Grown is cautionary tale about a young teen, Enchanted Jones, who finds herself involved in an inappropriate and abusive relationship with older R&B superstar, Korey Fields, which she is definitely not grown enough to handle. Grown is an suspenseful, emotional and immersive read from the very start! Jackson captures the reader's attention from the opening scene, where we meet Enchanted, athlete, swimmer, aspiring singer, eldest daughter, big sister to Shay and the littles, best friend to Gabby, lying in a puddle of what she mistakes for beet juice but is actually Korey's blood. The novel is brought to life beautifully by narrator, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, the inflections in her voice when she captures Enchanted's happiness or fear, Korey's anger or sweetness, Enchanted's parents concern or hurt, and the enactment of the quidnuncs of the Will and Willow gossipy group text, as well as a host of other characters are which are all stellar. Abbott-Pratt narration takes the book to a whole new level of absorption for the reader.  Ms. Jackson is a skilled writer and a very good storyteller, hence, even though Grown tackles serious topics such as rape, murder, child abuse addiction, nothing is gratuitous. The first act in Grown spends the majority of its time showcasing Enchanted's regular suburban life demonstrating how she is a typical teen harboring normal teen insecurities, but once she meets Korey, the reader soon learns exactly how those insecurities can be tapped into to aid the grooming process. The next act reveals the impact of this grooming where Enchanted finds herself living in non ideal conditions isolated from family and friends. The third act chronicles the toll that Enchanted's distressing ordeal has taken on her and her family physically, mentally and emotionally. The last act is where Enchanted decides to take her life back if she does not want to be sent to prison for murder. In this final act Jackson skillfully pivots between murder mystery/thriller where Enchanted races to find Korey's killer while at the same time offering important social commentary on a system set up to dismiss women, PARTICULALRY Black women. Grown is a well-crafted, thought provoking, and searing read which will keep the readers on their toes up until the books shocking denouement. Both the book and audio were fantastic. I highly recommend you pick it up, it was a five star read for me.

This is difficult and at times uncomfortable read. Although fictionalized, this shines a light on toxic abusive relationships and the reason some victims stay in them. The story is captivating but might be triggering to readers that have dealt with abuse, rape, and toxic relationships.

Grown is a hard look into the differences between consent and manipulation. While the author, Tiffany Jackson, says so in her notes that this book is not about R. Kelly, it does take similar plot lines from the stories of women that were abused by him. Grown is the story of a aspiring singer, 17 year old Enchanted Jones, and her grooming by a 28 year old, well-know star, Korey Fields. This book is not a easy read, not only for victims of rape, incest, and overall manipulation of a system geared toward men in power, but also for anyone who has witnessed or experienced being powerless in any situation.

This book made me angry. Angry for all the right reasons. The emotions that are pulled from you as you read what Enchanted, the main character, goes through. It is a very visceral feeling. What Enchanted, and others go through in the story is unspeakable real. A crisis that many young women find themselves facing without knowing how to get out.

Enchanted is struggling to fit in as the only black girl in a very white, suburban high school. She has two escapes, swimming and singing. Enchanted dreams of being a singer, so when legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots her at an audition she is transfixed. And suddenly her dream of being a professional singer takes flight.

Enchanted is overwhelmed by Korey’s luxurious life. She can’t believe that she is being groomed by him, taken on stage to sing with him, taken into the studio to record with him. But she soon begins to realize that her dreams are turning into nightmares. Korey wasn’t really groomer her to be a singer. His intentions were much darker. Behind Korey’s charm and star power he hides a dark side. A dark side that wants to control her every move, and if she steps out of line there is rage and consequences. Except now Korey is dead and the police are knocking at the door.


Thank you to NetGalley for an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

17-year-old Enchanted Jones wants to be a singer so badly. When she meets famous musician Korey Fields at an audition, her career and her love life take off. Korey is 28, but the age difference doesn't matter because this is true love - until it isn't. Korey quickly becomes controlling and abusive. I don't want to give too much away, but this book should be considered a must-read for teen girls. It is triggering for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, but I feel strongly that it has the potential to prevent more girls and young women from falling prey to abuse. This book has the potential to save lives by showing teens the warning signs of abusive relationships and human trafficking.  I have so much love for this book. I have read Allegedly and Monday's Not Coming which are also by Tiffany D, Jackson, and while I enjoyed the mind-blowing plot twists in both of them, this one blows them both out of the water. The audiobook is exceptionally well-narrated and I highly recommend it. #Grown #NetGalley

