This book was a real page-turner for me. I'm usuaally not into contemporary books since they tend to focus too much on romance, but here although the topic of love is very present we get to see amazing family relationships and representation of neurodiverse people. The narrative kept me hooked and although it was mostly light-hearted, there were suspenseful and even hard moments.

I've really liked Claire LaZebnik's books in the past, so I had to read Things I Should Have Known. I was especially interested in it because the protagonist's sister is on the autism spectrum. I have to say, even though I wasn't wowed by the book overall, I thought Ivy totally stole the show from her sister, Chloe in the book.

I didn't find Chloe to be all that particularly interesting. Besides Ivy, there wasn't much that made her stand out for me. I will say that I enjoyed how loyal, kind and patient she was with Ivy. I haven't read a book that explores autism as intimately as Things I Should Have Known did, and I really appreciated how much I learned about the condition from the book. LaZebnik did not hold back with the portrayal here. She showed just how difficult it can be to keep an eye out on someone with autism, but she also showed the beautiful side to these individuals through Ivy. It was lovely watching Ivy discover more about herself, her sexuality and relationships throughout the book, which is why I think Things I Should Have Known could have been far better had it been written in her POV instead of Chloe's.

We also get to know David, a boy who Chloe doesn't particularly get along with, but who she discovers is the brother of Ivy's friend from school, that she decides to match up. Like with Chloe, I admired David, but I can't say that he brought about any strong feelings in me. I did love Ethan and his enthusiasm for movies and his talkative nature. As you can tell, family plays a big role in Things I Should Have Known. It was explored well, in my opinion, and one of the highlights of the book for me.

Overall, Things I Should Have Known was a knowledgeable book for me. I only wish it had been written in the voice of the secondary characters instead of the main ones here.

This is simply an EXCELLENT novel. It's all about friendship, love, sibling relationships, and the absolute decisive fact that if you don't have ice cream in your life at regular intervals than what are you doing mate because ice cream is life. But anyway. The focus IS on siblings, love, and Autism, and it features two sets of siblings (two brothers and two sisters) who decide to try and get their Autistic siblings together and turn from enemies to friends themselves.

I absolutely adored Chloe and Ivy's relationship! Chloe is 17 and Ivy is nearly 21, but Chloe functions in more of the "big sister" role, with Ivy's Autism making her struggle with communication and relating to people. She really struggles to express her emotions/feelings and she isn't very independent at all. I did find it so sad how ableist and dismissive her parents were. They didn't seem to actively care or try to connect with their daughter and it made me so ragey.

The brother duo, David and Ethan, were equally winning and adorable and excuse me while I hug them. When Chloe sets Ivy up on a "date" with a boy from her school, they kind of get the package deal of Ethan (who has ASD) and his older brother David. Chloe also knows David from school and he's basically what would happen if an intelligent lemon grew teeth and bit you. David was rather antisocial and blunt too and honestly I think he was on the spectrum as well. Basically I just looooved the contrast of the sisters vs the brothers and how their relationships all developed. Can we say A+ for all the character development here?

Chloe and David were absolutely incredible and their developing romance was the SWEETEST. They didn't even MEAN to fall in love, so it was slow burn and full of snarky banter.

The ASD representation was most magnificent and accurate. Ivy and Ethan were so sweet too and I loved that the book showed so many positive sides of Autism!

I have to admit: the ableism is pretty heavy and hard to handle. Of course this isn't a fault on the book's behalf, it was just hard to read, especially with the "everyday ableism" with people thinking they're doing nothing wrong but still dehumanizing those with Autism and being generally gross. I only wasn't impressed that forgiveness was so forthcoming with no apologies on the wrongdoers sides.

This book is filled with incredible thought provoking messages and beautifully articulated thoughts. The characters were relatable, cute, and realistic. And I am forever a fan of books that underling that Autism doesn't equal broken. There's nothing wrong with being different.

I'll start by saying that I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. I read it in one sitting!

What really sealed the book for me was the relationships between the siblings - Chloe/Ivy and David/Ethan. They felt authentic, and special, and emotional. I could feel every frustration, every defensive mechanism, and joy they felt towards their siblings, and the progression of the attraction between Chloe and David felt very true and not forced.

