Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

53 reviews

belleden's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I did not expect to devour this book in one day! It was so different than what I expected, but I couldn’t put it down. The alternating narration, voicemails, and police reports truly kept it a mystery until the final page.
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evareads18's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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sarahlovesbooks's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

A tough read but so well done. Intense and pulls you in. It has more than the usual thriller. 
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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book had me holding my breath the whole time I was reading it. While predictable in a lot of ways, it is still a story that demands to be told. I couldn’t even get emotional until the very end. Loosely based on R. Kelly’s abuse of young Black women, this book is a devastating portrayal of all the ways money and power allows men to get away with whatever they want to do to women, especially Black ones. This book is an homage to all the women who’ve been abused and haven’t been believed. Believe them. 
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krzzykitty92's review

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dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

It follows an aspiring singer as she falls into the alluring trap of a successful, older R&B singer. The relationship quickly escalated into violence and from the beginning we know there is a death that happens. 
It’s a story of grooming, gaslighting, accomplices of violence, and domestic / partner violence. It’s very hard to read at times but it is an amazing read. 
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florinereads's review

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dark sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
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semi's review

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dark emotional 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

3.75

Spolier Warning!
 
What I liked/Highlights: 
1. For starters, I love that this book is in the YA genre because I really do think this is something YA's should be aware of and bring attention to how society and media play a part in rape culture and how society fails to protect young girls, especially young black girls.
2. Near the end of the book when the media gets involved and it shows the discourse between Corey's cult followers and people who believe Enchanted's side of the story. I'm not saying I liked the victim shaming, but I liked the fact that it was realistic because the theme of this book wouldn't been lost if everyone believed the victim since sadly in real life that's not always how it unfolds, especially when the predator has a significant amount of influence and power. Plus I appreciated how the victim blaming was blatantly called out within this book by some characters.
What I disliked:
1. Making the reader wonder if she has a mental illness that made her hallucinate. Adding the mental health scare just to confirm her not seeing hallucinations or having a mental illness in a chapter or two was unnecessary. Perhaps it was a way to reflect how young black girls are made to question their sanity but it could've been executed better.
2. How rushed some parts of Corey's relationship was with Enchanted. Especially during the tour, Corey just automatically turned abusive, possessive, and  stalkery. While reading the book, it felt like pieces were taken out at times because Corey's behavior didn't line up or it came so out of left field. I also wished that Corey's character was more developed even if his character is supposed to be a symbol of what men in power can do to vulnerable young, women.
3. The ending was a little confusing so I had to search up the explanation to understand what happened.
4. How Corey's friends knew exactly what he was doing to Enchanted and chose to look the other way.
My Key Takeaway(s):
1. This book felt like a novelization of the R. Kelly case. This book is about the abuse of power that happens behind the scenes in the music industry. It's about how society will ignore the stories of women to continue to keep men in power, but this book didn't handle it in a way that was men-bashing. 
2. Overall I have some mixed feelings in regards to where some characters stand, like Corey's assistant, but I think this is a book that will lead to crucial discussions and serve as a lesson on empathy.
Who wouldn’t like this book: People who don't want to read books with the content warnings, there's a lot of them. (Also I would recommend to take breaks while reading this book as some of the topics and situations can be too much sometimes)
Favorite quotes: 
“Our daughter was stalked, preyed upon, and assaulted by a grown man. This is when we need our village the most.”
“I'm so sorry, Daddy."
None of this is your fault. Not one drop of it. No child should ever take the blame for a man's actions.”
“Yo, Malcolm X said it best. “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.”
“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.”
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charlie_hill_17_04's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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criticalbooks's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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