Tiffany Jackson’s newest book asks readers: “What does it mean to be grown?” And page after page, character after character, we are asked to contemplate this. Is Chanty grown? She’s legally a minor, but some circuiting her life have forced her to mature more quickly/differently than her peers: she’s a caretaker for younger siblings, swimming her way toward a possible college scholarship, and independent of her parents for a lot of her daily activities. Yet she loves Disney movies and identifies with princesses. 
Meanwhile, Korey is a legal adult who doesn’t act like a responsible adult. I loved the scene of Chanty teaching him to swim—readers saw his vulnerability and lack of mature outlook. 
The heart of this book, however, is the issue with older men preying on younger women. Because they should know better. And as we see Korey go from over-friendly pop star to a controlling/violent serial predator, we inherently know that he should’ve known better. His meanness only gets worse as Chanty falls further under his spell, and the more we get to know him, we realize how bad his problem is. 

I love that Jackson took this sensitive topic and wove a story around it. I love that Chanty is an everyday girl who succumbs son quietly and easily to an older mans intentions. 

This will be a great read for the HS age set, with some caveats (kids who have suffered abuse may need a trigger warning). But lots of girls should read this and be on the lookout for those men who really should know better. 

Highly recommended.

*** I received an eARC audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Phenomenal! 

Enchanted "Chanty" Jones has talent, and she's off to prove it, showing off her singing at a "Music Live" open call. Although Chanty doesn't make the next round, she does find herself suddenly catching the attention of music sensation Korey Field. Korey is mesmerizing, hot, shares Chanty's appreciation of classic tracks . . . and is 28. 

From there, Chanty is taken through a whirlwind of attention, special treatment, and Korey claiming that she is the one for him. So how does she end up covered in blood, unsure of her surroundings, with his corpse in the next room? 

This book was gripping and, at times, hard to stomach (from the get, there are content warnings -- plus the book opens on a crime scene -- so as 17-year-old Chanty meets this supposed charmer . . . you already know there is a terrible, abusive path ahead). Jackson does a stellar job at showing Korey's slow progression of grooming Chanty (pressing boundaries, always claiming he comes from a place of just wanting her to "loosen up" to improve their music, then later leveraging his own overreactions and outbursts into currency against her, a la, "You made me jealous, don't you care about me and want to make me feel better? Physically?" It doesn't take long for Korey to transform from telling Chanty, "You're so beautiful," to making her change her hair, critiquing her stomach and arms, etc.). Even though Chanty's parents distrust Korey and are trying to watch out for their daughter, they find it difficult to get ahold of her -- Korey has surrounded himself with a web of staff who, while not quite co-conspirators, have no issue with being bystanders.

Although frustrating, Chanty's slow internalization of herself as deserving of the power-lopsided relationship with Korey, her self doubt, and her preoccupation with wanting to not upset him (lest she get locked in a bathroom-less room again for 16 hours) are written in a realistic and compelling way. 

So good! A must read.

Wow! Grown had me hooked from the very beginning as the story starts off with one of the main characters being murdered. It goes on to tell the story of Enchanted Jones and how she met superstar Corey Fields and his promises to make her a star. Corey Fields is 28, while Enchanted is 17 but the two form a relationship that is more than just making music. The story has glimpses of the night of the murder, but the story does not come full circle until the end. It is a story of tragedy but has a message that everyone needs to hear. 

This book contains triggers for those that have been abused. The author says that while the story is loosely based off of the R. Kelley case, it is completely fiction. She wrote it to help shed light on mental, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse that women in the entertainment industry are subject to if they want to get ahead. It also discusses how black women voices are never heard, always dismissed. 

I highly highly recommend this book to everyone, but especially women and more specifically women of color. I hope this book empowers women to speak out against abuse, no matter how hard it may be, and women voices are heard.

*Please note that I work at Barnes and Noble* So, my ability to suggest the audiobook is dependent on its availability in nook book form. I have also listened to Monday's Not Coming on audiobook before and this is not the same narrator. I loved Imani Parks. However, Joniece Abbott-Pratt (who also narrated Burn by Patrick Ness brilliantly) did an outstanding job with Grown.

