Essence bestselling author Tracy Brown's scorching new urban tale about falling in love and one girl's descent into the murky and unrelenting depths of drug addiction
Jada left home at the age of sixteen, running from her own demons and the horrors of physical abuse inflicted by her mother's boyfriend. She partied hard, and life seemed good when she was with Born, the neighborhood kingpin whose name was synonymous with money, power, and respect. But all his love couldn't save her from a crack addiction. Jada goes from crack addict and prostitute to survivor and back again before she finds the strength to live for herself and come out on top. And her stormy romance with one of the fiercest hustlers on the streets makes White Lines one of the most unforgettable urban loves stories of the year.
this book was a fast read and it was great. I put it right up there with Sista Souljah's coldest Winter Ever. But it went a lot deeper. awesome. Pleasantly surprised.
"White Lines" by Tracy Brown is the real reason I read urban fiction...because it's about real life, real situations and real people. Jada Ford, the main character in this novel, did not have the best upbringing...in fact, knowing that a mother's love in one of the most cherished things of this world, you could say she had one of the worst. She lost her father at a young age, and, because of this, her mother just gradually weakened and deteriorated. As her daughers grew up, Jada along with her younger sister, Ava, she didn't offer them any protection from her abusive boyfriend or from the streets because she couldn't even help herself. As time went on, Ava attempted suicide, moved into a group home, and Jada was forced to deal with her life as it was on her own. Gradually, she turned to things that would help her forget her very existence - weed, cocaine, crack and sprinkle a little prostitution in the mix. She was mixed up totally...then she met Born. She thought they were a really good match...kindred spirits, soulmates...she didn't think they would ever fall apart, but they did. Because, even though when they met, Jada was clean, but she still fell back into her old ways, and, needless did she know that Born was dealing with his own issues...his own past, and he wasn't allowing any room to help Jada deal with hers. "White Lines" was so explosive and so powerful...Born and Jada taught readers the true meaning of friendship lasting the test of time because their's did. Never has a book affected me so much since reading "The Coldest Winter Ever" by Sister Soulja. I give it 5 stars.
I’ve never read any of Tracy Brown’s older work but I should have known that she would take me on an emotional ride. What a raw, heartbreaking story that deals with addiction, grief, love, friendship, and forgiveness.
Although the subject matter was tough to read at times, I could not stop listening to this audiobook. Jada went through so much and she took me right through it with her. This girl couldn’t catch a break - she took hit after hit (no pun intended) but I kept rooting for her to pull it together. In the end, I was proud of Jada and I can’t wait to get into Sunny’s story.
Wow, all I can say is 497 pages of pure joy!! I am so attached to this story line and the characters are to die for. This is a story from rags to riches, from hate to love, from pain to Joy and all in between. You are a product of your environment, and being a part of the drugs and crime life doesn't mean that you don't feel and hurt like others not in that world. I have found me a new best author. Tracy Brown you are brilliant and I look forward to sequel 2 and 3. This is beyond a good read, this is a great story. There is a difference. This is a fiction book with a whole lot of truth. Much love to you Born, Jada, Sunny and Ava. I know you are out there somewhere.
This was the first book I have read by Tracy Brown, and I was so impressed that as soon as I finished this one, I was on the internet checking out everything she had written and have fallen in love with her.
This story truly pulled me in because it is so real, it's not all about lovey dovey stuff that no one would believe. It's real people, real drama, and it puts you right in the middle of each chapter as if you are standing in the middle of the characters' conversations for youself. I truly felt apart of this story and I loved every character to the last page.
This book was an extremely explosive read. I found myself saying Wow, Oh My Gosh, I Can't Believe It, Oh Know She Didn't, and so many other phrases throughout this book while reading about Jada's life. She was really one tough cookie who endured so much. It was almost like watching a movie about this woman's life. At times I was thinking WTH is she doing! I literally said that to my self so many times because I just couldn't believe what I was reading. Born was the epitome of a natural born hustler. He is the kind of character woman love to read about. He was about his business, but about his woman also. He was down for Jada even with her tawdry past, and I couldn't help to have a lot of respect for his character. This would have been a 5 star read for me, but I felt the first 30% of this book just had way too much information. I did want to put the book down quite a bit in the beginning because I just had enough of reading about Jada and Born's childhood. Once the book started getting going when Jada and Born met, it was a non stop page turner. This book was extremely long. I am a pretty fast reader, and it took me about 8 or 9 hours to get through this one, but it was truly worth it. Looking forward to reading the sequel.
