Over the last few years, I'm sure most of us have read or watched something with forgotten sexual assault. Jaded did a really good job with its subject matter. It really showed the guilt and explaining away that can happen - the 'it could have been worse' or 'maybe I led him on' instincts. But it also really balanced life going on while this massive event in working away in the back of your mind.

Jade is by no means perfect and I love that about her. She makes handles things poorly, lies to her loved ones, puts up with way more than she should. Yet it doesn't take away from what happened to her. It allows us to be frustated and empathetic and sit in all of the complication.

Excellent debut, I'll definitely be recommending it.

This book was definitely tackling some important issues. But it wasn't for me. I found the prose muddled at times and hard to follow. Also the issues such as misogyny, racism, power in the workplace etc. were handled in a very heavy handed way. These things are incredibly important but I prefer a little bit more nuance and confidence in the reader's ability to interpret than this writing gave. DNFd at 31%.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

A fantastic debut. Ceyda, known as Jade to 'fit in', works at a London top law firm and is assaulted after a work party. This book explores the reactions of Ceyda, her Turkish and Korean immigrant parents, boyfriend, friends, and work to the night in question.
Racism, sexism, elitism, nepotism all feature and are cleverly shown. I'm sure lots of people will relate to parts of this book depending on their experiences.
I was really rooting for Ceyda and this book took me on an emotional ride.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know what I was expecting going into this one, but it’s definitely one that’ll leave a lasting impression.

The book delves into complex themes, fearlessly addressing the harsh realities of racism, sexual abuse, and misogyny within the corporate realm. While the writing is brilliant, it's not a light read, it’s heavy going so read with caution (and check out the trigger warnings).

Ceyda (Jade) serves as an exceptionally honest protagonist, allowing readers to intimately connect with her thoughts and feelings as she grapples with personal trauma.

The narrative really manages to capture the aftermath of these experiences, presenting a raw and authentic portrayal of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

In all, a heavy but meaningful read. Full of raw grit and a lot of heart. I’m amazed that this is Ela Lee's debut novel, but what a way to start with a bang.

i guess given how many books and films have been released since #metoo this doesn't feel ass well-written or gripping as a lot of other stuff (eg. Rosie Price's What Red Was, I May Destroy You, Leda and the Swan by Anna Caritj, My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell, Lucky Dogs by Helen Schulman, Promising Young Women by Caroline O'Donoghue).

I haven't seen what it's like to be a junior lawyer in a City law firm, with the added layer of having a mixed cultural heritage, captured in this way. This is a book that will be discussed among people working in these intense spaces where they are minorities, trying to balance all aspects of their lives. For the most part, Ela Lee handles what happened to Ceyda and all the "isms" - racism, sexism, classism, sensitively and skillfully. Ceyda's (or Jade's) rich white boyfriend, Kit, sometimes felt like a plot device rather than a real character, but he was key in exploring how he (as a man) handled what happened to his girlfriend. Jaded was a bit heavy - being in Ceyda's head as she goes through something so awful, but I will definitely read more from Ela Lee.

This book deals with some really difficult topics and it doesn't shy away from the reality of going through these experiences. These are big topics - racism, sexual abuse, misogyny in a corporate world. It's not an easy read - the writing is brilliant but it triggered a lot of emotions for me.

I think the best way to describe it is that it was a powerful read, it got me thinking and I think it will take a while to leave me.

Ceyda (Jade) is a very honest character and you get to see and experience all of her thoughts and feelings alongside her. She is figuring out who she is while going through some real trauma and you see the aftermath of those experiences. You see the good, the bad and the ugly and I really appreciated this.

I cannot believe this is Ela Lee's debut novel.

I feel like I am struggling to put into words just how good this book is. It's raw, gripping and so powerful and everyone should read this book.

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.

I thought this book was good and i did enjoy reading it. In places it was memorising. It was raw and and reading about jades experiences did make you think about your own life!ust adored every second of this book.

Jade (her Starbucks name) is the daughter of immigrant parents working at a law firm and in a relationship with the rich (and white) Kit.

When something happens to Jade at a work event that tears her entire world apart she’s left to re-evaluate her relationship, her friendships and every single aspect of her life apart.

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away but this is a really interesting book that explores race, class, and gender privilege.

