Absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. There have been a lot of books that cover the topic of sexual assault in the past few years but this is one of the best that I've read. Please be aware of trigger warnings when going into this book. Highly recommend.

Thank you, Simon Books, for the gifted copy.

A raw, intimate, and emotional story about Ceyda (pronounced Jada, but she goes by Jade). A woman destined to be a lawyer based on her families' expectations shares internal reflections with us following a sexual assault. Who do you tell when you feel like you cannot tell anyone?

Jade is Turkish-Korean, meaning that she is under a watchful eye for all life decisions. Her job, partner, and parents all have expectations for her. A work gala one night completely changes Jade's life, leaving behind only a chance for a life free from expectations and a struggle to survive. Jade struggles with coming to terms with what happened to her and how to navigate the feelings that come with the trauma she realizes she has endured.

I struggled to get into this one initially, but baby, when the audio became available, I was immersed in the story. Shoutouts to the narrator, Rosa Escoda. I will say the reason for the struggle was that the transitions from past to present were so abrupt that I witnessed whiplash endlessly for the first thirteen chapters. I did enjoy the exploration of different cultures through the lens of the child of immigrants as the author delved into the history of how Jade's parents came to be and their journey to London, as well as the toxic culture of working for a corporate company.

Kit sucked as a partner, btw (completely gaslighted Jade from beginning to end), but I saw that coming from a mile away! Themes explored are identity politics, misogyny, classism, racism, sexism, and sexual assault.

I would recommend this one.

Jaded by Ela Lee is a mesmerizing journey through the complexities of love, loss, and redemption. Lee's masterful storytelling transports readers into the tumultuous world of her characters, where emotional depth and raw vulnerability reign supreme. Through the lens of her protagonist's tumultuous relationship, Lee skillfully navigates themes of heartbreak, resilience, and self-discovery with unwavering honesty and compassion. The characters are exquisitely crafted, each one bearing scars of their own, yet striving for healing and connection in the face of adversity. Lee's prose is lyrical and evocative, infusing every page with a sense of urgency and poignancy that keeps readers captivated until the very end. "Jaded" is a poignant reminder of the power of love to both wound and heal, and Lee's exploration of human fragility and resilience is as profound as it is unforgettable. With its richly drawn characters and emotionally resonant narrative, Jaded is a triumph of contemporary fiction that will linger in the hearts and minds of readers long after the final page is turned.

A powerful, raw and emotional novel about a woman, Jade, as she is grapples with finding her true identity after the fallout of an encounter where no consent was given. Interwoven in the story are cultural references as a child of immigrants and the sexism of women in the corporate workplace. A lot of respect for author and the author’s note and that provides the background and trigger warnings for the book.
The cover depicting a fragile, beautiful but broken vase is such a strong metaphor for that one moment that can change someone’s life…do they stay broken?

This was a much heavier book than I was expecting, but the topics discussed are so important. It's a criticism of how society treats survivors of sexual assault, and how the corporate world tokenizes minorities for the sake of diversity. I really enjoyed the relationship between Jade and her family, until the end. I felt like towards the end of the book, characters started acting, well, out of character. I spent most of this book incredibly frustrated with Jade, wishing the inner monologue we get to hear in italics was her actual, voiced dialogue. Her character arc finally came around, but the author waited until the twelfth hour to give us some backbone on our protagonist. Overall I am glad I read the book, as it was well written and engrossing.

This was a TOUGH read.

After too much to drink at a work event, a coworker takes Jade home and she wakes up the next morning with no memory of the night before. We eventually learn that Jade was raped, and everything that happens after is exhausting, frustrating, and heartbreaking to read. I felt so hopeless and angry reading it.

Every male character in this book is garbage, and a handful of the women characters too. It took me awhile to read this book because I kept getting so mad. I was so glad Jade had Adele and Eve.

While the epilogue shared a bit of hope, this was not a novel with an ending where they take down the whole firm by exposing what’s going on.

This book is very well written, and the story is raw and honest. You definitely need to make sure you’re in the right headspace and mood to pick this one up.

Content Warnings: Rape, Sexual Assault, Racism

Thank you @simonbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I will be excited to see more from this author. Very difficult topics, but this story does it so well. While there is a lot to dig into, Lee does a great job of keeping it all cohesive. While it made me think hard, it was an easy read done in a few sittings. Thank you for the read.