I was at first hesitant to read this and see how the autism was portrayed, and I was pleasantly surprised. I understand that people's experiences can be very different, and I think Claire LaZebnik presented it well - as she is a mother of an autistic child, and having written a couple of non-fiction books on autism herself, I think she spoke truthfully and personally, and I could feel that coming out from the character of Chloe.

Overall, I think this was a very enjoyable book. The romance wasn't overbearing but still sweet and wonderful, and the relationships of the siblings took front and centre - and that was definitely what made this book stand out.

There is a lot going on in Things I Should Have Known that at times it seems overwhelming. However, LaaZebnik executes her story in such a thoughtful and descriptive way that it echos real life with a realistic timeline and emotional arcs that readers will feel like part of the journey instead of merely a spectator.

I choose YA books quite rarely. I mean, the premise has to be pretty special for me to do it. But this one just had it. And I wasn't wrong.

How can I sum this book up? It brought me all sorts of emotions from the very first page. Very readable, very relatable – even though you might not have quite the life the main character has.

In short? Chloe is quite a popular teen. You'd easily mix her up with those air-headed dolls who are most commonly popular, she even has the hot jock boyfriend to prove it. But it's not quite like that. Because although Chloe comes across as such, and maybe tries to pose as one, she has a big soul. It's mostly because she has a sister she's quite close to – Ivy. And Ivy is on the autistic spectrum. With a sister that's quite different from everyone else, Chloe has to be a special human being herself. Because first of all, it's not easy to be close to someone like that. Second, taking care of Ivy and making her life better is no easy task and demands a lot of care and attention on Chloe's part.

Noticing that Ivy's lonely, Chloe sets out on a quite crazy escapade – trying to set her up with one of her (also autistic) classmates. As she has to take and accompany Ivy on her dates, Chloe ends up being put together with Ethan's (the date's) brother, who just so happens to be Chloe's most hated classmate.

All of this really does sound like a simple YA romance, doesn't it?

Except it's not.

Let me bring out some of the points I loved best:

1. Such great representation of autism. I loved getting to know Ivy and Ethan. Having only had limited and quite negative contact in the past, I can't say I thought of autistic people too well. This book gave me a new perspective. Told me what it's all about. Showed me that as strangers, we can only ever see the bad sides, because you pretty much have to be a VIP to see the good sides, they're not for everybody. More than that – it helped me understand that autistic people are not oblivious (we tend to think that a lot, don't we?) They do know they're different. It hurts them if we don't treat them with respect – with respect to who they are – different, but still human, still warm and loving, breathing and understanding.

2. The book is more diverse than it seems already! If I say anything more, I'll spoil. But let's just say you might be surprised. And again, tough situation – great representation. I was impressed.

3. The main running themes are friendship, sister/brotherhood, tough family situations, understanding different people. Those are all such very good themes.

4. So it's in-part about teen romance. But the romance is so totally backseat , it won't bother you even if you're like me and tend to avoid reading about it.

If you're still not convinced, have a quote:
"You know, if we were pushing our siblings in wheelchairs, people would be nice to them and to us. They'd be like, Oh, the poor handicapped people and their wonderful siblings! Let's hold doors for them! But Ivy and Ethan... they basically look like everyone else, with just these tiny differences in how they behave and move. And that bugs people."

To sum it up, I'm glad I picked up this YA book. This is the good kind (I have had my experiences with too many bad YA books in the past). Books like this SHOULD be read by teens, the more the better. Books like this educate them in a very accessible way.

I am very thankful to Claire LaZebnik and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for giving me a copy of this book prior to it being published (opinions are not influenced by this and are my own). This was a really great read and I truly recommend it.

To say I was hesitant going into this book would be an understatement. Focusing on two siblings who care for and set up their autistic siblings, this could’ve gone terribly wrong. Thankfully the author has a history of working with members of the autistic community and handled the characters in a realistic and respectful way. With two children in my extended family on the Autism Spectrum, I was expecting to find much to criticize and was delighted when the best parts of the book were built around the accurate and considerate portrayal of Ivy and Ethan. Their interactions with each other and the world around them and their siblings intense protection of them, even through their frustrated moments, felt incredibly real. This is usually not the case with books featuring neuroatypial characters, especially in YA novels.