Tiffany D. Jackson Retrospect- Updated
Disclaimer: This review of Tiffany D. Jackson's Grown serves as an update to one of four of my favorite posts on this site. It is a post I wrote when Let Me Hear A Rhyme came out, last May. At that time, I wrote not just a review of Tiffany D. Jackson's second book, but a collective homage to Tiffany D. Jackson's work, as an author, and I hope, as a person. I initially became of Tiffany D. Jackson when her first book, Allegedly came out, when I attended, what would become my last educational conference- ALAN-YA.
Coincidentally, it is also where I discovered: Adam Silvera, Neil Schusterman, and Holly Black. While I was already well aware of their work. I also had the tremendous honor of meeting, and hearing, both Jason Reynolds, and Angie Thomas speak. My point, and I do have one, is that I have always been a staunch and vocal advocate for Tiffany D. Jackson's work for reasons that I could not always find succinct words for. However, I happened to see Jeff Zenter speak on a panel and he couldn't have put it more perfectly.
Zenter said (and I'm paraphrasing only because at the time I wrote the original post, it had been over a year ago) when you read any of Tiffany D. Jackson's books, she has the ability to take the vegetables (social issues- the most difficult of them, in multitudes) that we need and have to eat. But she does it in a way that wraps those vegetables up in a story that makes the reader feel like they are eating ice cream (that being a wickedly, twisted and entertaining story).
 
 
Thank You To Katherine Tegan For Arcs of Let Me Hear A Rhyme (at the time) and Grown in exchange for an honest review
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This is essential because I don't believe anyone in publishing (not young adult or adult) is doing what Tiffany D. Jackson is doing. I said that when Let Me Hear A Rhyme came out and I stand by it on the day that Grown releases.
 
