Once Bad Intentions cover art

Once Bad Intentions

A Love Story of Triumph and Redemption

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Once Bad Intentions

By: Monique Campbell
Narrated by: Monique Campbell, Paris Robinson
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About this listen

Stephanie Johnson is a young, Black, and spirited, though troubled eleven-year-old girl seeking to find her place in a world that doesn’t understand her.

As she and her girlfriends navigate their experiences of friendship, family and first love together, Steph seeks a better future for herself – but will she be able to escape the hand she’s been dealt?

Once Bad Intentions is a redemptive journey into womanhood; a heartfelt story that unfolds over a decade in 90s black London, where suffering and love, humour and forgiveness, triumph and loss all co-exist as part of a passage toward redemption. Its characters are worth celebrating: self-disciplined and morally complex, big on image, and who like to floss!

©2023 Monique Campbell (P)2025 Monique Campbell Coming of Age Genre Fiction Psychological Heartfelt

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Listener received this title free

This novel offers a layered and emotionally grounded look at growing up in 90s London through the eyes of a young girl navigating a world of complexity. The writing captures both the struggles and the resilience of its characters with clarity and nuance. It explores themes of identity, friendship, hardship, and redemption with a tone that is both candid and thoughtful. A reflective and engaging read that offers a meaningful portrayal of personal growth and social reality.

A Gritty and Honest Coming-of-Age Story

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Amazing coming of age book about not becoming a product of your environment I highly recommend

Amazing book highly recommend

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Listener received this title free

I rarely find audiobooks that stay with me long after the final chapter, but "Once Bad Intentions" has carved a permanent place in my heart. The narrator perfectly captures Stephanie Johnson's spirited voice—a young Black girl navigating the complex maze of 90s London with determination despite her troubles.

What struck me most was how authentically the story portrays female friendship. The conversations between Steph and her girlfriends transported me back to my own adolescence—the whispered secrets, the fierce loyalty, the shared dreams. Their journey through first loves, family struggles, and self-discovery unfolds with such honesty that I found myself laughing and tearing up, sometimes within the same chapter.

The decade-spanning narrative shows Stephanie's transformation without ever feeling rushed. Her path to redemption isn't linear—there's triumph alongside heartbreak, humor alongside pain—making her growth all the more meaningful.

This audiobook doesn't just tell a story; it immerses you in a world both culturally specific and universally relatable. A remarkable achievement that deserves every bit of its acclaim.

An Unforgettable Coming-of-Age Journey

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I loved this so much, I loved the journey, found it both engaging, sometimes frightening as well as sad at times. Beautiful story, the voices made the story come alive, bringing forth the pain felt, the experience of falling in love for the first time , redemption and so much more. Beautifully written.

Beautiful love story despite all the odds

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Once Bad Intentions is a personal and thoughtfully written story, reminiscent of classic YA novels such as Brixton Rock by Alex Wheatle, The Scholar by Courttia Newland and The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah.

Set in South London during the 1990s, the novel follows Stephanie Johnson, a young Black girl, as she navigates her way through family drama, friendships and first love during a turbulent period of her teens.

A vibrant, funny and intelligent teenager, Stephanie also has a growing reputation for violence and petty crime. As her choices take her down an increasingly dangerous path and the pressures at home reach way past boiling point, Stephanie has to decide on the kind of life she wants to live.

I really enjoyed listening to this book, partly for its nostalgia for the 90s but mostly for its redemptive message with the reminder that it's really not where you come from that matters, but where you are headed to.

The 'likkle gansta' with a heart

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