A long but captivating coming of age story about Daphne, a first generation Jamaican-English girl growing up in 1980s England, and her evolving relationship with Connie, a young Jamaican boy who recently immigrated to London with his mother. Set against the backdrop of the Brixton Uprising, the culmination of racial tensions between Black immigrants and an almost-entirely white police force, we see the young teenagers search for a sense of belonging while navigating the impacts of racism, xenophobia, violence and abuse.

Both Daphne and Connie are ranged and emotional characters, and I was so impressed by a book that could span such a long period of time (a decade+) without feeling drawn out, stilted or uneven. I really loved learning more about the history of Jamaican immigrants to the UK, and felt the author did such a good job of not only using two fictional characters and their families to explore this period, but also bringing in historical events to map the political to the personal. The overt racism and portrayal of domestic violence and the weaponization of immigration status was really really heavy and hard to read but expertly written. Overall a wildly exceptional debut and I'm excited to read more from this author.

Highly recommend for fans of:

• Historical fiction
• Coming of age stories
• Slow burn romance subplots
• Stories that empathize with immigrants in colonial empires
• Strong female main characters

I appreciate when an author uses language to display the character's culture. However, this book has a lot of Patois in it and I found it harder to read because of it. Most of the time I could understand what was being written, but it definitely significantly slowed down my reading speed. I pushed through because I really enjoyed the storyline and the themes that the story explores. I did end up downloading the audio book from audible and that was a lot more enjoyable for me because I could understand what was being said but didn't have to sound it out for myself. So if this is an issue for you, I would highly recommend the audio version. I was supplied a copy of the digital version from NetGalley and publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf.

Jamaica Road by Lisa Smith is a poignant and beautifully written coming-of-age story.
A very impressive debut.
That sucked me in chapter one.
A well paced story, the history is rich, and the story is heartfelt.

Jamaica Road by Lisa Smith may break your heart but it will be worth every tear you shed along the way. This is a beautiful coming of age story, set largely in 1980's Britain, a time of great social change and unrest and filled with characters that will find their way into your heart and have you rooting for them every step of the way. It follows Daphne, a young Black girl, the daughter of Jamaica immigrants, and Cornelius aka Connie, a young Black boy who has recently moved over from Jamaica, though his immigration status is not entirely legal. At first the two are thrust together at school, as the only Black students in the class, and though Daphne resents this at first , she is soon drawn to the warmth and friendship that Connie offers. Before long the pair are firm friends and even their families become close. All is not as it seems though, behind his bright smile and cheerful nature Connie is hiding a difficult home life with a violent step father, but he is determined to protect his mother and little brother no matter the personal cost.
This is definitely a character driven story, and I was deeply engrossed in Daphne and Connie's lives, not just their relationships with each other but also their extended families, they felt so real that I found myself on the verge of tears several times over the course of this wonderful book. I also really appreciated how vividly the author brought the setting to life, not just the time period of the 1980s with its different attitudes to race etc, but also the geography of London but even more so the glorious descriptions of Jamaica. As you might expect given the setting, this is a book that does not flinch from tacking difficult subjects like racism both overt and covert, immigration and loneliness as well as police and domestic violence, so readers should be aware of this going in. If I had to pick out a flaw, the thing that I most struggled with was the abrupt time skips, there was no real indication of when time was passing or how much had gone by, but this is something that may have been fixed in the final copy. At points I found that I had read several paragraphs before realising that the timeline had shifted forward which definitely caused some confusion on my part. That being said in my opinion the characters and cultural richness of the book more than made up for that little issue.
I did not realise while reading that this is a debut, it is very impressive and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Lisa Smith for this read. The book was gooooood. I love book that take place in the Caribbean. I do not have much to say other than go and read the book!

So heart wrenching!

I really enjoyed Daphne’s story, and seeing her grow into herself. The author really wrote how Daphne navigated a lot of complex relationships so well.

The themes of this novel are so poignant. My only complaint would be that the pacing felt a bit off at times.

Jamaica Road is a gloriously real look at the lives of two black children in 1980's England. Connie, a recent immigrant from Jamaica and Daphne, whose family is Jamaican as well, meet as small children and become friends. Over the years, their relationship evolves with age, and the constant movement of identity, economy, and circumstance shape them. I love coming of age stories and I find historical coming of age particularly endearing, and Jamaica Road excelled in every way in that regard, reading very similarly to Zadie Smith's gorgeously written Swing Time. I think the second half of the book struggled a bit considering how excellent the beginning was. There were some major pacing issues for me. Altogether I thought this was a very special read, definitely worth picking up for fans of coming-of-age stories.

This is a thoughtful and heartfelt book about a community of Jamaican immigrants living in South London in the 1980s and 90s. Our protagonist Daphne starts out as the only Black girl in her class, coping with her bully classmates by burying her nose in a book, until Cornelius “Connie” Small enters her life. Connie’s complicated family life and his sunny disposition draw Daphne to him, and they soon become inseparable. Their relationship has its ups and downs, as neighborhood racial tensions rise and family secrets come out into the open, but the strength of their connection always shines through.

I was sucked directly into Daphne’s head from the beginning, and it was satisfying to see her change from a quiet child to an outspoken young woman. Her family was a highlight of the book as well, with all of their complex dynamics and unconditional love (Miss Gladys was a particular favourite). Many of Daphne’s closest friends and family spoke Jamaican Patois, and I loved the representation of this language, though the dialogue took some extra time for me to understand.

However, as much as I enjoyed the first half of the book, I struggled with the pacing of the second half. We spent a lot of time on Daphne and Connie’s childhood in the beginning but suddenly skipped years ahead at seemingly random times. The characters grew up without the reader, and I ended up feeling disconnected from their lives, which made the lighting-fast ending all the more disorienting.

