Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

17 reviews

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

ruinedbyreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Stalking, Mental illness, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Physical abuse

kmyr1123's review

dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Murder, Trafficking, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Drug abuse, Torture, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Confinement, Blood, and Stalking

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, and Suicide attempt

ghosttown's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

this was a heavy, heartbreaking, shattering book but also extremely important. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Drug use, Murder, Trafficking, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Torture, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Child abuse

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

bl00dsuccker's review

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

this book was absolutely heart wrenching. but it’s stories like these that need to be told more often, you see the parents side and the victims side in cases like these. it’s so easy to push blame when your favorite person is accused of something like this. and this book hits EXTREMELY hard on the topic of race. the malcolm x quote was extremely needed. since enchanted was a darkskinned BLACK woman, the police took no time to accuse her of murder and ignore the fact she was beaten, stalked and raped. but if gabriella (or olivia) did it, korey would have been in jail in five seconds. the author did another amazing job of writing a book having to deal with a very real situation, mondays not coming was an amazing read. i believe everyone should read this book. especially if you still believe r kelly didn’t do it. even thought the author says it isn’t about r kelly, it’s heavily inspired.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual violence

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

jademeu's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

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

3.0

"All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was." - Toni Morrison

"She saw him disappear by the river, / they asked her to tell what happened. / Only to discount her memory." Text from The Waterbearer, by Lorna Simpson.

Tiffany D. Jackson's character, Enchanted, is a waterbearer in this story. In the water in her blood is the memory of her happiness--the sea--as well as the memory of her horror, her abuser. Jackson honors the Black women artists who came before her, such as Toni Morisson and Lorna Simpson, while also fearlessly forging her own craft. The read was short, but it was powerful. The words clear, direct, yet capable of painting beautiful images. A reminder that this story may be fictional, but the stories it was inspired by are real. A powerful voice. A satisfying resolution for Enchanted.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Stalking, Blood, Confinement, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, and Physical abuse

lynxpardinus's review

dark emotional sad tense

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Racism

Moderate: Suicide, Vomit, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content

Also includes graphic depictions of victim blaming, and frames a relationship with a smaller yet still notable age gap as misunderstood. There is also a scene where the main character narrates that she forgives somebody who attempted to sexually assault her.

alyssaarch's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Rape

dahliaist's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

it was hard to get into at first, because enchanted’s narration wasn’t really powerful to me, but when it picked up… OMG. i read most of it in a single sitting. the last chapter was a bit confusing but it’s a really powerful, striking book, with a lot of emotional plot twists and a good mystery. possibly triggering topics, though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, and Rape

Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, and Misogyny

Minor: Suicide

_dasbrot's review

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

the writing style was very cinematic and one of my favourite parts of this book. it really amplified the tension.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, and Confinement

Moderate: Stalking, Sexual assault, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Cursing