It tackles a lot of heavy subjects and at times I did wonder if the book would be able to pull it off but it did. Jade is such a brilliantly complicated character who will still around in my mind for a long time.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Jade is a British-Korean-Turkish lawyer in her twenties, working stupid hours in an effort to excel at her law firm. She feels split between the worlds of her parents and the Oxford-London world she's tried so hard to fit into, abandoning her birth name Ceyda, dating white, upper-class Kit, who says the right things but only when other people are listening, and learning to cook beef wellington rather than tteokbokki. In Korean businesses, people address her in English, recognising her as somehow other; she gets a warmer welcome in Turkish restaurants, 'where the first thing the waitress would ask is Türk müsün? Are you Turkish? After that was settled, generous familiarity struck like lightning until hours later we would leave the venue to calls of güle güle! A charming parting expression that translated to leaving while laughing'. After a client dinner, Jade is raped by a colleague, and this event tears her world apart, but also makes her start to question whether she wants to live this way anyway.

Jaded is an accomplished debut, better-written than comparator novels like Queenie, and dealing authentically and viscerally with Jade's PTSD. Ela Lee writes especially well about the experience of growing up between three cultures, which naturally shatters stereotypes about immigrant parents, because we see how different Jade's relationship with her Turkish father is compared to her relationship with her Korean mother. This satisfying arc raises genuine questions about different ways of showing love and dealing with trauma, as Jade tries to understand her Omma: 'It's not that Omma thought it was best for me to never speak of what had happened. She snuffed out her pain because she never had an alternative... And that was now her only mode of operating. Encouraging me to continue in that cycle of repression was the only advice she knew how to give.' The characterisation of Kit, Jade's boyfriend, is skilful too: I felt uneasy about him from the start but like Jade, couldn't quite pin my suspicions down, although I didn't like the way he lovebombed her when she first arrived at Oxford. As I figured out what he was doing to her, it remained believable that she still tried to trust him, and her eventual ultimatum felt really earnt.

The central plot of this book, I suspect, won't really stay with me simply because I have read so many excellent novels like it: Dark Chapter by Winnie M. Li, Asking For It by Louise O'Neill, and Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty come to mind. It's also a shame that, given that Lee's writing is generally warm and intelligent, she occasionally slips into telling us too much, either through Jade's internal monologue (when a friend deals thoughtfully with her after she tells them she's been raped, she thinks 'There was no affected response I had to curate, no pressure to make her comfortable. I didn't need to ensure her needs were being met over mine.') or in dialogue (Kit tells her "Where did the fun-loving, relaxed girl I fell in love with go?"). Still, this is an impressive debut, I can see it getting longlisted for the Women's Prize, and I look forward to reading what Lee writes next. 3.5 stars.

"But he said nothing further. Soothed me with praise of my strength, when I needed him to accept my weakness. Hushed me with a standard I didn't know how to meet anymore.

Jaded is a searing social commentary on modern life from a powerful voice. Ceyda encapsulates the struggle of the glass ceiling as she navigates contemporary corporate culture and the rampant sexism that plagues it, she works through working out her own identity and how her heritage and culture factor into it on top of how other people treat her due to it, and faces the devastating fallout of sexual assault in a world that silences victims.

When you read about everything she goes through, it almost feels too much as her life is explodes and catches fire after she is attacked - but it’s painfully realistic and handled with such authenticity and care that she could be any one of us, or a dear friend and that makes reading about her so much more compelling but also much more painful.

Her narration is fabulous, I loved the way she noticed little things, the little thoughts she would have between moments and how she saw the world. She was somewhere between friendly and formal in the way she told the story, but it just worked.

An honest and painful portrait of the lasting, explosive damage of assault - not an easy read, but an important one.

Jade sounds like she has it all! A good career, a loving long term boyfriend and a loving family. After an office party this all changes. Something happened but she isn't quite sure what and blanks it from her mind. However the repercussions affect her relationship with her boyfriend, her position at work and even her relationship with her parents. As you follow Jade's journey it is stressful and upsetting. It shows how fragile our relationships are and as Jade becomes more aware of how this event has affected her life it also questions her perception of her "perfect" life. Not an easy read but it is worth sticking with it to the end.

Wow, this was a tough read but I found it fascinating. (Always difficult to say you enjoyed a book with such subject matter)

I liked that the author didn't taken any easy routes, particularly with the relationship with Jade and her mother.

I did wonder if there was a bit TOO much going on - maybe one less storyline would have been better?

