Jackson, Tiffany D. Grown. New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2020.
ISBN-13: 978-0062840356 | $17.99 USD | 371 pages | YA Thriller
Blurb
Korey Fields is dead.
When Enchanted Jones wakes with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night, no one—the police and Korey’s fans included—has more questions than she does. All she really knows is that this isn’t how things are supposed to be. Korey was Enchanted’s ticket to stardom.
Before there was a dead body, Enchanted was an aspiring singer, struggling with her tight knit family’s recent move to the suburbs while trying to find her place as the lone Black girl in high school. But then legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots her at an audition. And suddenly her dream of being a professional singer takes flight.
Enchanted is dazzled by Korey’s luxurious life but soon her dream turns into a nightmare. Behind Korey’s charm and star power hides a dark side, one that wants to control her every move, with rage and consequences. Except now he’s dead and the police are at the door. Who killed Korey Fields?
All signs point to Enchanted.
Award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another riveting, ripped-from-the-headlines mystery that exposes horrific secrets hiding in the limelight and the power of a young woman’s voice.
Review
5 stars
Grown is another deeply impactful read from Tiffany D. Jackson, one that both kept me guessing and made me think and reflect, especially in the ways she perfectly encompassed the lionizing of an icon to the point where their abuses of power are repeatedly swept under the rug by fans and the simultaneous shaming of the victims.
The narrative also beautifully and suspensefully goes back and forth between the event of Korey Fields’ murder and the events leading up to it in his toxic relationship with Enchanted. It all feels so visceral and real, and you experience all the twists and turns of this increasingly toxic relationship in such an intimate way. Jackson writes it in a way that Enchanted always feels authentic in the moment, but there is always a sense of self-awareness that it’s wrong that becomes more and more apparent over the course of the narrative until things come to a head.
Enchanted is a wonderful protagonist who I rooted for throughout. She believes she knows what she wants and what she’s prepared for, and finds herself in a situation she never could have imagined that spirals more and more out of her control, and yet she never crumbles in the face of adversity.
I really appreciate Tiffany D. Jackson for writing this book and handling the situation with such care, from the rare in-book inclusion of content warnings to being upfront about her own story that inspired the book and providing resources for those who need it. While I would be hesitant to recommend it to everyone without consideration about the sensitive content, especially with those who are survivors, I think this is a poignant book that I hope will be read widely and assist in opening people’s eyes to the reality of being a sexual abuse survivor.
CWs (also included in the book): mentions of sexual abuse, rape, assault, child abuse, kidnapping, and addiction to opioids
Author Bio
Tiffany D. Jackson is the New York Times Bestselling author of YA novels including the Coretta Scott King — John Steptoe New Talent Award-winning Monday’s Not Coming, the NAACP Image Award-nominated Allegedly, Let Me Hear A Rhyme, and her 2020 title GROWN. She received her bachelor of arts in film from Howard University, her master of arts in media studies from the New School, and has over a decade in TV/Film experience. The Brooklyn native is a lover of naps, cookie dough, and beaches, currently residing in the borough she loves, most likely multitasking.
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