Hello book friends,
I hope you are all doing well and not suffering too much in this heat, us UK’ers are not used to it LOL
I am so happy to bring you a review for this stunning book
My Review
I received this gorgeous covered book by Harper 360 and I was super excited to read it, I also wanted to start reading more books by Black Authors and Own Voices, and helping out more, so I also purchased the Audio version, so this will be a review for both!
Set in Brooklyn 1998 we follow 3 friends, Quadir, Jarrell and Jasmine.
The book starts at the funeral of Quadir and Jarrell’s best friend Steph, Jasmine is Steph’s little sister, who was shot, and murdered.
Jasmine takes herself off into Steph’s bedroom for a moment to herself, and is soon followed by the 2 boys, they then find Steph’s stash of tapes of his own music under his bed, and notebooks of lyrics.
The 3 kids are so in awe of how brilliant Steph’s music is, that they decide that the whole world needs to hear it, but how do they get it heard, especially when the artist himself is dead and they themselves are only teenagers?
Well, being in Brooklyn, the Rap scene was the place to be, and while managing to get CD’s printed and a few well-connected people to listen, they manage to get Steph’s music noticed, and by changing his name to “The Architect” they didn’t have to mention the fact that Steph isn’t around anymore.
But what happens when a big time record producer want to meet the Artist? And how were the kids to know that some of the lyrics could cause a lot of trouble for everyone?
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The narration for this book was by a full cast and it was fabulous, the lyrics are Rapped and very poignant for the late 90’s and also today.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end, grab it if you can.
**Many thanks to Harper 360 for sending me a copy of this beautiful book**
Enjoy
Vicci 📚💛✨
Synopsis
In this standalone novel, Tiffany D. Jackson tells the story of three Brooklyn teens who plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he is still alive.
Biggie Smalls was right. Things done changed. But that doesn’t mean that Quadir and Jarrell are okay letting their best friend Steph’s tracks lie forgotten in his bedroom after he’s killed—not when his beats could turn any Bed-Stuy corner into a celebration, not after years of having each other’s backs.
Enlisting the help of Steph’s younger sister, Jasmine, Quadir and Jarrell come up with a plan to promote Steph’s music under a new rap name: The Architect. Soon, everyone in Brooklyn is dancing to Steph’s voice. But then his mixtape catches the attention of a hotheaded music rep and—with just hours on the clock—the trio must race to prove Steph’s talent from beyond the grave.
Now, as the pressure—and danger—of keeping their secret grows, Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine are forced to confront the truth about what happened to Steph. Only each has something to hide. And with everything riding on Steph’s fame, together they need to decide what they stand for before they lose everything they’ve worked so hard to hold on to—including each other
Berit Talks Books 