The rest of the original post will continue after my review of Grown. And I hope that everyone will check it out because one of the things I learned when I posted it, and still find to this day, is that a shocking, disturbing, and depressing amount of people still don't know who Tiffany D. Jackson is, or her of her gifted work.
And if I have to scream my throat raw? I will do whatever I have to do, to change it. If Katherine Tegan was willing to send me a case of books. I would carry them in my car, and I would drive them to schools, libraries, wherever they wanted. I'd carry them with me and leave them mailboxes, hold giveaways and pay for postage.
I do everything I can when I'm throwing books and on my website. That is a given. But if there was more? I would do it. Without a blink of an eye.
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Six Months... Nine?
I keep saying six months. It has actually been more like nine months that I have been gagged to shut-up. Part of that is my fault, fine. The second I downloaded Grown, I stopped everything. Then I did not leave my couch until it was done. That is Tiffany D. Jackson. Once a year, I get this amazing experience where I am not only engaged in social issues where I am forced to value my "verbal shocks." Verbal is in quotes only because I'm reading. But I am, also, entrenched on an entertainment level that should be illegal. The combination of the two? For those of you reading it, in 2020. Let it be a "bright" spot on your bingo card. Bright is in quotes because of Grown's topic. It isn't bright, obviously.
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Disclaimer:
I am always very clear when reviewing a book where things are outside of my lane on what I should and should not discuss. I mentioned it in the original post that this is "technically," serving to update. I am going to go ahead and state that claim again, along with an additional one.
1.	In the third section, I am going to list the themes and social issues that Grown addresses. However, I am not going to comment on them because I don't believe that is my place, to do so. As far as these themes/social issues go, I believe it is my job to shut-up and listen to the community, about them. There are a couple of them that I have read about (non-fiction) or seen media curated by Black Creators. However, that does not make me an expert in any way but in #2.
2.	If you are white like I am. And you read the below list and want to come into my comments with comments such as
o	But white women experience a, b and c...
o	The same comments are made about all women
If #2 is you? Please disavow yourself of the notion that you are going to make those comments on this website. 
I invite discussion. I definitely invite others from the Black Community to tell me if anything I've written is harmful, incomplete, or misinterpreted. For whatever my list is, below. I am still looking through my lens, and am sure to have missed important themes. I will, without question, rewrite, fix, or take it down, until it is correct. 
However, whatever the experience is of the white woman? That same experience, for Black Women, is ten times as harsh and life-threatening, soul-crushing, than for us. That is not invalidating anyone else's life experiences. It is the truth. I have, without a doubt, suffered a couple of these traumatic experiences. They still haunt me. I don't believe it is the same level of trauma as if I was a Black Woman. So, no. You will not come on my site and start that conversation. 
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Grown By Tiffany D. Jackson
Grown *to start* is based on the events surrounding R. Kelly. The girls he abused for decades while making everyone believe they could fly. I remember that song being played at dances. As I got older, I remember hearing it and thinking, but wasn't he accused, if not convicted, of raping underage girls? Why am I hearing this song a decade and more later? It never made sense to me. I never listened to it because I was sure it was the same person. It had to be. I wasn't going to support it. But it bothered me, a lot. It wasn't until the recent airing of Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly that I found out everything that had happened in all the time between those school dances and when I became batshit confused as to why that song was still on the air, and in commercials.
Within that initial starting point, Tiffany Jackson weaves many more themes and racial (micro or otherwise) that Black Women and Teenagers face in society, inner-struggles that Chanty expresses in her inner-dialogue with herself. It is also played out in her interactions with others. Again, I'm going to list them out and also, where I can, pull a couple of quotes that led me to list them (I may not be able to because of spoilers, in some cases). But beyond that, again, I'm not going to analyze them, because it isn't my place to.
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Themes
I don't know if themes are the right word for everything in this list (probably not) but I don't have a better word at the moment.
1.	Rape and Sexual Assault
2.	Mental Abuse and Abusive Relationships (which often includes #1)
o	How it starts with all the shiny promises and then slowly deteriorates
o	Almost without you knowing
o	And then the other personality comes out after you've lost touch with all you care about
o	They've been fed lies, you've been fed lies
o	And that makes "you should just leave" not so "you should just leave
3.	With one and two: Drug Addiction- without even knowing until you are addicted because it is slipped to you.
4.	Older men that are attracted to younger girls, period.
o	Putting the blame where it belongs.
5.	The pressure of (and perception or reality of) to bring your family out of poverty
6.	Status symbols in entertainment and their inner-circle of protectors- again the money factor of what they provide those people to look the other way
o	When it starts- I'm sure a lot of people are going to want to judge Chanty for believing this older, famous singer could be interested in her
