he characters in this one grew on me so fast. There was a beautiful bittersweetness to it and Smith explored her characters tenderly while contrasting with the stark realities of life. Historical racism in Britain hadn’t been a topic I had given much thought too (too much to focus on in the US…) and I loved how the exploration was done on broader and more personal levels. This one is sticking me for a while.

Jamaica Road is a solid, enjoyable coming of age novel that handles its explorations of race, class, love, family and chosen family with rich insight and care.

Set in 1980s London, this book follows Daphne, a daughter of Jamaican immigrants, and her friendship through the years with Connie, an undocumented Jamaican boy when he arrives in London. The book is set against the racial tensions of the time. This was a slow-burn story with a lot happening at the end.

I DNF this book at 20%. While the story intrigued me, I couldn't get into the book. I was really hoping that this would be a LOVE for me but it was very meh.

This book swept me up from the start with its rich sense of place and culture. Jamaica Road is a moving, slow-burning story about two best friends—Daphne and Connie—who fall for each other, fall apart, and try to find their way back, all while growing up Black and Jamaican in 1980s South London.

The setting is so vivid it practically breathes. From the rhythms of patois to the smell of curry in the air, the author captures what life felt like for Black immigrant families during that time. As a Gen X daughter of a Jamaican immigrant, I felt seen in the best way. The food, the music, the aunties and uncles who always have something to say—it all rang true.

Daphne and Connie’s relationship had so much potential, and you can feel the emotional weight of what they meant to each other—but I wanted more. The story jumps through time, and while that gave us a sweeping look at their lives, it sometimes skipped over the moments where their connection could have really deepened. By the time we hit the third act, things moved so fast that the emotional payoff felt a bit rushed and the ending left me wanting.

Still, there’s so much heart in this novel. It’s a story about love—romantic and familial—and what it means to hold on when the world keeps trying to pull you apart. I didn’t get the epic conclusion I was hoping for, but I’ll be thinking about Jamaica Road road for a long time.

#JamaicaRoad
#NetGalley

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Daphine, a strong-willed teenager raised by her single mother and grandmother in London, was born in the UK but remains closely tied to her Jamaican roots. Though she lives a relatively stable life, the undercurrent of racism in 1980s Britain constantly reminds her of her place in society. Meanwhile, Connie, a recent Jamaican immigrant, navigates a far more precarious existence. His mother, desperate for legal status, endures a deeply abusive relationship with Tobias in hopes that her family will be granted UK citizenship. But the abuse erodes her mentally and physically, leaving Connie caught in the crossfire. As Daphine and Connie’s friendship deepens, the traumas from their separate home lives begin to clash and bleed into their bond.Despite the chaos, the story reveals resilience in both families, who, bound by hardship, begin to intertwine in unexpected ways.

Daphne is the only black girl in her class and she tries her best to make herself invisible at school. That is, until a new student from Jamaica shows up, Connie. They quickly grow incredibly close as they navigate a prejudiced, 1980's South London, and turmoil at home. Over the course of a decade, their relationship shifts and changes into something a lot more complicated.

3.5 stars

This was one of those beautiful, but absolutely devastating books. The author did an excellent job really diving into this relationship throughout all of its stages. The characters had so much depth and felt real. The story centered around the themes of immigration, race, and identity. A lot of historical events were detailed which made it feel almost like a memoir.

My issue with this book was the time jumps. They felt incredibly abrupt. I had several moments where it wasn't even noticeable at first that a time jump happened and I had to go back to re-read in order to understand where in time I was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC!

A beautiful coming-of-age story that traces the evolving bond between two best friends, Daphne and Connie. Set in the heart of South London, the novel explores themes of family, race, immigration, love, and abuse with tenderness and depth. We grow alongside both characters as they navigate their world and each other. The love story at the center isn’t neatly tied up with a bow, and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful. Daphne and Connie feel real: complex, flawed, and deeply human. Easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far.

“Jamaica Road” is by Lisa Smith. This book felt, at times, like a part memoir and part historical fiction. I found myself enjoying bits of the story and really disliking other parts. I liked the descriptions of the Jamaican culture and food and while disturbing, the descriptions of the racism faced were dealt with well. I didn’t like the stereotyping of Connie’s father and while some of the dialogue being in Jamaican Patois felt authentic, it also slowed down my reading as I had to parse those sections - along with translating some UK words in US ones. The writing didn’t always flow as smoothly as I hoped - especially when there were the pivotal jumps in Daphne’s life. While this book is about coming of age, not always my favorite to read, it was done well. I also felt at times this book was too long, which also didn’t help increase my enjoyment of the overall read. However, I seem to be in the minority regarding my rating - so my advice is to read other more positive reviews before you decide to pick up this book.