I was very hesitant in reading this book. I'm not into a lot of urban, drug-related stories but this one is totally different. It depicts an era where the drugs ran rampant throughout New York and focuses on the true side of drugs ( no Hollywood glamour) and the affects it had in the lives of the characters in the story. It was riveting, sad, gritty, manipulative, corrupt and jealousy rolled up into one outstanding storyline. This book read like a real soap opera; never knowing what to expect from the characters but hoping they're not going to choose the wrong choice.
There's a real love story for two couples that goes awry.....Jada, Sonny, Born and Dorian are the crem dela crem in the drug game and they're not people to mess with. You'll either like or love these two couples or hate them. This book could also get listed as urban romance.
Wow, all I can say is 497 pages of pure joy!! I am so attached to this story line and the characters are to die for. This is a story from rags to riches, from hate to love, from pain to joy and all in-between. You are a product of your environment and being a part of the drug and crime life doesn't mean that you don't feel and hurt like others who are not in that world.. I have found me a new best author. Tracy Brown you are brilliant and I look forward to sequel 2 and 3. This is beyond a good read, this is a great story. There is a difference. This is a fiction book with a lot of truth. Much love to you Born, Jada, Sunny and Ava. I know you are out there somewhere.
I love a good story. I love good story-telling. I can read a 1000 pages without complaint, stopping only to take care of life's other businesses, if the story is great and captivating.
White Lines was okay. I only really fell in love with the book at the end, which is not really what I look for. It's hood literature, taking us to the NY projects again and making us live the life of the 'hustlers' as the story unfolds. The book contains relevant messages on the numerous social vices, the most prominent being drug addiction. I saw the whole 'game' from a different perspective, empathizing instead of sympathising with, or looking down on users/abusers.
Within the many imperfections, grew a love story that would eventually falter under mistrust, deception, disappointment and hurt. Despite all these, one can't help wishing the main characters Jada and Born would make up in the end, burying all differences and starting a new chapter. Dorian and Sunny personified love that stands the test of time, works through the difficulties and thrives under the will to make things work.
I found it hard to like the writer's style. I felt the story could have been told in less words. The reader is taken through a series of repetitions that do not do well for one's attention. Some of the diversions could easily have been done away with, leaving a story with great relevance, while keeping a simple style that wouldn't lose the reader among the many pages. A few times, I found myself mixing up the characters with those in Sister Souljah's 'The Coldest Winter Ever', due to the similarities in the main and sub-plots.
Thank you Tracey Brown!!! This book was and is so good! Kept me on my toes! So far never read a bad book from you Jade and Born 🥰 Ordering the follow up!!! Can’t wait to read more about SUNNY!
This book was so good to me! This is what blossomed my love for urban fiction all those years ago. Tracy Brown says in her author’s note that no one wins in the drug game. My heart broke several times over on this journey. White Lines shows us that there are so many losses, but the triumphs are the real prize. As a reader, I was satisfied with the ending but there are two more books in the series. I’ll absolutely take my time getting to those. 🤍
So many people put the gold seal of "urban fiction" on The Coldest Winter, which I would agree is a good read all the way around although I was disappointed with the 'sequel but not really a sequel' follow up.
Tracy Brown is now a gold standard for me. Whenever people find that I am a reader, writer and lover of the spoken word they will suggest various books. This one was suggested to me by someone that consumes "urban fiction" in the prison fiction sense of the word so I was concerned. I have picked up those books but find that I have to be in a phase to read them. One that requires me to be mindless in my process and looking for an easy read, which is a rare mood for me. Tracy kicked it up, many notches. I find her books to be Jackie Collins with an urban flare. There isn't meaningless cursing or sex, the plot is well written and the salacious aspect is woven into a good story all the way around. Additionally, she has paired with Penquin for all of the books that I have read of hers which means that everything is edited "to a t" and I don't have to self edit as I read.
This book follows a long the lines of the wayward woman and all of the encounters that she could possibly have. The subplots are built for good follow up story lines and the characters are well developed. One of the few fictional books that I read quickly but wished it didn't have to end.
