Brilliant. I love Enchanted’s narrative (and her name!). She’s just a 17-year-old girl who is naïve, so it’s almost painful when we readers notice the red flags and grooming tactics. As serious as the subject matter is, Jackson writes masterfully, fully engaging us in Enchanted’s story. It’s like watching a train wreck. You just cannot look away.

I have noticed Jackson likes to use alternating timelines, such as, in her other story, Monday's Not Coming. Here, it adds a level of mystique, and readers are as foggy and disoriented as Enchanted. This story prides itself in beautiful foreshadowing and gut-wrenching emotional punches.

Enchanted is just so personable. I feel my heart squeeze at certain points like I’m watching this happen to my friend, cousin, or any other girl. I just felt for her. I loved her family as well.

her dad trying to save her messed me up, y’all! ;__;

Grown gets it so perfectly with Korey, with how some people who have been broken and abused continue the cycle and become manipulative and monstrous, well-meaning parents who are ignorant about the industry, and (I like to speak life, but let’s be realistic) the lack of sympathy and understanding for black girls and women.

This book is heavy, at times, but definitely worth reading. It turns into a bit of a thriller at the end, which may be off-putting to some due to tonal shift but, still, 5 stars from me.

Random Ending spoilers:

I hated that Creighton never got his comeuppance, but that’s realistic. Man, Derrick… he still chose his father over justice. Okay, that last page had me spinning. We know Chant didn’t really kill Korey, so I think she just killed him off symbolically??? And… that Gabriela stuff had me stuck. I didn’t know what was the truth. I thought it was going to be another Monday's Not Coming twist lol

Read more of my reviews, here