Ela Lee is a British-Korean-Turkish writer who studied Law at Oxford and practiced as a City litigation lawyer before writing this her debut novel – and it features a very similar protagonist.

Ceyda (“Jade isn’t even my real name … [it] began as my Starbucks name, because all children of immigrants have a Starbucks name”) is the daughter of two immigrants to Britain an Anatolian father and a South Korean mother. Their small insurance broking business failed after 9-11 (not sure I followed the logic here, but I would not be surprised if the detail was part autobiographical) but they continued to hustle and work hard for money and always prioritised Ceyda supporting her through a Law Degree at a prestigious and traditional University which in turn lead to a potentially lucrative but high pressure career in a City Law Partnership (Reuben – short for Rueben, Fleisher and Wishall LLP).

The firm pays lip service but little more to diversity which is more performative than embedded (some early scenes reminded me of Natasha Brown’s “Assembly” although this is a much less narratively honed book). Given the recent Booker shortlist “Paul” diversity issue I was more than amused to read “There were more partners at the Firm called William .. than female partners” and the themes of privilege particularly sex and race but also class (and class here is very much about gradations of middle and upper class than any form of Marxist class struggle – one particularly excellent passage has Ceyda’s say of her white upper class long-term boyfriend “Kit’s legs were spread over two seats on the sofa, his arms out like an albatross, motioning ferociously as if he was a Tory MP in Parliament opposing a bill to give schoolchildren free meals.”) are threaded through the novel. Some of the comments and behaviours can seem cliched and one can easily think “surely someone would not say or do that” other than one knows, from observation and discussions, that such actions and micro-aggressions do occur on a daily basis.

The book opens in 2018 with a party to celebrate the firm’s 30th anniversary – Ela fends off the advances and innuendos of the firm’s senior partner, but having had too much to drink (not least due to him pressing drinks on her) is taken home in a taxi by a male colleague. Later discovering both that rumours about her and the colleague are flying around, and that she has an internal wound she starts to piece together what must have happened to her that night.

The book follows how that plays out not just in her mind but: in her relationship with Kit; in discussions with her friends about what to do e.g. if there is any point in approaching the police; with the HR department her firm (we end up in an all too believable world of Settlement Agreements and NDAs); with her parents.

Through all of this she has to come to terms with the various compromises and performative accommodations she has made throughout her life for her career and relationship (I wanted to be Jade, but my heart hurt for Ceyda), but also in her family life (the way in which her parents react to her plight and that Ceyda in turn reacts to them was for me the most subtle and unexpected part of the novel – one which avoids easy resolution or a neat redemption arc).

There are lengthy digressions into her backstory, wider life and into societal trends and statistics. These simultaneously give the book greater depth while perhaps losing some of the narrative propulsion that some readers might prefer and perhaps expect from some of the book’s marketing as well as its frequent textual use of emails, texts and internet searches.

Overall, I thought this was a convincing and intelligent novel and I can see it as a Women’s Prize longlist contender next year.

'I played Twister with my personality, to see what fit best'

Jade is the daughter of mixed-heritage, immigrant parents who have relentlessly toiled to build a life in England to give their daughter a future. But Jade isn't even really her name. It's an anglicised, phonetic take on her given Turkish name Ceyda - and it's just easier. Easier to fit in, easier to not offer explanations, and easier to not side with being Turkish or Korean. Being what Jade perceives people need her to be: a dutiful daughter at home, easygoing with her boyfriend, and a workaholic as a lawyer has worked well for Jade. Jade has everything - until Jade doesn't. The morning after a work function she wakes up naked in bed, without a clue how she got home and a hazy memory of the night before. As her mind slowly reveals what the body has always remembered, Jade is confronted with all the locked-away illusions of her life to date. Her precarious balancing of multiple selves crumbles, leaving her to question just who she really is.

'Jaded' tackles a number of issues within a relatively short book: ethnicity, explicit and complicit racism, endemic misogyny, and sexual assault. For me, highlighting the complicit ways many of us continue to perpetuate racism and gender bias is always a worthy reminder. The 'believability' of sexual assault is also tackled along with the potential ramifications of reporting it versus just burying it.

This book will make you think - even if you end up feeling like you've just come out of the spin cycle by the end of it.

