This story feels so real--dripping with raw pain, confusion, and the helplessness of not knowing where to turn and who to trust. So hard to read but still I couldn't put it down. Really, really well done!

I could not focus while reading this book. Neither the characters nor the story, were engaging enough to keep my attention. The story moved so slowly that it took days to get through pages, and it felt like no progress was ever made.

Jade is a successful lawyer, putting in endless hours of work to prove her worth at a prestigious law firm. But when she wakes up the morning after a work gala with no memory of the night before and increasingly disturbing symptoms and flashes of memory throws her perfect life off balance.

Jaded is a timely, moving portrait of a woman grappling with the reality of being assaulted in today’s world. I appreciate the writing and the story, but I can’t say I enjoyed the experience of reading it. It was infuriating, but, of course, that is the point.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. The topic was heavy and triggering; and I really struggled to read the content.

I'm not sure if it was just us, but I was discussing with a group of friends who also were approved for this, and none of us were prepared for the content to be so heavy for so long. I'm not sure if we just missed the trigger warnings, but we didn't see any and from the description alone we didn't necessarily expect it to be the bulk of what we were reading.

With that being said - I do not think this is a bad book by any means. I cannot objectively say one way or the other, as I did not read it in its entirety.

Thank you for providing this ARC, and I'm sorry it didn't work out for a full read and review.

This was a really strong debut with a very well written MC. Loved this book and hope the story can resonate with its female readers.

I go back and forth on my take for this one. On one hand, the subject matter (a victim scared to accuse her coworker rapist in fear of losing a rising position at her law firm, boyfriend, and more) plays out in a way that is almost too realistic to enjoy. On the other hand, when one picks up a novel, they don’t usually expect a memoir style outcome and maybe that is a good thing. I’m trying not to give too much away, but maybe I was just expecting more of a Hollywood ending.

My feelings towards the actual story aside, I had trouble with the writing style. The use of italics felt unnecessary and confusing. I hope that is changed in the final edit. Jade is already the narrator/MC - we are reading the story from her first person lens, we don’t then need italics to read her thoughts. Lee definitely has something here and I hope it’s polished up a bit more before release.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🌹TLFL Spoiler-Free Book Review🌹
🌹Book: Jaded
🌹Author: Ela Lee
🌹Publisher: Simon and Schuster
🌹Genre: Fiction, New Adult, Women’s Fiction, Coming of Age
🌹Review/ Recommendation:
There are books that change the way you see yourself and the world, and Jaded by Ela Lee is one of them.

The book follows a young woman named Ceyda (informally known as Jade) as she navigates her career, family, relationship, friendships, and self worth amidst significant personal tragedy.

Lee highlights themes of race, class, identity, and gender within her debut novel. When I finished the book, I reflected back on how this was so eloquently accomplished. The way that the author crafted Jade as a character allowed us to see life through a multi-faceted lens. We experienced Jade’s perspective of living in the UK as an adult child of Korean and Turkish parents, as a woman trying to excel her career in a misogynistic workplace, as a survivor of SA struggling with PTSD, and as a partner trying to live up to the expectations of her wealthy boyfriend’s lifestyle.

Lee masterfully takes the reader on an emotional journey that calls attention to how easy it can be to lose our essence when we abandon pieces of ourselves to fit in or to please everyone around us.

Jaded is raw, realistic, and possesses a sadness that will no doubt tug at the hearts of readers. I found myself unable to stop reading as page after page I saw fragments of my own experiences as a woman in this story.

This was a beautiful, eye-opening debut by Ela Lee. I highly suspect this book will be in the running for awards.

Thank you to Ela Lee, NetGalley, Simon and Schuster for this advanced copy to read.

TW: SA, DV, PTSD, Mis0gyny, R@cism, Xen0phobia, Cl@ssism, S3xissm

#bookreview #Elalee #Jaded #SimonandSchuster #NetGalley #ARCreview #bookrecommendations #womensfiction #literaryfiction #comingofagefiction #diversereads

I loved the premise and was excited to read the book. I found parts of it to be a bit confusing, especially towards the end. The pacing was a bit slow at times and felt like the book could have used a bit more editing. Overall, I enjoyed the story and writing.

This was amazing.

I highly recommend. These kinds of stories are my favorite to read while they also leave me so emotional and reflective.
So well written and an impactful message.

I could not put this down. I think this was extremely well written.
It follows the FMC as she faces racism, gender bias, assault, harassment, and familial and cultural expectations among other challenges. I often found myself wondering what I would do in her situation. Jade (Ceyda) is a very relatable character and the author does an incredible job at bringing her to life.

I'm not sure I was in the right headspace for this, but I read the prologue and the first chapter and felt a bit lost. I DNF this, but I plan to come back to it later.

What an accomplishment! This is a perfect blend of tackling an important topic with rich family culture, raw emotion, and hope. I felt everything SO deeply while reading: blood boiling anger, heartbreak, tenderness, love. Honestly I wouldn't change a thing about this book. I can't wait to get my hands on a final copy so I can carry the last few passages with me forever.

This was a very difficult book to get through but I felt like it was an important one. It reflects the world we live in and how difficult it can be for women. It’s relatable and Jade was a character that you were able to empathize with. I would definitely advise reading it.

