I’m not usually a fan of YA novels but I had just finished a Jenny Han book and saw that this one said if you like her books then you’ll want to read this one, and I’m so glad that I did!
So technically I guess, because the main character is a teen this is a YA novel, but honestly this novel is for anybody.
It’s for anyone who can relate to having times of self-doubt, having times of wanting to fit in, having times of empowerment, maneuvering friendships and relationships, etc.
So basically everyone!
And it is absolutely so well written! Conversations between characters flow smoothly, the pace is really well done!
The author writes in a way that really lends itself to it, becoming a movie or a series! I hope it does!
The characters are people you would want to check in on regularly.
I was shocked that this is a debut novel.
I was also disappointed that it is a debut novel, because I want to read more from this author!

Thank you to Author Jackie Khalilieh, Penguin Randomhouse Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this lovely book before it is released!
🌸🤗📚 Charlene @lastnownext

😍𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄😍

Did I say special? Well yeah, this book definitely took the special place in my heart!!

“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴.”

As soon as I read the blurb and it said "Palestinian," I knew then that I was going to love this book from the bottom of my heart. Instantly, I went to Netgalley to request it and I was so pleased to be approved. Thanks to the author and Netgalley, and I'd also like to thank my bestie @mmlady for being my buddy read I'm so glad that we both enjoy this beautiful work of art.

It didn't take me that long to hook up with the story. A lot of things happened through the pages and it happened so well that I was unable to put the book down. I liked how the story unfolded and the characters were portrayed amazingly.

I expected to know more about the Palestinian vibes, such as the Palestinian accent (gladly, some Arab words are written that have melted me anyway 🫣), and would like to know more about the culture, both Palestinian and Canadian are great, and so on, but that is not the case in this book. However, I am absolutely obsessed with how the romance vibe has been pictured, the love triangle was just so adorable and got me giggling and infuriated 🫢. The only character I wish would fade away is Catherine, uhh that lass, She should get bullied by the entire school!!

And finally, I love that Jessie ended up being with the character I adore the most👀 well if you read this book, you probably know about him!! J♡G (⁠◠⁠‿⁠◕⁠)

Something more- I had a great time reading this book as an adult! I knew the setting fits the younger YA audience, so the juvenile thoughts, actions, and language is meant for them, not like me who went to high school ten years ago LOL. Only because I thought some parts were very cringy but then again, those times were cringy! Anyways, we follow a girl named Jessie with recently diagnosed autism who's about to begin high school. She has a lot to carry and wants to fit in as much as possible with a few goals in mind: friends, boyfriend maybe, and being in a school play.

Character development- I love Jessie. I related to her high school experience myself. Trying so hard to fit in is a relatable theme in the book, whether it was set in high school or a different setting. Her character growth in the book grew tremendously and I love every second of it. I won’t say who, but one of the character interests stole my heart and the last ten pages were the best part of the story!

I gave this book 4 /5 stars!
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the e-arc!

Something More is about a recently diagnosed girl with autism, as she tries to survive her first year of high school. While there she meets new friends and two boys who are interested in her.

Supposedly.

Truthfully this book is more of a coming of age book then a love triangle like the marketing makes it seem like. The love triangle never felt balanced. I never felt like they were equal in likeability. It was obvious who she was gonna end up with. There was too many red flags with Levi that I never truly liked him. I mean Jessie immediately liked him because he was hot and nice while Griffin, the other love interest, didn't have the same reaction. That was the moment I knew who she was going to choose. So the love triangle wasn't as good as I hoped. Griffin was super sweet though.

Other then the romance between Jessie and Griffin and the easy writing style, there was nothing else that I liked about the story. I was expecting a good love triangle but it was easy choice. The little bits of relatability from Jessie are not enough for me. I have autism but I'm a person who likes characters because of their personality or their charming moments and not because I relate to them. The main character, Jessie, I didn't like. She was quick to act like she was better then her friends about boy problems while she herself didn't see the problems with Levi. I would be okay with it if there was conflict about it, but it is never said out loud in the story or even in her head. There was no character development in that front. It was not confronted. It just made me hate her a little more. 

