Title- Grown
Author- Tiffany D Jackson
Series- standalone
Rating– 3.5/5
Genre- YA contemporary
Cover– representative
Plot/Blurb-
Award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another riveting, ripped-from-the-headlines mystery that exposes horrific secrets hiding behind the limelight and embraces the power of a young woman’s voice.
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?
Before there was a dead body, Enchanted’s dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey’s charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he’s dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted.
Overall note– Trigger warnings for sexual assault and rape and not being listened to by the cops. The dialogue felt realistically high school. I loved Enchanted’s name, her choice of bald head and her talent in singing. The chapters were short so this was a fast paced read with flowing prose.
First chapter- quick, great, terrifying, realistic & intriguing opening
Best part- the contemporary/modern vibe was well done and flowed. Nothing felt forced
What I would change- less group thread chats
Prose- a strength in this novel
Dialogue- realistic
Inclusivity- the main character and most secondary characters are Black
Ethics/morals- murder
Pacing- fast
Thoughts while reading-
Page 34- multiple pages of texting threads isn’t my style of reading in novels.
Page 116- I swam Division 1 in college and some of the swim lingo, terminology, & facts aren’t 100% accurate.
Page 192- I feel bad for this character swept up into all of it. Her thoughts, “if I love him hard enough, maybe, just maybe, I can keep the dark away.”
Page 328- she thinks she found the murderer. Is she right?
Ending- Page 370- the ending is interesting but makes other events earlier in the book make less sense.
Cassie Swindon 