug and alcohol use/abuse, racial slurs, violence, sexual assault, terminal disease, domestic abuse
Whoa, this book is beautiful and heartbreaking told in verse. It's intense, gritty, and prose is lyrical and hard-hitting. It has a similar undertone to Elizabeth Acevedo's books. It deals with racism, poverty, culture, and classism. I struggled reading this, there were some passages that were too heartbreaking and I needed to put the book down. It becomes heavier as the story progresses as both characters struggle with their bleak situation, themselves, and with everyone.
Angel & Hannah is a beautiful tale of growing up, falling in love, and the heartbreak that follows while blending cultures seamlessly. It is both tragic and hopeful and celebrates BIPOC joy and resilience.
Big thanks to One World for my copy. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
CW: Pregnancy, abortion, drug and alcohol use/abuse, racial slurs, violence, sexual assault, terminal disease, domestic abuse
Whoa, this book is beautiful and heartbreaking told in verse. It's intense, gritty, and prose is lyrical and hard-hitting. It has a similar undertone to Elizabeth Acevedo's books. It deals with racism, poverty, culture, and classism. I struggled reading this, there were some passages that were too heartbreaking and I needed to put the book down. It becomes heavier as the story progresses as both characters struggle with their bleak situation, themselves, and with everyone.
Angel & Hannah is a beautiful tale of growing up, falling in love, and the heartbreak that follows while blending cultures seamlessly. It is both tragic and hopeful and celebrates BIPOC joy and resilience.
Big thanks to One World for my copy. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
July 22, 2021
Perhaps the message here for young readers is really about the wide spaces between cultures and places. Perhaps this is about the residual effects of poverty, culture clashes and a crumbling social structure, but I do not expect readers to get that. I think what they will get from this is a hunger and a lust from the two characters. The poems are intimate and steamy. I wanted the two characters to have unique poet voices or poetry styles, but it is more jazz than hip hop in that at different points, different styles step forward to blast. Once I got used to it, I got it. It is raw, and young adult readers are hungry for raw.
October 26, 2021
"Romeo and Juliet" meets "In the Heights," I loved this novel in verse. I felt like I was walking the streets of Bushwick with our modern star-crossed lovers, felt the soaring intensity of first love, felt the pain of their reality of poverty, addiction, and how hard they have to work to pull themselves into a better situation. I liked that the Romeo and Juliet angle was really just an inspiration, and the story moved toward an ending that felt inevitable but also fresh. You can't have a R&J inspired story without some melodrama, but the poetry is on the whole beautiful and balanced. You can read this slim volume in a day, and I suggest you do.
June 13, 2021
Oh my god I loved this. How beautiful and searing it is. This is poetry for people who are afraid of or don’t think they like poetry. It isn’t easy or cheesy, but it isn’t aloof or above you. It’ll hit right at your core, and everything the writer wants you to know and feel is available to you if you slow down and let it in.
What a gorgeous and ugly and stark and lush tale about growing up and first love, and the 90s Queens-to-Brooklyn setting is just perfect. Lovedddd.
What a gorgeous and ugly and stark and lush tale about growing up and first love, and the 90s Queens-to-Brooklyn setting is just perfect. Lovedddd.
February 13, 2022
Oh my goodness gracias this was stunning. I don’t often look at books and immediately know that they’re going to be perfect but spent months revisiting this on the Barnes and Nobles bookshelf and I can’t believe I eating this long because my world has be shattered by this prose fml. This was a romantic epic set in the heart of Queens and Brooklyn and wow. Just wow. If you like “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” by Ocean Vuong then this is it for you!
May 13, 2021
This is a beautifully written story of an interracial couple and all the struggles and hardships they had to go through in our society. There is a seamless blending of cultures, while also acknowledging each of their differences, and how each character reacts to racism, poverty, family, etc.
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