Instant five stars- an immensely harrowing book about sexual assault and trauma that is definitely for an older YAreader and adults. The writing is marvelous and the subject matter is handled with the respect and thoughtfulness that is necessary. An immensely powerful work.

Y'ALL. This book is POWERFUL, and so unnervingly realistic. It's a story that needs to be told of how so many children end up being taken advantage of, and how so many men can get away with it. It blew me away.

Another outstanding novel by Tiffany Jackson! Grown will be highly sought after by all of her fans and they will not be disappointed with her signature twist at the end. Put me down for multiple copies in our library!

Grown sucked me in with its fictionalization of the R. Kelly scandal. There are many mature topics in this book--abuse (sexual, emotional, physical), drug use, mental health, rape--but the story is absolutely captivating.

Enchanted is struggling to fit in to her new high school and is noticed by Korey Fields, everyone's favorite rock star, at an audition. She's immediately swept off her feet and sucked into his vortex, where he reveals himself to be manipulative and harmful. She's trapped, and can't find her way back to her family.

The story moves along quickly. It points out, rightfully so, that Black Girls/Women are rarely believed, trusted, or treated in an age appropriate way. Highly recommend for high school. Lots of discussion will come out of this title. I'm excited to keep seeing more from Jackson.

Review of 🔥GROWN🔥
Gut-wrenching. Compelling. A MUST READ.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Do yourself a favor and grab this compelling novel! On sale 9.15.20 🖤
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@writeinbk reminds us that 🗣”The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman.”
-Malcom X
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Enchanted Jones is a quiet, super talented teen girl. The opportunity of a lifetime lands at her feet, but we know that’s not how things happen for most young black girls. You’re wondering what’s the catch right? 🤔 Readers get a front row seat as a powerful prick manipulates this young innocent. Will she Sansa Stark this Ramsey wannabe or become another forgotten black girl who everyone assumes went looking for trouble?
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There is so much to unpack in this YA novel. Perfect addition to a high school library. Awesome read for women of all ethnicities. Gripping reminder of how important it is to advocate for young women of color & hold child predators accountable!
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FYI, I read the book in one day... the entire time I was like ooooooooooh R. Kelly is probably biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig mad and that’s great!
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#GROWN #TiffanyJackson #TiffanyDJackson #harpercollinspublishers #harpercollins #protectinnocence #stopcompetingwithgirls #mentor #mentorshipovercompetition #hearblackgirls #stopmarginalizingblackgirls #protectblackgirls #yafiction #youngadultfiction #bookreview #melanatedlit #bookloversunite #bookish #onemorechapter #thequirkyteacher #diverselibrary

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange from review.

Tiffany Jackson wrecked me again! I cannot pick up her books at night, because I don't want to stop reading - that doesn't make for a productive next day.

Grown is an obvious fictional tale based on the R. Kelly scandal. But here's the thing - you don't need to know anything about the real life story to get how destructive an abusive relationship can be. My heart not only felt for Enchanted, who wanted her music career so badly she followed this predator without really knowing who he was. (There's a reason these monsters prey on children. What is obvious to an adult is just "love" to a child".) My heart was also with Enchanted's parents. Having 2 daughters, I would fight to the death for them. I felt their guilt as they believed they did the right thing by sending Enchanted with a "guardian" to go on tour with a big shot musician.

I was close to getting physically sick by what Enchanted and the other girls went through. I recommend this book to grades 10 and up. There is benefit to reading a tale of abuse. Hopefully, it will make young adults aware of the danger that looks like love until it's too late.

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

Grown, a novel by Tiffany Jackson, features a character Enchanted Jones. Enchanted, yes this is her name, is an high school student who inspires to be a singer. Her story is not one that is storybook or typical. Chanty as she is also referred to in the book has so many layers to her life presently and in her past.
The story starts out with some strong resemblance to an ongoing case right now but it is so valid an issue that it is right on time. This book hits on issues that are uncomfortable yet necessary to be brought to the forefront. This book picked up speed quickly and definitely left me guessing throughout. It was definitely an easy and exciting read.

Woah. Tiffany Jackson hits another one out of the park. There is a content warning for abuse, rape, violence and addiction, but if you can read through these topics, you are in for a read that will charm you, haunt you, heal you and leave you wondering all at once.

This story is told from alternating points in time-- Now and Then-- until they catch up with each other, and tell the story of Enchanted Jones, a black girl who aspires to be a singer, and loves being on the school swim team. After tricking her mother into taking her to a singing audition, she encounters Korey Fields, a famous musician, who takes a liking to young Enchanted. What starts as a seemingly innocent relationship of mentor and apprentice quickly turns to (what feels like) love, which then turns dark, violent and manipulative.

Enchanted's voice rings teenage true and lovesick. I love the swimming and mermaid metaphors that are carried throughout the story to evoke a sense of transformation and the feeling of loss of voice that Andersen's Little Mermaid experienced. Text message exchanges bring the digital age to the page, but were sometimes hard to track.

One of the things I liked best about this story was that it showed Enchanted's recovery from what happened to her, and that she did not come from a "broken home", but has 2 loving parents and a little sister. No trite cliches are played to.

Highly recommenced where Jackson's work is already popular and for communities who eat up gritty realistic fiction.

As a female and a mother, this was so hard to read at times yet such an important topic. The flashback/flash-forward structure added suspense, and though there were a couple of points that were either incomplete or I missed, this is probably an important piece for young women.

Wow this book is such a must read in this day and age for all mature young adults and beyond. I found myself unable to book this thrilling book down. At times I wanted to hug the protagonist and other times I wanted to rescue her. I almost forgot I was reading a thriller/mystery. This book definitely needs to come with a trigger warning but it is a book ALL women and even men need to read. This book rings true to so many stories around the world which is so frightening and sad. I feel as though this book opened my eyes to the mistreatment of women.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars as I could not put the book down and finished it in less than a day. I will definitely be reading more from this author. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this advanced read.