I wish her friends were given more time between them. They already had pretty obvious problems with each other at the start and I wish I saw their relationship in a more positive light, so I can feel a little more sad when things come to ahead. I also wish they had more of a personality. I can't name a single thing about them besides their boy troubles. The only character I actually liked was Griffin who was a total sweetheart.

The story was mediocre with its bad love triangle, underdeveloped characters, and a unlikable protagonist. I was just wishing for a good love triangle but it was lackluster. It wasted so much time with Levi with his red flags that I felt like I was wasting my time.

Adorably quirky and weirdly fantastic, this cozy little coming of age hit all the right spots for me this time of the year <3 would highly recommend!!

This is the first book I’ve found as authentic on teen life, and being an autistic female.
Jessie is starting high-school, trying to hide her biggest secret- masking herself so nobody will see her autism. Throughout this book she grows a lot, learns to have friendship, and how fall in love (and make a very hard choice between layed back Levi, and adorable theatre boy Griffin.)
I really love how neither her Diagnosis or the love triangle were shown as the main focus of the story, it was just growing up and balancing all these things at once.
I loved this book, I saw something about it on TikTok a few weeks ago and I’m so thankful I was given the opportunity to give it a read.
Also, the author is seems super kind!

This book was beautiful. I loved the self discovery that Jessie was able to do and that she started to love herself more. The love triangle, while I typically am not the biggest fan of the trope, was executed beautifully and I really liked how it ended up. Jessie and her family being Palestinian was absolutely amazing. I have never had the opportunity to read a YA novel with that kind of representation of where I'm from. And it wasn't a main plot point which made it even more fun, because being Palestinian was portrayed as merely part of Jessie's identity along with the many other important things about her. Loved Jessie as a character, and the romance she had!

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the eARC!

4.25/5 ⭐️

This is a book I wish I had when I started highschool. Even though I’m homeschooled I related so much Jessie and how she almost always felt like an outsider. Her feelings were so vividly portrayed and strong. Jessie’s autism was weaved into everything she did and felt and how she interacted with others. She was stubborn and a bit immature at times but she also caring and kind.

I’m not the biggest fan of love triangles but surprisingly I felt that the love triangle was one of the best ways to help explore Jessie. Something that’s not talked about much is how autistic people can get very attached to a person, so much so that they become a special interest. (Levi never becomes a special interest in my opinion btw.) And we see from the very beginning how Jessie gets very attached to Levi so when Griffin comes into play and she starts falling for him it becomes a complicated web of feelings she doesn’t know how to sort out until the end. And yes it’s pretty obvious who she really like but part of Jessie’s journey is figuring that out for herself. I also really loved her friendship with Mel and Odelia. They all loved and cared for each and they never questioned or treated Jessie after they learned about Jessie being autistic.

This was a fantastic coming of age story that’s basically a 90’s teen rom-com with an Arab autistic mc. If you haven’t preordered or added this to your TBR, you are desperately missing out.

In a reading slump? Haven't read anything that you've connected to lately? Stuck reading doomy/gloomy sh*t? Might I suggest picking up this STELLAR debut!! It's got a little of everything, but GENEROUS with the charm and wit!!

There's a lot going on in here (love triangle, autism rep, Palestinian rep, female friendships, friendships in general, body positivity, more) but at it's core this is a story about young Jessie's journey towards SELF-LOVE.

I ENJOYED everything about this book and can't wait to read more from this talented, intelligent writer. I was approved by Netgalley on Friday and finished the book on Sunday. You will be charmed and transported back to memories of first love with this cute, clever book.

3/5 stars! I think the premise was entertaining and I appreciated the mental health representation and having a character with autism. Parts of the plot seem a little ridiculous, but it kind of matches social cues and miscommunications that do happen with YA characters. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but there is little in it to bring me back or want me to read more in the future.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This book did a wonderful job of capturing that feeling of being young. Being a teenage girl may be one of the hardest times in our lives— there’s great moments, there’s the low moments, but overall there’s a lot of confusion. Jessie captures all of that so well. We as the reader don’t get at her when she makes a bad decision because we understand! At times, maybe I did read a bit faster than usual in those cringy moments, but only because they were so well written that they brought me back. I also have to say I loved all the representation in this book.