Worth the read for the first 3/4 of the book—though issuing a strong trigger warning for victims of sexual assault. Disturbing story about the sexual assault and the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, gender and class, complicated by workplace politics at a premier law firm. Everyone knows someone like Jade (Ceyda), which makes this story all the more heartbreaking. Interesting backstory about the Jade's multicultural (Korean and Turkish) heritage, her evolving relationship with her parents as she achieves their dreams for her and her reflections on how she has perhaps muted her identity for the sake of advancement, at the same time recognizing its cachet. This novel reminded me a bit of Chanel Miller's story in "Say My Name." I really thought this novel was very well-done, until the end. I feel like rather than following the characters' journey, it sort of abruptly stopped and transitioned to something more like a non-fiction/journalistic account of the aftermath of sexual assault. Probably deserves 3.75, rounding up in my star review.

Jade, a corporate lawyer, wakes up after a work event with no memory of what happened the night before. As she pieces out what happened, she must also figure out what she’s willing to sacrifice if she wants to make it in the life she envisioned for herself.

Jaded initially caught my attention because its author, like the main character in her novel, is half-Turkish, half-Korean. While I’ve read a variety of novels from separate perspectives, I was very intrigued to see how the two cultures would combine in a country that’s neither person’s origin. In fact Jade’s interactions with her family were the most intriguing parts of the book for me and I thought the love and care and the conflicts were done really well.

Beyond that a lot of the story felt very familiar to me; from the great-on-paper but culturally and emotionally insensitive boyfriend, to the racist and sexist corporate world. A lot of the familiarity is because these have been topics I’ve been interested in and have read about extensively. Lee’s writing is really strong, her observations accurate, the story is compelling and flows really well. Despite my criticism, I do think it’ll be a very good starting point for anyone interested in reading these topics (maybe someone less jaded about the corporate world than me).

Huge thanks to Simon & Schuster for this ARC.

Jaded is an absolutely beautiful and honest debut story documenting the experience of a young lawyer from England who endures one of women’s ultimate fears in her workplace.

Jaded confronts the reality of how difficult it is for rape victims to not only come forward with their truths but just how nearly impossible it is for these victims to bring a case successfully to trial. Between the shame and overarching lack of physical evidence, our protagonist battles with the decision to report the incident knowing it will cost her nearly everything to do so. As someone who is in a biracial relationship, it was really intriguing to read about the dynamics between Ceyda’s (or Jade as she has referred to herself for the sake of compromised convenience) Korean-Turkish family and her boyfriend’s extreme “whiteness.” While he made efforts to be supportive in certain situations, it was very selective from his position and sometimes even performative based upon his own comfort levels and circumstances. The scenarios described in this story lead to very thought provoking conversations with my own partner and I honestly feel very grateful for the mediation this book provided while we spoke with such candor. Obviously this story could be very triggering for some people, but I think it’s a great book for discussion among peers and would encourage very constructive conversations.

Ela Lee’s writing is so engaging and I felt deeply drawn in each time I picked up the book but the ending was so abrupt, I couldn’t help but feel it was rushed. I enjoyed the sentiment of the last paragraph but it would have been nice to begin the sentiment even a chapter earlier simply to provide a very clear sense of closure after a journey of 99% conflict and only 1% resolution. Overall though, I really enjoyed this book and will most definitely be looking forward to *hopefully* more from this author!

I didn't go in blind to this book but I felt like I did. I read the book blurb and thought this would be a thriller of sorts. Lawyer Jade goes to a company party and wakes up the next morning not knowing what happened. What happened was rape and this book needs a huge trigger warning. How Jade navigates after the event is heart-wrenching. I thought the author did such a fantastic job navigating the after. She pulled in race and feminism topics into the after. There is so much tackled in this book but it doesn't feel preachy or overwhelming. I thought this was such a powerful book and I wish it was a book that all men could/should read. A very well done debut and I can't wait to see what this author writes next.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

Jaded is a phenomenal story. I can’t claim to say I “enjoyed” it, exactly- that’s far too light a descriptor for what is NOT a light tale. However I found it excellent and utterly compelling.

Jaded tells the story of Jade, a young lawyer coming to grips with the aftermath of a night in which she inexplicably blacked out- which is now coming back to her in terrifying flashes.

While Jade grapples with this, and what it means for her life, her career, her relationship, her family, and herself, she’s also dealing with so much more. First, it should be noted that Jade isn’t actually even Jade- that’s just her “Starbucks name”- the “safe” name adopted by a child of immigrants. Her actual name is Ceyda, and in dealing with what has happened to her, she’s also forced to deal with just how far she’s been moved (coerced? forced?) to make herself “safe” and acceptable in the privileged (ie white-washed) circles she’s found herself.