The story overall was sweet and uplifting. Yes, there are romantic relationships in the book but they really take a backseat to the sibling relationships that are at the center of this work.

The required disclaimer: I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, even though I forgot to post my thoughts on times. Oops.

I’ve read a ton of books lately that I’ve loved, but this is the first book in maybe years that I can honestly say I’m grateful for. There are so many beautiful things that happen in this book and they’re done so well that you might not even notice until it hits like an epiphany and the biggest of those things is spreading awareness. People make assumptions and judgments about what autism is, how those who have it should function (or not) in society, and say offhand comments that are both offensive and ignorant. This book does a fabulous job of making people think about what they say and their prejudices against those who are different. Some parts are profound in their simplicity and eye-opening with the totally real and heart wrenching examples that happen in everyday life.

What’s great about this book is that it showcases various forms of autism that show up on the spectrum. Not all autism is the same and mannerisms, behaviors, and what upsets each person is totally individual. No two cases are identical and how to cope with anxiety, sadness, and rapid mood changes varies immensely. You really have to know the person to understand. Claire LaZebnik stresses that point in the relationships between Ivy and Chloe and David and Ethan. Their parents are not as observant or patient as they could/should be and the siblings know each other best.

When Ivy or Ethan are upset, Chloe and David break through their defenses, ask them questions, and notice when they start tapping or talking louder that these are signs of distress that an outsider would not pick up on. When kids are “freaking out” in public we have a tendency to be dismissive and judgmental, to say it’s poor parenting, the child is a brat, or get angry because they’re “spoiling” your day. Several times throughout the book, Ethan and Ivy are pitied, looked down upon, and their opinions rejected because they “don’t know any better,” it made my blood boil just reading those words. There’s a scene where they’re at the bowling alley and these old ladies make comments about “them” being allowed out and whether they should use bumpers “for safety”, which could be a legitimate concern if there was a visible problem but the condescending approach, speechless.

Ivy and Ethan are incredibly real. If you’ve ever met someone with autism, you’ll recognize the blunt, factual commentary, focus on a specific niche or activity, and trouble processing the “why” question in regards to emotions and feelings. This book will truly make you think about things you might have never considered. How does someone who may not process/understand or know how to convey their feelings deal with lust or attraction? I mean, this is so so important. If someone who has autism has questions about this, how do they know if they’re attracted to the same sex? The LGBT dimension of this book is challenging and urges the reader to question. The conversations between Ivy and Chloe are fueled by understanding and asking matter of fact questions that lead Ivy to come to her own conclusions. These are model conversations and full of so much love.

David is an intriguing character. He’s sarcastic, cold, antisocial, and yet, there’s something about him that’s compassionate and will win your heart. The way he adores his brother and is willing to sacrifice his future for him, total swoon material. Don’t get me wrong, he’s abrasive and takes a bit to get used to, but he’s a catch.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Chloe. The way she let terrible comments roll off her, the way she let her boyfriend and friends say stuff about Ivy, like she was abnormal or a mistake conflicted with the understanding and love she showed her sister. At first, Chloe seemed like an opinioned, flighty, typical popular girl and I pretty much loathed her. She fought one moment and shut down to keep her hot girl status the next. She does grow as the story progresses but it takes a long, long time.

Sometimes the pacing was slow because they focus was on the lust between Chloe and her boyfriend, which was full of semi-repulsive groping and horrible comments about Ivy and the fact that the boyfriend didn’t get enough attention because she was always helping out her sister. Just no.

Funny, quirky, honest, and heartwarming. I really loved this book. I was in the mood for something lighter than what I usually go for, and this was perfect: a well-written and inspirational young adult novel. I really enjoyed it.