This book was an utterly fantastic read. I would like to note that this is the first and only book I have given 5 stars to. I loved it. A perfect teen read. I am very excited to read any other future books published by this author. My goodness, this book was such a coming-of-age classic teen read while also being completely in a category of it’s own. I 100% recommend. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to read this book.

This fantastic read follows Jessie as she starts her journey into the high school scene. She is coming to terms with her recent autism diagnosis, and it trying to navigate fitting in while also ensuring nobody finds out about her diagnosis. Jessie starts out the year with goals to keep her on track, during a time in everyone’s life where things never go as planned. We have the opportunity to take a journey with Jessie as she balances new friends, possible love interest(s), and all the trials of high school.

Read this book. There needs to be more books like this in the world. I commend this author for producing such a relatable book for everyone to enjoy. I will be waiting for any more books in the future.

15 year old Jessie Kassis is headed to high school and hiding a huge secret. She was just diagnosed as Autistic. Determine to keep this a secret, she’s made a list of goals that constitute a normal high school experience, influenced by her obsession with all things 90’s. But things are as black and white as she expects, and Jessie gets way more than she bargained for when two boys steal her heart.

Plot: 5/5
It’s high school, it’s messy, characters make extremely anxiety inducing choices. The book covers a full school year and yet I never felt bored with the pacing. There was always something that kept me reading to the next page.

Characters: 5/5
Right off the bat, I adore Jessie. As a neurodivergent adult, I just want to protect her through the terrible experience that is high school. She’s completely honest with everyone except herself and all she wants is to fit in.
Everyone’s experience with autism and neurodivergence is different but I think Jessie is a great representation of what a teen would actually be thinking and feeling in this scenario.

My initial thoughts on the boys
Griffin is cute and funny, Jessie may not realize it but he is such a win. I think he understands her directness and sense of humor. I think Levi is gonna use her and break her heart. We’ve all crushed after the popular older slacker, they’re not all they’re cracked up to be.

Final thoughts on the boys (spoilerish)
TEAM GRIFFIN UNTIL I DIE. I am so happy with how things ultimately worked out. Everything I felt about Levi was validated but I think Jessie shoulda been a little harder on him at the end.

Writing: 5/5
This book is absolutely authentic. Jessie’s story is so honest. You can tell how much Khalilieh put of herself into Something More. Her style is dialogue heavy (my favorite) and she really mastered the internal monologue aspect.

Overall: 5/5

This book was a joy to read, a deeply anxiety inducing joy. I loved every second of it. I want to know what happens to the characters next. I am absolutely a fan of Jackie Khalilieh now and I can’t wait to see Something More on the shelves!

Thank you for the author for publishing such an amazing book and the publishers as well as NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to receive an ARC! And most importantly to my bestie who convinced me to read it together!!🫶🏻

—————————————————
This book deserves more than 5🌟!
It’s officially my favorite book of the year and I’m so happy I read it!

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This is a book that made me finish it from the first page to the last page of the acknowledgments with so many emotions.

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The love triangle was good even if Jessie can be frustrating because the right one is so damn obvious but that’s how feeling are, especially if you are the one in the center of it!
Always been Team Griffin!! I love how they interact with each other and Griffin is the sweetest!!😩❤️

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I love Jessie and related to her on so many levels as I am in my second year and have went through the anxiety, confusion, and excitement in my first year of high school just like Jessie. So I understood her so much more.
Literally proud of her and what she decided on!👏🏻

I also understood the struggles she faces in friendships and puberty. Just how exhausting and complicated they can be sometimes. While also struggling to fit in while finding who you are underneath all these layers of masks and skin!!

