Hold You Down is a double entendre in the case of this book. A family holding you down through your struggles, but also holding down from getting back up and moving you forward.

Although this book had, its ups and down for me. I still enjoyed the book because it transported me into the story. I felt like I was in the 80s seeing everything Tracy described so vividly. The rawness of the story. The realness of life’s unpredictability and the domino effect of events based on one’s life decisions is right at the forefront of this book.

Tracy Brown knows how to make you feel emotions you didn’t think you were until after finishing her books. I found myself in a different mood by the time I finished this book than when I started. I was excited to read this book as I enjoyed her previous work. The never ending heartbreak and struggle in this book was sad, but it was real.The story that was depicted was not new nor rare but a rendition of what already was.

Make no mistake this story is layered with trauma bonds, family ties, and grief. You must be ready for all that and more. Tracy takes you on a captivating journey and keeps you engaged! I could not put the book down.

Thank you to Tracy Brown, Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press, and St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC e-book version! It was truly an honor to read this.

I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn't get into it. I tried both the e-book version and the audiobook version, and neither one could capture my interest and keep it. I gave up after 100 pages.

I didn't quite get what I thought I was going to get from this book, but the setting & characters made for an intriguing story. A first Round Purchase (If this isn't a celebrity book club pick I will be shocked)

Expertly written as always, Brown produces another relatable work. Both her gift and curse she spanned the characters whole lifetime. I found myself at times thinking surely this book has come to an end, but I was significantly far from the ending. It not often that I say a book could have been a successful part one and two, but Hold You Down could’ve been just that. I would’ve loved more detail to part 1, transitioning into part 2 and would’ve happily acceptable the rest as a sequel. Great characters and character development with an unexpected twist, she never disappoints. 5 stars.

Thank you to Tracy Brown and St. Martin's Press for providing me with this e-ARC (electronic advanced readers copy) via NetGalley

𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙳𝚘𝚠𝚗 is an urban fiction novel set in New York City during the late 1980s and to early 1990s. Mercy and Lenox Howard are sisters with a strong bond who are doing their best to make ends meet and provide for their sons, Judah and Deon. The bond that the four of them share is unbreakable. Wanting better for her family, Lenox gets involved in a world of fast money, but underestimates the impact of her choices on her loved ones.

This is my first read by Tracy Brown (𝚂𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚎 𝙱𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙵𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚎 just got bumped up a few spots on my TBR after this!) and I was hooked the whole time. While following along on the Howard family journey, I experienced such a wide range of emotions and even shed a few thug tears. The plot is exceptional and the narrative sucks you in instantly. The characters are authentic and readers are right alongside them as they experience some much deserved wins but also many, many losses.

The Howards took blow after blow pretty much right up to the end. There were some twists and turns I didn’t see coming and wow, my heart-strings were mangled for a hot minute after I finished. That being said, there is a special place in my heart for Judah Howard!! For my lovers of the TV show 𝙿𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛, you’d most likely enjoy this. If you are looking to avoid books about trauma/loss, then this one isn’t for you (see triggers below).

Possible triggers: drug dealing/use/abuse, murder/death, loss of loved ones/funerals, sexual assault, incarceration of loved ones, gun violence

Rating: 5/5

*All opinions in this review are 100% my own.*

Pub day: November 1, 2022
Go pre-order this RIGHT NOW! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

I was totally riveted by this gritty drama of two sisters who choose different paths that end up having consequences that ripple through their lives for generations. I loved each character and their development. The women were complex and the author weaves in issues of the time from the 80s/90s including the crack epidemic. The second part of the book that follows the womens sons is equally heartbreaking in new ways. The peak into these lives was important and I’m glad to have read this book. Between 4 and 5 stars and likely to be a favorite of the month (sept) for me.

Another great book. So easy to read and her book make you anxious to turn to the next page. So realistic and her characters always remind you of someone you know. So exciting I couldn't stop reading until I got to the end. Looking forward to her next book!

Tracy Brown never ever fails me. Her writing is literary- she is the queen of urban fiction to me because her writing is literary. Her prose, while filled with urban references and situations, is never basic. White lines will be one of my favorite books by her, and this can stand up with that classic. Please read this cautionary tale about family, friendship, and love.

Tracey Brown has done it again. She writes stories that take you through an emotional rollercoaster. Hold You Down did not disappoint. A sister bond is strong and fierce. That's where we find Mercy and Lenox Howard-sticking together through childhood traumas and adult pains. The sisters look out for each other the best way they can, but individual choices soon distance them in a way that is not repairable. What do you do when you want a better life for your family and make unwise sacrifices that end up tearing a family apart? This story was gut wrenching and it showed that sometimes no matter how hard you try, things sometimes just don't work out. A coming of age tail deeply rooted in pain and unfortunate circumstances is what the author has rendered, making it an excellent read.