This was excellent. It was a mystery in that it starts with the main character, Enchanted, waking up surrounded by blood and a dead man. How did she get here? What happened?

We then flash back to Enchanted's dreams of being a singer, her spiral into an abusive relationship with a much older man while she is a minor, and then his death. Along the way, the injustice girls and women face when they challenge their abusers are brought to the front. Why does the system allow Enchanted to be abused and then not believe her? The fact that Enchanted is a black woman is also discussed; it makes it even harder for the police to believe her, wanting to believe that she is insane instead of telling the truth.

I couldn't put this down.

Grown was phenomenal! From start to finish I was completely gripped and hooked.

Enchanted Jones is your average high schooler with aspiring dreams. She wants to be a famous singer. After meeting Korey Fields, those dreams might actually be true. But is Korey who she thinks he is?

This book has a lot of triggers in it, such as, rape, abuse, pedophilia, and so on. While if you are familiar with R. Kelly, and this book is similar to his case, it is extremely different and provides a look into a young woman being taken advantage of.
I really think this book gives a lot of insight to the fact that Black Woman are very unprotected in our society. It can be used as a tool for people who believe that “those girls knew what they were doing” and show them the truth in what is going on and the easy steps celebrities can take to hide the bad things they do.

5 Stars!!

Thanks to NetGalley for access to an eArc copy of this book.

I liked a big portion of this novel, and wanted to really love it but there were parts I felt were just not fully developed and a little cliche.

The book felt very reminiscent of things that I read in the news about the R. Kelly's case. The story is told from the perspective of Enchanted, a 17-year old aspiring singer. I liked the character of Enchanted and think that teens will love this book, the writing style and storyline are really good too. Like I say, I think teens will love this book.

The picture Jackson paints isn't pretty, but not nearly as horrendous as I felt it really would be at times I felt that some teens will not see the true wrapped and ugly nature of the subject matter for some of the glitter in Enchanted's story. I like how Jackson puts Enchanted's story within the framework of a whodunnit murder mystery and does address mental health and social justice issues, but I felt those additional layers just aren't developed enough. and they left me wanting more. psychological twists like in Monday's not coming but I just felt it wasn't as strong or well developed in this novel and that felt disappointing because I was really expecting so much more with all the hype I had heard on this novel.
I love Jackson's work and would still recommend this book. I just didn't feel it lived up to the same quality I felt in the other two novels I have read of hers.


Sad this is not better.

This book was so easy and so hard to read. The writing and story were well done while the content was so painful. Every step of the way you want desperately to grab Enchanted, hold her close, tell her she's worthy, and save her from her situation. Ultimately, as hard as it is, she's eventually able to save herself. This book should make you rage, because although Enchanted might be a fictional character, her story is all too real. I did find the Gab situation at the end a bit of a stretch, but overall a great book. I'll definitely be recommending it.

I loved this book. I was a little apprehensive to read it because Tiffany Jackson messes with my head. Allegedly really did something to me. This was a little lighter at the beginning, but it does get pretty dark fast. Enchanted is such a strong girl with a supportive, loving family, and the way the story is written makes her journey totally believable. I highly, highly recommend for HS and up.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson is a master class in young adult fiction. Enchanted Jones wants to be a singer. Enchanted Jones meets international superstar, Korey Fields. Enchanted Jones is told he'll make her a star. Enchanted Jones might have murdered him. The nuances of Enchanted's experience are beautiful and heartbreaking. The dichotomy of her age and her situation is always on display to remind the reader that Enchanted is not grown; she's a child who has been preyed upon. This book is haunting, because it's almost nonfiction. Enchanted Jones and Korey Fields may not be real, but their horrific story is, unfortunately, a tale as old as time. Believe women. Read this book.

This story was definitely tough to get through because of its emotional weight. The mental heaviness takes its toll, which is part of what makes it a good narrative for people to learn. I think it is a powerful book that sheds light on the mistreatment of black women in our society, the blame put on victims, and the handling of mental illness. I don’t think ‘enjoyed’ is a good word to use when describing my emotions reading this novel but I do think it is something others need to read and I will be recommending it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC of this book.

Wow! This story just gets harder to put down the more twisted it gets.

Grown opens with the Big Incident, but quickly sends us back in time so we can experience everything alongside Enchanted. Before Korey Fields begins to seize control of her world, Enchanted's POV is sweet and lighthearted; I almost forgot I was reading a crime/thriller novel. But once we start to see flickers of Korey's dark side, the dark momentum doesn't stop. My mind was brimming with questions until the final page.

This is an important, timely novel about the evil that comes into power and the women and girls we need to believe.

An incredibly written book about a difficult subject that needs light shed on it. knowing that every young lady wants to reach fame and fortune and can't wait for the opportunity to come along, is written in a way to help the shock of the subject of young ladies being taken advantage of them by Jekyll/Hyde type characters. showing the charisma of a prominent character only to realize there are two sides to a person. sometimes the other side they show you in private is not what you signed up for the characters are well-developed and intense throughout the novel which contribute to the plot.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson is a YA contemporary fiction novel with an intriguing mystery/suspense element intertwined throughout. The book is told from the perspective of Enchanted, a 17 year old aspiring singer, and switches from describing events that occurred “then” and “now.” The story is compulsively readable, and I found myself unable to put it down. The story drew me in from the first page!

Some of the content of the novel might be difficult for YA audiences, and I would recommend this primarily for older teen and adult readers.

I received a digital copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.