A gritty, heartfelt urban fiction novel about two sisters caught between loyalty, survival, and the pull of different dreams. The storytelling is raw and authentic, and the emotional moments hit hard. It’s a gripping portrait of family and ambition in the Bronx.

This Tracy Brown novel was my first, and it took me on an emotional journey through every conceivable feeling. It serves as the ultimate example of how our decisions shape the trajectory of our lives. Sisters Mercy and Lennox grew up in poverty and experienced the trauma of being abandoned by their mother. However, the two could not be more different. Mercy is responsible and committed to setting her son Judah up for an education and a way out of Harlem. Lennox is more concerned with instant gratification and what she can buy for her and her son Deon. It's heartbreaking to see Lennox get sucked into the drug hustle and how it pulls the whole family down.
Their sons are more like brothers than cousins. They each are a reflection of their mother's choices. Judah excels academically and stays out of trouble. Unfortunately, Deon's exposure to street life leads him the other direction. Although their paths are taking different directions, when their paths collide, it is devastating. In addition to generational trauma the story was about family loyalty. I was frustrated with Lennox and her selfishness which impacted all of their lives and wished her sister would be little less loyal. It is definitely an emotional ride that kept me turning the pages.
TW for drug usage, dealing, and violence

Life got in the way and I could not finish the book. Thanks to the publishers for the chance to read the book.

This was my first novel by Tracy Brown and it did not disappoint. This is definitely a tough read with a lot of trigger warnings (rape, drugs, abuse). Browns writing is incredibly real, and I found myself not being able to put this book down once I started. The story takes us on the journey of two sisters who are completely opposite, but would do anything for one another. The story eventually shifts to the lives of their children who parallel them in so many ways. They battle through not succumbing to the sins of their parents and their surroundings. Honestly the only thing I didn’t like was the ending but I personally needed more closure.

I received this ARC in exchange for my review.

This was a very heavy, very sad read. In parts, it made me really mad. But the one thing this story definitely did was made me always feel something. If you start this one, make sure you can finish it quick! It's an emotional read that will be like an emotional rollercoaster! My heart is still broken (and mad)! Highly recommend!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This story is such a sad story. I loved it but there were no happy moments in this book. It showed the demise of a family and what they thought it would take to get them to the top.

Great book. I was able to connect with characters and the plot. I recommend this book……………………………..,,,,.

In HOLD YOU DOWN, sisters Lenox and Mercy have a very close bond although they chose different paths to make a living. Mercy, the compassionate, level headed one, works at the hospital to support her son, Judah. Lenox chose fast money via the drug game and depended heavily on Mercy to keep this hidden from her son, Deon. Deon and Judah were more like brothers than cousins. The choices that Lenox made, the direction of Deon's lifestyle and the action of Judah, results in devastating consequences.

This is book will evoke a lot of emotion that Tracy Brown was able to make jump off the pages. I was fully invested with this family and drawn into the realism of the lives of residence during the '80 and '90s. This is a heavy read but I highly recommend it.

Full of equal parts love, ambition, mistakes and tragedy, this story of two sisters, and their boys, essentially starts with death and some degree of bitterness, and ends in forgiveness. Along the way, we see one sister opt for quick fixes and options to provide for her family, and the other opt for respectability and hard work.

The two cousins, who grow up as brothers, repeat many of the same mistakes as their mothers, and it takes more family tragedy and hard insight into themselves that begins to turn things around, slowly for the two brothers.

Author Tracy Brown delves into character beautifully, showing how the best of intentions can be diverted into negative actions, with great repercussions for everyone involved. This is a wonderfully written, deeply emotional story that left me in tears several times.

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.

3.5 stars. There was a lot about this book that I really enjoyed. It spans several years in the 1980s and 1990s and focuses on family ties and how those bonds are vital when life gets hard. Two sisters, Mercy and Lenox, and their sons, Judah and Deon, are very close. Lenox is trying to break out of poverty and give her son a better life. She thinks she has found the answer by making and selling crack, a drug that's new to the streets in the 1980s. This creates a domino effect of tragedy and heatache in their family that they can't seem to escape from. I liked how the author explored the relationships as much or more as the events in their lives - that approach created empathetic and complex characters. It was hard to read about their almost endless string of bad decisions and bad luck - and hard is ok, even good - but in places it lacked that compelling factor that made me want to find out what happened next. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced reader e-book.

The premise of this book could have gone one of two ways… It was going to take a storyline that we have seen countless times before and provide a fresh perspective, OR it was going to do exactly what was expected. Sadly, Hold You Down did not deviate at all from every other inner city cautionary tale of the late 80’s and early 90’s. It leaned into every stereotype that negatively depicts the lives of Black Americans in most major cities (specifically New York). The reader is forced to contend with absentee parents, single motherhood, drug addicts, drug dealers, fast money, violent murder, childhood incarceration, adult incarceration, failing health and of course, betrayal of all kinds. We even see the much used trope of the perpetual “good boy” that finds himself on the wrong side of the law, through no real fault of his own. It was tedious and disappointing.

One redeeming quality of this book is that Brown did an excellent job making the reader feel connected to the characters. Yes, we have seen these characters before, too many time, but Brown infuses so much life into them that it is easy to follow them through their predictable life journeys. Each character leans on a very well-used character type, and Brown maneuvered beautifully within that framework.

I didn’t get on with the book, but it may work well for some readers.

Hold You Down by Tracy Brown is a book in which all of the characters are the stars, as well as the setting (Harlem). It's a book about family, familial connections, sisterhood, and the choices we make to protect those we love. It's my first book from this author, but it won't be my last.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

This was well written and thoughtful. The author addresses familial complications well.
I thought that it was emotional and compelling.
Very well told story!

