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A review by unfxckwhittable
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Characters: 4.5
Plot: 4.0
Theme: 3.5
Cover: 5.0
17 yo Enchanted Jones’ dreams of becoming a singer seem within reach when she encounters 28 yo superstar Korey Fields. But soon her dreams turn into a living nightmare.
Tiffany Jackson was one of my favorite authors of 2022. And reading this in 2023 did not disappoint. Jackson has a gift for evoking emotion from me through her words. I utterly detested KF and everyone who supported him and his lifestyle, he gave me the ick from the first touch. But I really enjoyed how this story was written—from the plot twists to the ending.
This story touches on many important and timely topics, and certainly made me reflect on my own views. I found I was annoyed by Enchanted’s attitude about “being grown” at 17 and wanting to be treated like an adult, even though I was the same way at her age. I caught myself falling into the “fast girls” narrative and had to reflect on why I was judging a child with an adult lens. This book also made me really think about how to build my own children up and communicate with them so they don’t need to find love and value externally, but also so they don’t feel the need to deliberately keep things from their parents like Enchanted did.
I also appreciated the inclusion of the social media comments on how society forms their opinions on situations like this with BM/BW, because every single comment was one I had seen when talking about R. Kelly.
This story touches on many important and timely topics, and certainly made me reflect on my own views. I found I was annoyed by Enchanted’s attitude about “being grown” at 17 and wanting to be treated like an adult, even though I was the same way at her age. I caught myself falling into the “fast girls” narrative and had to reflect on why I was judging a child with an adult lens. This book also made me really think about how to build my own children up and communicate with them so they don’t need to find love and value externally, but also so they don’t feel the need to deliberately keep things from their parents like Enchanted did.
I also appreciated the inclusion of the social media comments on how society forms their opinions on situations like this with BM/BW, because every single comment was one I had seen when talking about R. Kelly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Stalking, Kidnapping, Torture, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, and Mental illness