I loved that the Jade was a writer. It makes the description and dialogue involving her more descriptive to read (the author did this well). The imagery in the book was great- especially love that the girls friendship group was Jade, Roze and Amethyst since Roze loved crystals. It’s a good book to read during the summer but not something that I would read over and over again.

I found the narrative style of this novel a bit tangled, and I was lost at times. It also felt a bit self-absorbed as a novel, with characters who lacked depth.

Overall not my favourite read.

(3.75 stars)

This book is written like poetry, to me. It's written absolutely gorgeously and is extremely descriptive, which appeals to me. Its quite fast paced, but I think that's the point - Jade's life is moving fast around her so this book mirrors that perfectly. The writing styler appealed to me a lot, which is nice.

The concept of the book isn't something I usually reach for, dealing with very heavy topics - though for the last half of this book, I was attached and needed to keep on reading. Following Jade through her journey of grief, finding herself and understanding herself was gorgeous, and almost useful to me. It was brilliant.

There are quite heavy triggers in the book, which did surprise me and I did need a break, but otherwise, I loved it.

The broad concept - a Canadian-based Jamaican woman’s search for self and her journey of sexual discovery. The notion intrigued me as a coming-of-age story I could recommend to students. The author’s debut work explores loss, sexual orientation and finding oneself. These are perfect ingredients to garner YA interest; thus, the book will likely go down well in High School.

My thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book greatly represents a lot of things like the LGBTQ+ community and black woman. For that reason I was very interested in this book as I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community myself.
The writing style is something you need to get used to and this did take me a while. It's a lot of jumping between present and past and between characters.
It's a book about life and the struggles that come with it, especially dealing with loss.

[ I received and arc copy for this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion]

i went into this book with the understanding that it was a story of becoming. in particular, a story that follows a queer black woman living through her stages of becoming after the loss of her sister. i was drawn to it instantly because of this and thanks to the arc i received from netgalley and dundurn press, i was able to read it before the publication date. unfortunately, i found myself to be disappointed by what i discovered it to be.

yes it is a story of becoming, but it is one that lost me numerous chapters in. i finished the book with one main question - were the different points of view necessary? due to the points of view to keep up with, even though this was jade’s story, i did not engage with this as much as i would have liked nor did i feel that the plot was executed as it could or have been. the vision was there! it was screaming at me between pages! but it just did not match up to what i was reading. i loved jade and feel she deserved a more cohesive w

overall, i found this to be just okay rather than something to rave and write home about. the narrative style did not work with me, which is disappointing from something i was so looking forward to, but i remain hopeful for the future of tanya turton and her work.

Jade Is a Twisted Green is an extremely well written emotional storyline with well developed characters that were so relatable and likeable.
A fantastic story of grief, love, growing and finding out who you truly are!
Absolutely exquisite, I can't put into words!
Tanya Turton, did an outstanding job writing this story.
It was wonderfully written and really got to me emotionally.
I found the writing so comforting. 
Just read this for yourself!!!!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Rare Machines,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

An incredibly story depicting grief through a Black, Queer woman's lens. It was incredibly eye-opening to me as a White, Queer woman with the dialect used and Jamaican culture, as well as someone that has gone through grief with other family members. A fulfilling story.

i received an advanced reader copy of this book through netgalley and was super excited to read it. what really drew me to it was the unique cover design and the interesting description. the book follows jade, a 24 year old queer black woman grieving from the loss of her twin sister. i really wanted to love this book but i simply could not get into it. i’m disappointed because i have never given a book 1 star before no matter how much i disliked it. i couldn’t look past the terrible writing style. it personally didn’t flow for me and i felt like things moved way too fast without any proper descriptions. to me, the writing didn’t feel mature or well thought out at all.

another thing that prevented me from connecting to jade’s story was the multiple points of view. the book did not focus solely on jade (who was the one who was supposed to be healing - the sole focus of the book according to the description) and reading anecdotes and scenes from other people’s point of view drew me away from her. because of the alternating points of view, i felt like none of the chapters flowed together. nothing really connected and things/events happened with no build up from the previous chapter.

the final cherry on top was the poly plot. there didn’t feel like much build up to it, it was just sprinkled in the beginning of a chapter and developed very badly (i might even say inappropriately). it’s clear that the author didn’t know how to go about this but included it anyway. the author clearly confused cheating with a consensual polyamorous relationship. jade cheated on her partner in the name of discovering herself and exploring polyamory.

this story simply fell flat for me and i was not invested in jade’s healing journey at all. i’m sad to say that i did not like this book at all and was very disappointed by it.

find my goodreads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4777801541?type=review#rating_485940027

find my intsagram review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cerecl1g4LU/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review
I was really looking forward to reading this book, and though I liked it, I'm a bit disappointed. Though I found the plot and the characters interesting, the constant POV changes kept me from truly immersing myself in the story. I wanted to see more of Jade, but her POV was overshadowed by other characters' POVs, and I think that I would have enjoyed this book more if the story had been told only through Jade's eyes.