Trigger warning - includes reference to sexual assault and the aftermath.
I requested a copy of 'Jaded' because I'm due to attend Ela Lee's book event in London (February 2024).
"Before, I was the unraped. Now, I am the raped".
''Jaded' is about sexual assault that the main character- Ceyda, has no recollection of. Ceyda starts to experience flashbacks and her suspicions are confirmed when her colleague admits to having had sex with her.
As the book continues, Ela Lee explores the themes of social class, politics, race and culture, racism, relationships, misogyny and gaslighting. I liked that each of these themes was explored from differing perspectives; providing a further dimension to the book.
I was unable to finish watching 'I May Destroy You' and found that I had to take deep breaths when reading 'Jaded'; I was angered in equal measures by the perpetrator and Ceyda's boyfriend. There were moments when I wanted to climb into my Kindle - not in a good way!
My laugh out loud - when during the diversity committee they're made to acknowledge their "own privilege" and how their honesty "acts as an equaliser"!
I am rating the book on the style of writing and quality.
Thanks, NetGalley for an advance copy.

I absolutely devoured this novel. From the minute I started it, I struggled to put it down and found myself constantly thinking about it and wanting to pick it back up immediately. The story is really well written, with raw and sometimes brutal honesty, and I found myself really connected to the main character, Jade. I felt so many emotions reading this book, and it will definitely stick with me for a long time.

On paper, Jade has it all: a successful law career, the daughter who has made her parents proud, a great boyfriend from an affluent family, and a small but solid circle of girlfriends. Then one work night out throws everything into a downward spiral as she wakes up with no idea how she got home, and a growing dread that something bad has happened. Exploring the relationships, both personal and professional, around her as she begins to slowly piece this puzzle together, Jaded by Ela Lee is a novel that addresses myriad important and difficult themes: issues of consent and assault; sexism, manipulation and abuse of power in the workplace; racism hidden in plain view, and approaches to EDI in the workplace; the damaging culture of our times when overworking is viewed as dedication, and the sacrifices and compromises sometimes expected to get to the top; questions of privilege, entitlement, identity, conformity and authenticity to oneself; and the experiences of first and second generation immigrants, including having dual culture heritage. Sounds like a lot but in Lee’s hands it isn’t, she weaves it all together in this compulsive read.

This was a novel that got stronger and picked up pace as it progressed. We are deeply drawn into Jade’s journey of recovery and self-discovery as she goes through the many stages a person might go through after a traumatic experience - including fear, self-doubt and anger - and begins to question if she was ever as happy in her life as she thought she was. The writing is raw and visceral, exploring both the physical and psychological sides of trauma. What I enjoyed most was the parts exploring Jade’s relationship with her Turkish and Korean parents; first generation immigrants who want the best for their child, not always understanding her decisions or seeing eye-to-eye, but who remain such a solid presence in her life and ensure that the culture, the traditions and rituals of her heritage remain a part of her life; something which ultimately brings her great comfort. This is a strong debut, and would be a great read for book clubs/buddy reads with so many pressing, albeit difficult, themes to discuss.

I thought Jaded was really good and I'm so glad I took a chance on it when @vintagebooks reached out with the NetGalley link! Jaded tells the story of Ceyda (also called Jade), the lawyer daughter of two immigrants, and what happens when she is sexually assaulted at a work event. I thought all the disparate parts of Jade's life were woven together really well – her supportive friends, her loving but culturally dissonant parents, her posh and ultimately dickhead boyfriend, her absolutely insane job at a City law firm – and the story and characters felt so true and authentic. Ela Lee's analysis of privilege and corporate culture wasn't really saying anything new but it still felt fresh to me, and although maybe the writing wasn't always the best at a sentence level, I think Jaded really delivered on its premise. Such a strong debut. I haven't really seen much of this on bookstagram so take this as your recommendation to pick it up!

Immersive in all the right ways, JADED was astonishing. Expertly and sensitively written, this book is like Prima Facia meets The Good Wife meets The Whisper Network. It’s been so long since a book made me truly feel, I often found myself gasping, frowning and experiencing stomach-dropping dread on Ceyda’s behalf. There are definitely some tough topics in this book, that said, Lee handles them brilliantly. Saying ‘I loved this book’ given the plot feels weird, but it’s true.

This is an important book. Having read a few regency books, a woman could do little without the protection of a husband or father. After 150 years of struggle for emancipation, the situation is much better. A woman is able to pursue a high powered career and by judged on merit. However, this book illustrates there is so much more to be done to give even a semblance of equality. Ella Lee’s book is a profound portrayal of the distress caused by sexual assault (in this case, rape by a senior colleague) and how its consequences can pervade all aspects of life. While the main character is highly talented, resourceful and dedicated to her career, she is faced with a fight for credibility in the face of a male dominated institution that uses the old boy network to devastating effect preventing any form of justice to be done. Welcome to today’s corporate world. The book deserves to be widely read, especially those able to take advantage of their white, male, upper class advantage