
Member Reviews

Tracey Brown is the queen of urban fiction and she will be missed. I loved this story of a Black girl lost and you see her demise and will never guess what she goes through as you progress through her journey. Brooklyn gutted me and will be a story that sticks with me for a long time.

Special thank you to St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of Brooklyn. This book was so good! I enjoyed the FMC soo much in this book. She was everything I needed her to give and then some. I really think we needed more story but I understand why it was stopped. I want to reread like ASAP.

I wanted to appreciate this more but was underprepared for the extreme graphic content around sexual assault and abuse of a minor. This is a challenging read and just not the best match for me.
RIP Tracy Brown.

This is an interesting tale of a master manipulator and serial survivor. Brooklyn's story is one of taking the wrong turn and the dark and dangerous path that can lead you. The storyline is interesting and engaging, gritty and unique.

The was very much a newer version of The Coldest Winter ever and I love it. I can’t wait for the teens girls to be introduced to this book. It would definitely get them in a reading groove.

Great story of a girl finding her way in the 90s, separating herself from family and rules to make her way in the sleazier side looking to get ahead. I read this quickly, I was enthralled.

Anything by Tracy Brown is an auto read for me! "Brooklyn" by Tracy Brown is a gripping tale that hooked me in from page one. Brown's writing does a good job of effortlessly weaving a story of love, betrayal, and redemption in the streets of Brooklyn. With well-drawn and relatable characters and a plot full of twists, this book is a must-read for fans of gritty urban fiction.

This book was so good and interesting from the beginning until the very end. The plot twist at the was worth it. I felt bad for Brooklyn at the same time. Tracy brown did a really good job with the story. I felt heartbroken for Brooklyn's brother. The book leaves you wondering just how selfish can one be? It also leaves you wondering who wouldn't want to kill her.

Brooklyn had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The writing was done so well, it felt like a movie. From the beginning we are left with the question, who killed Brooklyn ? As we learn about who Brooklyn is, it is not difficult to see why someone decided to kill her. Brooklyn was selfish, lost & didn’t care who she may hurt in the process, even her own family. Towards the end of the book, it seemed a bit rushed or as if someone else took over writing the rest of the story(which is quite possible given the circumstances surrounding the author). Overall, I enjoyed the last book written by Ms. Brown and plan to encourage others to read it as well.

Brooklyn lives with her mega pastor father and mother, along with her younger sister and older brother. Brooklyn is a loose cannon who feels misunderstood and mistreated by her mother. After an explosive fight with her family and a major secret revealed about her brother Brooklyn at 17 leaves home for good. Dealing with an older man Hassan, Brooklyn gets access to the drug game. Hassan shows Brooklyn the ropes during their brief affair. Meeting all of Hassans connects, when things go left for Hassan, Brooklyn continues the relationships she forged through Hassan, and sets off to do business deals on her own. As Brooklyn sinks further and further into the game her treacherous ways continue to grow. Brooklyn burns bridges at every turn, and ultimately one of those she betrayed takes her out. This story starts with Brooklyns death and from there follows the story that got her to the point of fateful end.
I always enjoyed all of Tracey Browns books and was so excited to get a copy of her last book, but I do have to say this wasn’t my favorite. It felt a bit rushed and the ending seemed a bit all over the place. I really wanted to love this one, but the main character was awful. I can see a young adult enjoying this one, but for older women it may be a bit annoying,
Thank you St Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Damn, this girl has been through it. She’s selfish and impulsive. But she’s been through stuff. This book is filled with trigger warnings but it’s centered around a woman just trying to survive.

I would like to thank Publisher and NetGalley for this ARC Copy.
This was a coming-of-age story here you have the James Family who has a Church in NY. The main character Brookly has 2 years left of High School but she ready to leave home now. I kindled understand with a Mother, like Sabrina she was awful and after what happen with Morris. I knew wouldn't care for her. But as I was reading this book the more I disliked Brooklyn she was to Hotheaded for me with her Brother Amir. This book was a real Page Turner love it rest in peace Queen.

This was an emotional conflicting read. Brooklyn’s character was easy to dislike and yet easy to love as well because it was her family trauma and lack of support that caused her to make the decisions she made.. A lost young girl trying to find herself in a cruel world she surrounded herself by crime and unfortunately paid the price. I really enjoyed this story and the roller coaster journey..

Brooklyn by Tracy Brown was a dynamic character study of religion and spirituality, love and loss, and the ways in which people forge pathsat the fork in the road. This is my first book by Tracy Brown and I plan to read her backlist.