I have one word for this book and it's wow
What a book. I was drawn by how gorgeous the cover was and the writing sucked me in completely.
I loved the writing. The plot. The characters. How we were introduced to them not just as characters but got to know their stories and how they fit in was amazing. I loved that
I loved the topics of friendships, the fluidity of love and solo-travelling which i adore.
I'm scared of raving too much about this book otherwise I'll spoil it but if i could give it all the stars i would but for now we'll start with five stars. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for their next read and it does need a space in your never-ending tbr list.

I desperately wanted to love this book. The synopsis and everything about it called to me. A black queer woman dealing with grief and life and trying to navigate through life?? Sign me up.
However reading it just didn’t hit how it was meant to. I liked it and it was insightful and emotional but the multiple POVs made it hard for me to connect to the characters.

I did not like how this was written at all. Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for an e-ARC in exchange for my review.

Big thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this beautiful piece of literature. I was going to start off by categorizing this as a love letter to so and so, but then I thought: this is a love letter. Period. Wow, what an amazing and relevant story! I loved this and everything it had to offer. Every character was so flawed yet whole. They each brought something fresh and ominous yet recognizable to every chapter. It really tugged at my little heart strings. The author spoke about a lot of important topics that opened my eyes to new perspectives. Not only did they talk about grief, but it ventured into Jamaican culture, Canadian culture, immigration, POC's, even Toronto culture! It was refreshing and new, and it being set in Toronto made visualization easier then usual! Tanya Turton is so descriptive in her writing about the city, that you genuinely feel like you are apart of the conversation, train rides and late night walks with the characters. I loved every single Pop culture reference ranging from major hits on the radio to classic TV Shows made in the 90's. And don't think I missed that A Different World reference! Everything hit me deep and each character felt like either a piece of me, or someone I knew. I thoroughly enjoyed this and thought it a fortifying read.

I was excited to read a story about a queer Black woman in Toronto trying to discover herself after her twin sister's passing. However, much of the "plot", if there was a coherent one, didn't amount to anything significant. I feel really sorry, because I did want to like this so much but found nothing much to enjoy about it so please skip this if you would not like to read a negative review.

The beginning chapters have some of the characters' names as their titles, and were even in the titular characters' POVs. However, some of these characters turned out to be unimportant to the plot. Turton also keeps alternating between POVs before finally deciding to stick with Jade but wait, she switches POVs again. You never know if a chapter is supposed to be in Jade's POV, another character's POV, or the omniscient narrator. Really confusing even if you're paying attention.

I couldn't see a greater meaning behind this story at all. We barely got anything about Roze, Jade's twin sister. Also, I find it weird to have a POV chapter of a character that's established to be dead right from the beginning. It doesn't make a lot of sense logically.

I personally do not subscribe to polyamory but I really didn't like the way polyamory is portrayed here as the character was clearly cheating under the guise of "finding things out." As if there weren't enough stories that exploit the cheating trope. This does a disservice to poly people out there.

Overall, despite it's intriguing premise, this book didn't live up. The execution and it writing were average at best. The editing is also not amazing, as better editing would have weeded out a lot of structural issues like chapter titles, excessive cliches, and inconsistency in narration style. I hope Turton's next book, if any, will be better.

Side note: The number of four and five star reviews is actually surprising to me given the clear issues with storytelling and structure, but I suppose this is usually the case with ARCs until the book is officially published and we have a more objective audience who isn't beholden to publishers and authors in any way. However, power to the people who enjoyed it ⁠— I'm really not here to police that! 😅

ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I was delighted to see the representation that this book has and I loved the settings of the book. However, I found the change in timelines and characters a bit disjointed and I struggled to connect with the characters due to a lack of depth. I found myself wanting more information in order to sympathize with Jade and the gang.

I loved the final section about <spoiler> Jade's final solo trip <spoiler/> but it took a while to get there.

Overall, I would give this book a go, especially if there are aspects the personalities in the book that that appeal to and/or represent you.

3.5/5

I would like to thank Dundurn Press and NetGalley for the copy of this eARC.

