Tracy… whew. RIP.
I felt every emotion possible until this book. I wanted to hug Brooklyn and punch her in the face at the same time. My heart ached for her because she didn’t know how to receive love which is why she did the stupid things she did. (Which ultimately led to her death.) I hated her mom… and felt all the empathy in the world for her sister Hope. What an emotional roller coaster beautifully written right before Tracy’s passing. If and when you read this… Newports 🚬 and a glass of wine 🍷 are strongly suggested 😂 (JK I don’t smoke cigarettes lol)

This urban lit, coming-of-age mystery is unlike anything I've read. It follows a woman named Brooklyn, from childhood into adulthood, as she fights to survive on the brutal streets. It explores the ways trauma shapes who we become, and while Brooklyn isn't the most loveable protagonist, readers can't help but empathize and understand her, due to the hardships she's faced. Overall, this was a compelling, thought-provoking read with great pacing. The audiobook was well done, with a well-matched narrator. Thanks macmillan audio and NetGalley for my gifted copy.

Note: I lost access to this title months ago when I broke my phone and had to get a new one. I had to wait until my library copy came in so I could post my review. 🩷

This was my first time reading anything by Tracy Brown and it was a good read. Brooklyn was so damn messy and I wanted to shake her at times! Sadly the narrator with these fake New York accents made me cringe and I say this as a born and raised New Yorker.

4.25⭐️

My gawd what an unlikable character yet captivating cautionary tale. This story was full of surprises. Just when I though I knew what to expect, here comes a left turn. A fascinating mixture of drama and thriller, and my goodness, that ending!

Keyonni James did a great job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Tracy Brown, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was so sorry and sad to hear the author passed and this was a book left unfinished at the time of her passing.

Ultimately as I was reading I realized I didn’t want to finish this book, mostly due to the subject matter. It’s me not the book.

The audiobook did not work. Only the opening and closing was on there. I am basing this review off of the physical arc I received.

I could not put down this book. The storytelling and writing drew me right in. A heartbreaking tale, about a girl, Brooklyn, who struggles with her conservative family and always wants something better for herself. Even though Brooklyn’s character is unlikable, I still rooted for her to make the right decisions. She was selfish, a master manipulator and only did things that she thought would better her own life. The story line was easy to follow, I enjoyed how it began and how it ended. This was an emotional rollercoaster of a read. A story of hardships, family drama and breaking from expectations. This would make a fantastic book club read! I am so sad that we lost Tracy Brown last year. She had so much more to give, and I would have loved to read more of her talent.

Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook! I have to say I didn’t like the narrator at all. It sounded like she was purposely trying to overly act. The adults in the story sounded like they were reading scripts and it just wasn’t fluid whatsoever & lacked prosody.

This book sounds really good, but unfortunately the only thing I had access to was the credits. I'll edit my review later if this is corrected.

Wow! This book had me on an emotional roller coaster. At times I felt sorry for Brooklyn, and at times I was so disappointed in her. The book tells the story of Brooklyn, a preacher's kid, who's life was drastically changed after two big tragedies in her life. She goes from an innocent girl to a girl who wants to live the street life. Along the way she turns her family and friends into enemies.

Brooklyn is a very relatable character. Her story is so similar to many young black girls in this world. I was VERY shocked at who the killer is. We are also left with a cliffhanger, and unfortunately the great Tracy Brown has passed.

The only complaint I have is that I didn't care for the narrators fake New York accents. It wasn't too bad, and didn't distract me from the story.

Overall I really enjoyed the book. It's a 4.5 for me. Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Was not able to give feedback since the audiobook was not uploaded properly.. I will provide feedback once it’s working. I’m looking forward to listening to it.

I’m not posting this on goodreads since it’s a technical issue and not the actual story. The audio file is just the title card and that’s it - no book.