Understated and beautifully affecting, unblinking in its examination of friendship and era . . . Smith is a fiercely compassionate writer. Connie and Daphne are a gift I didn’t know I needed.

Jamaica Road vividly captures what it means to grow up between cultures-the ache of not quite belonging, the horrors swallowed in the name of fitting in. Smith’s rendering of 1980s South London is dazzling-rich in detail and atmosphere. At the powerful centre is the evolving relationship between Daphne and Connie, stretched across time, fraught history and family crises. Smith has crafted a tender, nuanced and unforgettable coming-of-age story.

Young love, enduring friendship and the complexity and vibrancy of multi-generational Caribbean families set in 1980s London, this moving coming-of-age novel tackles contemporary issues of race, class and belonging. Smith’s evocative prose had me thinking about Connie and Daphne long after I closed the book. An impressive debut from an exciting new voice.

A powerful, beautiful portrait of lives that are being lived every day, histories that are being written over and love that fights through every possible challenge thrown its way. Jamaica Road is a truly incredible novel of wisdom, pain and joy . . . Lisa Smith is a storyteller of immense talent.

Jamaica Road exudes love. Even amidst the violent roil of history, Lisa Smith renders her heroine Daphne’s adventures in romance, friendship and family, with a wisdom and warmth that jumps off the page.

Full of 1980s south London nostalgia, Jamaica Road is a beautiful story about love, friendship and the importance of community. Daphne and Connie leap off the page as real historical events serve as the backdrop to their own struggles and triumphs. A wonderful read.

A tender, marvellous ode to love in all its forms: familial, communal, romantic. Written with care and wisdom, these characters are some of the most memorable fictional persons I’ve come across in a long time. Lisa Smith is an inspiration.

Jamaica Road masterfully spans a decade, introducing us to unforgettable characters as they navigate love, loss, injustice and hope in 1980s London. An immersive debut full of heart.

Jamaica Road describes the journeys of its characters with loving and meticulous detail. Through the eyes of her heroine-the plucky, determined Daphne-Lisa Smith deftly portrays a world in flux, in which tenderness and solidarity thrive in spite of and in response to the pervasive and intertwined forces of racial, political and patriarchal violence. A wise and moving tale of love, loss, redemption and renewal.

A deeply affecting story of love and friendship. Daphne’s voice is transporting as she turns her sharp eye on the decade unfolding around her while trying to unravel the tangled loyalties at home. Lisa Smith has crafted a beautifully expansive, immersive and vividly detailed tale.

Lisa Smith’s deft weaving of the story of Daphne and Connie’s friendship set against the backdrop of a febrile 1980s London makes for a hugely immersive and wonderfully entertaining read. Jamaica Road is bursting with heart. I highly recommend it.

Jamaica Road is a tender and moving coming-of-age story. With a keen eye for emotional nuance amid life’s complexities, Lisa Smith shows us how friendship and love can endure, even when tested by time and tragedy.

Jamaica Road shines in its incredible, portrayal of British multiculturalism in the eighties – Daphne’s desperate pre-teen struggles to fit in are heartbreaking.

A compelling exploration of the awkward beauty of coming-of-age, the exhilarating torrent of young love, and the complicated quest of immigrant home-making-all packed into a considered inter-family drama rife with secrets, surprises and characters you can root for.