I remember buying this book when it was first released 12 years ago,and it becoming one of my favorites. I let my friend borrow it and never got it back. Anyways I’m rereading all the books I fell in love with as a teen/young adult and had to repurchase this one. I didn’t really remember anything that happened aside from her being a crack head�.so it was like experiencing the book for the first time. I never read part 2 or 3, but I did purchase them and hopefully get around to them soon.
This is the best Street Lit book I've ever read!!! I recommend this book to everyone I know who enjoys this type of literature...Brown really struck me with this one!
I can’t say this enough I have yet to read a book by Tracy that I didn’t love‼️ I thought Brooklyn was a nerve racking character but Jada officially got her beat. Her drug addiction was so bad and she was so young she had me stressed. Then Mr.Charlie I HATED him. Idk who was worse him or her babydaddy.
Her mama wasn’t a real mother to her or her sister Ava. She was a major part of why Jada turned out the way she did and Ava ended up in a group home. Then just when I thought Jada got her life together after meeting Born everything was up in shambles again. Having access to the finer things in life and a man that would give her the world wasn’t enough to keep her from relapsing. Jada really had to lose everything and hit rock bottom before she finally got her life back on track.
Overall, I enjoyed the book Tracy always delivers with the complex characters, authenticity, and street ish. She’s one of the few authors that can make me love, hate, and sympathize with a character all at the same time. My only downside with this one was I felt it dragged a bit. Definitely could’ve been 100 pages shorter but the drama kept me invested so I still recommend. Can’t wait to see what more this series has in store for Jada.
A book for the not faint of heart it's a very gritty real life look at the the impact that Crack made on New York in the 90s. If your looking for the book that has nice refined characters that found themselves with a problem and then headed to rehab and were magically cured this is not the book for you.
White Lines kept me up until 5 am most of the time wanting to see how it all turned out. Born is my favorite character in this or any book I have ever read. He reminds me so much of my husband. I loved that he accepted Jada for who she was. He saw her scars and loved her anyway. He was tempted by Jada's sister, but held it down. It was wonderful to see a man written that really was about something. You don't see that a lot in books today. It was also chilling the way he would confront his feelings and how he used the tone of his words to slash and cut them.
This book had me jumping out of my seat. If I had a nickel for every time I said, "Ooo Shizz" I would be a very rich woman.
Wasn't particularly fond of Sunny, but found her awesome as Jada's friend.
Loved Dorian and Sonny together the love triangle with this couple was explosive and heart wrenching all at the same time.
Jada broke my heart time and time again as her addiction unfolded. Found it impossible to stay quiet during her relapses.
Almost 500 pgs with no hokey ending of love and light. Just life lived and lessons learned. I really, really liked that!
Synopsis-In this book Jada runs away from home at the age of 16. She does whatever she wants and eventually became a crackhead. When she finally found the strength to stop and get clean she met a guy named Born and shortly fell in love.They go throuqh there ups and downs and Jada turns back into a crackhead and her boyfreind leaves her. 3 years later Born spots out Jada and realizes she is clean from all her mistakes and problem and they reunite.
Classification- This book is targeted more on teenagers and adults because the things the charaters go through only are realted to adults and teenagers. It wouldnt be appropriate for kids because they wouldnt really understand whats going on.Adults would probrably be the best because the main charater is a goes through things that mostly adults go through and some ofthem can probably could relate or know's someone that can relate.
Criticsim-This book is good literature. I like how the story is descriptive enough to make you feel like its a movie in stead of a book. It makes you feel like your watching over the characters and you'r attached to them. I dont like how some of the things seem like that couldnt happen.
A good book overall. The story that reminds me how strong the crack epidemic really was during the nineties. Everyone in this story was scarred. The only thing I didn't like was that it was a little to long for urban fiction....and the fact that by some miracle it had a happy ending.
What a story! I kept seeing this book on different blogs, Facebook, and Instagram. I was a bit skeptical because the book is right at 500 pages, but it is very engaging and you will not feel like you've read 500 pages at all.
3.75 this one is hard for me to rate but I’ll elaborate on why I docked it but would still recommend it.
This is a re-read for me and I wanted to see if the book was as good as I remember.
Pros: - this is the real and raw of drug addiction so it was different (in a good way) to read more in depth about a MC struggling. - the character development spans over a decade plus so you truly get to see it all the way through with Jada and Born. -the plot itself is great. You literally grow up with Jada and Born and fall in love with them.
