As an autistic girl, this book melted my heart. Her autism manifests differently than mine, obviously, but overall I found Jessie to be a very relatable character that I was rooting for most of the time. My main disconnect, other than some at times cringe writing, was how boy crazy she and her whole friend group were. Maybe it is because I am a lesbian, but it felt unrealistic and painfully straight.

Y'all, this was just the most wonderful YA read. As someone who is far from the young adult demographic these days, I love a story that feels real and makes me root for the characters. This story focuses on Jess who is really trying to figure out where she fits in as she starts high school, especially as she navigates a new autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Throughout her high school days, she sets goals for herself around friendship and love which gets complicated along the way. I just loved Jess as a character. She was so authentic and real, and she was a huge nineties fan which led to some great references along the way. This was a delight of a read all around. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this June 2023 release!

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books and Jackie Khalilieh for an advanced digital copy.

Something More is released June 6th, 2023

3.75⭐️

Something More follows 15 year old Jessie, who recently get diagnosed with being on the autistic spectrum. On top of that, she is starting her first year of high school. The whole time, she is determined to keep it a secret and to blend in and seem “normal”. From day one of high school, she is thrown into new and awkward situations, and it just gets better along the way as she finds herself.

This was a cute YA coming of age/romance, with a love triangle between Griffon and Levi. I was cheering Jessie on and even proud of her at some parts, but then found myself disappointed with her relapses with a particular person in the love triangle. I was definitely rooting a specific guy. The struggles Jessie goes through with herself and mind are so relatable. I love how we got to see how her mind works, it was, once again, relatable.

I could have benefited from this book when I was 15 years old. My only suggestion for the author would be to possibly do a follow up on Jessie as an adult as she manages her autism diagnosis, written for adults.

Something More is a messy and genuine story about a fifteen-year-old Christian Palestinian-Canadian girl on the autism spectrum.
 
When Jessie starts her first year of high school, she’s still dealing with her autism diagnosis. She knows she’s different. She knows she’s bad at social interactions. She knows she blurts out weird things. She knows she’s focussed on that one particular interest, in her case, music from the nineties. And she doesn’t want anyone to know that she’s autistic.
 
I’m pretty sure I’m neurodivergent and have DCD, which runs in my family. When you have DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder or Dyspraxia), your brain and body don’t communicate well together, and therefore you’re clumsy. Even though this condition is not well known, 5-6% of us have it. There are many similarities with other conditions like ADHD and autism, and there’s an increased likelihood of co-occurring conditions. So I might also be autistic, or just have DCD. I don’t know. What I do know is that I love to read books about neurodivergent people, like Something More.
 
What I liked most about this YA story is the messiness. Teens aren’t perfect people. In contrast even, they are flawed and egotistical, and pretty dramatic at times. And Jessie is all those things. Jackie Khalilieh pictures an authentic fifteen-year-old who is also on the autism spectrum, what makes the story even messier. I recognized so many characteristics: feeling different, being bad at social interactions, being focused, or even being obsessed with that one particular interest. I loved the comparison of that intense focus on one specific topic to a silo: a tall, narrow structure you fill up with information, and you can’t see outside it because you just want to swim in the details of the grains. And that part about wearing masks touched me deeply.
 
Next to being a story about autism, this is also a cute romance. Jessie meets two boys, Griffin and Levi, on her first day of school, and I immediatelely knew with which boy she would end up. So, I rooted for them both and smiled when they sang that duet.

There’s one small thing I liked less. Jessie didn’t have a phone. A fifteen-year-old who doesn’t have a phone?? Here all teens need a phone because they use an app for their schedule and homework.

My reactions while reading this:
aww cute;
wait what?
I love Levi!
i hate levi!
griffffiiinnn
girl are you serious?
YES!

The most favourite thing about that book was how honest this was. High school is messy, and thats how the topic was portrayed. We get messy friendships, toxic (?) relationships, and the reality of growing up and relationships.
Jessie is an awesome protaganist and a totally honest one. Even though I'm not autistic or Palestinian, i related to her so much on many aspects. I loved how the author didnt make austism her whole identity, and made other plots for her personality to shine through. Talking about her romantic life, i definitely got a little frustrated everytime she prioritized Levi over Griffin, but this is just the reality of relationships. It's very hard to take that "leap of faith" and change that status quo when things are going somewhat well. That being said, I'm extremely happy that Jessie ended up with Griffin. Her relationship with Levi was so full of red flags, he constantly made her doubt herself, strang her along on false promises, and sometimes had a blatant disregard towards her personal boundaries. Jessie's friends-to-lovers romance was much more cute to read and totally a green flag. One of my fave ya romance book to date!

Fun, cute, and nostalgic, this is the first YA book I've read since high school that genuinely took me right back. Had me texting in my high school group chat and everything. Although, the semesters in Canada are really confusing to me I must say.