Although this story is fiction, the main premise is set in New York during the crack epidemic of the late 80's and 90's, and I whole hardheartedly believe this is a combination of several people's lives. I've always enjoyed this author's books, and this one is no exception. Two sisters Mercy and Lenox are both raising their sons during this tumultuous time period, and in two very different and opposite ways. As life goes on, choices are made, and life as they know it will turn both of their lives upside down.

The Plot and flow of the story was so good and emotional. I was in need of tissue several times throughout the story. It was such a good story, and I would like to know what happens to some of the characters in the future.

I reviewed this book as an advanced reader copy for an honest review. This book was well written with good character development. It was touching to read how the sisters and little boys grew but in different ways. The plot moved quickly allowing the reader to not get bored. It was not the right book for me at the right time but I enjoyed the story none the less. The family ties and the love they learned to have for each other despite the troubles they faced was encouraging. It also taught lessons about life involved with drugs and what impact that can have on others you love. A great moral lesson to be learned without feeling like a lecture from a parent.

Mercy and Lenox Howard are sisters that have always had each other’s backs. They are raising two sons the best way they know how in New York City. Mercy is raising her son Judah on a hospital administrator salary and trying to make sure he gets the best education possible. But she really has dreams of owning her own restaurant. Lenox is the one that is always chasing after the next big thing. When Lenox gets involved in a risky business venture, it will change her and her son Deon’s lives forever.

Tracy Brown did an excellent job with Hold You Down. Brown takes readers on a journey through life in the 1980s to early 1990s New York City. What’s good about this story is the realistic way that it is told. Brown does an excellent job with developing multi-layered characters that readers will care about. Readers will find that this story is very unpredictable and there are certain situations that will shock you. Hold You Down is Tracy Brown’s best book to date and one that you won’t stop talking about.

This author does not miss. This book kept me in a chokehold for days. I love the topics and the focus on loss and growing pains and the dynamics between the sisters

This is my first Tracy Brown book and I must say that based on this story alone, I'm a fan.

In this story Marcy and Lenox Howard have to navigate life in Harlem in the 90's at the dawn of the crack epidemic while raising two young sons who are growing up more as brothers than cousins. Marcy is the quiet hospital administrator with great dreams to open her own restaurant one day. Lenox is the wild sister who wants more from life than a desk job that doesn't even pay enough to cover her bills. And while their sisterly bond and love for each other outweigh everything else, Marcy is able to see that Lenox is going down a path that can and will negatively impact their lives forever.

Told in two parts, this story was truly phenomenal in every way. In the first part, Lenox and Marcy are young mothers with dreams to give their sons bright and better futures than what they had growing up. And while they have different ideas about how to accomplish that, it cannot be denied that their life choices are influenced by the love they have for their sons. The second part focuses on the sons Judah and Deon while they try to repair their relationship as adult young men and a lifetime of mistakes that marked their lives.

Let me start with the plot and pace of this book. This is one of the best stories I've read in a while. The plot is fantastic and it tells a complicated and moving story in a realistic way. The fact that Brown took the dawn of the crack epidemic in New York City in the 80's and weaved such a moving story is remarkable. And while drugs are a constant theme in the first part of the story, it does not overshadow the relationship between Marcy, Lenox, Judah, and Deon. Their family bond is first and foremost to the plot, and one of the main devices to develop the characters.

I found that the way Brown wrote these characters was spot on. Both Marcy and Lenox are complex characters with flaws and strengths that translate to their own personalities and influence their children. I found that the relationship between these four characters was moving for so many reasons, and I truly enjoyed to see how their family bond was so strong as they dealt with their own personal demons.

Not many books make me connect with each one of the main characters, but this one did. I was able to understand Lenox's choices, and while I didn't agree with them, it was easy for me to see that the love for her son and desire for him to have a better life clouded her judgement. In the same way, I could understand why Marcy didn't push harder for Lenox to make better decisions. And I must say that the second part completely broke my heart as I read how Judah and Deon dealt with a lifetime of trauma as they came-of-age in the streets of New York City. And while the ending of the book had me wishing for more, it also left me with the impression that these young man were on the way to turn their lives around and making better choices than their mothers.

Overall, I found this book to be a truly remarkable story and will be looking forward to read more of Brown's work.

*** Trigger Warning Sexual Assault, violence***
Mercy and Lenox are sisters who are extreme close and rely on each other as they’re raising their sons together. Each sister has a son and the boys are only one year apart. The boys are being raised more like siblings than cousins often spending a lot of time together at Mercy’s home. Judah and Deon are inseparable. Judah is Mercy’s son, and is very studious and has aspirations of college and getting out of his poor environment. Deon is Lenox’s son and loves spending time with his aunt and cousin. Lenox wants money fast, and will do whatever it takes to get it, even if that means working with people who may get her in to trouble. Lenox is constantly taking risks to Mercy’s disdain. When Lenox gets in the drug game she starts making more money than she ever has. Deon has all the best clothes, shoes and games while Judah is stuck wearing whatever his mom can afford. Mercy refuses to take any money from Lenox, as she completely disagrees with her lifestyle. As Lenox continues to take riskier and riskier chances, she spends less time with Deon, and more time in the game. One bad decision on Lenox part changes the trajectory of the whole family, with Deon and Judah being affect the most.
I absolutely loved this book. Tracy Brown is a phenomenal writer and all of her books are amazing. This book has so much buzz and rightfully so. I am a huge fan and will read anything Tracy Brown puts out. Thank you St Martins Press and Netgalley for this ARC! Excellent read!

I was very intrigued by the summary of this book and it was amazing. I loved the storytelling style and the characters.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.