Tracy Brown has done it again! Hold You Down brought so many emotions out of me. I can't remember the last time I cried multiple times while reading a book. The story focused on two sisters, Lenox and Mercy and theirs son's Deon and Judah. Lenox was the rambunctious sister that lived on the wild side while Mercy was more reserved and introverted sister. Deon is Lenox's son and Judah is Mercy's son. Mercy took care of Deon while Mercy lived in the fast lane as a crack dealer. Tragedy struck the family and Mercy took on the responsibility of taking care of him alongside Judah. The cousins were as close as brothers. However, Deon was in and out of trouble while Judah was a scholar on his way to college. One simple mistake caused Judah to lose his freedom while Deon took this as a time to get his life together. I won't release too many more details as to not spoil the story for others. However, you must read Hold You Down. From the first page to the last, you will not be able to put it down. I hope there is a part 2! This was a Five star read!!

The first thing that struck me as interesting with Brown’s book was, how much she took literally from New York City. From using actual hospital names in New York City for her characters. Mercy, the eldest sister is named after Mercy Hospital in what we call “Strong Island.” Whereas Lenox the younger of the two is named after Lenox Hill Hospital, in the “City.”

The foundation of the story centers around the bond these two sisters have. Raising their two boys together in the projects of Staten Island, theirs is a story that is not uncommon growing up in the city. What is uncommon is that Brown is finally telling a story of how life really is. How easy it is to stray from the straight and narrow and be enticed by that fast and easy money. How hard it is for a single parent to make ends meet for your child. Or to have to worry that your child may not make it home safely from school. It is just the way of the “Street Life” (Like the song says)

Lenox thought she found that quick route out, but she should have known better; there is no quick way out. There are only two ways out of that life, Death, or Jail, you choose. As a mother she should have known better. But this was fiction, unfortunately what Brown has written is all too real.

Her story is about the love between two sisters. How they have always been there for one another, and how that special type of love has passed on to their boys. As far as the boys are concerned, even though they were cousins they were so close that they should have been brothers. Their closeness had stemmed from their mothers, that same type of hold me down type of relationship that they had.
But in the end, where did it leave either of them?

Brown tells a blast from the past with brutal honesty. Based on one person’s actions, an entire family is ripped from existence and left only with confusion, anger, and turmoil. Filled with heartbreaking, emotional, and devastating results.

Damn! Brown gives us a total “Tearjerker” of a novel.

Astonishingly Captivating!

Stupendously Written! Each character will move you like you have never been moved before.

This book is so thought provokingly written, it will Blow Your Mind…

Cannot say enough about this book.

Brown is one “Hell” of an author

PHENOMENAL!

One of the best books of 2022

Kudos to you Brown!

(#NYC4LIFE)

I play the street Life
Because there’s no place I can go
Street life
It’s the only life I know
Street life
And there’s a thousand cards to play
Street life
Until you play your life away!!!!!!!


Thank you to NetGalley/Tracy Brown/St. Martin’s Press St. Martin’s Press.Griffin for this “Amazing” eARC in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.
Song: Street Life
Vocals By: Randy Crawford

What a great read. From page one, I was held in rapt attention by the story, all thanks to Tracy Brown's incomparable pacing and authentic dialogue throughout. The familial bonds on display throughout this book lived in and the raw emotion left a lingering impact for me. Judah's journey in particular stood out for its complexity and lack of a tidy resolution. There is a palpable pain that Judah expresses that kept me glued to this book. I'm looking forward to more people reading this book and recommending it.

This is the first book that I have read by this authour. It grabbed me right from the first page and I loved the setting and character development and relationships between the sisters and their sons. However, I did feel like the timeline pacing got a bit choppy about halfway through the story. I felt like it would quickly jump months ahead all of a sudden and that threw off my enjoyment of the book a bit. Overall, I did enjoy it enough to read others by the same author in the future because the character and setting development was so well done..

OMG,. "Hold You Down" the story of Mercy & Lenox and their sons Judah & Deon was so good. Ms. Brown took you on a roller-coaster ride full of highs and lows and twists and turns. Just when you thought you knew what would happen next, the script was flipped completely! I literally could not put this book down! Kudos to you Ms. Brown on being a master storyteller! 👏 👏👏👏

Visceral, Searing Coming of Age Story

The 80s was an era of tremendous growth, not only for technology but also for the illicit drug trade. Paralyzing cities across the US, the crack epidemic stole many dreams and killed hopes. It is hard to imagine some refer to the 80s as the Moderation Decade.

