From the Bookshelf of Between The Pages…

Grown

Tiffany D. Jackson

Start date: August 1, 2021

Finish date: August 31, 2021

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Discussion leader: Sylvs (NOVELty Reads)

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What Members Thought

Nov 04, 2020 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020, diverse, good-thrillers, ya-bangers

“What a woman wears or doesn’t wear doesn’t give anyone the right to touch them.
Before reading, I want everyone to be aware that this is a very heavy read. TW for abuse, emotional manipulation, rape, death, grooming, pedophilia, and drugging. All of these are present throughout the novel, and I want everyone to be aware going in, since it made this incredibly difficult to read. Please, take care of yourself. <3

This was such a brutal, yet necessary read. I'd hesitate to call this addictive - ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Aug 13, 2021 Zitong Ren rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, 2021, diverse, young-adult, contemporary, mystery

Well, I thought that this was great. I would not say that it was necessarily I had a good fun time reading this because, oh my god there are a lot of deeply disturbing stuff in here. So, major trigger warnings for abuse, underage sex, what I would classify as rape, domestic violence, drugs, physical assault, manipulation and other stuff along those lines. The main character at the start is seventeen and, in a sense, can be classified as YA, although I feel that this novel covered a lot of darker Well, I thought that this was great. I would not say that it was necessarily I had a good fun time reading this because, oh my god there are a lot of deeply disturbing stuff in here. So, major trigger warnings for abuse, underage sex, what I would classify as rape, domestic violence, drugs, physical assault, manipulation and other stuff along those lines. The main character at the start is seventeen and, in a sense, can be classified as YA, although I feel that this novel covered a lot of darker stuff not normally seen in YA contemporaries. I mean, I could be wrong, I largely read fantasy and YA contemporary romance, so I wouldn’t know what YA thrillers/murder mysteries are like(although for a lot of this, it did feel much more like a contemporary novel to me). I suppose that if you want to give this book an age bracket, I’ll probably say it is more like New Adult, just considering that it doesn’t feel like an adult novel, but also covers a bit of stuff that I normally don’t see in YA.

So anyway, I really enjoyed this. I thought that it tackled many themes extremely well in a mature and realistic way. I actual do not think that I’ve read a novel so heavily centred on abuse, especially from this sort of older man against a young woman. First off, it grossed me out - I hate that this stuff does occur, and I do think people should be more widely aware as there are high profile incidents of this sort of stuff happening and books like this help raise awareness of some of the terrible stuff these young women are coerced into going through. Secondly, I was glad that the author was able to make me feel incredibly yuck as in my view, that meant that author’s writing was good enough for me to be engaged in the story and despise Korey Fields.

I really liked the characterisation of Enchanted and Korey Fields. They both conveyed exactly what they need to for this story to work and for Tiffany D. Jackson to really grip the reader. Because I will say, while I hated Korey Fields with every fibre of my being, he was also a really compelling character to read about. I just thought that Enchanted was very well written and was a really good protagonist for this novel. Not much focus was given to the side characters compared to these main two, although I did still think they were unique enough individuals. That being said, I do think more could have been done with the side characters to have given them more of a spotlight as there were interesting stories to be explored there, especially with Gab.

The pacing was fine, I do think that the ending was slightly rushed and Korey’s descent into being himself was initially a bit rushed before it ended up being repetitive. It did bother me somewhat but didn’t really detract from my enjoyment of this story - and that is what matters.

I think ultimately that while this novel wasn’t perfect, I’m giving it a five star because of how much it managed to grab my attention. 9/10 ...more

11 likes · Like · see review

Nov 20, 2020 mjraves rated it it was amazing

wow. just what the fucking fuck?! anyways im too mind blown to write a review at the moment but full one coming soon!

6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 27, 2021 Eileen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, 2021-ng-group-challenge, ownvoices, 2021, audiobook, 2021netgalleychallenge, mystery, teen-young-adult, thriller, realistic-fiction

4.5

This was not an easy read. The main character and narrator is a 17-year old girl and in that sense, it could be considered a teen book. But the topics it covers are pretty serious and it might be too much for a younger teen. The author begins the book with a dedication to all the victims and survivors of abuse to let them know they are believed. The content warning includes mentions of sexual abuse, rape, assault, child abuse, kidnapping, and addiction to opioids.

This was kind of a slow star 4.5

This was not an easy read. The main character and narrator is a 17-year old girl and in that sense, it could be considered a teen book. But the topics it covers are pretty serious and it might be too much for a younger teen. The author begins the book with a dedication to all the victims and survivors of abuse to let them know they are believed. The content warning includes mentions of sexual abuse, rape, assault, child abuse, kidnapping, and addiction to opioids.

This was kind of a slow start for me, and I wasn't a huge fan of Enchanted because of the way she lied to her parents and did what she wanted, and also how she seemed ungrateful for the sacrifices they made for her to be able to go to the school she did. But as the story proceeded, I realized that she did not really behave that differently from many teenagers and that she shouldn't have had to deal with what she did because of it.