Knowing that this would be my last review for this author made it difficult for me to write. Once more, Tracy Brown wrote a masterfully written book. From the first to the last chapter, Tracy has the ability to hold the reader's interest. Although some of the scenes in Brooklyn left you emotionally spent, the book was so compelling that you didn't want to put it down. Brooklyn, the primary character, was a lot. I wanted to feel sorry for her, but a lot of her suffering was self-inflicted due to her own dishonesty and greed. The adage "what goes around, comes around" was applicable at the conclusion of this masterpiece. Tracy Brown was a true gem in the book industry, and I adored her books. She will be sincerely missed, and her books are timeless.

RIP Tracy Brown! I wish I had gotten to read her books while she was still with us, but I'm grateful I can enjoy her writing now.
First thing, this cover is beautiful! This story was full of surprises. It was a pleasant mixture of drama and mystery with twists that caught me completely off guard. This book was captivating! The ending was very shocking. The author has a writing style that pulls you in and keeps you engrossed until the last page.
Brooklyn was one of those characters that I loved to hate. I felt sorry for her, because her choices were a direct result of her upbringing, in my opinion. Yes, she was selfish at some points, but I truly felt she was misunderstood. I found myself rooting for her and wanting to see her do better. I flew through this one and enjoyed every second of it.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In my opinion Tracy Brown will always be one of the best writers to have ever done it and I’m deeply saddened by her passing.
Brooklyn is an emotional roller coaster of a story that weaves a sad tale of a young woman trying to grow up way too fast. The story starts with young Brooklyn’s murder and takes you through the events that led to her tragic demise. She isn’t a likable woman at all-she makes choices that often hurt the people around her and she’s selfish and naive navigating adult situations. But you can’t help but feel bad for her, especially when you see who she surrounds herself with and an upbringing marred by a mother who seemingly hates her own child and a father who doesn’t practice what he preaches. The ending left me with a deep sense of sadness not just for Brooklyn’s fate but for the family and friends that tried to love her through their own hurt.
4.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a unique story. If you don't like unlikable characters, this story is not for you! I got so invested in the story and Brooklyn's crazy decisions that I kept forgetting we were leading up to her getting murdered. Going into this, I thought that would be a bigger component of the story, but it was a very small portion of the book. The book starts out with a bang Brooklyn experiencing something horrible and we get to see the different ways her family responded. I love seeing stories that really lay out how and illustrate how a person turns out the way they do--which is exactly with Brooklyn did. We see Brooklyn grow up into a selfish, terrible person but we see *why* she turned out that way. It was exhausting to follow her story, but in a way that I was still so invested and engaged.
SPOILER THOUGHT: What drove me crazy by the end was that the mom really got off scott free. The mom was just as horrible of a person as Brooklyn, but everyone hated Brookyln and gave the mom grace?? That pissed me off. I wish we saw more people acknowledge how horrible the mom was (and the mom's responsibility for how Brooklyn turned out) or at least an apology for things the mom did during Brooklyn's childhood.

This is only the second book that I’ve read by this author but based on my feelings towards the first, I did not hesitate to read this one. I wanted to stop so many times but truly believed it would get better and wanted it to do so. It did not. Overall Brooklyn, the character (all of them really), and the story itself are a bit of a train wreck and struggled to finish.
This is one of the most gut-wrenching books I’ve read in a long time at that’s simply for the way it left me feeling. I’m used to my emotions getting wrapped into books, often against my will. Normally I welcome this feeling. I love being so drawn into a story that it starts to feel real as if you are experiencing the same physical, emotional, and psychological battles as the characters. However, this book enhanced even the smallest darkness I was feeling. Not every story has or should have a happy ending but I feel that there should be some sort of redemption, for better or for worse. Once I finished this book, I truly hated how I felt. It ended almost abruptly and left behind what felt like a lingering cloud of darkness that was hard to shake. While my younger self probably would’ve loved or even enjoyed this book, it is a no for me now. It was simply a confirmation that this subgenre is no longer for me. I do however believe that if the author had been given time, it could’ve had the potential to be better. Nevertheless, her talent will be missed.

I first became a of fan of Tracy Brown when I came across her White Lies series. This is an entertaining read that takes the reading into the life of Brooklyn who is a teenager and the daughter of a preacher which is a self-entitled spoiled selfish brat. Brooklyn who comes from a religious family that gains money thru the church scamming church members. Brooklyn learned the game and she runs away stating she will never come back aiming to prove that she doesn’t need her mom. The very life that Brooklyn wants to getaway from she finds herself right there front and center because that is the only life that she knows. At times I felt compassion for Brooklyn and at other times I felt that she was in her element and whatever happened she brought it upon herself.
Tracy Brown will truly be missed in the literary world.
I received an ARC via NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and St. Martin’s Griffin and I am leaving my review voluntarily.