Publish Date: Feb.27,2024
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC. i voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are mine,

This book takes you on a rollercoaster; although you find out the ending at the beginning, I had a love-hate relationship with Brooklyn. In the beginning, I thought she was just that church girl who just wanted to experience things that she was not able to do openly. Boy, was I wrong? Brooklyn will do anything she has to do for her selfish reasons. After what happened to Amir, one would think Brooklyn would’ve reconnected with her family. Instead, she hit the streets and never looked back. Is this saying “money is the root of all evil?” You be the judge.

I loved this book. It was tough, dark and emotionally compelling. It was gritty and hard but amazing writing from an author that will be greatly missed.

RIP (Tracy Brown) I love her work and when I saw Brooklyn I knew it was a must read. I hate that this will be the last book we get from her. Brooklyn burned every bridge she encountered. This was a shocking and highly entertaining. If you love Tracy’s books this one is another example of her beautiful storytelling. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

I really hate that this is the last book we are going to get from Tracy. I have so many fond memories of so many of her books that this felt like a really unwanted ending. That’s said, while the story was interesting, and enjoyable, I did feel as though there were spaces where the timing did not make sense, and that the situation warranted a bit more development, perhaps. It had all the makings of a Tracy Brown book that make it exciting; jilted, relationships, complicated love, and fast paced street drama. So those parts I enjoyed, I just feel like it was a bit rushed and a bit more development would’ve helped evolve the story even more. Nevertheless, I am so glad that I read it and so sad that she is gone.

Oh my goodness! Brooklyn was a book that had my attention from the very beginning. Brooklyn was the name of the lead character, and she had a brother, Amir and a sister, Hope. Her father was the pastor of a church called Promised Land. Her parents were very strict. It was evident that her mother didn't like her, but she was a daddy's girl. The family had their secrets. Her mother was cruel and evil, her father was a womanizer and her brother was gay.

Brooklyn was a high school student in Staten Island and she would cut classes to go to Manhattan. Well there, she hooked up with Alonzo who was the son of one of the churches prominent members. He was also a drug dealer. She was sleeping with him and she started running drugs for him. During those runs she met Stacy. She started spending time with her and they became friends. Before long, Brooklyn found herself pregnant. Alonzo paid for her to go to planned Parenthood to have an abortion, and while there she was given birth control pills. She hid all of the gifts that Alonzo gave her along with the paperwork from the abortion and the birth control pills in her closet.

It wasn't long after the abortion that Brooklyn's best friend, Erica, who was Alonzo's cousin, told her that Alonzo was engaged to be married. Erica had warned Brooklyn to stay away from Alonzo, that he wasn't good for her, but Brooklyn paid her no mind. So the day Brooklyn found out about the engagement, she went to Alonzo's apartment and he was there with his fiancée. The fiancée came to the door and Brooklyn lit into her. The fight was unevenly matched and Brooklyn took a beating. Alonso broke up the fight and Brooklyn fled.

While she was walking down the street, Alonzo pulled up beside her and his car. He offered her a ride home. Right then the police pulled Alonso over. They pulled them out of the car and in their search they found drugs, so they arrested him. Brooklyn put up a fight
making a scene in the middle of the street. About that time, a woman named Miss Nancy from the church drove by and saw Brooklyn. She convinced her to get in the car and she took her to the church where her mother and father were. Brooklyn had told Miss Nancy that she got in a fight with a girl at school and that was the story she told Brooklyn's mother, who, when she saw Brooklyn she went ballistic. Her father came out of the church and saw her and he was none too pleased. Her mother took her to her car and they went home with her father following them in his car. When they got to the house her father took her for a ride hoping to get the story from her. She told him the same story about getting into a fight with a girl at school.

While they were gone, her mother went into her closet and dug out all of her treasures, including the paperwork for the abortion and the birth control pills. When they got back her mother went off on her calling her all kinds of filthy names. Eventually she ended up telling them about Alonzo. Of course her mother was furious because she knew he was a drug dealer. During all of this, Hope and Amir were in the room. Brooklyn and Amir we're very close. They had told each other their secrets. While the fight was going on. Brooklyn expected her brother to stand up for her but he didn't. So she blabbed to her parents that he was gay. Her father was infuriated and began beating him up. Then he kicked him out of the house. He left and went to his boyfriend, Jordan's house. Brooklyn's mother had threatened to send Brooklyn to a group home, so that night she packed up her bag and ran away from home. At first she didn't know where she was going but then she remembers Stacy and gave her a call to which Stacy told her to come on over. But before Brooklyn went to Stacy's, she had stolen the keys to the church and she went to the church and stole many thousands of dollars from her father. She left the keys to the church on her father's desk. When Brooklyn got to Stacy's house she phoned her friend Erica who told her that her brother had committed suicide. Brooklyn took the blame for that.