Something More is a well written, candid story about 15 year old Jessie Kassis who just learnt that she is autistic as she's about to enter high school. Following the advice of her therapist, she creates a list of goals she wants to achieve throughout this new chapter of her life which takes us on a fun ride of events, relationships, and lots of emotions.

One of my favourite things in this book is how naturally Khalilieh wove the Palestinian culture into the Kassis' everyday life. I find that books can sometimes drown you in it which can be confusing and hard to follow if the reader has never experienced any aspect of the culture. Something More does a great job of introducing the reader to the culture while showing what it looks like at home. Another thing I loved was this books ability to take me right back to high school. I couldn't stop thinking about my own days in the cafeteria, and what it felt like waiting for your friends so you could walk together to your next class. Even Jessie's struggles with evaluating the people she was becoming friends with felt so accurate to what it felt like back then.

Personally, I just didn't feel connected to Jessie and her emotions enough for this to be a 5 star read, but that doesn't mean she wasn't a great character. She had layers, strengths and flaws, as every human being does. I understood why she would perceive things the way she did and so could feel her frustration when people got upset at her for still not being able to pick up on things. Maybe she was written a little too well to where I was supposed to feel disconnected from her. 😂

I have never read a book with a character having autism in it, let alone the main character having it and I think this book did an exceptional job introducing readers to what it can feel like to live with it. It was eye opening and informative, and I recommend everyone pick this up to have a broader understanding of what autism can be like.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Tundra Books for an ARC of this book. 🥰

Jessie just found out that she is autistic before entering into her 1st year of highschool. She has set herself up with some goals, including kissing a boy from class. As she tries to figure out this thing called life, she finds out who she wants to be around and how people make her feel.
This was a sweet, fun, coming of age book. To me, there wasn't much depth to the story as she took us on her day to day adventures with her struggles. It's also nice to see an autistic female being portrayed as there aren't many stories (that I've read) that give that kind of insight.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!

I loved this book so much. It touched a place in my heart because my daughter has ASD.
The characters in this book were relatable to teens that I know and teens are going to find themselves in these characters. Lastly, putting ethnicity into the main family was a learning experience of a culture I didn't know a lot about.

Such a refreshing YA Contemporary! Jessie is a magnetic protagonist that'll keep you glued to the page as you follow her journey through high school, first loves, and new friendships. Would highly recommend for YA readers of all ages!

At first I was really enjoying the story. Jessie had a very strong character and point of view, but she got lost in her obsession with a boy. Her toxic relationship with this guy takes over the entire novel, and even her friends seem to only think about boys and sex.
Not only was this guy a smoker and drinker, but he was also a cheater with both girls and homework/tests. I didn't even really think he liked her outside of using her, but he got more possessive when someone else showed interest.
Griffin with the one light in the story. The steadfast friend and kind soul. Too bad she didn't appreciate him until literally the LAST CHAPTER! I will never understand girls who are hung up on guys that didn't treat them right, autistic or not. Her autism and how she delt with that was actually an interesting part of the story, but thanks to her boy obession I didn't really see much character growth and I just wish I got to see more of the spark and intelligence she showed when she was with Griffin or doing something she loved, like singing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra for the eARC!

SOMETHING MORE was a fun, sweet, relatable YA romance about an autistic Palestinian-Canadian teen navigating her first year of high school. This novel will appeal to fans of Jenny Han or NEVER HAVE I EVER. I highly recommend it!

Fifteen-year-old Jessie is newly diagnosed with autism when she starts her first year at a new high school. She's got lots of goals for the year, and top among them are getting her first kiss and hiding her diagnosis. But as the year unfolds, Jessie comes to learn that life might be more exciting when things don't always go according to plan.

I loved Jessie as a narrator—she was so funny, so relatable, so honest, and so true to what it's like to be a teen girl navigating high school. On top of that I absolutely loved seeing a younger MC in YA. The first year of high school is such a huge moment in teens' lives and it was a great backdrop for this story! I wish I'd had more stories with narrators like Jessie when I was that age, because I think it would have helped me navigate a lot of my own feelings/experiences.

The two love interests were really well fleshed-out, and even though I immediately preferred one to the other, both had their positives. I also really enjoyed and appreciated the ND rep in this story, and the reactions of different characters to Jessie's diagnosis (including her own reaction). It all felt very real and relatable.

This was a fresh, funny, beautifully written coming-of-age story that I would highly recommend to anyone starting high school (or reminiscing on their own high school years!). A great debut, and I look forward to whatever's next from Jackie Khalilieh!

This book gave me all the feels! Jessie stole my heart..

Jessie is starting high school with the new knowledge that she is autistic. She must navigate her first year of high school while contending with this new information. She starts to make new friends and gets a crush on a boy. While trying to complete the list of goals she made for herself she starts to fall for two very different boys.

I loved following Jessie's journey as she navigated new friends and her crush. The romance was cute! I definitely liked one of the boys better. This love triangle was not annoying to read like many others are in my opinion. I think Jessie had to have relationships with both of them to learn things about herself and I praise the author for utilizing the triangle in this way.