o	But - why? I will comment just because of celebrity. I have no issue believing that a 17-year old could meet someone famous and be blinded to the fact that they are getting texted by their favorite singer. Then that person is wooing them, offering their dream to them. And then not wake-up to reality, until it’s too late. Some teenagers would find that sketchy. But MANY, myself included, probably, would have been pretty blind.
7.	When you take all of the above. You have to look at: Blaming the victim
8.	With Grown, the cover is important.
o	There is a lot around wigs that he wants Chanty to wear and a lot of inner dialogue around how she feels, and how it makes her feel
9.	High-school reality (and I'm just going to throw a couple of quotes out)
Parkwood High School is the only private one in the county that doesn't have a strict dress code, but the student handbook specifically says no hats, no short skirts, no "distracting" hairstyles.
Yeah, I can read between the words unsaid there, too. I solved that problem by shaving off my locs. But somehow, my presence is still distracting.
My goggles are tight, but on purpose. I hate when chlorine slips through the crevices and I end up with red eyes like I've been smoking a blunt. Not that I'd know what that's like but being one of the ten black students in the entire school.... the stupid assumption would be too easy.
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Characters
Chanty is a girl with a dream. She wants to be a singer and at the very moment, that dream doesn't come true? Along comes this handsome star and he offers her everything. Chanty thinks she's grown. But she isn't. Through her actions and dialogue. Tiffany Jackson demonstrates that she isn't it. But see, it doesn't matter. That isn't the point. He knew better, as the hashtag goes. Or at least, he sure as hell should have.
Chanty wanted so much to believe in this dream. That he was her everything. Her dream, love, and forever. And when her friends and family warned her, distrusted it. She believed it for them until they believed it too. And then Jackson wrote Korey as perfectly as she wrote Chanty. The Jeckell/Hyde personality switched on and off that gave me blood-curling whiplash.
He wasn't the Korey in the study that sang with Chanty, related to her, and wooed her into believing he was her everything. Now he was barking at her to get off her phone. He was convincing her that every time he snapped at her, it was her fault. And that her family and friends weren't showing up because they didn't care. When really, he wasn't telling them. And that's just the start of how good he played the nice Korey and how sinister the true Korey really was.
I can't talk a whole lot about the supporting cast without spoiling a lot. When you see them, though? They are essential and powerful. I'll leave it there. Tiffany Jackson will tell you the rest.
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Multiple Worlds
It isn't just that Tiffany Jackson created multiple places- where Chanty came from, her high school, her home. And then the life she has with Korey, on the road. And then what life is like when he turns into the Korey she can't recognize. The one she blames herself for.
Jackson also builds emotional worlds. Chanty is forced to compartmentalize some much of what is happening to her out of a sheer need to survive, because of the trauma that is inflicted. In the moment that it starts and as it continues to worsen, Chanty is constantly in a state of trying to sort things out. There are multiple fronts hitting her at once that are severely traumatic. And again, I can't say what all of them are, but they cause a dynamic within her mind.
Because it is a first-person narrative, it was crucial that readers experience all of these different emotional states through Chanty. Those emotional states are almost as erratic at times as Korey's and because of that, it is disruptive and impactful on whatever physical setting they may be in. That illuminates and heightens the suspense, impact, and reality of not just the ice cream of the story but the vegetables, as well.
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Before I Jump Back In Time To A Year Ago...
From start to end Grown is a fast-paced mystery, a thriller that doesn't stop. It will keep readers enthralled from the first word till the last. That is wrapped up in various themes that speak to the Black Girl/Woman experience. That means that it is just as important for white women, as much as Black Women to read it. Because we need to stop being ignorant, blind, or uncaring to these plights. We need to shut up and listen. We need to understand more and better.
Also, we need to read more diversely within diversity. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn comes out today, for example. It is not entered in Black Trauma. Read it, too. I am. I'm creating a whole table for non-trauma centered works by Black Authors/Black Main Characters at the bookstore. Both are essential. Both need to be lifted up. There are so many amazing works coming out. Whatever your genre, your reading preference (no one is asking anyone to read genres they don't like- I am not- you don't have to- there's plenty to find), find books that will remove your blinders and those that are just great reads. And review them, share them, discuss them. Support them.
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Now... From May 2019--- 
Before I Get To Let Me Hear A Rhyme By Tiffany D. Jackson
First, both Allegedly and Monday's Not Coming came out before my blog started. So, this is the first Tiffany D. Jackson book I have had to review. It is everything and more. Second, it has become woefully aware to me during my time reviewing books, how few people are aware of Tiffany D. Jackson's work and that breaks my heart.
I couldn't do justice to Let Me Hear a Rhyme without at least introducing those that are not yet aware of what makes her work unique; the epitome of reaching those that otherwise have not the exposure, or do have the ability to ignore injustice with a riveting plot that seizes you from the first page, and doesn't let go until the final gut punch that leaves you breathless and renders you forever changed. Last, it is impossible to review any book by Tiffany D. Jackson without giving away the entire book. The less you know going in, the more you'll enjoy it.
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                        Allegedly And Monday's Not Coming By Tiffany D. Jackson 
 