Jamaica Road presents Daphne and Connie's story as it evolves in a neighborhood of primarily Jamaican immigrants during the Tatcher years. As the author notes, although the characters are fictional, the history and references to victims of racist violence are real. The two meet as 12-year-olds, become one another's best friend, embodying the events of their families and neighbors as the decade unfolds. Lisa Smith has brought this vibrant community to life with all its charms as well as its problems, problems that are increased merely by the color of one's skin and the dangers inherent in just walking innocently down a street. Connie has the additional restriction of dealing with his mother's and his immigration status as well as life with a particularly manipulative, brutal stepfather. What Smith has done here is keep a reader riveted, even allowing her characters to speak in their accustomed patois, adding verisimilitude to the text. Highly recommended.

This was a sweeping, beautiful story that sucked me in from the beginning.

Coming of age stories are some of my favorites, and this one packed a particularly hard punch. Growing up is hard enough, but doing it as a racial minority, dealing with racism, and on top of that, having an uncertain path in regard to citizenship is even harder. I really appreciated the raw reality that is true for a lot of people in the world, and think it was handled with a lot of care here. I also enjoyed seeing the friendship and love grow between Daphne and Connie, and how life circumstances pulled them in different directions but they managed to stay true to one another. This was a love story with a lot of depth.

Reading this book at this particular time while living in America, where immigration and immigrants are being harshly scrutinized, hit me extra hard, and I think made me see this story in a different light.

I always love a book that delves so deeply into identity, race, and what it means to be loved that I'm left contemplating it long after the story is over.

This book hits the heartstrings in all the right ways. And the author is fearless in her storytelling. Talk about getting into the nitty gritty.

The cultural Jamaican influences, the relationship between Daphne and Connie, the real life of what it means to be Black in South London in the 1980s. Every piece renders you to think deeply about who you are and what you stand for.

If you love a book that challenges your perspective, this one is it for you!

Thank you to Knopf, Vintage, Anchor for the eARC of this amazing book.

This book has a big impact on the complexity of emotions. The tension is high with the strengths and struggles of relationships.

Daphne was introduced to a new student, Cornelius (Connie) Small, who was a tall 12-year-old. He was now the second Black person in her class and wanted to be her friend as he figured they were both Jamaican. Yet, she made it clear that even though her grandmother was from Jamaica, she was born and raised in London and 100 percent English. He was rather annoying but found a way to get her attention.

There were only a handful of characters in this story. Each one was trying to find their way in London which was petrifying at times. They were Black and faced serious issues of racial prejudice. It was controlled by the white majority and police enforcers.

The author highlighted the Brixton riots in 1981 with the dark feelings of confusion, fear and hatred. I had no idea that there was a huge problem in England much like the US. The country was divided and there was no trust with the authorities. Blacks were targeted with searches and too many times accused when they were innocent.

The story was well written with Jamaican Patois -- like broken English but referenced the rich culture. However, the language at the same time slowed down the pace. I found it to be very depressing with the ongoing hardships they faced.

Daphne was trying to find love in her life yet, she instead stumbled upon all sorts of troubling uncertainties. One fear was from Connie’s stepfather, an undocumented immigrant. It felt timely with what’s now happening in our country. It was heartbreaking with relentless obstacles of racial discrimination.

My thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of July 15, 2025.

This story tugged at my heartstrings in every way possible. This coming of age story between two childhood best friends who had to overcome impossible odds, racial tensions and family instability resonated so much with me. My heart went out to Daphne and Connie, and I wanted to protect and support them at every turn.

I enjoyed following Daphne and Connie’s story through the various phases of their lives - the turbulent ones all the way to finding love in each other. However, the jumps in time felt awkward at times. I also appreciated the use of Jamaican Patwa although it slowed my reading a bit. Nonetheless, it added authenticity to the book.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, the story and the themes. Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage for the ARC!

Jamaica Road.. a beautiful coming of age love story the flows so effortlessly.

This book spoke to my heart and filled me with nostalgia. Jamaica Road transports us to the early 80’s South London where we are introduced to Daphne a first-generation Brit-Jam and Connie, a newly immigrated Jamaican meeting at school, which leads to a lifelong friendship and eventually a relationship. Underneath their beautiful coming of age love story/journey, there are so many complex themes intertwined so smoothly. The character arc and subplots are compelling. Their experiences, internal conflicts and external issues pulled at my heartstrings.

