About The Author
A writer of poetry and poetic prose, Michele Lee Sefton is a veteran English teacher who left the classroom in the fall of 2019 to develop her writing voice. She has since been published in various anthologies and platforms, including Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University in its Piper Poetry Month Anthology. Collaborating with her artist daughter during the pandemic, she published a series of illustrated poetry chapbooks, Being a Woman: Overcoming, Being a Woman: Becoming, and Being a Woman: Forthcoming. In 2020, she published a collection of poems to celebrate her one-year blog anniversary, My Inspired Life: A Poetic Journey. Her titles, Her Coastal Cottage: Where Truth & Love Rise and Honeysuckle Heat, offer readers the author’s vivid poetic prose in novella length.
Jade’s Broken Bridge (2025) is her debut novel. She continues to publish creative projects under her imprint, Tumbleweed Spirit Press. Michele Lee enjoys sharing and connecting on her writing and photography blog, Tumbleweed Spirit, dancing with other expressive women, and working with Sandra Marinella, the author of The Story You Need to Tell, co-facilitating narrative therapy workshops. To learn more about the author and her works, visit msefton dot com.
Amazon Summary
Jade’s Broken Bridge, by Michele Lee Sefton, is a raw and poignant story of survival, self-destruction, and hope. The narrative follows Jade, a young woman navigating a tumultuous life shaped by family fractures, isolation, and the pursuit of financial stability in the shadows of the adult entertainment industry. The story unfolds as she reflects on her past, particularly her experiences as an Arizona native, working as a topless dancer in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the personal struggles that led her there. Jade’s journey is a deeply introspective exploration of self-worth, desperation, and the relentless search for escape—whether through drugs, relationships, or a false sense of empowerment gained in strip clubs.
Inspired by true events, the book delves into Jade’s complex family dynamics, particularly the impact of her parents’ divorce, and the financial hardships that drove her to make life-altering choices. Through vivid and unfiltered prose set in the late 1980s, Sefton paints a picture of a woman torn between who she was meant to be and who she has become. As she battles addiction and shame, Jade ultimately confronts the truth about her past and her desire to reclaim her life.
In her debut novel, Sefton offers a sobering account of self-destructive life choices and the painful consequences that follow. The story does not romanticize the struggles of survival but instead offers an honest portrayal of resilience and the possibility of change.
Jade’s Broken Bridge By Michele Lee Sefton Review
I’m going to start by saying that this was a hard read for me. Not because of the writing, it was amazingly written but because it’s so incredibly touching and relatable. I read the first chapter and already felt the heaviness. And I think what makes this book so successful in connecting with the reader on an emotional level is that it shares the experiences of a young adult just trying to find her way in the world while being in a place where she’s struggling in so many ways. In a world that isn’t kind to people that have been dealt a bad hand. Something many of us have experienced
The book takes place in the 1980’s and follows Jade throughout the 80’s. Jade’s journey begins as a broke college student in her late teens but ends with her working at strip clubs and battling a severe drug addiction.
Characters
I loved the characters in this book. Jade’s character, the one we view the world through is often relatable despite her bad decisions. We learn more about her past trauma, growing up in a broken home and being desperate for connection and love. She aspires to be more than her circumstances and yet due to both her decisions and unfortunate luck her circumstances continue to worsen.
Sean’s character and the way in which Jade goes from trying to be more aloof towards him to falling for him and being haunted by memories of him really tug at the readers heartstrings. One can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if their fate had been different, if they’d had more time together.
Another character I enjoyed very much was Cat. As Jade’s life continues to spiral and her drug addiction worsens, Cat becomes her only constant and the voice of reason. As chaos ensues, I found myself both impressed by Cat’s love and loyalty for her friend and also heartbroken that although she had different ambitions she may never end up pursuing them. Which is something that happens so often for adults.
I want to add one more group of characters that I really enjoyed reading. And that was the men that came to the strip clubs. Generally, we think of them as seedy or shady characters. Sometimes even perverts. But the truth is, a lot of them (especially the older men) are just lonely and dealing with their own losses. Michele does a fantastic job of humanising these customers instead of villainising them. Now, I’m not saying strip clubs are the way to handle grief but in the 80’s when therapy was still looked down upon and so much was changing, this may have been the only way some men knew how. And of course, there are seedy characters in strip clubs but many of them are just there for human contact/socialisation of any kind.
Plot
“We were part of the disadvantaged crowd forced to trade freedom for survival and then mocked for our choices by those who are free to choose.”
Like a lot of us, what Jade craves the most is stability. Stability in life, relationships and of course financial stability. However, desperate and alone she takes a darker path towards that stability. She begins working at strip clubs and although this initially goes well (at least financially) she eventually finds herself addicted to drugs.
Generally, I am much more used to very fast paced plots because I mostly read thrillers and murder mysteries. This plot was very different than what I’m used to. It was slower but not in a bad way at all. We get to know Jade, we get to see her daily life. We understand her struggles and motivation. And we see her ambition, strength and courage. It really allows the reader to put themselves into Jade’s shoes.
Spoilers about the plot ahead, please don’t read if you’re trying to avoid spoilers.
One part of the plot absolutely broke my heart. And that was the connection between Jade and her dying grandmother. As the reader, you’re rooting for Jade. And despite her bad decisions you still feel the emotional pain of her not fulfilling her grandmother’s final request. You feel the heartbreak that she feels knowing that she wasn’t by her side as her grandmother passed. Some decisions are irreversible and this was one of them. She will never again have the chance to make things right with her grandmother. It was truly a reminder to be there when you can because we may never have that chance again.
In the end, we do see things changing for Jade. It’s both incredibly anxiety inducing and stressful for her but there’s also renewed hope. The reader can’t help but be incredibly proud of her progress. As I read the final chapter I knew that Jade was a fighter. Whatever she faces in the future, she has what it takes to win her battles.
Overall
Jade’s Broken Bridge by Michele Lee Sefton is one that I recommend very highly. It is raw, touching, heartbreaking, beautiful and thought-provoking. I will warn, this book is not for the faint hearted. It definitely packs some major emotional punches. And a lot of the plot deals with heavy topics like drug addiction, overdose, stripping and more. However, if you give it a chance this book will leave a mark on your heart as it has mine.
If you’re looking for a Fall read that you will not be able to put down, do consider this one. Not only is it a brilliant book but it’s written by one of our own WordPress bloggers. I really hope Jade’s Broken Bridge by Michele Lee Sefton gets the love and success it deserves.
Jade’s Broken Bridge by Michele Lee Sefton is now available on Amazon as an Ebook and Paperback. You can find it here. And you can visit Michele’s amazing blog here.
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I recently published my first book, if you would like to read it, please click here.
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