*I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange more my honest review*

Jade is a Twisted Green is a twisty-turny narrative of a young woman’s struggle with grief and relationships in the wake of losing her twin sister.

Turton’s writing is beautiful, and that she lets each character share their perspective on the events leading up to and following Roze’s passing and how intertwined their lives are with Roze and with Jade whom she leaves behind, is what held my attention throughout the book. Sometimes you need that outside perspective to shed light on the protagonist that the protagonist would not think to touch on.

Not only does the book touch on grief and loss, but also on the experiences of first and second generation immigrant families and Black women in Toronto and Turton really captures the vibrancy and liveliness of Little Jamaica and Toronto more broadly in her writing.

While I think it started off a bit slow, you really grow to understand and love Jade and by the end of the book I was really rooting for her and ultimately thrilled with the growth she has seen throughout it. The book leaves Jade in such a good place and I’m really satisfied with how Turton ties things off at the end.

4.5/5 Would recommend!

This is definitely a completely different kind of story for me. The emotions and feelings of Jade are nicely potrayed. I loved Amethyst too. She is there by her friend's side all the times. Also loved the character development of Jade.

I had a little trouble to understand conversations. Else, the writing is good. When there are chapter titles with character names, I thought there would be more importance to these characters, which is not the case.
I liked this one. But, I can’t say I loved it. I felt something missing after finishing the story. I don't know😐

This is my first book to read by Tanya Turton but definitely won't be my last! The story and the characters stay with you long after you finish this book. Highly recommend!

My rating: ★★½

Jade is a Twisted Green is a coming-of-age story about 24-year-old Jade who is struggling with grief after the mysterious death of her twin sister, Roze a few years ago. she slowly lost herself and became “invisible” once her sister was no more because she had no sense of identity without her. the story follows her journey of rediscovering herself in lovers and trips and friendships and writings.

I truly enjoy the premise of such books. there’s much to be learned from the characters and maybe discover parts of yourself that you didn’t know existed. when we meet Jade, she’s an unconfident, unsure woman who is still learning how to navigate life and relationships. over the course of the book, she gradually develops into a more secure person. she learns to create boundaries, learns from her mistakes, and slowly, but surely, learns to live life without resenting her sister for leaving her alone. this part of the book, I really enjoyed.

but there was much I didn’t enjoy too. the writing style, for example, was too rushed and casual for my liking. individual chapters were dedicated to the backstory of important people in Jade’s life, but they didn’t add anything to the story overall (except Roze’s chapter) and in my opinion, could have been left out. even though most of the book is about Jade and her experiences, I wish there was more depth to her thoughts and more self-reflection. instead, it felt like things just kept happening one after the other without much to truly take from them, leaving me wanting more.

to sum up, while it lacked a certain charisma, the book certainly presents a story with thought-provoking questions that all of us seem to face/are facing in our twenties and makes for a relatable and light read.

Book Review :
Jade is a Twisted Green by Tanya Turton is a commendable book worth reading and accepting yourselves.

This is a story about a Jamaican - Canadian identity, Jade Brown whose twin sister died mysteriously. After the death of her sister, Jade bounded herself and could not come out of the fact she could not save her sister.
Jade partied herself from all her friends and family that she forgot how to cherish her special gift endowed by God ,life . After some years , she got to meet her friend Jordan and her life took a U-Turn.

Jade got to meet her old friends
and her ex-girlfriend. Slowly and Steadly she comes in pace with her friends and understands she have missed a lot in due years and here starts her journey to discover herself and accept herself and come out of that grief.

I liked reading the story of a black woman who grappled in her grief and later was searching solace in friends and family. She evoke out as a young black woman and writer. The story includes lots of hilarious moments and adventures.

I loved reading this book and wish everyone not to hold with your grievances of the past, present but live your life to its fullest. GOD has baptized us his blessings in the form of making us human .

I am thankful to netgalley and Dundurn Press for giving me a chance to read this interesting book in return of an honest review.

I recommend this light read to all Fiction book lovers. Don't forget to pre- order this book gettting published on October 11, 2022.
Happy Reading !