So many themes are explored in this book: single parenthood, immigration, domestic violence, race relations, assimilation, identity, belonging, and the complexities of “never feeling British enough”. The author does an amazing task of weaving in and chronicling real events that took place during the 80’s and early 90’s in South London such as the New Cross house fire in 1981 to the Brixton riots to name a few. To read the perceptive of those who actually had to live through it; how it affected their mindset, identity and community was fascinating. The plot is engaging and unpredictable. Jamaica Road is a fresh, authentic and powerful story! Thank you Netgalley, Knopf, Pantheon and Vintage catalog for sending this book (eARC) in exchange for my honest review! All opinions are my own.

Set in the 1980's, Jamaica Road follows the lives of Daphne, a British girl born to Jamaican parents and Connie an undocumented Jamaican boy living in the same town and going to the same school. Daphne is used to being the only black girl in her class. She keeps her head down and tries not to be noticed. When Connie comes to school, he begins to shake Daphne's world up in ways she could never imagine. The story continues through their adulthood with lots of ins and outs, ups and downs. This IS a good story that covers a lot of ground. The characters, for the most part, are well fleshed out. Much of it is written in the Jamaican dialect (as it should be) and that was a little distracting for me in the beginning. However, as the book went on, I was able to pick up the cadence and finished the novel with no issues. This book is racially charged and contains multiple instances of both racial and domestic violence. These are not gratuitous and are integral to the story. Although the ending came fast and hard, the book was definitely worth the time.

A great story that was an easy read but not easy on the heart. I love learning fresh perspectives through my reading, and this gave me that opportunity. Would read this author again for sure.

am I the only person who gets that feeling as you near the end of a book you are enjoying that is actually almost like worry and dread to find out how it's going to end? where you just get wrapped up and consumed and the page count is dwindling and there doesn't seem to be a resolution that can possibly be satisfying but it just keeps going and then it attempts to end and then it ends and you just feel...disappointed.

four stars for the novel if it had ended a time frame and a half earlier somehow and in someway that did not make that feeling come true.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Next Literary Sensation: Jamaica Road Will Break Your Heart

Lisa Smith's Jamaica Road isn't just another debut novel. It's a raw, pulsing story of love and identity that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go.

Set in 1980s South London, the story follows Daphne, a young Black girl who loses herself in books to escape being the only person of colour in her class. But between the gritty docklands of the Thames and the warm shores of Calabash Bay, Jamaica, she finds something unexpected – a connection that blurs the lines between friendship and love, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew about belonging.

Smith writes with the eye of a documentary filmmaker and the soul of a poet. Drawing from her own experience as a London-born child of Jamaican parents, she captures the charged atmosphere of Thatcher's Britain with stunning precision. The result is both intimate and sweeping – a love story wrapped in a social commentary that never feels preachy.

The novel's decade-long span lets us watch these characters grow, stumble, and find their feet again. Smith doesn't shy away from the hard truths about race, class, and the families we're born into versus the ones we choose. Instead, she leans into the mess and finds beauty there.

Jamaica Road hits shelves in June 2025, and if the fierce five-way auction it sparked is any indication, this book will be the one everyone's talking about. Smith isn't just a new voice in British literature – she's a force of nature.

Jamaica Road is a book about Daphne and Connie, young black people in London in the early 1980s. Daphne is a native-born citizen, but Connie is in the UK illegally, overstaying a visa, in a time when racism and prejudice again black people in Great Britain was leading to deaths and wrongful detainment. The book examines what it means to be black, in a fraught time where every choice you made could lead to conflict with those around you, while also examining a love story between friends. Connie and Daphne become friends out of necessity as they are both the only black students at their grade level, and each chapter examines how their relationship grows and changes as they grow up and grow closer and apart due to life circumstances.
This book is told exclusively from Daphne's point of view and uses a mix of "standard" English and Jamaican patois in the dialogue, which was initially difficult for me to decipher, but I found it did lend itself to the overall enjoyment within the experience of reading this book. I also like how the author used real news stories pulled from the headlines of the 80s and 90s to touch on the real impact racism had on the lives of black people in Great Britain at the time. I am choosing to rate 4 stars overall because while I very much enjoyed the book, the cast of characters, and the writing, there were jumps in time that felt disjointed and somewhat difficult to follow, and the ending felt abrupt and not fully fleshed out.
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.