From the beginning, you could see the warning flags, although they weren't totally obvious and I had to remember that she was talking to her idol, so it was easy to ignore the signs. But it was also obvious because the story began at the end with so much blood so you knew where this had to go. But that didn't make it any less difficult to live through her story. It was like she stepped onto a runaway train and then had no way to get off of it. The author showed us what it was like to be completely gaslighted into believing that your only worth and role was to make your abuser happy. It didn't matter that others offered you a hand. Having been in the position of watching someone in an abusive relationship and finally seeing her break free (and I didn't see absolutely everything, but I saw enough), I know that what Enchanted went through was pretty realistic and absolutely terrifying.

The only thing I wasn't really sure I got was the whole Gaby thing. It added to the idea that Enchanted really was crazy and maybe she imagined the whole thing. When the explanation comes at the end, you know that was partly Korey's doing. But it wasn't just him and the explanation she gives about why no one knew of her--well, I just feel like it could have been done better.

So did I enjoy this? That would probably not be the right word for it. It was not easy reading about some of the things she went through. But there was some redemption for her at the end, and I liked the message that the victims pulled together to support each other and that ultimately, it was up to them to make their voices heard. It required people in the community to give them the chance to speak and getting the right help, though. The author's message of black women being the least heard even in their own community, and even to other black women was very clear. And this does not take away from the non-black women who have been sexually abused. But this is an #ownvoices book giving voice to the black women who have been victims and I think it's a very important book. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Feb 11, 2022 Sylvs (NOVELty Reads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT, PEDOPHILIA, ABUSE (VERBAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL), EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION, GROOMING, DATE RAPE DRUGS, GASLIGHTING

This book is one that words can't really describe.

This book is meant to make you feel uncomfortable. It's meant to be confronting and it's meant to be shocking, gut-wrenching and emotional. I picked up from where I left off and finished it in two days, it was just that gripping and I didn't want to put the book down. This book was a tough read. It's about the mani TW: SEXUAL ASSAULT, PEDOPHILIA, ABUSE (VERBAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL), EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION, GROOMING, DATE RAPE DRUGS, GASLIGHTING

This book is one that words can't really describe.

This book is meant to make you feel uncomfortable. It's meant to be confronting and it's meant to be shocking, gut-wrenching and emotional. I picked up from where I left off and finished it in two days, it was just that gripping and I didn't want to put the book down. This book was a tough read. It's about the manipulation of power and about sexual assault and abuse. There were times when I had to put the book down because it was just that scary and tense to read about as you watch the manipulation of a young, up and coming singer unfold.

Grown is an extremely fast paced and readable book. It's told in four parts and in very short and brief chapters. It tells the story of Enchanted who gets taken under music producer and R&B singer, Korey Fields' wing after he watches her audition at a singing competition. What starts off as a promise to record in his studio as a strictly mentor and student relationship turns into something more and then, into something worse than Enchanted could imagine.

What makes this book amazing and special is Tiffany D Jackson's storytelling. It's dark, fast and raw and yet somehow manages to make you feel all kinds of emotions like fear and discomfort. It was so gripping to read, I have never been so glued to my seat for ages.

My only real criticism though, in a book that was almost so effortlessly told is with the jumps in certain parts of the book. For example, part four started at a completely different point than where part three ended and it took a while for me to work out where we were in the storyline. Even then I felt like because of the time jumps, there were a few things we missed out on as readers and because of that, the story felt a little too fast at times.

The last bit I want to mention before I finish this review off is the ending. I had no idea what to make of it but wow what a twist to the story! And to have that twist on the very last page? Gutsy, but it definitely is memorable and sure to stay in your head as an awesome cliffhanger ending.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.2 STARS

...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 29, 2021 jabulisile (chaotic.pagesofjae) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, 2021-reads

5 stars

TW as mentioned in the book // sexual abuse, rape, assault, child abuse, kidnapping and addiction to opioids.

From the first page, we observe that something is very wrong here and to get to this point, we are taken back to the series of events that led up to this mystery/crime occurring. The story follows the 17 y/o Chanty, swept up in this world of delusion by an older, powerful man who abuses his power to control those (underage kids), he promises to mentor and introduce them to stardo ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 25, 2020 Kate rated it it was amazing

This book is brilliant. Be aware of the content warnings and also be warned that you are going to feel so many emotions while reading this book.

I primarily felt anger for the disgustingly accurate depiction of victim blaming and shaming that we have all witnessed in cases similar to this. How the victim’s voice and experience are questioned, how power and privilege dominate over the trauma and truth. How the attacker, who is the adult in these situations, knew better but is rarely held accounta ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 06, 2022 Lianne Anta rated it it was amazing

What a Powerful novel, Saying I loved this book feels wrong because the content of the novel was hard to read and uncomfortable at times. Some of the characters made me mad and I hated the treatment the adolescent girls received. This book was unputdownable and I am incredibly glad that I read it. One of the most powerful scenes for me was Gabriella’s interview with the police at the end. I love how she called them out and proved that Racism was a factor in the girls being believed. Absolute fiv ...more

1 like · Like · see review