This is not an easy read. But the best things are not often the easiest. I highly recommend this book- and will definitely be re-reading it in future.

Thank you Ela Lee, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Jaded was such a surprise read for me that left an imprint on my heart and in my head. Jade was such an important vehicle in this novel to broach the deep rooted issues this book takes on. She was the perfect catalyst - with a Korean mother and a Turkish father she grew up with vestiges of both cultures but feeling very lonely. Ela Lee handles the racial scenarios in such a way that the reader is instinctively going to turn a bright light on themselves to gauge their own interactions/preconceived ideas/insensitivities when dealing with people from other cultures. It was a very effective way to possibly open readers eyes to the myths and notions about other cultures that are offensive to those cultures.
Kit was also the perfect foil for Jade - and served as a clueless stereotype for so many others. My heart did go out to him though, as he seemed to be trying so hard but just couldn’t get things right. Meanwhile I totally enjoyed reading the passages that shared Jade’s mother and father, again a true eye opener. I have to admit that at times the passages about the foods seemed to be excessive.
The way The Firm tried to address other cultures was written so tongue in cheek, but I can attest to the truthful aspects of company’s with lofty goals that fall so very short of changing anything, other than giving themselves a pat on the back for their meager attempts.
The most intense overwhelming reaction I had was to Jade’s flashbacks and very very slow realization that she had been raped. Ela Lee wove all Jade’s feelings, reactions and emotions into something that was so very gripping and evoked such a strong response from me. Having never been a victim of rape, it seemed a very true depiction of the devastation it must create within each victim’s lives.
Ela Lee has handled such powerful storylines so very very intelligently and effective.y. I know that I truly wish to be more sensitive to other cultures and hopefully other readers share the same inspirations.
Many many thanks to Ela Lee, Simon &Schuster, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc f this just published book.

Ceyda, who now goes by her “Starbucks name” of Jade couldn’t be happier with where she is in life. Welllllll, maybe if the law firm she works at wasn’t consuming ALL of her billable hours, but this was what she wanted. Right?

She has a perfect relationship with her college boyfriend, they’ve decided not to live together just yet and instead see each other because they want to. Not because they live together.

But then she wakes up after a long night of schmoozing and drinking at a work party and she can’t remember… anything?

Between nightmares and sudden flashbacks, Jade begins to come to terms with what happened that night.

She struggles to tell her loved ones when she can barely say it herself. She was raped.

On top of her own feelings, she’s balancing how the news effects those around her. Her boyfriend. Her parents. Work?! Does she report this to HR or does she try to protect her career (and why is that an either/or decision?!)

I thought Lee did a great job with Jade the complexities of her coping. The characters surrounding her really showed off how different people act and think you should handle situations. She explores how we listen to survivors and might choose to overlook perpetrators.

If you liked Chanel Miller’s Know My Name, I think you’ll like Jaded. They’re not easy subjects but they are important reads that are done well. The two book covers even share similar inspiration that I think is quite meaningful.

This book is out now!!! Thanks to #netgalley, #simonandschuster and #elalee for this e-arc!

This book was hard to put down – it’s at the cross section of the sharp contemporary relatability of 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘍𝘶𝘯 𝘈𝘨𝘦 and the self-examining emotional acuity of 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘭 𝘌𝘺𝘦. The jacket copy comparison to 𝘐 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘠𝘰𝘶 is spot on (and if you haven’t seen that show on HBO, run don’t walk – it’s excellent). Both that show and this book excel in demonstrating the nuance of what it’s like to try and resume life after realizing you’ve been violated but you’re not entirely sure how. In both cases, the main character is assaulted while heavily under the influence, to the point that it takes them several days to piece enough together to realize what actually took place.⁣
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The depictions of mental trauma after sexual assault in 𝘑𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 are candid and numerous – while they can be triggering for some readers, I found their consistency and inclusion to be the strongest element to the novel. 𝘑𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 does a good job of showing how these vestiges of trauma can shape everything from a daily routine to a work commute to a deeper sense of self-worth.⁣
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𝘑𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 also has themes of navigating class, multicultural families, generational expectations, and corporate racism – but some themes were more fleshed out than others. Overall the read was satisfying and thought-provoking; a good pick for contemporary fic fans that don’t mind exploring delicate subjects.

