I did not get a change to read this before it went into the archive. If I can find a reasonably priced physical book, I will get it!

This was a great read. Brooklyn was a whole mess from start to finish. Never thinking about others and always putting herself first. Love all of Tracy Brown's books! Rest well, Queen!

**Contains spoilers**

Giving this a 3.75

This was my first read by Tracy Brown, although I’ve seen some of her work online. This story definitely takes you on a ride. At the beginning, I felt for Brooklyn, especially with how her mom didn’t protect her from “Uncle Morris” and how she got played by Alonzo, a man much older than her. HOWEVER, as the story progresses, you see that Brooklyn is only ““loyal” when things are going her way. You watch her snake everyone she knows. The more I read, the more I began to dislike her as a character. Also, even though Tracy hints at the ending at the beginning, I was still surprised.

Ahhhhhh! Tracy did not disappoint. This is my third read from the author and I am so sad that she is no longer with us. The story line and character development was great. Would definitely recommend.

"Brooklyn" by Tracy Brown is a gripping and emotionally charged tale that follows the tumultuous journey of its titular character from a sheltered upbringing to a life of hustling and survival on the streets of New York. Despite Brooklyn's flaws, Brown delves deep into her psyche, revealing the motivations behind her actions and the consequences of her choices. The narrative is brisk and filled with twists, keeping readers engaged from start to finish. Brown's vivid portrayal of the setting adds depth to the story, immersing readers in Brooklyn's world. The surprising twist at the end adds an extra layer of complexity, leaving readers with much to ponder. As a fan of Tracy Brown's previous work, receiving an ARC of "Brooklyn" was a poignant experience, knowing that it was her final book before her passing. It was a privilege to delve into her storytelling once again, and despite some flaws, "Brooklyn" stands as a testament to Brown's talent as a storyteller.

This book was a whirlwind of events from start to finish. In the beginning I felt sorry for Brooklyn because of the people who failed to protect her but as the story continued I started to really dislike her. The initial events with her uncle were things out of her control but everything after was directly on her.
From that first betrayal by her mother it seemed like she made it her mission to stab everyone in the back who ever cared for her. She turned on her brother, sister, Hass, Stacey, and even Angel.
It was a story that kept me intrigued but sometimes the pacing seemed a little off. Events would happen so quickly with little to no transition. I was very surprised by the ending…I wasn’t expecting that at all.
Again, reading about the events of Brooklyn’s life and how her choices landed her in the ending events of the book were very interesting.

First of all, RIP Tracy Brown! WOW what a lasting impression of last book to write! Brooklyn was crazy story of girl who had to manipulate, hustle, and lie to get to where she wanted to be...or did she end up where she wanted to be? Definitely highly recommend this read!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a copy of Brooklyn from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I am not required to write a positive review.

This is my first Tracy Brown novel. Brooklyn is a trip. She’s named after the New York borough she was born in. The middle child of a Pastor. and his wife, she’s determined to carve out her own path. Her cynicism has convinced her that religion is only a hustle her parents are using to defraud God’s people.

This book is full of family drama and trauma. Will Brooklyn survive the aftermath of confronting family secrets?

It’s giving Coldest Winter Ever… it’s giving Fly Girl let’s just say Brooklyn was giving (hyper focused on money, sex, and drugs) whew this was indeed a heartbreaking story… Just when I thought Brooklyn was growing up she disappointed me yet again. Middle child issues, selfish as hell, and to top it off what she did to her brother… SMH
I did like the twist at the end and honestly I didn’t see that coming.

Overall, I was truly annoyed with this character throughout the book and for that reason I will never forget her 😒

One of my favorite books of 2022 was Tracy Brown’s brilliant “HOLD YOU DOWN.” Run, don’t walk and read that book. I was so sad to hear that Tracy died last year after she submitted Brooklyn.

Needless to say, I was so excited to delve into a new work with Brooklyn. Unfortunately, the book did not work for me as Brooklyn was a very difficult character to like and believe in. I don’t need to like the character to love a book, but there were some plot threads, involving Brooklyn’s brother and his boyfriend, that I just did not like. I won’t go into them for fear of spoiling the book.

Brooklyn is about a young girl in a conservative church family. Her father is pastor of a church on Staten Island. Her mother is cold and cares about appearances over parenting her daughter who is in desperate need of some help.

Brooklyn leaves her family and ends up hustling/selling drugs. The story takes us through her estrangement to her return to Staten Island.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @#stmartinsgriffin and #netgalley for a free arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I started this book feeling one way about the title character, Brooklyn. By the end my mind was completely changed. Brooklyn is named after the borough in which she was born. However, she grows up in a sheltered Staten Island family. She makes a lot of choices to rebel against her family and leads an estranged life from them.