 
What I can do, is what I did above. I can talk about "the vegetables." I can even tell you about <some of> the ice cream. I tried not to do that with the first two novels for fear of this post becoming a novel unto itself. However, that is about as far as I can go. And that isn't nearly enough.
 
 
 
 
Recently, I had an incredible conversation about Tiffany D. Jackson's first book, Allegedly, with someone that broke down at least a half-dozen social issues including, but not limited to, the juvenile incarceration system, the profiting prison system, mismanaged group homes, post-incarceration leading to the broken cyclical system of poverty, and who is responsible for how broken these children become. Thus, leading to the further actions and consequences of a system based on keeping marginalized people down rather than providing support, solutions and ways to lift them up- breaking that cycle.
Were that conversation repeated around Monday's Not Coming,  I have no doubt that it would repeat. However, the discussion would surround the blind-eye of justice in DC when it comes to missing African American girls. In addition, the broken Child and Protective Service Agencies that serve not just DC, but cities across the nation because these are the social issues that inspired Jackson's second novel.
Stats and quotes regarding Monday's Not Coming below:
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April 2019 Stats On Missing African-American Girls
In an article published in April 2019 by the Washington Informer the following stat was given:
More than 424,066 girls of all races have gone missing since the beginning of 2018, according to NCMEC. More than half of that total are women and girls of color, according to BAM, which, like NCMEC, rely on statistics from the FBI.
You would think someone would have developed a task force or do something. But no. That number has just continued to grow. In an article from Bustle (I highly suggest you read the entire article... Jackson stated:
I incorporated the way kids slip through the cracks in the system, the way there is no immediate sense of urgency when black teen girls go missing, and lifted parts of their tragic end. I also focused on the media bias when it comes to reporting about missing white children vs. missing children of color. Coincidentally, when I turned in the book to my editor, the hashtag #missinggirlsDC had just gone viral.
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Let Me Hear A Rhyme
So here is what I can tell you about Let Me Hear a Rhyme. In regards to everything mentioned in Jackson's previous works? Checkmate. 
Steph is a budding musician with so much to give to the world when a senseless shooting ends his young life. No one is talking about it, no one seems to care. Least of all the cops but his closest friends and sister want answers. Aiming to find out what happened and let his music see the light of day, they find his unfinished songs and give them their time in the sun. Starting in clubs, everything is going great until a label hears it and wants to sign Steph.
Except, of course, Steph is dead. Why let death stop you? The plan is hatched and they go along with dead Steph signing a record deal with said record company oblivious to their dead star. When the secret of Steph's death and the circumstances around it come to light? Everything starts to unravel, and spiral out of control. Soon the trio realizes that trying to outrun death is one thing. Outrunning the secrets left in the wake of death, secrets still held by the living is impossible.
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Privilege and Judgement- SHUT UP
Before continuing, I need to qualify the following because while I was born and raised in Brooklyn, before moving to the Midwest at 32, I am Brooklyn-Italian, white- Caucasian.
That doesn't give me any right to say I understand or have even learned to understand what it was like then or now to be a person of color in any part of this country, Brooklyn included.
Brooklyn wasn't a picnic for anyone when I was growing up. But that gives me no right or space to claim any voice in this discussion. What I can do? Is shut up, read, learn, and have a sense of moral compassion, empathy, and foremost lack of judgment. 
Anyone who judges Jazz for relating to Malcolm X's beliefs, or why a character falls into dealing drugs? SHUT UP. You want to judge Jackson for writing those characters and their choices? SHUT UP. You had privilege, choice, and didn't know. You weren't there. I don't know and so it isn't my place to say anything. It is only my place to shut up, listen, and learn what I didn't know about any of it and shamefully understand how little I knew then and how little has changed in almost forty years.
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I Wrote This Over A Year Ago... And Yet... 
(I.e I wrote this over a year ago when reviewing Let Me Hear A Rhyme) Police brutality, talented lives cut off too soon, young lives left behind and now traumatized forever, poverty, and desperate "choices" are all dealt with throughout the storyline in Let Me Hear a Rhyme. Testing the strength of friendship, love, and the ability to find where you stand, along with the willingness to fight for it, at all costs are at its core.
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Tiffany D. Jackson Wrote The Shit Out OF It
First, there is interwoven music and pop culture of the nineties that are utilized brilliantly. I won't pretend to know all of it, but I knew some of it and it brought back a lot of memories. Hell, the way Tiffany D. Jackson brought Brooklyn to life as a character in ways that you would only understand if you lived there? It made me smile and rarely, if at all, do I miss my hometown. See people assume that if you are from NYC, you've seen the world. They don't get it. If you live in Brooklyn? Queens might as well be France. You are lucky if you leave your five-block radius in a year, let alone any given day. Jackson gets it.
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The Ice Cream... Wait For It...
How about the ice cream you ask? How can you take all that heavy... the vegetables and make it digestible and accessible... the ice cream? Well. Let me tell you. This is a bit of a contrast to the "ice cream" parts of Monday's Not Coming and Allegedly, which offered the entertaining storyline up in a much more dark and twisted fashion that doubled down on Shonda Rhimes territory. However, make no mistake, this was incredibly twisty and irresistibly fun.
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Remember That Movie? Weekend At Bernie's?
Well maybe you don't

These two guys trying to get ahead in a company find out someone is embezzling large sums of money at this company they work for. Thinking they are going to be handsomely rewarded; they tell the CEO. However, it is the CEO that is embezzling and he's doing it for some very dangerous people.
They have decided he's gotten a bit sloppy. So, when Bernie (CEO) invites the kids over to his house in the Hamptons, he thinks it is so his dangerous crew can kill them.
Except, SURPRISE! They kill Bernie to pin it on the kids. Double surprise! The kids freak out and run around the Hamptons with a dead Bernie all weekend. I'm not saying Jackson got the idea for parts of Let's Hear a Rhyme from Weekend at Bernie’s but, I think I remember a tweet where she mentioned it but don't quote me on it.
ng storyline up in a much more dark and twisted fashion that doubled down on Shonda Rhimes territory. However, make no mistake, this was incredibly twisty and irresistibly fun.

Remember That Movie? Weekend At Bernie's?

Well maybe you don't

These two guys trying to get ahead in a company find out someone is embezzling large sums of money at this company they work for. Thinking they are going to be handsomely rewarded; they tell the CEO. However, it is the CEO that is embezzling and he's doing it for some very dangerous people.

They have decided he's gotten a bit sloppy. So, when Bernie (CEO) invites the kids over to his house in the Hamptons, he thinks it is so his dangerous crew can kill them.

Except, SURPRISE! They kill Bernie to pin it on the kids. Double surprise! The kids freak out and run around the Hamptons with a dead Bernie all weekend. I'm not saying Jackson got the idea for parts of Let's Hear a Rhyme from Weekend at Bernie’s but, I think I remember a tweet where she mentioned it but don't quote me on it.

