This book, loosely based on the R. Kelly story, was a really tough read. It covers a lot of emotionally charged subjects and is very timely.  The grooming and abuse of young girls is not new, but Enchanted's story really brought these horrors to life for me.  It was easy to see how Enchanted was dazzled by Korey's attention and thought that he could make her dream of being a famous singer come true.  The way he ended up treating her was the stuff of nightmares, especially for the parent of a teenage girl.  I appreciate that Tiffany D. Jackson doesn't shy away from really hard topics because we all need to be aware of them and fiction is a great vehicle for that.  Unfortunately, it seems like with this particular book the plot was neglected near the end and there were some parts of the story that didn't really add up (ex. Gabriela).  

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an excellent job.  Each character had his/her own unique voice and it brought the story to life.  I would definitely recommend the audiobook.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with advanced copies of both the book and audiobook. 

This book was a slow read for me, simply because it's heavy and hard subject matter. I'm very glad I switched to the audiobook after the first couple of chapters because I think Joniece Abbott-Pratt's reading of the book brought so much to Enchanted's story. One of my favorite reads and listens of 2020.

Grown was such a dark and impactful read!!

We follow 17 year old Enchanted Jones, an inspired singer who gets her opportunity to try out at a singing competition where she meets 28 year old Korey Fields. Korey, a famous singer himself, decides to take Enchanted under his wing, promising her a gateway to her singing career.. As their relationship dynamic shifts into unexpected territory, Korey begins to reveal a darker controlling side of himself. One day, Enchanted wakes up in a hotel room that’s covered in blood and with Koreys dead body. As the story unfolds we begin to wonder, what really happened that night? Who killed him? Was it Enchanted? 

This is the first book I read by Tiffany A Jackson and I absolutely loved it. The book was beautifully written in four parts with a then and now storyline, discussing heavy topics such as abuse and manipulation. We watch Enchanted's life before and after her involvement with Korey and the trauma she experiences. She was a raw and retable character. It was painful to see her go through the pain she endured. The story reflects on the power older men have on young women, the mistreatment that black women endure and how the media portrays them. The book also highlighted and important messages that I connected to in correlation to the story it involves the title itself: Grown. With Grown, many teenagers and young adults see themselves as mature and having the capability and mindset to make their own discussions when they don’t. 

Highly recommend this read, thank you Netgalley for this audiobook/ARC,  4/5 stars

This book was frustrating, haunting, and so important. It follows the story of Enchanted Jones, an aspiring singer who meets one of her idols. What follows is how that man uses his power, charm, and influence to abuse her and countless others. Even though the subject matter is very intense, Jackson's writing is never sensational and there are moments of levity and hope that shine through Enchanted's situation. This book has the potential to lead to important conversations between young people and adults about consent, abuse, and age differences in romantic partners. A list of resources at the back also make the book valuable. The audiobook is highly recommended.

Title: Grown
Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
Format: Audiobook

Thanks to Netgalley for the free eAudiobook in exchange for a honest review!

Quick Take: When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields?

Thoughts: Where do I start!? I know in the author notes, Jackson states that this book is not about R.Kelly or his allegations but he was all I could see in the Korey character. I mean Korey had so many of Kelly's mannerism, it was impossible not to make the connection. Also, while I am very much against victim-blaming in all situation, there were so many times when I just wanted to shake some sense into Enchanted. Like girl, red flag everywhere! But that's how abusers work and books like this show young girls how abusers get in their heads. That's why books like Grown, as hard as they are to read, are so important.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

There are some books that you don't know you need to read until you've read them. Often times it is easy to say what you would do in a situation looking in, but given the reality, you may find a very different ending. I found this to be true with Enchanted. "Just walk away. So no. Why did her parents let her?" This book opens an important conversation about how black girls are treated and viewed. The narrator was wonderful and right on point. I would definitely recommend this book!

Wow! Grown is one you need to be prepared for. That was just.. wow! Tiffany D. Jackson has written an intense YA thriller with thoughtful social commentary laced throughout. The story may not have been inspired by R Kelly’s abuse, but it is impossible to not draw parallels between the two. Told from the perspective of seventeen year old Enchanted Jones who dreams of being a famous singer and meets the very famous R&B singer Korey Fields who becomes her mentor. Everything seems too good to be true. Korey has a dark side that comes out and everyone around him covers for him. Then one day Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and a blacked out memory. Who killed Korey Fields? The story certainly does a good job of examining rape culture, mental health, child abuse, and the treatment of young black girls. The narrative switches between now and then really drawing readers into the mystery well before it’s a factor. One thing that cannot be argued is how incredible of a writer Jackson is. She is phenomenal at what she does writing important, yet captivating novels that have something to truly say. Readers will take something more that just a good read from this book. It is worth noting I read the audio version which was a wonderful way to take the story in. The pacing is excellent and slows when necessary. I felt the emotion I was hearing. I’d highly recommend the audio version of Grown!

Jackson mixes mystery and social commentary in this compelling novel that references many aspects of the R. Kelly story.  Enchanted Jones is a somewhat naive 17-year-old who comes to the attention of 28-year-old, superstar Korey Fields at a singing competition. His grooming of her—and her growing desperation—is well-developed and believable. The Greek Chorus-like commentary of her acquaintances and their parents in their “Will and Willow” group allows Jackson to highlight a range of responses to Enchanted’s plight from sympathy to victim-blaming, but at times feels a bit contrived. The flipping back and forth in time gets a little complicated, particularly toward the end of the book; and some elements of the story strain credulity (the disappearance of her best friend from school where no one even seems to know of her existence, for example). Overall, this was a thoughtful and sympathetic examination of vulnerability and an indictment of society’s tendency to make excuses for— or even forgive and enable—abusive, powerful men. The narrator ably differentiated the voices of the main characters and brought to life the tension of the story, particularly as Enchanted struggles to prove she didn’t commit murder.