Coming of age stories will always hold a place in my heart, and the reason that this one caught my eye was because it was unlike my own story. You can only read a story you identify with so many times before you need to broaden your horizons and adapt new perspectives on ideas you were never required to consider. The conversations of black identity, adaption to different cultures were done beautifully and celebrated, while remaining eye opening.

The author had a beautiful way with her writing and intertwined the stories in an interesting way that made you want more. The closer you made it to the end, the more you realized that nothing would be enough. Jade was so complex but also could be so simple, and there is so much to love about her.

This was a story of grief, love, and acceptance while overcoming not only what has happened to you and your life but also overcoming the limitations you placed on yourself. I was rooting for her to find that growth and it was an adventure I was glad to be a part of. I cannot wait for others to meet Jade and her story, and will be keeping my eye on work from Tanya Turton in the future.

5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

'Have you ever seen Toronto in the summer? The streets become warm, and souls start to smile.'

Jade is a Twisted Green is a black, queer, new adult book that follows Jade and her personal growth, told through multiple POVs. It's a celebration of black beauty and love. It's a conversation about mental health, loss, grief, life after college, and the inner journey of trying to find yourself. It's therapeutic. This book made me sob not because it's sad, but because I felt seen. The struggles of being a new writer, of sexuality and gender, of not knowing who you are but discovering who you are; it touched my soul. And for that, I thank Tanya Turton.

'Tiny drops of rain fell from the sky, each one warm and, like tears; they streamed down her cheeks. The sky and water were covering her in the cleansing she prayed for.'

I don't think I have ever read a book that has felt more alive than Jade is a Twisted Green. Tanya Turton's writing is so beautiful, luscious, and earthed, that it felt as if the text was breathing. That it was learning, and growing. Every touch of skin, every scent, every smile, every tear; they're all so real. Turton takes her time with her writing, allowing all the details to soak in, and letting the small moments live. It brings a wonderful pace to the book. Between the parties and the frantic loves are these slow moments of self-care that ground the text and give space for the character and reader to breathe.

'Skin warm and damp from her shower, she used shea butter to moisturize, taking extra time to rub it in. Her own touch brought comfort.'

A fascinating part of the book is how the character's perceive themselves compared to how others perceive them, highlighting that we never really do see ourselves clearly. 'Amethyst saw Jade as a gracious person whose love was present and persistent, but it took quite a bit to open her up.' However, 'Jade perceived herself, on the other hand, as an extension of her parent's pain.' Tanya's use of multiple POVs to tell this story illuminates something key about mental health: it's isolating. We can struggle to see beyond the negativity and see the light that those we surround ourselves see in us. The POVs add such a complexity to the characters and their relationships that transforms the text in such a beautiful way. It's eye-opening.

'Her eyes were deep with a glow of dark purple, each freckle on her face part of a constellation, connecting to the sparking stars all over her body.'

The most special part of this book, though, is that it is unapologetically black. It shows black women thriving in themselves, not hiding who they are, their cultures, or their souls to make white people comfortable. To my fellow white people, read this book! Enjoy it's spiritual nature and how it breathes. If you're looking to expand your horizons beyond white authors (as we all should be), this book is at the top of my recommendations.

'This, for us, is catharsis, this is healing. This is acceptance. This is love. Black, queer, and continental.'

The writing in this book is absolutely lovely. It’s a fantastic tale of identity and belonging from a Canadian-Jamaican mc and author.

This book hit some pretty hard feels I’m not going to lie. Our MC is a young woman called Jade, who has lost the other half of her heart, her twin sister. Jade tries drowning her sorrows in all manner of things, and of course it doesn’t go the way she hopes it does. Only by working through the pain do things start to look up for her. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse into the life of someone who had such a vastly different upbringing to me, I must admit, I know very little about Toronto or Little Jamaica and how Jamaicans find they fit into a predominantly white society, but I always wish to learn and gain more insight, and while this book is fiction, it gives some excellent perspective and insight. I loved the diversity and representation, of POC, LGBTQI+ and mental health issues. This book hit hard in so many ways, but ‘watching’ Jade stumble and fall only to keep getting back up again was a way to show not every superhero deed is one that shouts out loud, sometimes it’s just getting up in the morning and trying again and again was truly admirable. Her grief was palpable throughout the story so some may find that part of the story quite confronting or triggering, while my heart hurt for her, I also appreciated the rawness and vulnerability the author was able to convey. This was quite a fast read but I feel like it’s a story that’s now going to stick with me for a long time. Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.