We also get to see her relationship with her family. She becomes closer with her sister. There's also her relationship with her female friends that was so great to see develop. It was complex and realistic. I really liked how honest Jessie was though at times her friends didn't get it.

If you enjoy YA romance I definitely recommend you check this one out when it comes out 6/6/23

I’d love to interview Jackie on my podcast Raise Your Words. This is another example of Muslim representation done in a slightly more respectful manner. It’s weird to see Muslim teenagers dating since Islam forbids it. I’m aware this happens especially at a public school and I’m guessing this might have experienced based off the author’s life. This has a Muslim character who is autistic. It also has Palestinian rep which is the first time I’ve read a fictional book with a Palestinian character.

Jessie is a entering high school with a fresh take on life after her autism diagnosis. She sets plenty of goals for herself as a friend, sister and daughter.

I liked this book. I liked the overall idea that she has set backs along way because obviously what fifteen year old has their life together. The friendship felt a lot like high school but with a little more added drama.

The boys. I was cheering for one guy in particular but oh the journey was a little rough. I guess I don't remember high school boys being quite so much drama.

Overall I would recommend and read more from this author.

a strong debut YA contemporary romance! I really enjoyed this one as a whole. I was really invested in the main character. This book was about 320 pages but felt longer. Had amazing representation and will spark important conversations. I loved the female friendships in this book with Mel and Odelia. The love triangle with the guys didn't do it for me though, I didn't really care which one she ended up with as long as she was happy with her friends at the end.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

So Something More was one of my most anticipated books to read this year, especially as an Arab, and I absolutely adored this book! Personally, I think this was one of the most realistic depictions of a fifteen-year-old girl in her first year of high school as a girl who also went to a Canadian high school. The friend groups and dynamics, although at times were dramatized for the sake of the novel, were eerily similar to my own experiences. Khalilieh really captured the feeling of walking the fine line between wanting to make friends and easily getting upset at something they do as a neurodiverse autistic character. So in short, I saw a lot of myself in Jessie.

In this book, Khalilieh mentions several societal issues such as favouritism towards the son in an ethnic family though she really only briefly touches on this topic which makes a lot of sense personally. This is because this book is read through Jessies POV, (a neurodiverse fifteen-year-old teen going through puberty) so of course she will be at least a bit more self-centred than other characters you’ve read.

To reiterate another review on here, the love triangle never felt in balance and I personally knew right from the beginning who Jessie would/would not end up with. It was a little frustrating to read at times but then I kept reminding myself of the fact that Jessie is a fifteen-year-old girl and I was most likely the same at that age. To be honest, I wasn’t really invested in the romance as I was with following Jessie’s journey throughout the first year of high school.

Overall 4.5!

Oh...I hate HATE the phrase 'bad representation' when it comes to neurodiversity. Just because your own personal experience, or worse, your presumed knowledge on the subject doesn't make other experiences WRONG. So it really pains me to say...this was bad representation. Did this book not have sensitivity readers?

And even if the rep was realistic, the high school experience was not. I'm there, right now, and this isn't realistic at all. A girls only clique? Has this author ever met a teenager? Been one at some point? Girls like the ones in these books don't hate boys!

Unrealistic and bad...sorry!
Thank you net galley for the arc.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

If you're looking for a fast paced book, this one isn't for you. I liked that though.

The story follows a 15 year old autistic Palestine-Canadian girl, just trying to figure out how to fit into her first year high school. Boys happen along the way, new friendships and protective but such a loving family. She struggles with accepting she's autistic as well, but I loved the way this was incorporated in the book. Very well written!

I think we all experienced high school differently but I felt clueless on how to fit into the "perfect mold" like probably a lot of other teenagers still do, so reading this kind of felt healing to me. When I read this I recognised a lot of my past self in it, so that was very comforting. Its written in such a realistic way of teenage years, so maybe its not everyones cup of tea.

Now onto the love triangle: I am not a fan of love triangles, but I tolerated this one as it was needed for her to realise some aspects of relationships and growth.

Team Griffin all the way though.

Something More follows Jessie as she navigates 9th grade after being newly diagnosed with autism. There is friend drama and boy drama and it’s just so relatable. It reminded me of My So-Called Life in the best way possible. Levi gave me strong Jordan Catalano vibes and, in my mind, Griffin is the cooler version of Brian Krakow.

I can’t explain how much this book means to me personally. I wish I had this book when I was a teenager, before I realized that not everyone looks at people’s ears when they are talking, or rehearses every social interaction in advance. But, I am so immensely grateful that my kids now have this book where they can see themselves represented. Especially because it was written by someone whose brain works like ours.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who loves the YA genre. It is clever and captivating from beginning to end and I am so grateful to Tundra Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

3.5 stars

this book was exactly what a ya-romance should be, cute, funny and naturally full of second hand embarrassment that makes you feel like hiding away. would 100% recommend