This was a "gut punch" over and over again.  Extremely believable in the sequence and the downward spiralling of the beautifully written naive young woman.  So true to first love, hope and passion for music or whatever is calling us when we are young.  This is so achingly real, it hurt to read it.  
The Narrator was absolutely SPLENDID! Bravo, to Tiffany D. Jackson and all involved.  Outstanding, hard, provocative read.

An unflinching look into the world of sexual abuse of minors, relationship violence, grooming tactics, and emotional manipulation. Also, a brutal depiction of rape, exploitation, and the reality women (but especially black and brown women) face when they come forward and accuse their attackers. Based on the cases against R. Kelly, Enchanted wants to believe that megastar Korey Fields truly wants to advance her singing career. She gives up high school, her swim team, her clubs, and her family and friends just for the chance to make it big. But what he really wants from her is her naïveté and her innocence, her silence and her shame.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Enchanted Jones has more vocal talent than she knows what to do with. Unfortunately for her, she is still in high school, pressed into good grades, good extra-curriculars, and also taking care of her younger siblings when she has time. There just isn’t time for singing. But when she convinces (well, tricks) her mother into letting her try out for a singing tv show, she just knows that her luck is about to change. And while she doesn’t make the cut for the show, her talent has impressed celebrity host Korey Fields, who is ready to give her a big break. Enchanted, for her part, is ready to give him her heart. It has to be a secret, of course, since she’s 17 and he’s 28, but what’s the worst that could happen?

Oh, and also? He’s dead, and she has no memory of what happened. 

My Notes: As with the author’s other books, this one is masterfully written and deeply emotional, which is why I rated it so highly, but it is also a very bare and graphic description of relationship abuse, and as an abuse survivor myself, the experience of reading this book was very intense. I am lucky my situation was never nearly as bad as Enchanted’s, but it still brought up a lot of emotions, and as brilliantly crafted as it is, I will never read this again. I will, however, be eagerly awaiting her next novel.

I finished this in a matter of hours, as it was super engaging and propulsive.

Enchanted is the main character and wants to be a star. She is young, and puts her trust in someone who may not have her best interests in mind.

This novel kept me guessing, and had some of my favorite elements of a thriller. Is the person mentally ill? Is a character a figment of her imagination? Or is there something more menacing at play?

I don’t often read thrillers, and to be honest I didn’t know this was a thriller when I started it, lol. It caught me by surprise, and by the end of it I was like “Wow!” 😳

I believe this story was inspired by the sexual misconduct of R. Kelly. There were serious topics such as grooming, sexual assault, abuse, and serious manipulation. These could definitely be triggering issues for some people, so please be aware.

Yikes, okay. This book is an exercise in bringing a lot of darkness into into the light for us to examine. We need to protect our girls and women, especially Black girls who are often treated as older than they are and as if they don’t need protecting. That is racist bullshit and it is real.

Wow this book! I couldn’t put it down. It was crushing and enraging. It was so well written and the plot was compelling. I liked the format of the book with now and then sprinkled in with transcripts and texts. The audiobook was excellent. The narrator was terrific.

Enchanted is just your average 17 year old: swim team, academics, caring for younger siblings - normal all the way around. But when her best friend encourages her to audition for a singing competition, super star Corey Fields comes into her life and turns it all upside down. It sounds like the premise for a love story but, with excruciating detail, Tiffany Jackson turns Enchanted's dream come true into a living nightmare. 
Written with heart-breaking clarity, Grown is a timely examination of the ways in which girls, especially black girls, are vulnerable to the assumption of adulthood..

This book was fantastic! It grapples with sexual abuse via an older male and a younger lady. This novel had many layers to it and was very through provoking. Aside from the in your face realness it also included a little mystery with an unexpected twist! The novel was very fast-paced to where this novel could be read in a  few hours. The writing is very simplistic yet the subject matter is so strong that Young Adults and adults could both enjoy this one. My only worry is that young adults may not be able to relate to the older music references.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson is a MUST read!  I recommend this book for all teenagers and parents of teenagers, especially girls.  While the novel addresses difficult topics Ms. Jackson does an excellent job at presenting these topics in a sensitive and delicate manor.  This novel is a conversation starter and shows how grooming can happen over time before you even realize it.

I will be purchasing this novel for my library!

Excellent read!  You can definitely tie connections to the R. Kelly cases.  The reader can see how a young girl can get tangled up in an abusive relationship and how hard it is to get out.  Very powerful.

Talking about a roller coaster ride! Tiffany never fails me... Just pick it up. It's necessary so many thoughts, themes, and much needed conversation for teens!

Thank you Netgalley for proving me with a copy of the audiobook for review.

Unfortunately, I did not particularly like this story and only made it through 25% of the book before DNFing. I did not find it suitable for a younger YA audience and ultimately would not have a copy in my classroom due to its content. The narrative was difficult to get through and I could just not connect with the main character, Enchanted. It just felt like there was a lot going on, making it difficult to follow with some plot lines feeling messy. I like the idea behind this book but not the execution. 

I do LOVE the cover and hope to see more like it in the future.

This book shows a different perspective on something that is a huge problem in our country right now. It is very eye-opening. Listening to the audiobook made the content that much more powerful.