Title: Grown
Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date:
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Summary
When Korey Fields is found dead, Enchanted Jones is the prime suspect. After all, she had his blood on her hands and was at the scene of the crime. Everyone has more questions than answers. All Enchanted knows is that things definitely didn’t go as planned.
Korey was supposed to help Enchanted live her stardom dreams. An aspiring singer, Korey’s life drew her in. The options. The fame. But behind Korey’s initial charm is a dark side. A dark side that quickly becomes dangerous–and Enchanted wasn’t the only victim. But what if Enchanted can’t make her dreams come true without Korey’s help? What if he’s her only ticket to stardom?
Review: Grown
Trigger warnings: physical assault, sexual assault, abuse (physical, emotional, mental), drug/alcohol use, discussion of suicide, manipulation
I didn’t have any ARCs to review this week, so you’re getting a full review for Grown! Tiffany D. Jackson is one of those authors who doesn’t flinch away from the hard stuff, and this book is absolutely no different. She always bases her books on court cases, and this one is loosely based on the R. Kelly case. It’s dark, but oh so needed.
At it’s core, this book is about famous men who take advantage of girls who just want to be seen. That’s all Enchanted wanted; to make her mark on the world. Jackson does such a great job with characters, using them to reflect reality. While there are parts of her books that are difficult to read, they are so important. Because this is reality for some people, and in order to change it, we have to be able to recognize it.
Parts of this book read like a thriller, flipping between the past and present to add suspense. There are also great discussions in here about the fact that many girls and women aren’t believed, even if there are many accounts of it. Just goes to show whose voice really matters in these situations.
Anyway, just read this book! It’s intense, but it will definitely make you think.
5/5 stars