"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.

Not for me. There were parts of this that were good but it took too long to get going and I didn't really connect with the MC.

Jade works in a law firm, and has carefully curated her life to fit in - her parents are Turkish and Korean, and she struggles against her mixed race identity whilst trying to fit into a predominantly white workplace.

Without giving too much away, Jade is sexually assaulted and the rest of the novel deals with the fallout, and her coming to terms with what has happened. This could be a very uncomfortable read at times; it was tough knowing what had happened as the main character who was in the dark, navigated the aftermath.
The book was well written, and reminded me of the play Prima Facie, however there were times that the novel dragged. There were plot points that felt unnecessary, and I found her relationship with her boyfriend a little unbelievable. I did really enjoy the elements that focused on her identity and different cultures and would've liked to see more of that.

Overall I'd give this 6/10

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

What a fabulous debut. Not entirely what I was expecting but I did really enjoy it. I found it a little show to start, I think because I felt a little disconnected with Jade but once I got further into the story I was drawn in.

Great first novel, can not wait to see more from Ela Lee.

This was a little different to what I expected, I enjoyed this book it was good. I felt for Jade and did have a few tears reading this one.

It did however take me a little while to get in to and at some points felt I was not really taking it in, usually at the parts when Jade is talking about her life growing up/ when she was younger - for some reason I just couldn't connect to it all the time.

I'm excited to see what the cover will be and how different it will be to the proof cover too.

Thanks for NetGalley for the download