An instant New York Times bestseller! “Grown exposes the underbelly of a tough conversation, providing a searing examination of misogynoir, rape culture, and the vulnerability of young black girls. Groundbreaking, heart-wrenching, and essential reading for all in the #MeToo era.” —Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles Award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers … Belles
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.
“Never have I read a story that so flawlessly hits the highest high and lowest low notes of Black girlhood in pursuit of the American Dream.” —Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin and Jackpot
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Tiffany D. Jackson has penned a riveting, powerful love story to Black girlhood and a haunting reminder of the ways in which their innocence is often stolen. Remarkable, suspenseful, and gut-wrenching, Grown is a masterfully told story that stays with you long after you put it down.
Never have I read a story that so flawlessly hits the highest high and lowest low notes of Black girlhood in pursuit of the American Dream. Tiffany D. Jackson has done it again.
I would say this book it’s pretty. I walked into the book knowing little to nothing and was not expecting it to be this good. This book shows a lot of older men taking advantage of minors. Which this booked showed a pretty realistic representation for that.
Why do girls go for guys like this? Uncomfortable to watch the heroine make such poor choices.
Enchanted Jones is a teenager with big dreams of making it as a singer. When she attends a singing audition, she makes an impression on R&B singer Korey Fields. An older man, he showers her with compliments and promises.
When he is found dead, Enchanted is the main suspect. She is adamant that she isn’t the killer. As the story unwinds, it is evident that Korey is a sexual predator, and is abusing and controlling. Enchanted unravels and her life becomes a nightmare.
This is a powerful story on the dangers that face young teenage girls, and how no one believes the child, and instead believes the man—even one who has been accused numerous times.
A beautiful and sad story about the ones who abuse power and money and the victims who suffer from it. Pursuing her dream to become a singer, Enchanted found herself in the arms of Korey Fields. What she thought was necessary to fight for her dream – what she thought was love, ended up being her worst nightmare. What I loved about Enchanted was her spirit. Even though many did not believe her claims, even called her crazy, she did not give up the fight for truth, to be heard and for justice to be seen. An incredibly written story and one of my top favorites!
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson is the perfect book to buddy read, group read, or read for your book club. It is a young adult, but it is hard-hitting, heartbreaking, and gripping. Enchanted was a hard viewpoint for me at times, and it broke my heart to see what she was letting happen to herself with R&B artist Korey Fields (loosely based on R. Kelly). There is also a bit of mystery in the book as to who kills him as Enchanted starts sleuthing on her own to find the answer. I liked the mix of contemporary and mystery and be prepared for this book to make you FEEL. It delves deep into grooming and sexual abuse and is definitely for a more mature YA audience.
This is one of those books that is uncomfortable to read, but also incredibly timely and important. I didn’t find Enchanted to be all that mature, and I think this is more common than we would like to think about. I don’t have any kids, but if I had a daughter I know I would be terrified for them. Grown really hits home how much harder it gets to protect your child once they are almost an adult, and sometimes you just can’t save them. I love the conversation this whole book brings up and I thought the audio was very well done as well. Joniece Abbott-Pratt narrates and while I hadn’t heard her before, I wouldn’t mind listening to more books with her narrating. She made the perfect Enchanted and I think listening to the book made me even more mad than I would have been simply reading it.
The book is broken up between NOW and THEN which I really liked, but it also got confusing at times so I think it would be good to have a physical copy as well if you decide to go the audio route. I have never read a book by Jackson before and it is clear she is not afraid to talk about the things that make us uncomfortable. I was fully immersed in the story, and I highly recommend Grown to anyone (yes adults too) that is looking for a timely contemporary novel. It is a brutal read that will bring up so many emotions but incredibly worth it.
To date I have read every novel by this amazing author and I haven’t been disappointed yet. Needless to say, she is one of my favorites. She always has the ability to deliver an intense, raw story and Grown was no different.
Enchanted Jones is a seventeen year old senior, going to a private high school. She is a good student and a member of the swim team. Since she was a little girl being in the water has been like being home. She compares her desire to be in the water to that of a mermaid. The water is her solace, her safe place. But more than the water, more than anything else, all she ever wanted to do was sing. With the help of her best friend Gabriella she finally gets her opportunity at a singing contest. Although she doesn’t win the contest, she meets Korey Fields, a twenty-nine year old, famous, R&B artist. He compliments her singing and gives her tips on how she can improve. While Enchanted’s mother wasn’t looking, he also put his number in her cell phone. Unbeknownst to anyone, even Enchanted’s best friend Gab, a relationship ensues between the two of them. A relationship between a man that doesn’t have good intentions, and a child.
There is no doubt that this is an amazing story. However, because it deals with sexual and physical abuse, grooming, rape and manipulation of underage girls it is also gut wrenching, disturbing and terrifying. But let’s talk about why it’s an extremely important read, and one that should be shared with as many teenage girls as possible. Although on the surface this book is about one man, it is truly about the misuse of power, and how so many men with power have abused young girls and women. Yet somehow the victims are made out to be the perpetrator in the public eye. Their claims of abuse are considered invalid because of what they wore, how they carried themselves, etc. And unfortunately, this is especially true for women of color. No more. Women support women. This book is worth your time, sit down and give it a read.
