Tiffany Jackson can do no wrong! She develops beautiful and strong characters and creates engaging and meaningful story lines.

Amazing book its amazing characters. The book was very interesting and intriguing with why happen in the book. I would love to read more by Tiffany and I love the way she explain certain things that are happening in the real world before and after this book was published.

"A ripped-from-the-headlines story about sexual exploitation, the dark crimes of celebrity elites, and the power of silence and speaking up, Grown is set in the modern day and uses a nonlinear plot to explore the uncomfortable conversation at the heart of the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment."

Trigger warnings: Grooming, sexual assault, self-harm, mental and physical abuse and opioid addiction.

Why do I choose to torture myself!?! I put this book off for years because I knew it would be a rough one to get through and man was it. It's always hard to read about abusive relationships especially when as the reader you see all the red flags and see the relationship slowly shift to that of a nightmare. It's especially hard when the victim is so young and impressionable and blinded by "love". These stories are important to talk and to read about. This was such a raw and gripping story that Jackson seamlessly weaves together.

“Trying to reclaim [her] life is a lot like drowning” (238), and she has a long road to recovery.

A introspective look at the inequities of society through an imperfect cast dealing with issues no one should ever have to. I would recommend this book to students who could handle the complexities of Enchanted's story.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Tiffany D. Jackson book and it put her at the top of my Must Buy authors list. I still have a lot of her backlog I need to catch up on. Her writing is beautiful, immersing, and just feels so real.

GROWN is about Enchanted Jones, a teenager with dreams of becoming a singer. When she meets legendary R&B artist Korey Fields while at an audition, her life is thrown into a roller coaster. Korey takes an interest in Enchanted and wants to help her career. Soon, though, this sweet guy who she once enjoyed just as an artist reveals a dark, controlling side. Until one day, Enchanted wakes up, cover in blood, and Korey is dead.

Full of mystery, intrigue, and true to life characters, you will not be able to put it down. This book is fast-paced, disturbing, and should be required reading in school. As I was reading this fictional story, all I could think about were all the nonfiction stories similar to it.

If you have somehow skipped over this one, maybe because reading YA isn’t you deal, I would highly recommend checking it out. I think about Enchanted still to this day. I cannot recommend it enough.

Content warnings (included at the front of the book, as they should be): sexual abuse, assault, rape, child abuse, kidnapping, opioid addiction

My heart hurt the entire time I was reading this book, but I couldn't put it down. It was incredibly heavy and difficult to read at times, but I encourage everyone to read this book. Don't scoff because it's YA -- every young adult and older adult should read this book.

This coming of age novel is a must for teenagers who live for music. Heavy themes get you thinking about your worth, the value of family, and wishing your childhood away.

Truly an excellent read. It is a very hard to digest topic but such an important story to be told. Definitely a worthwhile read that will make you think.

Tiffany D. Jackson's ability to make the red flags about Korey's interest in Enchanted super obvious to readers while also keeping Enchanted's innocence and willingness to believe Korey realistic is incredibly impressive.

🎤 This book is loosely based on the R. Kelly cases but Korey Fields is a villain of his own making and I really appreciated that the author was able to use the cases as a base but provide a while new story

🎤 A lot of reviewers seemed to hate the portrayal of Enchanted which makes me sad because honestly I feel that she was written like an innocent teenager with no knowledge of the world and blinded by love.

What Missed the Mark
🎤 I really did not like the way Enchanted's parents were portrayed. I mean don't get me wrong, parents make mistakes all the time and I don't blame them for what happened to Enchanted. But to me they came across as being way too passive. There were too many scenes throughout the novel that just made me rage so hard at them.

🎤 I really wanted to see Enchanted fight more, especially after her escape in the middle of the novel. Maybe I'm being unkind because she does have a lot of trauma to work through but i don't know. For someone who dug so deep into herself just to survive Korey much less escape, her post-escape self seemed weaker than I would have liked to see.

🎤 The whole Gabriela plot twist was overkill. Like I can understand the whole her disappearing and her boyfriend pretending he doesn't know her part. But the part where no one knew who she was was just out of left field.

A raw and gripping story. Beware that this can be triggering for some, but the story is well developed and compelling.

I'm currently clearing out all of the books that were published in 2019-20 from my title feedback view!

This is a heavy emotional read of abuse and assault and how women are treated when coming forward to bring days situations to light. What’s heart wrenching is the things that this seventeen year old endures and trust it happens in real life. The author did an outstanding job weaving heavy topics thorough out the story line .

I loved this book, but due to the contents, It was pretty hard to read. I appreciated that Jackson made the story this way and didn't skimp on details, and I really appreciated the content and trigger warning at the beginning of the book.

The beginning caught my attention immediately. I wasn't sure how I would like this book considering I don't like YA or usually anything that focuses on teenagers, but I was enthralled right away thanks to Jackson's storytelling. As the story went on, I think it got a little boring, but it picked back up at the end. Due to this, I think it could be cut down a bit to keep up the pacing throughout.

Overall, I really liked this story and found it a necessary story for everyone to read—especially parents.

This was a hard book to get through. Tiffany D. Jackson has such a way of writing difficult stories. While the material was guy-wrenching, the story is so important. Highly recommend Grown to all readers!

Grown is the story of Enchanted, who is seduced and then deceived by music star Korey Fields. While reading the book, I heard that it was based off of the events of the R. Kelly scandal. I appreciated the character development, particularly how Enchanted grew from being this naive young woman, swept up in a too-good-to-be-true deal, to one who appreciates what she had all along. This story sheds light on the grooming of young women, and I'm glad it spreads awareness to an important topic.

Tiffany Jackson writes such powerful, heartbreaking books, and GROWN is no exception. The non-linear timeline here worked beautifully, and the characters were so raw and real. Outstanding pacing and plot. Highly recommend.

I love Tiffany D. Jackson’s books, and she happens to be my dream guest author (for future days when authors tour in person again)! GROWN has an intriguing structure, opening with a big reveal and then taking the reader back in time to accompany 17-year old Enchanted Jones on her journey from aspiring singer to murder suspect. A page-turner with a ripped-from-the-headlines vibe, much to discuss (especially with teen readers), and an Author's Note with resources for anyone in a situation like Enchanted's.

This book was so powerful! A great look into what can appear "glamorous" - a warning for young people consumed with ideas of fame and instant celebrity. It also loudly shouts out about the injustice still so steeped in our societal norms.

3.75 stars. It was a little too heavy-handed at times and it was hard for me to feel like I really knew Corey. It was also hard to follow when everything was going down at Corey’s place. The premise is intriguing, but there were mature thematic elements that made it inaccessible for many teens and school libraries. Some elements were also explained away too easily or dealt with in too basic of a way.