Chloe has an easy life at school. She's pretty, popular, and dating the best looking guy in school. He's friendly and seems very devoted to her, but he does have one issue: he doesn't really understand Chloe's big sister. Her sister Ivy is very important to her. Their father died years ago, and their mother remarried and seems a little more devoted to him than her children. Ivy is autistic, and Chloe feels very protective over her. When Ivy starts to ask some questions about Chloe and her boyfriend, Chloe realizes that Ivy might want a boyfriend too. It becomes her mission to find Ivy love. She encourages her to contact a boy in her class that she's talked about before, and they make plans to get together. Chloe is in for a surprise, though... the boy is accompanied by a younger sibling of his own: David, who's in her class. He's always come across as rude and arrogant, and Chloe isn't his biggest fan... but putting up with him is worth it if Ivy finds a new companion.

I think I enjoyed this book even more because I have a close family member with special needs, though not autism. I identified with the frustration Chloe and David feel when strangers are rude and stare at their much loved siblings, simply because they happen to be a little bit different. Really cute story that's easy to read and become immersed in.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and the publisher, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

4 stars for Things I Should Have Known!!!

I really need to read this kinds of contemporary stories with a little bit young romance and mental illness. Don't know why I'm so eager to take a glimpse of the book while getting its summary. And to my surprise, it is much better than I thought at first, also bringing me lots of fun and joy.

The story not only mentions about family or the teenage love, but also the relationship of sisterhood, the mental illness of anxiety, and more fragmented stuffs that we need to face with in our lives. That's maybe why it's so easy to get into the story. And can have a great time to enjoy this entertaining book.

There's even no pressure while reading it. Because Claire's writing style makes all the plots be so vivid, just like be a part of the story. And the author also elaborates some twists. It lights up my curiosity, making me want to find out how it will ends at last. Although it's a little bit easy to guess the ending, it still worth to take an adventure for the story.

Thanks for NetGalley and publisher sending me the E-ARC to exchange the honest review.

I loved the relationships in this novel. They're so adorable! It's also very realistic and it opened my eyes about autism.

I absolutely LOVED this! I just couldn’t put the book down! If it wasn’t for getting up early for school I would have read it in one sitting easily. This was such an amazingly sweet book! But at the same time it was incredibly realistic, which is what made me love it so much.

I’ve never read a book that portrays autism before – are there any? – and I am thrilled that I got to read this one. We all know what autism is and much probably we know or knew someone in our life that is autistic. But to be more precise, according to wikipedia, “Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, and restricted and repetitive behavior.”

The author herself has a child that is autistic, and I thought that was very interesting and wondered if that helped make the characters so realistic.

I loved the characters incredibly much. Chloe is a strong and amazing person, everyone loves her but she does have her flaws. I thought she was incredible as a sister and although she loves Ivy, she sometimes also gets mad or frustrated with her. I loved her sarcasm and how positive and confident she was!

David is very different from her, he is much more closed and he basically lived taking care of his brother Ethan. He doesn’t socialize whatsoever and he may pass as an idiot to everybody that doesn’t bother to take a second look. But deep inside he is an amazing selfless person. I LOVE HIM.

Ivy and Ethan are the most adorable persons ever. They are similar in some terms but very different in others. They are both very sweet persons and they would never hurt anyone. It’s impossible not to love them!

Every principal character in this book was truly fantastic and I felt that all the other characters represented something. And that’s how the author chose to represent a lot of important things. Like loneliness, family and teenage drama, loss, homophobia, love, fear… And it really worked. If we pay enough attention, all of that is somewhere represented, but in a unique way.

And that’s why although it talks about so many heavy things, the author made it quite light to read. It was funny, warm-hearted and realistic in every possible way. And I want to say so much more about it but I can’t without spoiling it!

I loved the writing and the only thing I didn’t particularly enjoy were the last pages, that were a bit rushed. I just wanted more… I NEED MORE. I loved this book and I would strongly recommend it!

Really, just go read it!