“What a woman wears or doesn’t wear doesn’t give anyone the right to touch them. Well, you know he’s had a rough childhood. Abandoned by his mom, didn’t know his father, raised by his grandma who passed. We’ve all BEEN through a lot but that don’t give you no excuse to abuse girls.”
― Tiffany D. Jackson, Grown
“He knew better.”~ Tiffany D. Jackson (less)
With a gripping plot and punch-to-the-heart stakes, Tiffany D. Jackson’s Grown exposes the underbelly of a tough conversation — the seductive abuse of older men who prey on teen girls — providing a searing examination of misogynoir, rape culture, and the vulnerability of young black girls. Groundbreaking, heart wrenching, and essential reading for all in the #MeToo era.
Before you read this book, the author goes into several trigger warnings for the content. Please pay attention to those and take them seriously. This book deals with a lot of heavy and emotionally taxing content.
Also, a lot of people are going to automatically compare this situation to a certain known R&B predator since the Netflix documentary was released not too long ago. The author also makes it clear that this story is in no way connected to that. Yes, there are similarities, but the bigger narrative of grown men preying on teenage girls is the focal point and something that regularly occurs within the Black community.
Now that I’ve made my disclaimers, I just need to say that this book hit so unbelievably hard. Enchanted ‘Chanty’ Jones is 17 years old and dreams of being a singer even though her parents would much rather she focus on her school work and swimming. Chanty finally gets the opportunity of a lifetime when R&B singer Korey Fields notices her at a tryout and decides to take her under his wing. Chanty is so focused on her dreams coming true that she doesn’t realize the grave situation that she’s in until it’s too late.
There is so much to unpack in this story, and I can tell you right now that I will not be able to get to all of it or do it justice. What the author does is creates this driven and enthusiastic character (Chanty) who falls prey to the manipulation of a grown man. Some people are going to say that this is unrealistic and that clearly Chanty is naive or some other nonsense, but that is not the narrative.
Grown shows how easy it is take a young person and break them down through repeated manipulation and control of power until all that’s left is a shell of a person. Chanty is alienated from her family and undergoes severe trauma (emotionally, psychologically, and physically) at the hands of Korey.
As someone who dated grown men as a teenager thinking that it was because I was special or mature, this story shows why the behavior is never okay and how predatory it is. This is something that runs rampant in the Black and brown communities especially where females tend to physically mature faster and appear “grown”. This book is one that young people need to read. This conversation needs to become normalized, and I hope that Grown can at least start that.
Thank you to Harper Teen (Epic Reads) for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
This heart-pounding, powerful story about a young girl trapped in a predator’s web holds up a devastating mirror to our society’s refusal to care about all victims. A call-out and condemnation of the celebrity-besotted culture that allows evil people to destroy lives.
Grown is equal parts riveting and alarming. It asks hard questions about power, innocence, and who we, as a society, see as worth saving. A captivating and cautionary page-turner.
Grown is ripped-from-the-headlines Young Adult fiction from Tiffany D. Jackson.
Seventeen-year-old high school student, Enchanted Jones, awakens covered in blood with no memory of what has occurred. Her dream of being a professional singer has gone all wrong. She was ecstatic when esteemed R&B singer, Korey Fields, acknowledged her and became her mentor, that is, until she met the other Korey. Her role model has a “dark” side. Now, Korey is dead and the police are at the door. Her hopes and dreams are dead too. Her promising life has imploded.
Grown is my introduction to Tiffany D. Jackson, and I am impressed with her social commentary. The story alternates between the present and the recent past: Now and Then. This writing technique is especially impactful here. Enchanted is every Black girl with a dream. She is the embodiment of many societal ills. Her story is the hidden burden placed upon many women, but is even more devastating for women of color, especially young women. Those without a voice, at least without one that’s heard and believed. Serious issues are explored in this novel. Reality is exposed. Eyes and minds will be opened. I was shattered but couldn’t put it down. I am compelled to rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to all readers of Young Adult fiction and anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
My thanks to HarperCollins Children’s Books 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.
Enchanted Jones is a high school student who wants a singing career more than anything. She hears about a singing contest and tricks her mom into taking her to the audition. There she meets Korey Fields, a music superstar. Their eyes meet and Enchanted is thrilled. They meet a couple of more times, as if by magic, and Enchanted is wondering if he’s as interested in her as she is in him. She tells herself not to worry about the age difference, he’s 28, she’s 17. He tells her he’s interested in her singing, even recording her singing. She doesn’t tell her best friend nor her parents about his texting her and asking her to meet him because when he told her not to tell anyone about them, she assumed it was because he was famous and she wasn’t sure her parents wouldn’t forbid her to see him. Then Korey is found dead and Enchanted’s life explodes.
This book explores many key issues making headlines in today’s world about grown men exploiting young women, about people, perhaps most particularly the police, not believing the victims, about how young women could believe that a grown man could be interested in them, etc., etc. Jackson aptly and sometimes subtly, explores all the issues surrounding the exploitation of young women by grown men – and she does it so well.
This is a well-written fast paced character driven novel that will make you uncomfortable at times, make you sad at other times, but it most certainly will keep you engaged. The ending may or may not surprise you, but you will, in all probability, have a visceral reaction to it.
Because of the subject matter, some readers may shy away from the book. However, this book deserves a wide audience of readers because it is an important exploration of issue of import to all women. This book deserves to be at the top of your to-be-read list.
My thanks to Harper and Edelweiss for an eARC.