The way the author portrayed the characters was so real that I felt it felt like I wasn’t just reading a book about someone’s life but something so much more.
I hated some characters and loved so many others!

—————————————————
Her family<3 are the best
How her father sacrificed himself so many times for his family especially his kids to not live and sacrifice as hard and as much as he did was amazing as he is an immigrant.

Her sister and brother dynamic was also the best and funniest. Siblings can be like that so annoying and just you can’t come to hate them even if you act mean towards them. But you’ll always try to help them when they’re in need.

The mother was just it for me! She reminded me of my mother but more of a chill version of her but loved how she always tried her best to make her children not only safe but happy!

—————————————————
Loved how Palestine was mentioned and how Media gives so much bad rep about Arabs, especially Palestine because they don’t deserve it. That one hit close to him as someone who is a Arab and have been judged on some occasions. When books like this one give awareness to such things I’m so happy and love it even more!!🥰

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The last chapter pulled my heartstrings and the last page of the acknowledgments made me love it even more!

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Some Quotes I loved:
> “Learning that perfection, in everything, is not only impossible but impossibly overrated.”

> “Of course. And, Jess, you deserve to be with someone who loves you back. Maybe someone who even loves you a little more than you love him.”

> “I’ve been made to feel less than adequate my whole life. I turn left when everyone else goes right. But I’m okay with that. I’m learning to be okay with that”

> “Palestine was my first love, and you never forget your first love. To be honest, I didn’t like Canada very much when we moved here. It’s cold. We didn’t know anyone. I failed many times before I found my way.” His eyes meet mine, and it hits me how much my father has sacrificed for us. “Eventually, I saw beauty in the freedom and endless opportunities. I learned to appreciate all the different seasons. It was like falling in love again, for the first time. But better.”

> “You two are perfection together!”

> “You live and you learn.”

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙚 𝙆𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙝

𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚: 5 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨!!!

“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑜. 𝐼 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛, 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛’𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑙. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢...𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑒.“
_

first of all i’m going to say, i’m so lucky enough to receive this e-arc from netgalley. it is safe to say that this book going to my comfort read list. PERIOD. this book is just something that i will go back to again and again every single time whenever i feel sad or need a motivation because this book literally gave some feelings that i can’t describe.

this book is about Jessie who is Palestinian-Canadian autistic teen. Jessie is just fifteen years old and she loves nineties music and movies. she’s just a teenager that never had a real group friends and never got kissed by a boy. she’s a very sweet but stubborn teenager. basically this book is just about her accepting her diagnosis and finding a love. the high school vibes in this book just felt so real and relatable. the characters and the feelings OH MY GOD and the ROMANCE??? this is the best and very realistic love triangle EVER.

no but i literally found myself so immersed in the book like i can’t stop reading it. i’m so completely can relate with Jessie in her journey of going to high school. who is just awkward, curious about boys and struggling to fit into everyone and ofc with her trying to accept herself because of the diagnosis. i love Jessie so much. the characters development in here works very very well! i love Jackie’s writing so much even though it’s her debut book but she did really well. the romance? UGH PERFECT! it was so cute that i’m giggling nonstop. i don’t want to tell you who will she ends up with BUT LEVI AND GRIFFIN IS SUPER CUTE AND HOT.

i don’t want to write a long ass review bcs i know people will not read it but IF you guys like palestinian and autistic rep, high school romance and love triangle PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. everything in this book were perfect, beautiful and hilarious. it is a MUST read.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC.

My feelings are all over the place with this book but what I'm writing here is what I truly feel. I enjoyed the beginning of the book and getting to know the MC, I loved reading about her autism and her being a Palestinian which are the main reasons I requested this book.
The starting was great but it all went downhill from there. As a Muslim, I was weirded out about the fact of 15 year olds dating at such a young age and all and that threw me off and then almost everyone in the school was cheating which is messed up. Then the MC kept trying to get back together with Levi who was a major red flag, he made so many mistakes but in the end was like, "no I can fix this" and the MC fell for it every time which made me so mad. Levi being a red flag led to many fights between him and MC which started to bore me out a lot but in the end I'm really glad with how things ended out. I especially liked the last page and how the author resolved everything.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

The story opens with her diagnosis. At the same time as it’s a total shock, it also makes complete sense.