What I liked:

How LaZebnik portrayed two different autistic characters (and how she portrayed others' reactions to them). I though she did a phenomenal job with this. Ivy and Ethan were both autistic, but still different. They weren't portrayed in a stereotypical way that tends to frustrate me and make me angry. I also appreciated that the other characters in the book had varying reactions to both Ethan and Ivy. While some of the reactions angered me <spoiler>Ethan's stepmother was concerned her new baby would "catch" autism.</spoiler> they were also realistic.

What I didn't like:

I felt like it just kind of ended.

Sometimes David and Chloe drove me nuts.

Not gonna lie, I requested this book a hundred months ago -exaggerating but you know- and I kept pushing reading it until the last minute humanly possible to be able to write the review on time. Why? Because I was dreading the Autistic representation and how it will be handled, especially from a sibling’s point of view because my past experiences with this kind of scenario are bad. Anyway, even though it is good overall, I still had some problems with it, most of which have nothing to do with the representation.

My first and biggest problem with this book was the writing, definitely not the kind I enjoy. Even though I eventually got used to it as the story progressed I didn’t like it, it was too conversational and I thought it lacked that little something that can set it apart. It read kind of juvenile. I know this is a YA, I read my fair share of it -just look at all my reviews- but this has nothing to do with the narrator’s voice, it’s more of a writing style thing. I don’t know how to explain it better than that. I also picked up on a few ableist words and phrases like “nuts”, “a tiny edge of hysteria”, etc…

The story in itself is very heartwarming, honest and felt authentic. I can’t speak for actual human experiences but from what I studied, the Autism representation is true to *some* people on the spectrum. As with most mental illnesses, it isn’t something set in stone, different people experience it differently and I thought that was well expressed through Ivy and Ethan, who are similar in some ways but very different in others. Although my favorite thing about it is the unconditional sibling love. Both between Ivy and Chloe as well as Ethan and David.

Since the book is from Chloe’s POV, that relationship takes front stage and I loved it. Their love for each other is so raw and real, they both were there for each other no matter what. It was also realistic because they still got frustrated and mad at each other. For all the standing up Chloe did for Ivy, she went completely silence when her bestfriend and boyfriend said offensive things and that’s what annoyed me the most. She was rioting in her head but never said anything so that “She’s not that girl” to ruin the fun and all that. That and the fact that she tried to make Ivy something she’s not (which was called out eventually). That kind of dampened my liking of her for all the good things she is/does.

Ivy is such a sweet girl, she not only is a shy quiet girl but she’s also strong af, she stands up for people she cares about even when everything inside of her tells her not to. Ethan on the other hand is very talkative, especially about movies, he loves them and can go on about them forever. He’s also such a cute romantic boy and I was really sad when Ivy didn’t return his feelings (she’s gay so ya know… she can’t).

David is something, oh yes he is. A very frustrating something. He was arrogant and rude to everyone with no obvious reason whatsoever. And although I appreciated that not being explained by some kind of tragic deep reason, it felt completely unnecessary. I loved who he was around Chloe and the friendship they built was really cute, it was leading up to a romance that everyone seems coming but that… falls flat. I was disappointed because I kept waiting for it but when it finally happened, it was anticlimactic because one second Chloe didn’t even think about him that way and the next thing you know she was confessing her crush to him and I was just ??? Even though I saw it coming, it still felt rushed and out of the blue. I make total sense, thanks.

The girls’ mom is another big turn off for me, she was so passive and NEVER stood up for her daughters when her husband -their stepfather- was a douchbag to them, she just sat there and sometimes even defended him *sigh*. Their stepfather. That man is a piece of work, he’s the reason I put a trigger warning to begin with because every time he opens his mouth to talk to Ivy, he’s talking about her weight, what she eats, how she doesn’t exercise, etc…

To sum it up, this book is cute, the sibling love is REAL, and it does a good job at pointing out harmful comments through Chloe’s thoughts, even though that sometimes doesn’t show through her actions. I think I would’ve loved it if the romance was developed better and Chloe had stopped caring about “being that girl” earlier in the book.

I was really looking forward to Things I Should Have Known. It sounded intriguing and pulled me right in with its autism exploration, but, overall I was let down and left hanging for more. I was expecting something powerful and was left in the dust.