Despite the difficult subjects (TW sexual assault, racism) I enjoyed this book. It felt as though the main character, Jade, learned a lot about herself and the people around her. Jade has always tried to please her parents by becoming a lawyer, her boyfriend by not being dramatic and her boss by working crazy hours. When she gets assaulted her world starts to fall apart and she starts to find out what is important to her.
The author draws attention to the low rates of convictions for sexual assault and has clearly done the research here.

Loved this book so much more than I thought. I thought it had strong affinities with the Prima Facie theatre production - lots of similar themes but also explored further outwards. Completely bought into Jade's world as thought it was a really provocative and thought-provoking novel.

This book was truly a challenging read. From sexual assault, through microagressions and racism in an intimate partner relationship, to gaslighting, "Jaded" kept me hooked until the very end. The narrative was generally very powerful, and yet, I understand why Ela Lee needed to exaggerate certain characters' behaviours or comments--so those readers who are not in the know would also understand that something isn't right.

What I would appreciate, however, is a clear trigger warning for those for whom sexual assault-related themes may be potentially re-traumatising.

There is a lot to like about this novel but I was unconvinced by the format - not because I don't think it could work with the story, but because I found it "too much".

Jade is a London lawyer, in her early twenties, working a very busy job and travelling back to Morden at the weekend to see her Korean mum and her Turkish dad, while also trying to make time for her posh boyfriend Kit Campbell. When she wakes up after a work event at the Savoy, in her own flat, not remembering what happened the previous night but suspecting something terrible took place, her life starts unravelling.

I think Ela Lee is very skilled at weaving a lot of things into her story - Jade's experience of racism, her "nice guy" of a boyfriend who claims to be supportive, her friends' support, her workplace gaslighting her, the difficulties in reporting sexual assault and being taken seriously. But I found the format - mostly first person narration, with several timelines - the start of the relationship with Kit, events from a few months ago, current events -, the listicles, the texts, the emails... felt too cluttered and I disliked reading it in this way. I liked the characters though and the atmosphere that Ela Lee managed to create - I imagined it like the setting in "Industry", the BBC series set in an investment bank.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

I was really excited to read this but I found it dragged. I also think this is a book that could really benefit from content warnings because I was not aware of where this was going and it’s a subject matter I struggle to read and will be triggering for a lot of people.

When I started the book and saw the topics it was trying to tackle, along with the tone of the writing, I thought I was going to be ultimately disappointed with the execution of the themes. However, after finishing, personally I found the author did a good job at examining the serious theme of sexual assault, along with the mental and physical aftereffects on the main character of Ceyda (Jade) and her other relationships, veering away from the sugarcoated black and white narrative I thought the author would take.
(Rightfully) described as being for fans of Queenie and I May Destroy You, Ela Lee creates complex characters and relationships, and cultural identity struggles like in Queenie, along with a protagonist slowly trying to process and come to terms with her sexual assault like in I may Destroy You. The cultural identity and other struggles faced by Ceyda also helped to paint her in a more dynamic light, developing her more as a person and not just a victim. Whilst the writing style itself wasn't necessarily anything groundbreaking, it was pretty good I found for a debut author.

Quite underwhelmed by this book. The plot is very similar to other recent books and TV shows, and whilst the characters showed promise they remained under-developed. A quick holiday/beach read which doesn't require much thinking.

I loved this book on so many levels. For making me think, for the way it examined behaviours and the reasons behind them, for not taking the easy route to happy ever after, for reminding me of how unbelievably hard it is for women rightfully seeking justice, for absolutely nailing the complexities between old life and new and the parent (especially immigrant parent) relationships as part of that. I devoured this in less than two days. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the realness and relevance. I liked the writing and themes. It was current and believable. There were big topics covered- including rape and racism, this was written and explored really well by Ela.
We meet Jade (her Starbucks name) who has been with Kit since uni days. Working as a lawyer in the corporate world is keeping her busy. After a works drinks events turns messy and Jade starts getting flashbacks, she starts to wonder if there is something sinister she isn't remembering.

Jades Dad is Turkish and Mum Korean living in London. I liked the mix of cultures and different celebrations. I also really liked the characters their weaknesses and strengths I also really loved the support and friendship between Jade, Adele and Eve! .I will be recommending this book to others.

Due to the subject matter of the book it’s hard to say that I enjoyed it. However, I’m glad I read it.

I just adored every second of this book. From the very moment I began reading, I was mesmerised by Jade’s story and the events she has had to experience.