Jessie tends to develop huge crushes on boys. You might even say she develops fixations. She falls hard for Levi, a Kurt Cobain-esque bad boy who seems simultaneously out of reach and maddeningly flirtatious. As a reader, it’s hard to tell if he’s really interested in Jessie, or if he’s just messing with her head. Jessie also befriends also-super-swoony-Griffin, who really does care about Jessie (maybe as more than a friend), and whom she feels like she can be herself around. However, as Jessie gets to know Levi more, we realize that maybe being infatuated with somebody doesn’t give you the best insight into who they really are.

It's a great love triangle and a very sweet romance. And there are many many LOL moments (As Jessie is getting fitted for her first bra: “A blond, buxom salesgirl in her early twenties walks over. I can’t take my eyes off them. Mom has breasts. Annie has boobs. This girl has tits.”) But, for me, the most compelling part of the book is Jessie’s yearning to, not just fit in—although that’s part of it but as we see her learn to fit in she realizes that’s not actually what she wants. Fitting in is just successful masking, something that many neurodivergent people learn to do—What’s more important is that she wants to figure out how to be her authentic self, whoever that is.

📚🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆📚
From first pages Jackie bought me with her way of writing; presenting emotions, thoughts and struggles of Jessie - the main character. It was so easy for me to feel like I moved back to my first day of high school – the uncertainties whether I’ll find friends, if I’ll fit in and when the heck the puberty will finally hit From the time perspective I can easily come back to those memories with a smile, but back then sometimes it was a real nightmare.

Like Jessie I tend to overthink almost everything – this thing didn't change much XD – and probably that’s way it was so natural for me to put her shoes on and be a part of the whole story. Sure I’m not autistic or I wasn't born outside of my home country, but it didn’t stop me to somehow feel what she felt - a bow to the author for this artistic depiction of emotions!!

And I really mean it - I felt all of the emotions: happiness, sadness, stress, fear, anger and everything in between. Jackie managed to built a story filled in with unique characters, each so different from one another but still so similar. They were not too mature for their age or on the other hand to child-a-like. Sure they made mistakes, act on a whim sometime, but that's how it is, when you are not a child anymore but still not an adult, right? You have to figure out things all by yourself, okay with some help of friends and family, but even they can’t do it for you.

In sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ you will find teenage struggles, true friendship with all the ups&downs, first&second loves, heartbreaks, a little of school drama – I mean literally there is a school drama club, really dynamic and fun family and last but not least ND and Palestinian minority representation.

To sum up, I LOVED this story, really, REALLY loved it! In some parts, sure it maybe was predictable or I was frustrated with Jessie's choices, but come on! She is fifteen! I don't want to spoil anything, but if you like love triangles it might be a good/great read for ya, and if you start, don't hesitate to share your thoughts who are you cheering for!

6/5! Since five is not enough!

“I’ve gotten used to playing the supporting character.”

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

This book is like a 90s romcom comfort movie. But make the MC Arab and autistic. Basically, it’s perfect.

First, I want to say I’ve seen a lot of reviews about this book. And after reading it, I think a lot of these complaints…would not exist if this was book written by a white author. Nearly every rom com I’ve read or watched that features a white MC has received glowing reviews, and it does nothing more or less than what this book has done. That, and a lot of people who aren’t autistic are claiming to understand autism better than the author who wrote this. Frankly, it’s annoying that this book is getting worse reviews than any of the very problematic books I’ve read written by white authors that don’t include any mental disorders. Keep that in mind when scrolling through these reviews!

Characters: our main girl Jessie is a 15 year old about to step into high school for the first time. If that’s not terrifying enough, she was also just diagnosed with autism. Having felt like the odd one amongst her family and friends her whole life, this comes as no surprise to Jessie. But in order to maneuver her way through high school, she decides to keep it a secret and try to appear as “normal” as possible.