Either Way

I certainly had flashbacks to it that were highly entertaining.  Until it couldn't be anymore.

But as I stated before, there is just no way to explain what that means without all the spoilers and leaving you to form your own view of the vegetables. And that is what Tiffany D. Jackson does. And she's the only one doing it.

It is a better publishing world, a better world period, for having her put the gift of her talent into it. If you don't know her talent. If you don't know the causes upon which she stands? You are doing life wrong.




I said that in May of 2019 and I will day on that hill still today,
and I imagine for as long as Tiffany D. Jackson continues writing books.

"This book is not about R Kelly. It’s about adults who know the difference between right and wrong because no matter where you stand in the issue. He knew better."

Everyone, and I mean everyone needs to read this. It was so good. It explained so perfectly how a predator with money and power can and does get away with it. How they surround themselves with people who help them. How it’s your word against theirs. How they gaslight, manipulate, isolate, and abuse their victims all while making them feel like they deserve it. It’s powerful. It’s sickening. It’s too much at times. I had to stop listening to the audiobook from time to time. It took me longer to listen to than a 35 hour audiobook because it was too much. It messed with me so much I had to listen to something fun. It’s definitely not for everyone.

I do have one small complaint. It was a strong 5 star read until the last 10%. It’s like at the most important part of the book, the book didn’t know what it was about. Is it about mental illness? Is it a psychological thriller? Is it a murder mystery? Is it about abuse and privilege? Is it about race and class? The book itself developed multiple personalities and it was so weird. Luckily it was at the end and I was so invested in the story and the characters it didn't matter.

Reviewed on goodreads.
This book was wow! It was intense, heartbreaking and completely amazing. Some of it was hard to get through I cried a lot, but it was so gripping I couldn't put it down. I read the whole thing in one sitting. This book really speaks to how women especially black women are treated in our society. I loved the main character, Enchanted, she was such a strong beautiful girl, who through everything keeps finding the strength to go on, to keep trying even when nobody believes her. I think every woman should read this book, if you can push through it is worth it. Also listened to the audiobook narrator was amazing really brought me into the story.

What an incredible story. This story had a great narrator and the story was so engaging that I could not stop listening. I really felt like the story could have gone longer and I almost wish it did.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Grown by Tiffany Jackson is a well written and powerful book with such an important message to tell. As I listened to the book, I was transported into the life of Enchanted Jones.  A young girl seizing her opportunity for a singing career from one of her idols. Tiffany Jackson does a top notch job in capturing Enchanted's wide eyed enthusiasm and innocence as well as her love of family and friends. And the narrator on this book is top notch in capturing that innocence and the disillusionment that follows.  

This is by no means an easy read.  As the mother of a teen daughter, I'll be honest, I almost DNF'd a few times.  But please stick with it because the whole of the book is such a wonderful and powerful statement on the flaws in both a judicial system as well as in the societal judgement of girls or women who are victims of sexual assault.

Why I requested this: Honestly, because just like Tiffany D. Jackson’s debut, Allegedly, this book will probably stay in my thoughts for a long time.

Pros:
The audiobook narrator does an excellent job expressing the right emotions for the situations at hand.
The delicate way the topics are handled. This book covers a lot. The audiobook actually has a list of some of the more major triggers in the beginning of it.
That being said, this book also does not hold back when talking about these topics. It is a heavy book. You really feel for Enchanted and her struggles throughout. Tiffany D. Johnson crafted a realistic book.

Cons:
Sometimes the “then” and “now” format was not my favorite; so it may not work for everyone. That being said, it was not enough to take away from my enjoyment. I’m just impatient and do not like jumping around sometimes.

Overall: A hard book to read because it will probably hit close to home, but absolutely worth it if you can handle the material.

Wow! While Grown by Tiffany Jackson was amazing, it was also very hard to listen to at times. Enchanted, a young black teen, is an aspiring singer who is noticed by a famous singer, Korey Fields, who takes her on as his protégé. However, Korey is manipulative, cruel, and possessive. Innocent and trusting Enchanted is groomed for a life much different than what she imagined.

Grown, loosely built on R Kelly's shameful past, respectfully tackles tough topics of abuse, rape culture, and the systemic and societal oppression of black women. Jackson endeavours to empower these women to take a stand and use their voices. It is a mature YA read, for sure, but such an important read.

The audio version was well-done.