Now Stacy, too, was a drug dealer. Brooklyn had more than $10,000 and she decided to take $10,000 and pull it with Stacy's money and was going into business with her. So she started running drugs for Stacy. On the side, she started a relationship with one of Stacy's men, Hassan.

The main place she went to was Baltimore. It was there that she met and befriended Angel who was a beautician and who became her best friend. Brooklyn has studied cosmetology and had gotten her license. She had decided that she wanted to get out of the game and wanted to open her own salon and barber shop and she wanted to do that in Baltimore.

On one of her runs to Baltimore she was dealing with a man named Chance who she had dealt with many times before. He told her that Stacy's prices were too high and that he was not going to do anymore business with her. She couldn't afford to lose the money so she lowered the price. When she got back to Harlem, Stacy had already found out about it and was so angry with Brooklyn. She couldn't see straight. Hassan was there and Stacy kicked Brooklyn out of the family. At this point Brooklyn was living with Hassan and he took her home. It was there that she told him about her plan to open the beauty salon. He wasn't ready to move to Baltimore and she had said that if he didn't go with her she would do it on her own. He told her he was going out for a while and she decided to pack up all her things and leave. In her packing, she stole his watches, some of his other jewelry and some of his drugs. She knew she had to get out before he got back so she ran out and started loading her car with all of her luggage and her trusty backpack that had all of his things.

She left and locked the door and just as she was getting into her car Hassan pulled up with Roscoe, Stacy's brother. He dragged her out of the car and asked her what she thought she was doing. It was then that Roscoe looked into the car and saw the backpack which was open and He saw Hassan's things. He also called Stacy and told her to get over there because Hassan and Brooklyn were fighting. No sooner had. Stacy shown up that Roscoe alerted Hassan to the fact that Brooklyn had stolen his things. Hassan hit the roof. Stacy told Roscoe to open the trunk and unload all of Brooklyn's things which included all of her designer clothes and expensive jewelry and all of her money. Stacy told Roscoe to take all of her things into Hassan's house and she told Brooklyn that if she didn't leave right then that she would beat her down. Stacy didn't want her to take the car because Hassan had bought it for her but Hassan told her to take the Mercedes and go. All she had to her name was $4,800.

While she was on the road she phoned Angel and told her she had no where to go and Angel invited her to her home. Angel was engaged to marry Josiah. When she got there Angel gave her a guest room. All Brooklyn had with her was a backpack with a few clothes. Brooklyn told her that she would stay for only a little while, but Angel told her she could stay as long as she wanted until she got on her feet.

Angel went to visit her parents and Josiah, being a chef, was catering a wedding so Brooklyn was glad she had the house all to herself. But then Josiah came downstairs and told her that the wedding had been canceled. Brooklyn have been drinking a lot and Josiah made a drink for himself. They sat and talked the night away. Eventually he told her he was going upstairs to bed. She went upstairs to her room and took off all her clothes and got in bed. She was incredibly drunk. Before she knew it she was out of bed and in Josiah's room. She seduced him and fell asleep. She woke up to Angel screaming. Josiah had told her that the wedding had canceled and she decided to leave her parents house and come home early to surprise him. Needless to say, Angel kicked Brooklyn out of the house.

She got a cheap motel room where she phoned her friend Erica. Erica told her that her father had passed away after experiencing a debilitating stroke. She also told her that her father had left her some money. She encouraged her to go home, which she did. When she arrived home it was a Sunday and church was in session. She went straight to the church and she was welcomed with open arms. Her mother had become the pastor and she went to her daughter and threw her arms around her proclaiming that God was good. After church when all of the parishioners had left there was Brooklyn, her sister Hope, her mother, her friend Erica and Jordan. Her mother told her that if she was coming home to receive her inheritance she could forget about it, that there was no way she was going to give it to her. It was clear to Brooklyn that her mother hadn't changed a bit.

