Due to the narrative style, this was a bit difficult to get into but after a few chapters I was thoroughly sucked into the world. I don't usually read coming of age novels, but this one is beautifully written and an amazing representation of culture. I found myself wanting to know more about the characters lives and the world they lived in.
The themes of grief and love were so wonderfully explored and written, that I felt the characters emotions through the page.
The switch of timelines was a bit confusing every now and then but you get used to it.
I'd definitely recommend this read!

I was excited to read this novel because it was written by a Black Canadian writer and was set in Toronto. It is so nice to read a book and recognize the places being mentioned. YAY for representation!

The novel is about 24-year-old Jade (a first-generation Jamaican woman) who lost her sister six (or seven) years earlier. Coming up on her 25th birthday, she continues to struggle with the loss of her twin sister, with her identity (sexual orientation, and her place in the world), and her relationships with friends, family, and lovers. Over the course of the novel, she reunites with an old girlfriend, travels, meets new friends, experiences a sexual awakening, and finds new ways to grieve and celebrate her sister. Can she move past her guilt and find herself in the process?

For the most part, I enjoyed this novel. I loved all the descriptions of Toronto, and it was always a good time when Jade spent time with her group of friends. I connected to her friend group. I connected to their joy, their humor, their camaraderie. I also enjoyed being a part of Jade’s journey as she worked through her guilt while also figuring out who she was, and what kind of woman she wanted to be. I loved her complicated (and at times confusing) relationship to her own sexual identity and felt like it really reflected the times. Where people are more open to experimenting, and sexual orientation and gender identity are more openly fluid.

What I did struggle with: the POV and timeline shifts throughout. I felt the novel should have stayed in Jade’s POV. The constant shifting between characters did not benefit the storyline, and at times just slowed the momentum. There were characters who only got one chapter to themselves, and then the rest of the time were only mentioned by Jade (for example: Morgan, an ex-boyfriend). I also felt like there were too many characters, and therefore too many people to remember (which again, made things confusing and slowed the momentum).

Other than that, it was an enjoyable read, and I still recommend it. Like I said, YAY for representation!

Thank you to Netgalley, Dundern Press, and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5

[Reviewed through Netgalley]
My main issue with the novel was the writing style, Although the book had an adult audience it felt more like a young adult novel. The writing simultaneously felt simple and complex, leaving the novel feeling somewhat inconsistent. The use of metaphor was often very on the nose, lacking in subtlety. This made the novel a bit difficult for me to get through.

Despite this however, the actual content of the book was wonderful.
A love letter to queer women of colour (Black queer women in particular), the book also tacked complex topics of grief, and I enjoyed the way it was portrayed as an all-consuming force. it totally derailed the main character's life, especially since she was so young, and dealing with so much all at once. This felt incredibly raw, personal, and well thought out; it was easy to empathize with the character. I also enjoyed how the author tied the feelings of grief to feelings of inadequacy, and how they can combine to create total disorientation. It was wonderful to watch Jade on her journey towards healing and finding herself.

It’s a good book. It’s a slow start but I’m glad I kept reading it. This is my first book from this author and I’m looking forward to reading more of her work. There are timelines shifts which can get a bit confusing but I really enjoy the story.

I will start this review by saying thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

When I first saw the description of this book, I was really excited- queer and black coming of age novel? Right up my alley! However, this one missed the mark for me for several reasons, the biggest being the discussion surrounding polyamory. Part of beauty of polyamory is being able to explore your sexuality, granted there is open communication and consent between partners. However, there were huge issues surrounding this in this novel.

Additionally, I felt no attachment to the characters and their journeys! Things kept bouncing around far too much for me to keep track and I felt confused switching between point of views because they didn't even flow well. I didn't feel like I was really seeing any insight into any of the characters well, and maybe this is why I didn't enjoy reading as much as I thought I would. For a story centering a characters' journey through grief, growth, and sexuality, I didn't feel invested and I felt any solid points made were lost because I just wasn't into the story or the characters at all.

Overall, I feel this had so much potential to be a wonderful story exploring the nuances around a queer black woman navigating grief as a child of immigrants. However, it fell so flat for me and I don't think I would reread this again.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an early copy to review! I really liked the idea of this book and I liked the conversations around grief and sexuality and commitment but I wish there had been more of it rather than spending so much time on like the girls trip and specific events. I wish it had dived deeper into the family relationships too.

i'm rounding up because this one felt like a punch to the gut, to be frank, and i don't think i can put exactly in words why it hit me as it did.

the book deals with a bunch of topics, from grief (the most prominent one, as we follow jade as she deals even years after with the aftermath of her sister's death), and finding yourself and sexuality. the earlier chapters felt also incredibly nostalgic to me, it felt like being submerged in my childhood once more despite the many differences me and the characters had (like me not having a sister, for starters, or being from a completely different country. but it still made me feel like that)

i have trouble explaining much about this book because it was just a book that made me feel too much. some chapters flowed slower, and i definitively read it slower than other books (i don't think it's super fast paced, and i think this one's a book that's better to read slower rather than quicker). but it was just... a lot, and it's difficult for me to put into words. i liked the character and i liked the journey, i can tell you that much, but it's just a book that i think you have to read by yourself. i just, really liked it and it's one of those books that i will continue to think about even now i'm done with it.