Jesus. This was a hard read, but very very relatable. Jade, as a character, begins with everything I want, yet as the story goes on I discover more and more similarities between us. I found the relationships gut-wrenching at times, but also had to question whether or not the experience she has blurred into the lines of an office stereotype. 3.5/5

Jaded is the story of Jade, a daughter of mix-heritage living in London and climbing the corporate ladder of the legal world. She gets raped following an evening at a work party where she got far drank too much and was taken home by what was thought to be a nice fellow. Trying to piece what happend the next day and the fall out is what make this book outstanding. Because she is a women and a mixed race one makes her struggle more powerful.

This will be my favorite book of the year. It is an amazing debut book. It is very much a book of the times. Jade is the daughter of a Korean mother and Turkish father. I loved how we learned a little about these cultures. Jade is a lawyer at a prestigious law firm in London. It is a cut throat business, expecting you to nearly give up your social life, to always go to the firm’s parties, to always drink alcohol. At one party Jade did drink a little too much, or maybe she didn’t. She remembers very little of that night but eventually suspects she was sexually assaulted. The story covers consent, racism and corporate power but as it relates to Jade and the impact on Jade. This is a powerful story very thought provoking.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book gutted me. It was emotional and unfortunately, will be too relatable for too many people. It is a complex story of racism, sexism, and a young woman just trying to find her own path in a world where there are obstacles around every corner.

I was first drawn to this book because it featured a young lawyer trying to make a name for herself among a sea of white suits. Being part of the legal profession myself, I'm always drawn to books where I can find parallels.

Jade was so relatable. She was kind and ambitious and wanted nothing more than to have a happy and stable life, make her parents proud, and be with the man she loved. All reasonable and seemingly attainable requests, but at what cost?

When Jade is sexually assaulted and she has no real memory of the event, it was deeply troubling. Jade moves on with her days as though nothing has happened and I wanted to shake her for ignoring the signs and not listening to her body. But, as a woman myself, I sadly know that this situation is all too common.

Jaded takes a hard look at victims of sexual assault and the aftermath of an attack. I appreciated how Lee handled this traumatic event - she was sensitive but pragmatic and I think the essence of Jade's experience will speak to and validate many women.

This book was at many times very hard to read. I was angry for much of it - angry at Jade's family for their reaction, angry for Jade's boyfriend for making the assault about him, angry at the abuser for being in a situation of privilege and power and taking advantage of that, and angry at a system that creates the opportunities for such violence and at times, even condones it. I was grateful for strong emotions this novel evoked though, because we need these stories and we need the space to have these difficult conversations. These stories are too common and too powerful and too important not to share

This is an impressive debut. Lee's writing was fantastic and she handled many difficult topics with expertise. I absolutely recommend.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the copy.

“Jaded" by Ela Lee is a gripping and emotionally charged novel that takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery. Lee's storytelling prowess shines as she weaves a narrative that is both poignant and suspenseful. The characters are vividly drawn, each carrying their own burdens and secrets that unfold with a compelling sense of urgency. The novel explores themes of resilience and the transformative power of healing, creating a narrative that resonates with authenticity. Lee's prose is evocative, drawing readers into the intricacies of the characters' lives. "Jaded" is a captivating exploration of human relationships, filled with twists and turns that keep the reader hooked until the very end. It's a testament to Lee's ability to craft a story that is not only entertaining but also emotionally resonant.

First of this book is not for the light hearted. Did I enjoy it? Yes. But did I also feel impacted in a way that made me take anxiety medication and relive what she went through? Yes.

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride that will probably take weeks or days for me to recuperate from. The evident rape and culture appropriation on almost every single page was coming back to haunt me even when I put the book down. Did I want to put the book down? Yes. But I also wanted to chunk my kindle across the room due to the blatant abuse these women went through.

Overall, great book. But will I read it again? Absolutely not. I love horror. But not the “real life this happens everyday to women horror.”

Jade Review

I feel so much after reading this that I honestly do not know where to begin with my review. It was heartbreaking and took my breath away in the aspect of how angry I got. I felt my blood boiling and wanted to scream at every single character.

I feel first I must point out that there are triggers in this novel and that Ela Lee writes it all in a very eloquent not graphic disturbing way.

A horrible thing happens to Jade and the aftermath is gut-wrenching. As one card started fumbling down they all fell. And the more she tried to move past the awful event, things became worse and her life crumbled down.
I am not usually one for this subject matter, but as I pushed through, I’m glad I did.
We, readers, get a firsthand viewpoint on not only the difficult event she goes through but also how it leads to her finally being ready to ask for help. Jade has her eyes opened up to all of the ways she sidesaddles herself, who she is, and what she wants to be for those she loves:

Her parents… as a daughter of mixed-heritage, immigrant parents, she’s always trying to be enough for them and make them proud of her. Becoming a lawyer, working hard, going to the best schools.

For Kit… she wants to be the perfect girlfriend, drama-free, independent, understanding, and always ready for a good time.

For work… always available and willing to put in extra hours because a client needs something. Putting aside the sexism because no one wants to work with someone troublesome.

For friends… making crude racist, insensitive comments (“But Jadey, it’s just a joke)
Ugh

Jade has to truly decide throughout this story if she is going to continue biting her tongue or finally speak up for herself and make the extremely difficult decisions that will alter her life further. She has to accept that it is all up to her and let go of the fear of the what-ifs. If she continues allowing the things that continue festering inside of her to go on she won’t have room for the good what-ifs. There is a lot of real-life fear inside of her and Ela Lee did write this story in a truly compelling way. I am happy I stuck it through.

Thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this thought-provoking ARC in exchange for my personal thoughts and opinions.