Everyone went to Hope's house except their mother. Hope asked Brooklyn where she had been and Brooklyn went through everything and told her the truth about what she had been doing. From what they all could see in the church, it look like Brooklyn had really changed, but in the course of conversation Brooklyn told Hope that all she wanted was her inheritance and then she would go. Clearly, she was the same selfish person she'd always been.

I really loved this book. The author did a marvelous job weaving Brooklyn through the various aspects of her life. And the character development was exceptional. I will definitely read this book again. I gave it five stars. I only wish I could have given it. 10.

This was an interesting book for me. On the one hand, I didn't really like it because I didn't feel sympathetic towards most of the characters (except for two or three), and I was looking forward to an ending with more resolution (and maybe reconciliation). On the other hand, this book captivated me once I sat down and really focused on it. There was so much drama and build-up that I was engaged throughout. I did like the flow of the writing and I found the church dynamics interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tracy Brown always leaves me crying. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this amazing book. Tracey has always been one of my favorite authors and I was so hurt to learn of her passing. I’m grateful I was given the opportunity read and review this book.

Minor spoilers:
Okay, Brooklyn frustrated me so much! I want to say she was just a lost young girl but I feel she had some undiagnosed mental health issues. This is based on her inability to connect and care for others along with her black and white thinking. Once you did something that she felt went against her, there was no coming back. She was always out for herself and couldn’t see the error in her ways.

I usually hate books where I dislike the main character but the book was beautifully written and took me through so many emotions,

I chose this book based solely on the cover, and it didn't disappoint. The book starts off with the murder of our protagonist, Brooklyn James, then quickly goes back in time so readers can live her life through her eyes and understand how and why her life was cut short.

As a white, middle-class, suburban mom, who was raised next door to our pastor and his family, our upbringings weren't that visibly different on the outside, though a traumatic experience early on makes her very unrelatable and that path continues as she enters the world of drugs. Hers was a struggle for wealth and power while battling the burning desire to get out of the lifestyle. Brooklyn was selfish and evil and completely likable, as was this book. I enjoyed reading it and rooting for her, even though she wasn't the best person.

Tracy Brown crafts a tale about a master manipulator and serial survivor, who will scorch earth to get what she wants. The question isn’t who murdered her; the question is who wouldn’t?

The main character is very hard to root for but in the best way. Excellently written. It was an emotionally devastating book. Not a romance read. Not a HEA. Strictly emotional, urban fiction.



Thank you net galley for the opportunity to read this arc..

This book took me on a ride. I am not sure if that's good or bad. Because I definitely felt Brooklyn was a product of her circumstances. Let's start with those dysfunctional parents of hers. Especially the hyper-hypocritical Sabrina. She was the root of the evil in that family. She did not help her daughter after the dirty step-uncle did what he did. At that point, I knew Sabrina's measure and she was the reason her daughter went off the rails. She was willing to abandon her daughter and save her son. Then they all blamed Brooklyn for what happened to Amir. I felt for Brooklyn, I just didn't like what she did to Angel. Angel did not deserve that and Brooklyn was dead wrong. But as for the rest, the hypocrites at the church, Alonzo's aunt, Jordan, and what he did at the end was despicable. Brooklyn did not deserve to die! I thought the author was going to take the plot in redemption direction for the entire family. I guess not, because Sabrina was still on her Bull ish.. As a born-and-bred NYC gal who was born in Brooklyn, it was fun to see the story take place in my city. But other than that, it was too much for one person to go through and no one looked at the family of origin. There was a lot to unpack with that family that was not addressed. And for people to feel relief that she was killed was a bit much.

A wonderful surprise that I loved a book without a HEA. In fact this book challenged my ideas of justice, retribution, and forgiveness. Brooklyn is a main character that I started out routing for and ended up a bit ambivalent about. That ambivalence is a challenge to who I aspire to be and books who can challenge you to your core are necessary in such a time as this. RIP to the author Tracy Brown. What a wonderful legacy to have given us all.

Brooklyn is a character who was wronged and often felt justified in her destruction. Going through her story I often felt sympathy for her and the situations she created for herself. Key words, Created for Herself.” In her life, she often felt slighted, let down, and rejected. Unfortunately she lacked self awareness to realize that she often made others feel the same. This lack of self awareness ultimately led her to dangerous and self inflicted, rather self initiated, relationships with other people who truly tried to help her.

This book was paced well and gripped the reader from the start. Shocking and unexpected with its array of characters who flitted throughout the main characters life. They were well thought out but did not distract from the central themes of the stories.