Cons: - I think it could have been shorter. Not by much but a solid 75-100 pages off. Theres spots where we could have gotten more of Jada and Born love development. Once they get together, it kind of vaguely takes you through until the obvious. But I do understand that covering over a decade in a book under 400 pages might be a challenge. - the dual 3rd POV even though it’s not notated as such got confusing sometimes. Even with the mentioning of Sunny and Dorian, it appeared to be a true 3rd POV versus their characters so I didn’t enjoy that.
Overall it’s a good book. It’s set in the late 90’s/early 2000’s so it was easy to get sucked into this world. Drugs and addiction aren’t really talked about in most fiction books to this degree.
Let me just start by saying this story DID NOT disappoint! Tracy definitely did her thing with this one!
Edna is definitely the mother you would not want! You are supposed to protect your kids but of course here she is taking up for a no good loser! Ava was severely fed up and who couldn’t understand why. Your step father sitting around sexualizing you and you aren’t believing it. Smh trifling. JD should have been someone rotting in a hole!! Edna was such a weak woman it makes no sense! I knew Charlie was going to be some bs! Why are you taking advantage of a child under the influence 🥺🥺 you already have the momma why do you need the daughter too?? Not to mention why were you condoning her then pimping her out?? Ugh trifling nonsense.
BORNNNNN! I was so happy when Jada got clean and met the man of her dreams. I hate the fact Sunny got her to become dirty again 🫤🫤 I just wish she stayed away from her because crack was her literal vice 😩😩
Jamari� trifling dirty bastard. He got every single negative thing her deserved!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This story takes you through a wave of emotions. This book made me LOVE the characters and also HATE other characters but you really feel like you know these people. Jada really fumbled a love that most people never get to experience 😭
4.75 🌟 for this book. Although it could have been like 50 page shorter I still feel like I got closure for everybody.
This was my favorite read in 2007. I’ve read so many great books since then, and surprisingly, this is still a top read for me today. I now understand much more about love, trauma, and addiction than I did back then, so the storyline hit even harder this time around. The characters felt so real and I enjoyed watching them learn and grow. I’m diving straight into book 2.
I loved this book. I finished it within a week and it's a very lengthy I just couldn't put it down until I finished it. To me Jada was very strong although many would disagree because of her addiction. The book really puts you in a addicts prospective. There were many times I found myself wanting Jada to be through with drugs so badly but I wasn't expecting Born's love to save her. The saddest part was when Dorian died. It was just the way it happened. Most people would call Raquel crazy and obsessed. But I kind of felt for her. When you really love someone you want them to be happy but not with someone else. In a strange way I felt that Dorian got what he deserved. You can't play with peoples emotions. He stepped out on Sunny and it was only Karma that he got what he got. But Sunny was a really strong powerful woman. I loved how her love for Dorian never died even through all the up's and down's. Jamari was just like any other person who idols someone but would never want to admit it. I really didn't like the way he played Jada though. I loved Born's mother she was so sweet ! This is a must-read. It will make you laugh and cry !
Jada has a life that is truer than any fiction could make it for her. This is happening or has happened to thousands of young ladies across the world in so fashion. To see the life that she had to go through. The struggles. The triumphs. Her life became real under the words Brown put on the pages.
Born's life was that of a true hustler. He learned the game very early in life with his very own hero and bad guy. He learned to make a way for himself and to depend on no one. Until he took that chance and felt that he was accurate in his belief to trust no one.
Brown did an amazing job bring the life of the game and the hindrances of it to life on these pages. She put the drama right out there to be read and digested.
Before i moved to the states i never had any contact with drugs of any kind .i guess i was kind of sheltered .when i came here i seen my first addict , the first dealer , lost friends because of drugs . i never have and never will use drugs but now know people that do and reading this book opened my eyes wider then i could have imagined .
i have seen friends go through these horrors but sadly most of them did not have a happy ending .
this story describes vividly what thousands of people go through in this and many other countries and what they are willing to do for their addiction .
This was the first book I have read by this author....I don't do alot of urban fiction but this book was stated to be such a GREAT read so I had to see what was all the hype....I for one thought it was a really GOOD story and it did keep you turning the pages cause you wanted to know what would happen next....that being said... about 20% of the book could have been left out because this book was 497 pages and some of the story was told over and over again...but still a GOOD read nontheless....I hear there will be a White Lines 2 looking forward to knowing if Born and Jada will get back together and will Sunny and Ava find a love of their own....