Jade is a Twisted Green is a book about finding your sexuality, yourself and life. It's about Black culture and Jamaican culture. Several times I found myself looking up different hairstyles and products that were referenced. I didn't feel the NEED to look them up, I wanted to know more about the culture. Tanya Turton did a wonderful job of describing the scene, adding spice, but keeping it young/new adult, and giving beautiful aspect to Black and Jamaican culture. She delved into the world of LGBTQIA that is a minority itself. However, she added the minority within a minority; Black LGBTQIA. Very well written book.

It took me a while to get into this book as the narrative style is a lot of us being in the characters' heads and at the beginning it was hard for me to stay focused on that with characters I didn't know. As I got to know the characters, however, the story really pulled me in and I enjoyed experiencing different characters' thought processes and perspectives (the narrator shifts from chapter to chapter, as well as the time period so some chapters are in the present and some are in the past).

I also loved that Toronto is the setting as it's not a city I know a lot about (other than visiting as a child) and it was fun to learn about the vibe of Little Jamaica. Also, the descriptions of outfits and food were really fun and felt vital to setting the scene instead of just being additional details. I also appreciated the nuances described about code switching and when to speak patois and general identity fluidity (on multiple levels) and what makes different people comfortable in or drawn to certain spaces. Many times, identity markers become a character's main trait or entire story, but that was not the case here at all. So beautifully done!

Jade is a Twisted Green is a wonderful piece about grief and healing. It’s about moving forward while tethered to the past. It’s about connects with others that transcends the typical, surface level connections to a spiritual embrace between one another. This novel was fantastic and emotional to read. Jade is learning how to find herself after losing her twin sister. She is also a new adult, daughter of an immigrant, person of color, and a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. She feels disconnected from the world in a lot of ways and has a past of trying to conform to someone’s ideas of who she should be yet knows she never will be. Jade’s journey is relatable, moving, and inspirational.