The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas hooks the reader in the beginning by instead of introducing characters and backstories right there and then, it starts in the middle of the main character’s life. The first couple of sentences start off by saying ” I shouldn’t have come to this party. I’m not even sure i belong at this party. That’s not on some bougie sh*t either. There are just some places where it’s not enough to be me. Either version of me.” This start of the book can hook a reader to keep reading in the state of curiosity. Where do they belong? Why don’t they feel like they belong? What are the different “versions” of them? Hooking a reader can mean getting them to wonder just at the beginning of the book. I do not think the reader needs patience for the plot to thicken or rising action to start because you can feel a sense of regret in the main character’s first couple of sentences. It made me feel as if I started the book in the middle of a “rising action” or a “conflict” so i did not need to await for anything interesting to occur.