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Jade is a Twisted Green is a beautiful story about grief, identity, and the different forms love can take. It switches perspective between multiple characters and time periods, which can make it a little confusing at first, but the reader is quickly launched into the world of Little Jamaica (in Toronto) and its inhabitants.

The use of dialects throughout the book (and thus the code switching of characters) is a love letter in and of itself to anyone who grew up speaking a nonstandard version of a language. It is celebrated, normalized, and not explained within the novel’s pages. While at times, the narrative felt stunted and we were told about the characters’ feelings rather than shown in some way, the overarching themes held the book up well.

Jade lost her twin sister Roze when they were 17. This book is her story afterwards while she learns how to live, love, and grieve. Jade is a Twisted Green is a beautifully written story about life after loss.

The beginning of this book pulled me in so quick. The author paints such an amazing picture of the setting and culture. I loved the LGBTQ+ POC representation in this book, and I really loved walking with Jade on her healing journey after she loses her sister. The rest of the book just kind of fell flat for me. It started strong but there were aspects that just didn't feel like they were necessary or added to the story in a positive and helpful way.

The character development was great and I appreciate books with LGBTQ+ representation, so I'm glad to have been able to read Jade Is a Twisted Green and see it being represented more widely!

I really enjoyed the Toronto/Little Jamaica setting, It was a real peak into a community I had never heard of before. I did feel like the structure of the book was unnecessarily challenging—it not only shifted perspectives but time periods. Which is fine but something in the writing style meant I didn’t quite catch the switch at times. Normally there is more of a stylistic change, I guess? I still enjoyed the book but it slowed me down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tanya Turton and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book, in exchange for an honest review!

This is a book based on sibling grief, sexuality and race. I was immersed from the beginning and fell in love with the characters, and loved the inclusion of LGBTQ characters and black and Jamaican culture. I could not recommend it enough!

Thanks again to @netgalley and @dundurnpress and @trapmystic for an advance copy of "Jade Is a Twisted by Tanya Turton

  I love when I get a book that lets me inhabit a world that is new to me, and this book did just that.

Jade Brown is 24, first-generation Jamaican queer woman living in Toronto. We all remember our twenties being a lot to navigate on their own, but Jade is also dealing with the death of her twin sister and who she is without that half.

  Now hear me out, the book was fun. It's a definite 90's nostalgia trip (you may even find yourself humming some songs). Tanya spins the book in a way that feels fresh, dare I say light and easy, while tackling some heavy topics, and with an attention to such detail! I think this may be an attribute to the author's background as a mental health advocate.

I would absolutely say this is a great read for fans of "Queenie" by Candice Carty-Williams (which I loved). In general just a good book if you like a different perspective on grief, and growing, reading about travel, LGBTQ+ characters, and a little romance...need I go on?

I believe this is an October release for the US, so add it to your TBR!

I can't explain how much I loved this book! Initially, I struggled to get into it as the writing style proved difficult for me to connect with, but that was quickly resolved by the second chapter. After that, I truly couldn't wait to continue reading it. Tanya Turton's character building and view of the world is so beautiful - Jade's story had me crying on multiple occasions.

The descriptions of everything; hair, food, setting, styles - all worked in tandem to build the most beautiful image in my brain of the characters and their surroundings. Not only that, but the nuances of each character that really helped establish themselves as an individual were so interesting to read more about.

The nurture and delicacy of Jade's story was truly beautiful; the way in which she learnt to live alongside her grief, and really grow into herself was incredible to see. The only downside to the book, for me, was the depiction of polyamory. Poly relationships are supposed to be agreed from both sides, and though it did eventually result in informed consent, the events prior to that being established felt quite ill-informed. Other than that, I found it to be a really enjoyable read!

The first half of Jade is a Twisted Green worked really well for me. I did not want to put the book down. I wanted Jade to heal and find her path. I wanted to be on her journey of self-discovery. His relationship problems and her overall inability to move forward in life really resonated with me. I wanted to see her succeed and find peace. However, the second half was painfully slow. My connection to Jade disappeared quickly. Too quickly. The scene with everybody getting naked seemed forceful and not-at-all required. In the beginning, there were so many memorable quotes. Later, there were none.