Before I keep on going, I would like to acknowledge that no one in my house suffers from autism. However, I have cousins and family friends that do. And some of those I do spend a lot of time with. So even though I don’t know everything, I do understand somethings.

Things I Should Have Known follows Protagonist Chloe Mitchell as she goes on a mission to help her older sister, Ivy, find love. When Chloe realises that her autistic sister wants to find love, she does everything in her power to help her find it. I have a love/hate relationship with Chloe. Overall, I found her to just be okay. I loved that she cared about her sister so much, that she would do so much for her. I loved that she would stand up for Ivy no matter what. But, sometimes her attitude really didn’t sit with me right. Chloe’s voice also wasn’t for me. I found that she sounded quite young – too young at times.

I loved Ivy, she was such a brilliant and complex characters that I wanted to find out more. She was innocent, but the kind that is beautiful and works so well with the story being told. I loved that Ivy wanted to find out things, see what love is, and feel love. It was so beautiful. At one point when Ivy realised something and confided in Chloe, I didn’t know wheatear to cry or smile – in the end, I did both.

The romances in Things I Should Have Known are very different. I am not sure how I feel about Chloe’s, but it still made this novel work. They were real. Ethan, oh my, he is such a sweetheart. I cannot even begin to explain. I just wanted to hold him and tell him everything is going to be okay. David, I’m not too sure how I feel about him, even after finishing the book.

From what I know and understand about autism, I thought that Things I Should Have Known explores an honest and real representation. The struggle, the heartbreak, the ups and the downs. It was all there.

One of the things about Things I Should Have Known is that it’s honest and real. Things are sugar coated. Heartbreaking events happening throughout the book, and they are raw. But they are also real and so important for people to understand.

Writing: While I thought that the story was beautiful and so important. I wasn’t a massive fan of the writing style and even the voice of the protagonist;

Overall, Things I Should Have Known is a raw book. It’s real and the story is beautiful. The novel explores the notion of family and finding love. It’s about not just looking after those you love, but yourself. As well as learning that sometimes you need to let go. While I wasn’t a fan of the writing or the voice of the protagonist, Things I Should Have Known is so important and should be read.

Things I Should Have Known is my fourth Claire LaZebnik's novel and so far is my favorite. It is refreshing to read something where the story was focused on issues that most writers won't touch. It takes a lot of courage to do that. Not only that, Miss LaZebnik managed to do it really well. Her personal experience with autism is visible on this one and it helps a great deal for the story to be realistic. The characters are engaging enough and the character development of everyone is one thing I really like. It started out really slow for me but gladly it ended up in a really good manner. Also, I love the cover. Overall, Things I Should Have Known is a solid heartwarming read that will teach reader a thing or two about dealing with autistic people, whether it's someone you know or a stranger. Let's be more aware and not quick to judge.

Things I Should Have Known is a sweet, unique and funny YA novel set within the slightly dysfunctional Mitchell family. There's a controlling, no-idea-how-to-deal-with-teenage-girls stepdad, a pushover Mum who has previously been clinically depressed (so JUST WANTS TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY), an older teenage daughter with autism called Ivy and a slightly spoilt, typically stroppy younger daughter called Chloe (the main protagonist). Chloe is one of the popular girls at school, with the jock boyfriend and one dimensional friends. She realises that Ivy has never had a boyfriend and so sets about finding a suitable candidate to date her. Enter Ethan, the adorable, wouldn't hurt a fly classmate of Ivy's who Chloe thinks is perfect for her. Unfortunately, Ethan's brother David goes to the same school as Chloe and is known for being an annoying weirdo. Thrown together by Chloe's desire to make her sister happy, the unlikely foursome end up coming to some pretty startling realisations about themselves, and each other.

I thought Things I Should Have Known was a great read. I felt that it was such an honest portrayal of what it was like to live with an autistic person, warts and all. It's unusual to have a story with an autistic character as the sibling of the narrator - everything else that I've read in this category is either from the point of view of the parents or the autistic person themselves, which I thought made it unique. It was also nice to see that although the impact of autism features heavily, the book also had another strong storyline (the relationship between Chloe and David) which gave it a bit more variety.