Tracy Brown crafts a tale about a master manipulator and serial survivor, who will scorch earth to get what she wants. The question isn’t who murdered her; the question is who wouldn’t?

The main character is very hard to root for but in the best way. Excellently written and highly entertaining.

Despite this being dense with family drama and trauma, I could not put this one down. The main character was brilliantly written- the perfect antihero. I felt like I should love her but some part of me was always triggered by her victim mentality and her manipulative nature and lack of empathy- bordering on psychopathy. The omniscient narrator allows the reader to see and understand everything each character thinks and feels. The story explores what happened when a child grew up with certain traumas, and some possible effects as that child became older and attempted to create relationships. This book needs a few trigger warnings: Statutory sexual assault, gaslighting, homophobia (violent), child abuse, abortion.

Merci à NetGalley de m'avoir donné ce livre en échange d'une critique honnête du livre!

Ce livre était absolument fabuleux. On eut l'histoire de Brooklyn qui est une jeune fille tourmentée. Elle ne s'est jamais sentie à sa place dans sa famille. Elle avait l'impression que sa famille l'étouffait, qu'ils n'étaient pas honnêtes et qu'ils l'empêchait d'être elle-même. On suit donc le parcours d'une jeune femme avec de multiples défauts qui navigue dans son parcours.

J'ai beaucoup aimé le personnage de Brooklyn. J'ai beaucoup aimé que ce personnage ne soit pas écrit pour être aimé et apprécié par les lectures. C'est un personnage compliqué et tourmenté qui prend de mauvaises décisions. C'était très rafraîchissant de lire un personnage écrit de cette manière.

J'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages secondaires. Les personnages étaient complexes, avaient tous une histoire complexe et avaient des personnalités distinctes et réalistes. Les personnages avaient des défauts et des qualités qui les distinguaient fortement les uns des autres. Je sais que c'est très flou comme analyse mais je ne peux pas en dire plus sans spoiler!

Le livre était très bien écrit. Le vocabulaire était soutenu pour les descriptions mais étaient familier lors des dialogues. Le champ lexical était diversifié ce que j'apprécie!

Bref je recommande à 100% ce livre. Il était très bon!

This book was heartbreaking and interesting at the same time. I'm glad that I read it but the main character, Brooklyn, is a cautionary tell of how to not live your life and selfishness.

Listen!. I got approved for this book and read and finished it within 24 hours!

I always love(d) her books....may she Rest In Peace.

In what I'm guessing is Tracy's final book, it tells the story of Brooklyn and her family, Her father is a pastor and from the outside they look like they have the perfect family. Little does everyone know, but her dad cheats on her mom and they are on the take from the church offerings.

If you love Tracy's books, her story telling is just as good as the others. You won't be disappointed!!

Caught a few spelling errors here and there and a few words skipped in some sentences but overall was in decent shape. I really enjoyed reading this. I identified with Brooklyn, when I was younger I just wanted to do my own thing and not worry about what my family thought. Her character had to go through a lot at a young age like I did so I felt for her as if I really knew her. The story has all the good, bad, ugly and drama I love in a book to keep my attention. It is a page turner and one that I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I don't do spoilers, I don't like when anyone spoils a story for me so I will not say all the ends and outs of what happened. If you read it you won't be disappointed, I know I wasn't. The author did a great job with this so I'm interested to see what she does next.

This was my second time reading a book by Tracy Brown, and she certainly didn't disappoint. Her writing took me on an emotional roller coaster with Brooklyn as the central character. I went from feeling sorry for her to harboring moments of dislike, then finding myself empathizing with her once more, and ultimately, feeling deep pity for her. I was rooting for her wholeheartedly, hoping she would make the right choices, but it seemed she simply couldn't find it within herself to do so, especially considering she had other options available to her. It was clear she didn't have to endure the life she was living.

Once I started reading this book, I simply couldn't put it down. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading more of Tracy Brown's work. She's rapidly becoming one of my favorite authors!

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review***

This was phenomenal!! It really gave me Coldest Winter Ever vibes, but dare I say it was better in some regards. You start the book rooting for Brooklyn, even though you learn from the beginning what her end is gonna be. You empathize with her, sympathize with her, and truly believe she's misunderstood. But as the book goes on, you, as the reader, slowly start seeing Brooklyn for what and who she really is. You realize that she is a terrible person and is never going to change. Felt like a really good exploration of what it means to come through for others and be loyal.