Book Review: Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

Title: Grown

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary

Pages: 384

Publisher: Quill Tree Books

Year Published: 2020

Format: Paperback (Own It)

"Author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another ripped-from-the-headlines mystery that exposes horrific secrets hiding behind the limelight and embraces the power of a young woman's voice. When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields? Before there was a dead body, Enchanted's dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey's charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he's dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted."

My Rating: 5/5

Once again, Tiffany D. Jackson comes in with a home run of a book. I have loved every book I've read by her. It's the realness that you can see shining through the mystery/thrilling elements. It's the reality of the characters' lives; it's the twists and turns, etc. It's the storytelling. The ability to show the faults in our society and our current state in a way that gives hope for the future. It's the twists, the turns, and the shock that I'm always left sitting with as I binge-read the last 50 pages. I can't wait to read the next book by this author. 

Sidny

Book Review: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Title: Every Summer After

Author: Carley Fortune

Series/Standalone: Barry's Bay (Book #1)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Small Town

Pages: 320

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Paperback Copy (Own It)

"They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.

Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry's Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek- the man she never thought she'd have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family's restaurant and curling up together with books- medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her- Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam's mother's funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she's spent punishing herself for them, they'll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever."

My Rating: 4/5

Another famous Canadian author. I hadn't read anything else by this author, but when her book was one of the Goodreads challenges, I thought, what a good time to read another popular Canadian romance author. This story follows Percy as she grows alongside Sam summer after summer, while flashing to our current timeline following tragedy. 

Throughout this read, I was impressed by Carley's ability to bring to life Canadian lake life, as well as small town dynamics. I also enjoy a good friends-to-lovers story. The alternating chapters only added to my love of the story. That being said, SAM was aggravating near the end of the book! I found his character was becoming whiny-man-baby. If you've read it you'll understand what portion of the book I'm talking about. The final plot twists were entertaining and interesting, but I wonder where else this author will take her future love stories, and I'm hoping we aren't having a repeated trope moment.  

Sidny