The author starts the novel off with the presumed murder of Brooklyn. As the novel progresses, Tracy Brown presents a well crafted and thrilling story of what the title character endures. The novel takes place during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The descriptions of the places and people put the reader in that era.

Readers who enjoy contemporary fiction and thrillers will enjoy this book.

RIP to Tracy Brown, she was a masterful writer!!

This book was an amazing rollercoaster and a cautionary life tale!! Brooklyn, the FMC was an outgoing child who had her innocence snatched away too soon, and was easily catapulted into an existence of heartless betrayal. She starts off as a typical teenager, believing she understands the world outside of the coocoon of her sheltered home life and wanting badly yo escape. Sadly, the world comes at her fast with lessons that she refuses to learn, and in the end must face the consequences for her actions.

I enjoyed this story from start to finished and was completely engrossed in the development of the characters. I made so many highlights to keep up with the twists in the story and the evolution of the FMC. The issues tackled in the book were handled so realistically and I'm happy the author chose to dig and face the heavier topics head on.

Thank you netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-arc of this fantastic read! I'm sure I'll be re-reading this one again in the future.

This story starts off with death. Throughout the story, we determine whether the ends really justified the means.

Betrayed by her mother at a pivotal moment in her life, Brooklyn no longer has faith in those around her. Her selfishness knows no bounds.

The way she betrayed her brother was cruel.

I try to like Brooklyn but then her spitefulness shows up. She is unable to handle any form of rejection.

The topics of this story are heavy. Lots of trigger warnings should be applied.

So much happened in such a short time. The way Brooklyn lived her life, the trail of potential killers is long.

3.5 stars raised to 4 stars.
This story begins at the end. After struggling with her attacker in Clove Lake Park on February 9, 2003, her body is found. Detective Ramos and Detective Lee wonder what happened to this girl. This is Brooklyn’s story. Her father is the pastor of Promised Land Church. Her mother is concerned how everything looks to the church community. Brooklyn has a brother Amir who has his own problems. They have a younger sister Hope. I loved Tracy Brown’s last book, HOLD YOU DOWN, which was a 5 star read for me. After the start of BROOKLYN, I could not read fast enough for the first 40% of the book. After an event happens that forces Brooklyn to leave New York, the book slowed down for me and I had difficulty staying focused. I found myself rereading sections. I do think this is an important story to be told. After finishing, I read a bio for Tracy Brown and am deeply saddened to see she passed away. So very sad. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I absolutely adore the way Tracy Brown beautifully weaves together her stories and characters. Each of her books leaves a lasting impression and leaves you deep in thought, almost as if you could walk out the door and encounter these people in real life. However, my only qualm with this particular story is that the ending felt somewhat rushed. Nevertheless, I highly recommend giving this novel a chance and it would make for a fascinating topic of discussion in any book club setting.

I just finished Brooklyn by Tracy Brown and here are my musings.

Brooklyn lives a repressed life. Devoutly religious parents stifle her so much that she dreams of the day she can escape. She finds some reprieve after bumping into her best friend's cousin. A hustler and much older than her. They start a secret relationship and he pays her to run drugs for him. Her best friend calls her and tells her that her cousin plans to get married. To someone else. Anger pulses through her and she confronts him. This is when her life spirals.

She ends up fleeing her family, stealing from their church and getting into the game for herself. When she meets Hassan and they start a relationship. Running drugs and making plans but things don’t go as planned for Brooklyn .

Have you ever started a book and not had a clue what it is about because the title gives away nothing? That was me on this book. I went in totally blind and it did not disappoint me!

Brooklyn wanted a life free from constraint. She hated watching her parents live their hypocritical lives. I started off liking Brooklyn but towards the end of the book… I didn’t like her anymore. She was selfish and cruel. She reminded me of her mother. She was the same.

I don’t know much about the subject of drug trade but it seemed like the author knew what they were talking about. It felt real and I enjoyed the hustle. It was well paced and I was hooked right in. The ending was great, I wasn’t expecting it. I was blown away to be honest.

I don’t read many thriller dramas but this one has me thirsting for more.

4 stars!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy

#brooklyn #blackhistorymonth #bookstagrammers #bookworm #bookcommunity #booklover #booknerd #booksofinstagram #bookmerch #booktography #toberead #bookblog #smp #smpinfluencer

Brooklyn by Tracy Brown had me hooked from the prologue, desperate to find out who and why someone wanted to kill the main character. By the end of the book, I understood...Brooklyn James is not a likeable protaganist, not in the least. She has her reasons, but most of the problems she encounters are of her own making, and she is not afraid to leave people she loves behind if it serves her purpose.