First, the narrator was perfect for this book. She did a wonderful job of portraying the emotion in the text. I especially appreciated how, in parts, she sounded so young. 

The book itself hurt me to read because, like all of Tiffany Jackson's works, it's written with a heavy dose of reality and empathy. The protagonist, Enchanted, could be most any teenage girl with a dream. Her parents struggle to manage all the expectations and obligations of their lives, but they are present, loving, and devoted to their children. This is not just a book about a predator taking advantage of a naive teenager,  but rather a book about society's failings to protect and stand up against abuse. I would not recommend this book to all readers as not everyone is prepared to handle the content, but for those looking for an intense, hard-hitting novel about physical and sexual abuse and the systems in place that allow it to thrive, this is a solid choice.

Enchanted has always dreamed of becoming a professional singer. Her parents do not support this dream because of its impossibility. She is expected to do well in school, take care of her younger siblings, and attend community groups before even thinking about singing. When Enchanted tricks her mother into taking her to an audition for a reality singing competition, she catches the eye of adult singing genius Korey Fields. While she doesn't move further on the reality show, Korey offers to take her under his wing. Enchanted and Korey strike up a texting relationship, without her parent's knowledge. Korey invites Enchanted to come with him on tour to begin working on her career. Enchanted has seen sparks of Korey's dark side, but once on tour and living with him, she is trap and isolated. Enchanted is still desperate for her career and she loves Korey (he loves her too, right?). However, the pain and monstrous actions are becoming too much.

This book shook me to my core. The audio reader was a perfect pairing with this novel, she gave life to the lyrical words. Jackson's way with words was poetic within narrative form. The pain spills from the page, but also the strength that one can find in times of need. This novel gave life to many news stories that have occurred between fans and stars. It brings this toxic culture to light and shows how easily parents and children/teens can be harmed by these monstrous people. This book has rich layers that bring topics to the discussion table. It is a solid book that I can see being used in the classroom, (though to be honest probably the college classroom based on the topic. While it is important for older teens, I can see it being difficult to include this in a high school curriculum.)

The events that take place in this story are an absolute nightmare. And I mean truly, truly horrific. As a parent I think I felt the pain of them even more acutely than I might have otherwise.

But the story itself is masterfully woven and told. I don’t want to give too much away but it will have you on the edge of your seat, dying to know how it ends while simultaneously screaming at the main character to get out, get away, to save herself.

The book opens with a horrific murder scene—blood everywhere—and our leading lady, Enchanted Jones, waking up and having no idea what happened. We then go back to the beginning and watch the whole horror story unfold.

In the author’s note Jackson states that this book is not a true story, but loosely based on pieces of her own life and inspired in-part by a court case. She does specifically call out that it’s not about R. Kelly, but rather, it is about the abuse of power and how grown men never seem to be held accountable for their actions, but young girls are always discounted, not believed, or victim-shamed in these situations. It’s also about corporations covering up horrific crimes if it means the cash keeps rolling in.

Of course, after hearing all of that I had to go look up the whole R. Kelly story. I knew bits and pieces from more recent press, but really hadn’t heard the whole story, in part because I was pretty young when it first came to light, but I was also living in Australia and I doubt it was as big in the news there as I’m sure it was here in the USA. I also had no idea about the rumor that he married Aaliyah (illegally since she was only 15 at the time). I adored her.

Anyway, back to the book. I couldn’t put it down. The characters were wonderfully developed, the emotions real and complex, and the story was fast-paced and gripping.

The audiobook was narrated wonderfully by Joniece Abbott-Pratt and comes in at 8 hours and 18 minutes at 1x speed. She gave Enchanted even more of a voice and really brought her to life for me. I definitely recommend you grab this one.

This book will stay with me, particularly because of the author’s note about this book being about power, and all the ways that is true. All the trigger warnings in other reviews are true.

Enchanted is a relatable character, and I’m likely not the intended audience. I enjoyed the character development in both Enchanted and the auxiliary characters. I found Tiffany D. Jackson’s handling of Korey, his entourage, and others believable and even-handed.

I listened to the audiobook and it was extremely enjoyable. Not all audiobook performers can do both genders, as well as different generations of characters (children to grandparents and in between), but Joniece Abbott-Pratt did a fantastic job.

Thanks to  Harper Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listen. These are my opinions.

Ohhhhh Tiffany Jackson does it AGAIN! She is a masterful storyteller, and her latest, Grown. is no different. This book addresses so many things, I can't even list them out! Just take my word for it and get your hands on this incredible YA book.