I really appreciate the story of Jaded by Ela Lee. The story is one of Jade (the Starbucks name for Ceyda a young woman of Korean and Turkish descent). She is living the second generation dream as a lawyer with good friends and a steady male partner. But is she? Her life turns after a work party and the aftermath. The author does such a lovely job of getting inside the mind of Ceyda with all the self-doubt, pain, confusion, and denial. She doesn't always make the right choices but still, I felt empathy for her, not judgment and that I think is because the author so adeptly lets us see and feel things from Ceyda's perspective. The answers are not neat but again left me feeling very empathetic and with a deeper understanding of the long-lasting effects of such life changes. I appreciate the author not making easy resolutions in relationships come just to wrap up the story. All in all a book I will remember.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Jaded in exchange for an honest review.

Work and Social Evils for Smart Women

The irony of all ironies. A young Korean attorney, who whose parents sacrificed for her education, is working at a firm where allegations of sexual misconduct are to be taken very seriously. But what if it happens? Jade, our heroine, is emotionally and physically caught up in a trauma that depicts an office environment that is not really a safe place.

This novel is a debut of fiction, but it reads like it happened. At a work party, she is seems to be forced to indulge in more liquor than she is accustomed to drinking. Then, she doesn’t remember much but she awakens the next day sexually sore and hungover. A desperate situation.

Her self-confidence begins to unravel affecting her relationship with her parents and her white, privileged boyfriend, Kit. The author depicted Jade’s problems stretching into the ugliness of racism, misogyny (never well-hidden) and anti-immigrant prejudice.

The only constant is her perseverance to continue the arduous journey up the corporate ladder. At times, I felt like was not reading fiction entirely.

My gratitude to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for this pre-published book. All opinions express are my own.

While I was reading this, I forgot that it was a work of fiction. It read more like a memoir of the author's life (or how her memoir might read if that makes any sense). It is real. It is raw. It happens to women every single day. The "Me-too" movement might make it slightly easier to come out today but it still carries such a huge stigma. The victim is victimized over and over again. It is even more difficult in certain professions, by certain demographics and by women of color. Most rarely believe the victim at first because getting the evidence, especially against someone who is known to you because "they didn't mean it", "they are not like that", "she is just regretting". We make excuses for the men who do this and put the onus completely on the victim to prove it. Ela Lee writes a completely real and intriguing story about the assault many of us have experienced at least once in our lives. This story is also about identity, about how one sees us, how WE see ourselves and how we try to mold ourselves to better fit in with our surroundings, including partners, co-workers, family and friends. "I played Twister with my personality, to see what fit best". I couldn't put it down and stayed up way too late to finish it.

Jaded is a very well written debut novel by Ela Lee. It is a very raw and heart-wrenching account of a rape and its aftermath. Jade (real name Ceyda but everyone calls her Jade) finds herself at home after a party and she has no memory how she got there. She has to try to piece together what happened the night before. Jade is a successful attorney of mixed race in a firm where the men rule and corporate culture is rife with sexism, misogeny, and racial bias. She has a difficult time navigating these issues and trying to deal with what happened to her.

This book delves deep into Jade's uncertainty and her feelings of being less. I felt the book successfully depicted the trauma and the journey Jade navigated to survive her ordeal. I found the book relevant and well done and I think it is a good book for any woman to read.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster through Netgalley for an advance copy. Expected publication March 19, 2024.

Jaded was a fantastic read and an outstanding debut novel by author Ela Lee.

"Jade has become everything she ever wanted to be. Successful lawyer. Dutiful daughter. Beloved girlfriend. Loyal friend. Until Jade wakes up the morning after a work event, naked and alone, with no idea how she got home. Caught between her parents who can’t understand, her boyfriend who feels betrayed, and her job that expects silence, the world Jade has constructed starts to crumble."

Even though this novel covers a difficult topic, Ela Lee handled it extremely well, and unfortunately extremely realistically. Jade goes through every emotion and has to hear a different opinion from everyone in her life after a co-worker assaults her after a work event, and the way the story is written, I followed along and felt every emotion with her. The story makes you question your own self in how you would handle this type of situation.

This is not a book that brought me joy, BUT good books don't need to to be good. I did enjoy Jade as a character and most of her friends and family. There were a few that made me want to scream, and a few unexpected moments that had me gasping.

Overall I am grateful for the ARC and the opportunity to read this novel before it debuts! Thank you Netgalley, Author Ela Lee and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!