I absolutely adored Jessie. From the cover, I was expecting a basic short quirky MC who’s naturally pretty and gets everything without much effort. One page in, I could tell I was wrong. Jessie is so fun to read. She’s very aware of herself and the people around her, she analyzes social situations and people and tries to understand her place in all of it. But she doesn’t let anyone step all over her, and can be blunt and tends to straight to the point. I think she’s by far the most interesting character pov I’ve read so far. I liked how distinct her voice was, and I know a lot of it had to do with her autism. This gave me a lot of perspective on the way autistic people think and feel. Even though Jessie resonated with me personally, I could still tell there were differences in the way me and her responded to situations and people. But I absolutely loved reading about her.

Romance: Jessie meets two boys in this book, the first is your average bad boy and the other is a much more shy, quiet type. (I won’t spoil who she ends up with). I really liked how the romance ended, I was definitely rooting for the endgame couple throughout the whole book. I do wish we got to explore their relationship a little more before the end, but I liked the development of their friendship over the course of the book.
I heard a lot of people complain about how oblivious Jessie was to the interests of one of the characters. Which I’m kind of surprised people found an issue with! Jessie’s sister mentions that she gets tunnel vision around her crushes, and Jessie goes on to do just that. She becomes hyper focused on one person, one relationship, one goal. It takes all her attention and her interest. I wasn’t surprised at all when she didn’t quite realize anyone else was interested in her romantically until they came out and said it. It was slightly frustrating, but definitely more rewarding at the end.

Family: okay, this is probably where my main issues lie. I really liked Jessie’s family! I liked her relationship with her father which resonated with me on a personal level, I loved how much her brother cared about her. Her sister was an interesting character, but she definitely bothered me. I didn’t like her all that much, but I can appreciate the development their relationship went through. But overall, I just didn’t feel like I was reading about a Palestinian family. This might just be a personal thing, but the fact that she was Palestinian was brought up maybe twice. I was SO excited to see a girl from the same place as me get to fall in love and live the rom com life, but she didn’t feel very Arab to me. I related to Jessie on many levels, but not at all culturally which was a bummer! Her family didn’t seem all that interested in bringing up their past, and when they come to travel to Palestine…it was met with annoyance from the kids.
In my experience, Palestinians grow with a lot of love and longing for the homeland. It really affects our choices and our personalities. Jessie’s dad had this, but everyone else seemed to have adapted completely into the western life, and that was really disappointing to me.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I hope we can see more romances like this with characters who are shamelessly themselves. I highly recommend it if you’ve enjoyed books like The Summer I Turned Pretty and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before!

What a vivid portrayal of what it means to “be yourself”. This reminded me of high school. Ah, the nostalgia. *sits on rocking chair*

We follow Jessie Kassis, who is Palestinian Canadian and autistic, through the course of her freshman year as she navigates love, friendship, and her passions.

If I could use one word to describe this book, it would be: authentic. This book perfectly captures the feeling of being a teenager wanting to fit in and the fear of being left behind. The portrayal of high school friendship dynamics was so realistic and authentic, unlike in other YA books. It also celebrates family and culture in such a beautiful way! As an Arab, it was super relatable.

I also found myself relating to Jessie, and I saw bits of myself reflected in her. I loved the author’s portrayal of autism. She beautifully shows how there is no set way to be autistic, despite society’s way of stereotyping certain mannerisms and traits. For example, the “but you seem normal!1!” comments that Jessie repeatedly recieved.

Jessie’s character traits were also written so amazingly. I loved how long it took her to notice certain things, despite how smart she is. It really does happen to quite a lot of autistic people!

Also, the romance was so adorable! There’s a love triangle, but it’s pretty obvious to the reader who to root for from the beginning anyway. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. In fact, I usually hate love triangles, but this one was so fresh! I genuinely adored the friendships formed.

This heartwarming story manages to be relatable to everyone. The writing is so easy to follow, making it unputdownable. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a wonderful, feel-good novel!