Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

128 reviews

k_lupin's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Addiction, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, and Gaslighting

unifrost_8824's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual assault, Addiction, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

********** I don’t consider these spoilers, but you may *********



This may be an extreme and even glamour filled version of a reality that happens everyday to millions of women, especially BIPoC women and young women. Millions of us have been/are being assaulted (myself included), and probably just as many or more of us are beaten and brutalized and victimized and gaslighted by men, especially men with power, money, and influence. It doesn’t even have to be a lot of any of the three - so long as it’s just a little more than what we have. This story is my story. It’s an exaggerated version, but it happened to me under different circumstances. I also suspect the entertainment industry is probably as toxic as written. Bravo to Tiffany Jackson for writing with courage and gentleness and for killing off a character who should’ve been raised differently and could’ve brought so much beauty into the world if he had.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Misogyny, Violence, Bullying, Confinement, Infidelity, Stalking, Classism, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Gore, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Drug use, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Torture, Rape, and Sexual harassment

crybabybea's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Basically a cautionary tale wrapped up in a murder-mystery thriller. The story really only focuses on one character, Enchanted, a 17-year-old aspiring singer, and her toxic relationship with a powerful older singer named Korey Fields. Even though there are other characters, they don't play a huge part in the story and therefore aren't as fleshed out as Enchanted. It didn't affect my experience but might be a deal-breaker for some.

Since this is YA, it's definitely dark and does get pretty graphic. I did find some of the twists a little silly, but I think the point of the story was more the warning to young readers and exploration of rape culture, especially the silencing of Black women. Because of this, it felt a bit like a literary fiction with a murder-mystery thrown in.

I think Tiffany D. Jackson did a great job showing what it looks and feels like to be groomed and taken advantage of, and how quickly a toxic relationship can spiral out of control into violence. Definitely an important read for (teens and young adults especially) people who might be experiencing the same thing. I especially liked how the author captured the intense feelings of self-doubt and justification that goes through a victim's mind, without romanticizing the "good" moments, and the confusion that comes from manipulation and gaslighting. There was always a looming sense of danger in Enchanted's narration, which I appreciated. Also, she included content warnings in the beginning of the book and a list of resources for anyone struggling at the end, which I think should be done more often, especially in YA.

The pace is lightning fast and the simple prose makes it easy to breeze through. Overall an anxiety-inducing murder-mystery with a satisfying enough ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Sexual violence, Stalking, Body shaming, Blood, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Murder

minayana's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book was phenomenal and gut wrenching. From the first word, your eyes are glued to the page and you can’t help but keep reading and reading. It’s absolutely heartbreaking and horrifying as you watch Enchanted get groomed and her circumstances get worse and worse. This is such an important read, and I loved the spotlight on how black girls and women are treated when they are in abusive situations-not being believed, and being blamed for being too “grown.” I liked how the novel explores how a situation like this would affect the family as well, but in the end the focus is still on Enchanted. Your heart just breaks for her the whole novel, and you keep rooting for her to get her out of this situation. This didn’t get a 5 star cause unfortunately, the ending was a bit rushed and I’m not quite sure how I feel about the last two pages. I’ve read White Smoke by this author as well, and I’ve noticed that she tends to put a tad too many plot twists at the end. 

I really did not like how the author literally states in her authors note that the relationship between Gab and her bf is ok…..NO, it is NOT ok for an 18 year old to date a 15 year old just because the older one treats the younger one nicely like what the fuck….that really rubs me the wrong way. The whole point of the novel is the fact that it is the adults job to recognize that relations with a minor is wrong and disgusting!!! It literally goes against the whole message of the novel!!! It doesn’t matter that the older one was 17 in the beginning!!! A 14 year old and a 17 year old??? Gross!!! Ugh. Unfortunately, I just can’t give the book 5 stars for that.. Ignoring that one major flaw, this was an amazing book and I would highly recommend. Please check the trigger warnings first! This is a YA novel, but the content can be very triggering. This is definitely an older YA novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Rape and Racism

dreaminthepast's review

challenging emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Addiction

mathenam's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Stalking, Blood, Addiction, Sexual assault, Rape, Violence, Domestic abuse, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Murder, and Death

chrissys_library's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I read this book in one sitting, I was so tuned in and engaged to what was happening. My heart was hurt for Enchanted and I knew from the very beginning that Korey was not a good man and it was so infuriating. Everyone in my opinions needs to read this book and believe Black women and girls when they say they are being abused and harm and believe them the first time they say it. This was a heavy one but so so good.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Emotional abuse, Addiction, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Stalking, and Alcohol

lil_wavy_'s review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Tiffany definitely did her thang with this ONE. A great read, I was definitely not expecting the ending and was honestly worth finding out too. I'm not gonna lie but this story does remind me of a certain celebrity that y'all may know but I'll let y'all figure that one out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Addiction

lexa's review against another edition

5.0

Fantastic narration. Great story, although didn’t really get the mystery/thriller vibes until the last few chapters. Short chapters really move this page turner along. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Addiction, Confinement, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexual assault, and Stalking

Moderate: Blood