I regret to say this, but this e-arc was so poorly formatted/corrupted that I had trouble reading it. I'm dyslexic so things like random case changes in words make it incredibly difficult for me to read. I will happily hype this book up on my socials but I don't think that I can continue to read the e-arc because of the way that it's formatted. Like I said, it's incredibly difficult for me to read/understand through no fault of the author, and this is not a detriment to the book itself. I sincerely apologize.

I wasn't too sure what to think of this book. The concept was great and I was really sold by the synopsis. The characters were really well introduced, and if you're a fan of a fast-paced, character focused read then this is for you.

I also loved the use of regional dialect and dialogue delivery. It helped to really set the scene for where you were and get more of a feel for who the characters were.

The only thing that let this book down for me was the style of writing, but this is personal opinion. It moved very fast, almost too fast for me to keep up.

Definitely a good read for new young adult genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love books centered around POC and queerness so this one was a delight to read.
I liked the writing style, it made it really easy to read the book continuously and kept me hooked. If I hadn't been in a slump since the last month, I would've finished this much quicker.
The themes of grief, identity, figuring yourself out, especially after the person you lived your whole life with is gone, different kinds of love and relationships, and various cultures, were all written very well and I enjoyed reading about these a lot.
The story follows Jade, with multiple POVs of her friends sprinkled here and there throughout the book, on her journey towards self-love and discovering herself. This was a great book exploring black culture and queer culture in Toronto. There are also different dialects used in the book.
I liked the depth and care with which all the characters were written and would've definitely liked to know more about Tay's aunt.
The switch in timelines and POVs can be a bit confusing sometimes but it provides more depth to the characters. However, I couldn't see a concrete plot and the switch between characters and timelines irritated me sometimes.
Despite that last thing, I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I really enjoyed it!
Actual rating: 3.5

Thank you Negalley and the publisher for giving me a copy in exchange of an honest review.

Simplifying, Jadeis a Twisted Green is a story of about black queerness and black culture. However, we cannot simplify a story like this. Grief, Identity, different kinds of love... We get to learn more about this topics from different pov's ( Which can be a little confusing at first). We are transported into Little Jamaica ( Toronto) and we learn of different people who live there. Trought the whole book there is use of different dialects and what would be considered the non standard language and celebrated those lingüstic differences.
I felt really grateful for being able to be taught about Black Culture and Jamaican Culture in particular.

When I first heard about this book, I knew I was going to love it. I was right (muahahah). No, but I am going through a horrible reader-slump and therefore this book was so hard for me to open, but once I did, it was so hard to stop. Do you know what I'm saying?


I loved the writing in this - the coming apart, the coming together, and the soul of this book. The plot and the story were mesmerizingly sad, heartbreakingly true, and beautifully original. I wanted to hold it close to me and also, simultaneously hold it so far away from me so that it doesn't hurt.

When I first started reading this book, I was very close to moving to Toronto for the next half-decade. So I really appreciated hearing more about the queer culture there, and what it means to be a POC/immigrant there. Obviously, that plan fell through, but I still appreciated reading about Toronto and its queer people.

I'm glad I picked it up, because it's an absolutely gorgeous piece of work!

This story deserves to be adopted to an alternative film at the most coming-of-age. Although I was getting dizzy reading "Jade" or "amethyst" I was coping with the protagonist's challenges so much that I empathized with her. The novel shares that lively, sexy, diverse style and shows mental health especially in queer black women

I could not for the life of me stick to this book. It was just a non linear, culmination of ideas and stories. The writing is okay, nothing fanciful, with more superfluous descriptors that is warranted, Maybe it gets better. Maybe its just not my cup of tea but the writing is just a no for me.

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me the chance to enjoy this ARC.
The story follows Jade, a colored female dealing with multiple things at the same time. As she deals with the death of her twin sister, her life companion since she had memory. She also tries to figure out who she is as an individual, her sexuality, and what she wants to accomplish in life. As she moves on she meets people who would be key to her development and journey.
The book shows strong characterization. The girls that fill the role of protagonist really show the struggles and topics. The representation shown is simply amazing and needed. A book that could make a strong impact in persons going through similar self-discovery journies. Overall a tale worth reading.

It took me a while to get into Jade Is A Twisted Green, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. It’s a beautiful, honest and important story about what it is like to be a queer black woman in todays society. I felt really attached to the main character by the end and was rooting for her so much. The author has done a wonderful job and I found this book really raw and honest and emotional.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book! This is a new genre for me, and I'm very happy to have given it a try. A beautiful narrative about a woman coming into her own with an interesting structure.

Thank you for this book, Netgalley. I went into this book with zero expectations and came out pleasantly surprised and inspired. I would have liked more from the character development because it felt like I was given a glimpse into some characters and then they immediately went back to playing side characters, I don't understand the reason for putting a spotlight for them for few moments. Overall, it was an interesting reading experience

This book is a bit all over the place at times. It goes through a lot of different timelines. Something which maybe was due to it being on kindle, the format at times was not right so it would get confusing. The story is ok, a lot of characters are introduced but not a lot of followup and buildup on them. Would have loved more of a backstory but it was quite brief

an amazing book, literary fiction is one of my favorites genres and this one lived up to my expectations, it was such a stunning story about a queer black woman, this book is about grief and how to deal with it and I cannot wait to read more from the author and I WILL 100% recommend this one

"The spine of a book keeps the pages together, tells you the tittle and what to expect. Like a book, if you could ever get close enough to Jade, her spine would tell you what you need know" loved that freaking quote

it is indeed a different kind of narration that I was not used to but god did I love it and I do enjoy a challenge