5/5 Stars

Thank you to YA Hashtag for providing me with an arc to read and review.

This one has been on my tbr for longer than I want to admit so when I saw the arc pop up for the rerelease I grabbed it to finally push myself to read it. I am neurodivergent so this book hit really hard for me as someone who only in the past year has realized it is more than just ADHD for me. This book follows a palestinian Canadian teen in her first year in high school after just getting an autism diagnosis. It is own voices and was everything I wanted it to be. I really saw myself in Jessie in so many ways and I wish I had this book when I was younger.

Jessie was just diagnosed with Autism right before starting at a new school and a freshman in high school. She is determined to have a fresh start and step 1 is keep her diagnosis a secret and step 2 is follow her list of goals to keep on track. But when two very different boys catch her eye in two very different ways, her specific plans start to get off track.

I relate so much to Jessie in pretty much every way, how she could easily talk to some people and others it was hard as hell. Creating specific goals for social situations and trying to fit in. Struggling to keep friends until you find those perfect people that don’t care that you aren’t “normal.” Jessie is trying to just fit in freshman year and now she finally knows why she hasn’t fit in before. This book would have been life changing for me a few years ago and it still hits really hard now.

I really recommend this one if you want a cute YA contemporary romance that has amazing autism representation. It also is by a palestinian author about a palestinian character!

Overall this book was such a FUN read! I forgot what high school felt like and how drama-filled it can be sometimes. Jessie is such a fun character to get to know, her matter-of-a-fact tone comes across even on the pages. I’m very happy that we got to see her develop throughout the entire duration of the book and she didn’t get immediate payoff in the love triangle. Her and Griffin clicked so well even as friends that it made me so excited to think of how their relationship will continue to grow. My only downside to this book were some of the times autism was referenced or brought up in a very clinical way. I totally love the representation and know it’s meant to help readers understand, but for me sometimes name dropping autism or defining parts of it in the way it was done pulled me out of the story a bit. Overall this book was a very fun read and I hope others enjoy it as well :)

This was such a great read. I would love to see more books like this featuring neurodiverse characters and the world as seen through our eyes.
Though, I’m not autistic my neurodivergence shares many similarities. This was a book I wish I had growing up. Of course, the character’s choices were as unique as any individuals, she was relatable even if she made different choices than I would have. Sometimes it seems like the world expects all neurodivergents to be cookie cutter copies who are just their traits, but the author did a wonderful job showing how e as much more than that.
I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and the slice of life plot. It was nice to feel seen.

Something More by @jackiekhalilieh is a fantastic YA that I would highly recommend!

Jessie is still recovering from her recent diagnosis of Autism when she is catapulted into a series of major life changes as she starts high school, makes new friends and finds herself crushing on the cute guy in her science class. Life with overprotective parents, two older siblings, and a neurodiverse brain leads to many additional challenges for Jessie as she conquers one of life's greatest series of hurdles; being a teenager.

I love Jessie's character and how she shows that autism is a spectrum and does not have to define you, but is also adds difficulty to some of the things neurotypical teens take for granted. In a lot of ways her autism makes her more thoughtful, considerate and careful in her decision making and actually helps her navigate high school in a way some of her friends might struggle with. Jessie is a great role model for young girls, especially those who are looking for diverse characters. This book has everything a good YA requires: drama, secrets, romance, parties, and sneaking around, without anything too risque. There is light mention of pot and alluding to "fooling around" but nothing more than kissing is described. So teens will love it, and it is also very appropriate for this demographic. Plus it's set in Canada!

I'm so glad I got the chance to read this one, and look forward to seeing what else this author puts out in the future! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy.

Loved Jessie's character and inner monologue so much, she was a great main character! However, I did not like either of the love interests, nor did I like any of the girls in her friend group (except maybe Mel). I also found it a little strange that all her friends had been in relationships with older guys (kind of sad). More on the romance theme of this book, it felt like that was also the only thing her friends talked about (which I get, as someone in their age range, but it did feel a little bit too much). Plus the amount of cheating also felt unnecessary(?)
I would have loved to see even more of Jessie's family, because those scenes were great.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. (less)

Really liked this book a lot, it was a bit a younger read for me that took the rating a bit down, but further than that it's really good