I really liked the raw honest approach to this novel.

Jade a woman in her mid 20s with a stable career and long term relationship. When avoiding a creepy guy at a work event a “good guy” helps her home when she is unable to consent and she is assaulted. Jade is mixed raced and struggles with her identity, her family traditions and the people in her life determined to whitewash her. It’s an interesting idea and a fairly quick gripping read that showcases we aren’t quite as advanced as we think we are when it comes to cases of assault.

It took me about 1/3 of the way through to start to get into it. It felt so slow. But then when the incident happens, it feels stronger, and I felt more invested in Jade. There is still a lot of time hopping which I felt unnecessary. I'm not sure the backstory added much for me.

A sensitive and compelling subject matter which is portrayed as a mirror to society and shines a light on those awful realities.

Powerful to the main narrative, but did keep going off topic.

An emotional and topical contemporary debut that toes the line between being literary and commercial, Jaded by Ela Lee is narrated from the perspective of Jade who is in her 20s working in a competitive and corporate law firm that is filled with mostly men, white ones at that.
This starts off with a prologue that hints that something traumatic has happened to Jade. The first chapter opens with Jade at her firm’s 30 year celebration at the Savoy, where one of the firm’s partner corners her into sitting beside her and coerces her to drink lots of alcohol. She is saved from an awkward situation by her colleague Josh with whom she has an attraction but doesn’t act on it since she already has a boyfriend called Kit with whom she’s been with for seven years since they met at Oxford University. Josh hails get a cab and gets in with her; he even helps her up the stairs and into her flat where he takes off his tie and that’s all Jade can remember. She wakes up the next morning unable to remember anything except for an ugly hangover and her private part is inflamed and bleeding. She assumes it’s her period but slowly, slowly over time she begins to realise something horrible has happened, something not consensual…
This is a harrowing and topical read of rape culture and toxic masculinity, as well white privilege. Jade is half Turkish and Korean, and being mixed race comes with its own obstacles. The book explore several storylines - on one hand it looks at the assault storyline and the affect the night has on her, and the way her office space becomes toxic and a source of pain and stress - on the other hand the novel explores Jade’s relationship with her white boyfriend Kit, who comes from a privileged background, which at first used to be easy but as issues of race starts to become more apparent, Jade starts to see small problematic situations where Kit virtue signals but doesn’t act when the problem is his racist friends and his white mother. We also see the pressures Jade is under from her immigrant parents, who expect nothing but excellence from her since she got the opportunities they didn’t.
I did find the first half of the book was slow. Personally I wasn’t a fan of the exposition and flashback scenes, as they took me out of the current narrative and I think they didn’t really add anything to the current storyline. It also takes Jade awhile to figure out what might have happened when the reader had already figured things out, especially as the drunken-female-protagonist-has-blacked-but-feels-something isn’t right which is revealed to be rape from a work colleague is a storyline that has been explored in the thriller genre. But once Part Two of the story kicks in, there is much less flashbacks, and in the current narrative the stakes are much higher the story does become more engrossing. I found the ending to be fitting. It’s realistic and Lee maintains a consistent tone. There are no perfect victims or villains, and that makes for a realistic and compelling portrayal of race and privilege in the workspace. I liked Jade’s arc and by the end my heart felt heavy.
I can see some reviewers compared this to Prima Facie, and yes there are coincidentally similarities but Jaded stands on its own and does have a different take on things.

Jaded by Ela Lee covers some important topics like mixed race identity, sexual assault and issues of consent.

This very much reads like a retelling of Prima Facie which was a little disappointing. a good read none the less. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

"Jaded" by Ela Lee delves into the life of Jade, a character who hides behind a borrowed name and carefully curated persona. As a child of immigrants, Jade adopts a Starbucks name, representing the dual identity many face when navigating multiple cultures. She meticulously molds herself to conform within her law firm, convinced she has no other option. Despite being loved by a partner, Jade struggles to be her authentic self around him. She has accomplished everything to make her Omma and Baba proud, yet deep down, she resents their inability to fully comprehend her inner world.

Jade appears to have complete control over her life until a fateful night shatters her carefully constructed façade. In the aftermath, she questions her true identity, prompting a profound exploration of self-discovery. Ela Lee's "Jaded" offers a poignant portrayal of the complexities and conflicts faced by individuals who struggle to reconcile their own expectations with societal pressures.