I really liked that there was a bit of everything in this book -LGBTQ+ issues, disability, teenage angst, family problems...all dealt with in a believable and sensitive way. Each character is flawed and to see how they all adapted to a challenging situation was really interesting as a huge range of reactions and emotions were conveyed. I became really invested in the storyline - at one point the main character Chloe makes a huge mistake and I really felt for her.

Unfortunately, some of the comments that Chloe makes about her boyfriend are truly cringeworthy and their relationship seems a little too perfect for two teenagers at high school. Chloe goes from being a bit of a vacuous cheerleader type to a sensitive young woman, who doesn't care about her boyfriend being the picked on, unattractive weirdo that her friends don't like. Similarly, David goes from being the weird, bullied, outspoken nerd to the politically correct, feminist, adorkable love interest. Even so, their relationship was very cute and I will forgive the fact that some of the things they said would never come out of the mouths of fifteen year olds because they were just such a sweet couple.

Despite the fact that this was a YA novel it was good to see some difficult issues like full time residential care for autistic adults being discussed. I thought that the issue was dealt with very sensitively, although I expect that in the real world far more problems would have occurred. It also would have been nice for the author to have considered some of the real world implications of long term care, not least the financial element. I guess you can't have everything, eh?

Despite this, I found myself really enjoying the novel. It's a nice twist on the standard YA plotline of boy meets girl and it dealt with some difficult issues with sensitivity, even though things turned out to be a little too perfect in the end.

This book is everything a YA book should be! Funny, touching, with complex characters and realistic settings. The situations Chloe and others find themselves in are not only relatable but also highlight that family and friendship dynamics may feel unique but are basically the same at their very foundation. Chloe just wants to make her sister Ivy happy. But, how can you make someone happy when you don't know what they want? It is through this attempt that Chloe learns more about her sister, her family, her friends, and herself. Ms. LaZebnik doesn't force the morals of the story down the reader's throat, but they are there, shining through each self-discovery.

This book was truly great. The author has a child who is autistic and I felt that that really shows in the book. It feels real and authentic and I learned a lot more about how to interact with people who are on the autism spectrum. This is the kind of diversity in characters that I can appreciate. The author has first-hand experience with autism and can portray it in a way that somebody without that first-hand knowledge never could in my opinion.

Chloe and David are both just really great characters. The love that they have for their siblings is obvious throughout the book. They’re definitely flawed, but I can’t help but feel that they’re still better people than I am. They have normal lives, but at the same time, their worlds kind of revolve around their siblings. Chloe and David make me want to be a better person when I’m around those with disabilities for sure. Their relationship with each other felt real and progressed at a natural pace. I thought they really balanced each other out. As far as secondary characters go, I felt that both sets of parents could have been developed a little more. More depth was shown at the end of the book, but it almost felt like too little, too late. James and Sarah were both really flat characters as well and didn’t contribute much of importance to the story.

One criticism that I have is with Chloe’s relationship with her step-dad. It just seemed so obvious to me. For once I would like to read a book where the main character looses a parent that they had a good relationship with, but then they also love their step-parent as well. Does that ever happen in real life? Does it even exist? Or am I just wishing for a unicorn here? It just feels like a really cheap way to add drama.

Ethan and Ivy were also great characters. I felt like they really showed how differently autism can manifest itself. Not all people with autism act the same way or have the same triggers. Also, I thought the author did a great job of showing that even their loved ones get fed up with them sometimes. People who have autism don’t necessarily need to be babied–they just need to be treated like normal people. The LGBT aspect of it was interesting as well. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I think the author brings up an important topic here.

Overall, I thought this book was fantastic. I’ve really liked LaZebnik’s books in the past and while this one was different, it didn’t disappoint. I definitely look forward to reading anything else that she comes out with.

Overall Rating: 4
Language: Moderate
Violence: None
Smoking/Drinking: Mild
Sexual Content: Moderate

Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

OK confession time! I got this one a few months ago, and when I decided to start reading it, I kind of forgot exactly what it was going to be about. So in essence, I kind of went into the book a bit blind. Like so blind that I forgot her sister was on the autism spectrum, and then I was like "oh yeah!!" So it took me a bit to really get into the story, but once I did I was seriously sucked in.