At times heartbreakingly painful, the events in the novel start out bad, and continue down the path of destruction throughout. This could be considered a cautionary tale, the story of how a person gets drawn into the underbelly of society, or how a self-centered, manipulative woman is destroyed. It is well-written, and like a train-wreck, I could not look away and quit reading. This is absolutely not a book for those who are looking for happy endings...for most of the characters, actually.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the digital copy of Brooklyn by Tracy Brown. The opinions in this review are my own.

I usually love unlikable protagonists but in the case of 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗟𝗬𝗡, the titular main character was not for me.

A pastor's daughter in Staten Island who falls out with her family and uses the hustle she learned from her father to survive on the streets, Brooklyn's story is dramatic and colorful but I never understood her motivation. She made bad decision after bad decision and her actions often felt unjustified. The other characters were really one dimensional which didn't help and I found it hard to keep track of how much time elapsed. There is a mystery element as well but the payoff at the end felt rushed.

I was shocked to learn that the author passed away shortly after submitting the manuscript for this book. I enjoyed Brown's previous novel, 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯, and even though I wasn't a fan of this one, it has a lot of 5-star reviews on Goodreads so it could just be me. She was a talented writer and I plan to read more of her backlist.

Thanks to St. Martin's for the copy to review.

I absolutely loved this book I had to purchase a hard copy.. The way the story unfolded I couldn't put the book down.
The book was definitely worth the wait.


Love Tracy Brown work

The description of Tracy Brown’s Brooklyn caught my interest and, even though it wasn’t presented in quite the way I’d been expecting, I found the novel thoroughly engaging, the character of Brooklyn frustrating in the best and worst ways, and the final conclusion to be everything that was promised. Even though there were few true surprises along the way (not in terms of the main character’s actions, at least), the novel manages to keep things moving and the reader invested, giving a fresh take on a story that is all too familiar. While I was expecting there to be much more of a whodunit element at play, I found the actual approach with the narrative perspective more focused on Brooklyn herself to be thoroughly effective and provoke more interesting questions that simply “who killed her?” or “why?” The question of accountability is embedded in more subtle ways throughout the text and it’s on the reader to see through (and beyond) Brooklyn’s perspective.

On a morning in February 2003, a woman’s body is found strangled and the police are at a loss. Back in the early 1990s, Brooklyn grew up as the middle child of the pastor at their Staten Island church. As soon as she hit puberty, she began to see that there was a difference between what her father preached and what her parents and the other important folks of the church practiced – appearances mattered more than most things because that was what kept the money flowing in. Given the hypocrisy of it all, Brooklyn begins acting out and dreaming of the day she can get away from the intense scrutiny and criticism of her family life – especially at the hands of her mother. When the day finally comes, it isn’t as triumphant as she dreamed and she burns bridges behind her. But Brooklyn is determined to learn from the hustling she saw from her parents and the church and make something for herself – to survive at any cost, even when it means sacrificing her relationships with those around her.

Brooklyn is not a character that you’re meant to like, especially as the story progresses. At the same time, getting her backstory and seeing the environment and treatment from her parents that shaped her, it’s difficult to not feel a bit of sympathy and understand her initial poor choices. And with so much of the perspective in the novel shown through Brooklyn’s perspective, it can be easy to fall into seeing things her way. But Brown does give brief insights into the thoughts and perspectives of those around Brooklyn too, reminding the reader to look deeper. For me, I was left ruminating on the question of her age and when did she cross the line into it truly being on her to step up and take responsibility for herself and her (bad) actions. She’s only on the cusp of legal adulthood when the initial breaks with her family happen and what we know of the science of brain development and maturity is still evolving. But by the end of the novel she is undoubtedly at an age when she is responsible for her behavior. So where does that line exist and when did she cross it?

Though the reader is left knowing how everything unfolded and the narrative circles back to where it started with the woman’s body and the police investigating, I still kind of want to see how the investigation itself unfolds. The reader knows the who and the how and the why, but the detectives don’t. We start off the story in the same clueless spot, yet thanks to the narrative structure, the reader goes back to the beginning and watches from there. How does the story look when it’s explored in reverse or when it’s examined in a non-chronological way? Do they figure it out or did her actions and hustles in life obfuscate things to a point where there isn’t enough left for anyone not there along the way to be able to piece it together? What is the larger impact of the death on the community given she’d been gone so long (and her mother had been deliberately misleading folks about just where Brooklyn had been all those years)? So basically, even though there were times when I was insanely frustrated with Brooklyn and disgusted with her mistakes and decisions, I don’t think I’d hesitate to read another book about the impact she continues to have on the lives of those around her, even after death.