It was cute! The standout of the book is for sure the characters— they live and breathe and are incredibly well developed. Jessie was fantastically realistic and the perfect narrator, I really loved seeing her grow and develop. The plot however, sometimes lost my attention, and I felt the third act lasted much longer than it actually did. I also wish we got to see a little more development between Jessie and Griffin, I feel there was more telling about them studying or hanging out together without detail. I wanted to see more cute moments that would make me root for them harder. I was definitely rooting for them, but the spell of Levi was intoxicating even as a reader. One minute I’d hate him, and then I’d like him again but still hate him at the same time. Additionally, reading about Jessie and how she (and her family) grappled with her autism diagnosis was conveyed in a moving and insightful way. This was such a cute and impactful tale.

this was super cute!
i loved the musical references and little shop of horrors <3

im rating this 4 stars because her high school experience just felt a little too unrealistic to me?
i love the characters so much and i'm so happy with the ending and who she ended up with (to avoid spoiling anything, i did not like or see appeal with the other guy)

overall super heartwarming and engaging, loved this so much!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Hashtag Press for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

As an autistic reader (who was diagnosed in their final year of high school), this book is an absolute gem!!

I absolutely adored Jessie, and seeing her grow to love and accept herself, along the way finding people who love and respect her!!

My heart feels so full upon finishing this book, it is so wonderful seeing a story that emphasises that our strongest relationships, must have a foundation of trust and mutual respect, because without those you cannot form truly meaningful bonds.

I cannot recommend this wonderful book enough - so please, do yourself a favour and pick it up, you wont regret it!

What an excellent heartwarming coming-of-age book about Jessie who has autism and doesn’t want anyone to know so she won’t be treated differently during her first year of high school. Griffin and Jessie strike up a friendship, but it’s Levi whom Jessie has a crush on. While hoping Levi will kiss her, Jessie is navigating the ups and downs of her friendship with three girls. When Levi and Jessie spend more time with each other, Levi tells her he doesn’t want to go public. Jessie feels he’s embarrassed to be seen with her. Jessie tells Griffin you see the real me. Jessie is gaining confidence and realizing it feels good to step outside her comfort zone. Does Jessie end up with either boy?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the UK arc of this one.

DNF at 15%. Unfortunately this one didn’t hit right for me. The beginning section was a bit triggering for me as a mom of a child with autism. When the dad said her autism was a “phase” and she would “learn to act like everyone else,” I felt physically pained. I am sure that the author is going to educate the parents by the end of the book, but this just wasn’t what I wanted to read for the moment.

And when she started school, the book really felt like it had no plot. I was kind of just reading a girl go to school. It was so… sequential and oddly disjointed. Like I couldn’t focus on the characters at all because I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to be taking away from the story. Usually books have more focus than this, especially YA books. But it seems like the main plot is just her diagnosis plus her ogling guys? She wanted to be that chewed up pencil. Ew. 😬 I could not relate; that made me gag.

I think this book has a place in the literary world and I hope that people will be able to pick this up and relate to the MC but this one just wasn’t for me.

This was a really adorable coming-of-age YA romance story. It was a quick and engaging read- very authentic and heartfelt as you get to see Jessie navigate high school and try to find her place. I thought that the love triangle part was drawn out too much when the choice was clearly obvious. Wished we would have gotten more scenes with Jessie and Griffin- they’re adorable! Overall, a pleasant and heartwarming read.

Jessie is autistic and was recently diagnosed. She’s been wrapping her brain around it, while also being a little nervous to go to high school. She starts writing down goals in a notebook, and she even has her first high school crush on the cute boy from class, Levi! She’s also nervous about making friends, and does her best to put herself out there.

Things I loved about this book:
First of all, it’s so well written! I loved how we got Jessie’s perspective on everything and her fears, struggles, wins, and love were so involved. I felt very emotional reading this one.
I liked how mom Jessie made friends and learned how to be in a friend group.
Loved the evolving relationships with her siblings.
Griffin was just the cutest!!! (I was definitely rooting for him from the start)
How romantic was that first kiss with Levi though?
I loved how Jessie came to terms with her feelings for each boy!
The friendships that grew with the girls!
That sweet as heck ending!!

I’m very excited to read, review, and acquire this book for YA readers. It is so nice to be inclusive and show teens that you can deal with issues and different things being thrown at you in life but you can and should pursue and follow your dreams anyway. A great message and one I hope inspires many.