I ultimately have mixed feelings about this book; I loved parts of it, but other parts felt uneven to me. Still, it’s a strong emotionally-driven debut from an author with a compelling voice, and I look forward to reading more from Lisa Smith.

3.5 stars

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Daphne was born in England to Jamaican immigrant parents and grew up in the 80s in South London. She meets Connie (Cornelius) on his first day at her school when he first moves to the UK. He and his mother are undocumented, and his mother is in a relationship with a dangerous man. Jamaica Road follows Daphne as she tries to understand her place in the world, as a black British person of Jamaican descent, as a daughter of a single mother, and as a friend to Connie, whose home life is incredibly complicated.

I really loved this story - it was complicated and heart-breaking, but rich with history, culture, and heart. I loved that the author worked in real-life events happening in South London during this period - I lived in the Brixton area around 2010 and it was heartbreaking to think of the parallels. The story was very well-written and well-paced, though I think the ending deserved a few more pages. I will be thinking about this story for a long time!

Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf Books, and Lisa Smith for this beautiful ARC!

✨Happy US + Canada Pub Day to Jamaica Road by Lisa Smith!✨This historical literary fiction with romantic and coming-of-age elements set in South London’s Black British community was beautifully written. It spans a decade of transformation—from the 1980s to 1990s in South London—following Connie (MMC) and Daphne (FMC), two childhood best friends whose bond transforms into a slow-burning, emotional love story that weathers distance, heartbreak, and the harsh realities of their environment.

Having spent time in London and visited places like Brixton, Herne Hill, and Leicester Square, I could feel the setting in every scene—it made the story that much more vivid for me.

This story is told with emotional depth and authenticity, unfolding against the backdrop of systemic racism, police brutality, and a changing Black British community. You’ll hear Patwa, British English, and echoes of today’s struggles—and it hits!

If you’re into:
📚 Slow-burn love that spans time
📚 Deep character growth & emotional payoff
📚 Black British history woven with heart
…Jamaica Road deserves a spot on your shelf.

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC—I couldn’t put this one down.

#JamaicaRoad #LisaSmith #HistoricalFiction #BlackBritishFiction #SlowBurnRomance #BookReview #ARCReview #NetGalleyReads #MelaninOnThePage #SouthLondonReads #BookstagramRecs #PubDayCelebration

I was so excited to review this new novel by Lisa Smith. To be transparent I am Jamaican so this book was right up my alley. It has everything I like in the Jamaican-British story. Set in the early 80s, we meet Daphne (British born) as she tries to navigate growing up and attending a school where the other kids are not too nice. Added to this daily stress are the racial tensions that we all know run through the veins of the master colonizers. Then in comes Connie, a tall, lanky Plimsoll wearing transplant from Jamaica with a family secret.

Some may have difficulty with the dialogue which was music to my ears. So often Caribbean authors especially from Jamaica are forced to anglicize their work (native dialect) to satisfy the "western" market. I just hope that the audiobook has an actual Jamaican or Jamaican-Brit do the narration. Can you image the 80's reggae soundtrack that would accompany this book?

Smith's Jamaica Road is emotional, evocative, immersive and transformative coming of age tale. It was an excellent read.

I featured Jamaica Road in my July 2025 new releases video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5JWYTfUVq4, and though I have not read it yet, I am so excited to and expect 5 stars! I will update here when I post a follow up review or vlog.

Lisa Smith’s Jamaica Road is a tender, gripping debut that pulses with the ache and beauty of the Jamaican immigrant experience. Set in the cold, charged edges of 1980s South London, the novel pulls readers into a time of intense racial unrest and community resistance, offering a story that is as fierce as it is fragile.

Told mostly through the eyes of Daphne, a British-born woman of Jamaican heritage, we follow her coming of age and her evolving relationship with Connie, an undocumented Jamaican boy she meets at twelve, who later becomes her lover. Daphne and Connie are the heart of this story: believable, layered, and likeable. While the novel centers Daphne’s voice, we found ourselves wishing for a deeper glimpse into Connie’s perspective, especially given the weight of the themes he embodies.

Smith’s prose is intimate and poetic, painting the textures of Caribbean diaspora life with both reverence and clarity. She doesn’t shy away from the wounds of migration, racism, police violence, domestic abuse, and the discrimination faced by non-white immigrants, but instead explores them through the lens of young love and community survival. There are moments in this novel that echo loudly in today’s world, reminding us that the struggles of the 1980s still echo in the 2020s.

The interweaving of Jamaican patois throughout adds authenticity and rhythm, which i loved and appreciated. It was a bold choice that reflects the realness of the diaspora voice, a mix of “proper” English and island tongue, layered with legacy and survival.

One line that stayed with me:
“We come here to build, but no one tells you how much of yourself gets broken in the making.”

Though the pacing slows a bit in the middle, Jamaica Road remains a fascinating, heartfelt read, one that brings overlooked chapters of Black British history to life with grace and grit.

For lovers of intergenerational stories, diaspora truth-telling, and books that reflect our community’s resilience, this one deserves a place on your TBR.

— This Black Girl Reads ✨📚🇯🇲

I'll be honest and say I nearly gave up reading this book in the beginning. It wasn't because of the subject matter, though it was difficult to read because anytime you have to face up to history regarding racism when you have the privilege of being white and not having that hate in your face constantly, it is difficult. The dialogue is where I had the issue. Written with authentic Jamaican patois, with some words that I couldn't parse out the definition for (even google didn't help), I found the dialogue hard to follow at times. However, I keep pushing on and in the end, I enjoyed the story and the growth of the characters (in particular, some of the older characters). The ending threw me for a loop and I actually cheered. Do the right thing, always, even when it might change your life (not necessarily for the better).

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.