The opening chapter of Jade Is A Twisted Green was hard to sink into—it made me think the whole novel was going to be fragmented with a sing-song tone. However the persistent reader is rewarded with an engaging account of growth through grief that is unlocked by supportive friendships, dating and the sexual adventures of a young woman.

Jade Brown has Jamaican ancestry and early upbringing, but is living in “Likkle Jamaica” in Toronto, Canada. This the first novel I have read set in Toronto, and as such it’s a pleasurable travelogue, also taking in the French-speaking city of Montreal, Atlanta, Miami and Cuba. It’s also very much the story of a person of colour, inviting the white reader into the world of goddess locs, hair bonnets and Jamaican Patois (an English-based Creole language spoken primarily in Jamaica but also within the Jamaican diaspora). These random linguistic shifts really add to the novel, though in places I found myself wondering if I really understood the meaning correctly.

The novel is set just after Jade lost her twin sister, Roze, and it centres upon her first acknowledging and eventually making her way through this intense grief: “Slogans like ‘it gets better’ never mentioned ‘it gets worse first.” One thing I really liked about the novel was the loving way the author, Tanya Turton, spoke about women: “The stretch marks on her upper arms, slightly lighter in colour, were maps of a life well travelled.” Perhaps it’s that the protagonist is bisexual, but it felt like women, particularly Black women, were celebrated in this story: “No one entered her. They didn’t fuck her at all. They made love to her heart. It was startling, yet freeing.” There’s also a genuine openness to non-monogamous relationships as Jade works out who she is with the sister she came into life with, no longer there to experience it with her. The only chapters I didn't like were the beginning and the end which relied upon telling us about Jade's personal growth rather than showing it through her actions, the middle of this book was great.

GOD i loved this. i loved it so much. i rarely read coming of age novels but im glad i picked this one to try out. i cannot get over the sense of atmosphere this book provided me. it was literally beautiful and i cannot get over it!!!!!!! the narration was beautiful and i loved getting to know all of the characters and hearing about their identities. genuinely just such a beautiful book that i wasnt sure id like at first, but towards the end it definitely bumped to 5 stars. so so grateful i got to read this before its published

This is not an easy one to review. I LOVED the first half of the book, found myself highlighting so many quotes because the writing is superb. I loved the main character, the discussions of grief, the love portrayed by all the characters. How raw, how messy healing is and how learning how to live again is sometimes an out of body experience.
But the second half of the book really dragged for me. I didn't connect as much with the dialogues (more present) or the events happening (especially the Atlanta trip and the aftermath). Really, too bad for me, because I think this book has the potential to really touch someone right in the heart.

A coming-of-age story about Jamaican Canadian identity, love, passion, chosen family, and rediscovering life’s pleasures after loss. This drew me in quickly and there was that instant tension of a drama unfolding. An incredibly well thought out, very original plotline and one I had not foreseen.

This heart warming book about loss and figuring out who you really are. I can’t recommend this book enough.

I would in a heartbeat read a sequel or a second novel from Tanya Turton. The pacing of her debut novel was wonderful, I couldn't put it down. Perfectly mixed with Jade's present, past and onward - everything was so delicately interwoven.

I read it on my e-reader and I'm still not entirely sure about some of the formatting but I got used to it after awhile.

I loved everyone in this story and was rooting for each one. There were times that I wasn't ready for the story to move on but I couldn't be bothered-I loved everything I was reading.

The magic of healing, finding love (or not), finding yourself, being patient. I can't think of a better coming of age novel. Jade's story is understated and so very gentle, just like many of her interactions with the world around her.

Bravo!

I was beyond excited to start this book when I read the synopsis. I adore reading about Black queer experiences and this one seemed like a great one to pick up. Alas, it disappointed me quite heavily and I am not going to be finishing it.
I struggled to get into the writing style of this author, but combined with the multiple POVs that I had to keep track of, it just made a huge mess in my head.
One issue though, that I cannot forgive when it comes to this book, is how poly relationships are portrayed. It is already very hard for a lot of 'regular' people to grasp this concept, and that type of representation only further harms the amazing poly community. The cheating trope was just not it and I really was very disappointed how poorly everything turned out.
At one point I just became so annoyed that I decided that I wasn't going to keep going. This one was unfortunately a miss for me.