At the beginning, Chloe isn't necessarily that endearing, and it takes a bit to really get a feel for who she really is...and part of that is that you start off seeing the facade that she shows to her peers, and not necessarily all of who she is inside. And she's not the only one I was unimpressed with, I really didn't fall in love with many characters at the beginning, from her family to her friends and boyfriend. In fact, I felt more antagonistic towards many of them, particularly her stepfather. But I'll get back to that.

As the story progresses you get to see why Chloe chooses to put on the persona and maintain her status in the popular crowd, with the "hot" boyfriend. I actually think this is one of the best depictions I've ever read of a teenager going along and trying to fit in. With all that she struggles with at home, I could see how she would want to be liked and how much easier it would be for her to just keep her opinions to herself. You could see a bit of that internal struggle for her, but ultimately she didn't want to make waves, and she kind of just wanted to feel what she perceived to be "normal". It's always disappointing, for sure, but I *got* it. Not sure if that makes sense. But it also makes her development as a character that much more satisfying. Seeing her start to feel like "enough is enough" and that perhaps other qualities are more important in friends and boyfriends than what she was initially seeking just really felt natural and believable. That it's OK to have different priorities, and to stand up for yourself against the norm. Seriously, I really ended up loving Chloe by the end of the book. It's actually kind of nice to see a main character who is popular not because she's secretly a nerd and tired of being bullied, but because she just likes being liked.

David, Ivy and Ethan were the other stars of this show. If you're looking for a book with a grand romance, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this one. The romance with David is very slow building, and while I adored it, it's really not the primary focus of the story. It kind of gets shuffled to the background. In the end I appreciated their developing friendship and banter more than the romance, which kind of felt rushed and tacked on in the end. But seriously people, the developing relationship was SOLID. I enjoyed that David wasn't all sunshine and roses, that he was kind of a difficult character to love, but you could understand him as well, and how he came to be the way he was. And he didn't lose all those antagonistic qualities at the end, he was still kind of a dick to people, but you love him anyways.

And Ivy and Ethan were depicted so well. I mean, I haven't really had many encounters with folks on the autism spectrum, but I really thought that this was a fantastic representation of some of the unique attributes that can make them up...particularly because they were even different from each other. And I really enjoyed the conversations that Chloe and David had, and the representations of the encounters they had with different types of people when out with their siblings. It was heartbreaking, but unfortunately realistic. And I loved that the story was from the siblings perspective, and showed the different challenges that they can face. They're not perfect, but you could really feel their love for their siblings.

Chloe's mother and stepfather were challenging characters. I really hated so many things about her stepfather. He's not evil, he's got many shades of gray...in that way he's really realistic. And I know we're seeing him from Chloe's perspective, but damn he made me mad sometimes. I'm up in the air with how his role played out in the story...I guess because he really is realistic in that he's still got these really bad qualities, but he's not all bad, and he can have some good moments too. Sometimes I can't deal with so much real, you know? It's so much easier when people are black and white. In fact, many of the characters in this book are that real...from James and Sarah, to David's parents, to Chloe's parents. I admire it as much as it vexes me as a reader.

OK, I'm getting seriously verbose here. And I haven't even talked about everything. I enjoyed the Ivy twist in the middle of the book...I kind of saw it coming, but I thought it was another piece of diversity that was handled really well.

My only real complaint with the story is that the ending was odd to me. It just kind of ended. I didn't feel that normal story flow, with a solid and clear ending. And I guess my one other niggle is that occasionally we would encounter scenes that seemed meaningless in the overall scheme of the plot (like a moment in Camp's class would just happen, and then we'd be onto lunch, and I didn't really understand the point of it being included).

So basically if you're looking for a diverse read with a fantastic look at life with someone on the autism spectrum, you NEED this book. If you just love good YA coming of age tales, I would really recommend it as well. Despite the few things that niggled me, I really really enjoyed this book and highlighted so many of Chloe and David's interactions.