Beginning in the 1980s, Hold You Down features two mothers, their sons, and a host of friends. Growing up on Staten Island, Lennox and Mercy's lives changed after Mama Lula's passing. Things took another turn as each sought to care for their sons: Deon (Lennox) and Judah (Mercy). Desiring to give the boys a comfortable home in the Mariners Harbor projects, each chooses a different path to do so. The trajectory of the lives surrounding them changed with the decision of one sister.

Wrought with sadness and riddle with trauma to the black soul and body, the story mirrors the lives of many black and brown people who live in the concrete jungle. The title speaks to an underlying theme in the book – holding down the ones you love. While the title is accurate, I would have titled the book My Brother’s Keeper simply due to the tremendous character arc. Brown developed Deon and Judah with surgical precision, and their growth throughout the story is phenomenal.

The plot was evocative and bold, blistering with raw male angst and thug pride. Even paced with the appropriate amount of tension, Brown has outdone her previous work, Single Black Female.
Highly recommended for fans of urban fiction and readers of KiKi Swinson, A’Zayler, and Ashley & JaQuavis.

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. May be THE best. I will never forget these characters, or the way my heart broke and repaired itself, then broke again. Tracy Brown writes characters that are so deeply layered! I will be recommending this book to every person who asks (or even those who don’t)!

Wow! I cried all through this book. I’m still emotional as I type this review. I’ve never read a book that pulled so many emotions! It was wonderfully written. I was pulled in from the very beginning and related to the characters so much! This is Tracy Brown’s best book yet! I’ve been a fan of hers since White Lines but this one topped all of them. When she said get your tissues ready she was not kidding.

I still love Tracy Brown's work! This is a heartbreaking story of Lenox and Mercy being single mom's in the projects trying to raise their sons the best way they know how. Deon and Judah grow up together more like brothers than cousins while one is more sensible, and one is more on the wild side, just like their moms. Ironically, they both fall in love with the same girl along the way. The story takes us through their teen years, and early 20's. I hope their is a sequel, as I feel their is so much more to their story to be told!!

Hold You Down by Tracy Brown is a racy novel situated at the beginning of the novel in Harlem, NY, in 1984. It is a story about two sisters who are at their mom’s funeral in the cold in February. Lenox was the mother of Deon. She was bolder, smoked, and wanted money fast, she consistently asked Mercy to watch Deon while she ran the streets with Gerard. She quickly moved up the drug hierarchy through Benny, the plug. She replaced Tatianna, Mark’s lady, as the trap house’s crack cooker. Eventually, moving the operation to her apartment with Deon. Lenox’s murder left a hole in Deon’s heart that grew so big that it consumed him. Deon was the best-dressed child in school. Deon stayed in trouble and fought. On the other hand, Mercy was the opposite in nature. She was the mother of Judah, a very studious literary reader. Judah went to a private school. Mercy was the mama bear. Mercy worked a regular office job at a hospital processing insurance claims. Mercy sacrificed her all before her tragic death.
This novel was spectacular. Deon first was the bad boy going to reform school and fighting repeatedly over the years. Then, Deon matured and got his life on track. Consequently, Judah made a detrimental decision to shoot the guy who beat Deon with a bat. His life was horrifically altered as he became the bad boy.
This is a must-read for all who desire a novel full of excitement and drama about the crack era and how it affected individual lives.
This was an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

Hold You Down is edgy urban fiction from upcoming author Tracy Brown. 5 out of 5 big, bright stars.

The story opens in Harlem in 1984 and follows sisters Mercy and Lenox Howard and their sons, Judah and Deon, respectively, through the following decades. They each have the opportunity, at different times, to “hold each other down”.

I had never before read anything by this author and was pleasantly surprised by this first captivating read. She accurately depicts the time period. Taking us back to the 80’s and 90’s through sight and sound. Ms. Brown made me feel the gamut of emotions. She reaches inside you and wrenches them free. The plot, narrative, and dialogue are raw, emotional, touching. Explores the price of loving, supporting, and holding down the ones you love, the cost of mistakes and missed opportunities, and how we adapt to what the world gives us. You’re left with only the aroma of dreams. I loved the ending; it was highly satisfying and appropriate. I recommend Hold You Down to all readers of multicultural interest and anyone looking for truly exceptional fiction.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.