This book brought back my love for YA stories in a way I didn’t anticipate. I found myself resonating deeply with the main character, Jamie, who navigates a world filled with anxiety, panic attacks, co-dependency, and insecurity. Her struggle with the need to stick to her personal to-do list really hit home for me since I constantly struggle with having to check things off my list. It’s a relatable and powerful journey that many readers will connect with. I enjoyed having a glimpse into Arab culture and how it influenced Jamie experiences and relationships.

I felt so many emotions reading this book, the MC's character journey was written so well 🥲 the book vibes in terms of Olivia Rodrigo's songs is traitor + get him back + so american, it's just >>>>

Jamie and Axel's slow-burn fake dating to lovers was just the frickin best. Also the dialogue? Jamie's love of homographs and linguistics and Axel's sunshine-y optimism and general goofiness were so much fun to read, but especially when they were talking to/texting with each other.

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early!

This was my first read by the author and it was so enjoyable. I loved the diversity in the story and the main characters being of a different culture. The MMC was the most enjoyable part of the story. His confidence and pride in his heritage made him like able l. The complexity of Jamie’s relationship with her mom, her mother’s internalized racism, and dealing with anxiety made the story relatable and enjoyable for all ages even though a YA read. The cover was so cute and perfect for the story. Overall this was a great read.

Words can't describe how much I loved this book! I instantly fell in love with the characters and story and could not put it down. It had me captivated from the very beginning. I absolutely fell for Axel and the plot of this novel.

I loved romanticizing the city where I live and exploring the places I go with my new favourite characters.

Jackie Khalilieh's writing is delicious and binge-worthy. I cannot wait to read her next book and will continue to come back to You Started It!

Thank you to Tundra Books and Jackie Khalilieh for the opportunity to read this ARC!

It was cute, funny and real. It’s a YA book that started out with a FMC that loved lists and her boyfriend. They had a plan… or maybe she did. After the summer break things changed and her life took a turn for the worse as she saw it when he dumped her before school started. Little did she know that this year would change everything. It was a quick read I enjoyed and connected to the characters. I loved the plot of how she had to through out the plan and the lists and just enjoy the journey. Definitely keeping an eye out for this author’s next book

Thank you NetGalley and Tundra Book Group for this ARC. Thank you Jackie for writing a masterpiece!

I loved this book. Jamie felt like my inner child or little sister while I read. Her ups and downs were so relatable. I wanted to hug her at so many points.

Now convincing myself to attempt to travel to Toronto to check out the CN Tower. Maybe. Someday.

Y’all this one was good! I am genuinely so pumped for it to finally come out. It became slightly repetitive at times, but overall it felt very wholesome and enjoyable. I loved all of the characters and the way the ending made me feel. I don’t feel any loose ends, she wrapped up the story very nicely. For once the third-act breakup wasn’t completely cringy and done for no reason. Axel is literally my BF though…..

You Started It was definitely not my cup of tea. I found the main character, Jamie, to be extremely annoying and insufferable. She always thought everything was about her. Honestly, the only character in this book that I could stand was the MMC, Axel. I didn’t stay engrossed in the book and I found myself cringing so hard at a lot of moments in the book. I also felt like the author tried way too hard to add a lot of gen-z terms in the book as well. There were a lot of themes thrown into the book where I just felt like the author added them in to say those themes were in the book. Reading this book really just felt like a chore, and I didn’t really enjoy any part of this book. Thank you Netgalley and Tundra for giving me an ARC to honestly review!

Oh my GOODNESS! What a phenomenal book this is! Each character had you wanting to love them for their own individual reasons. I am SO in love with each character and this book was so so so well written! I loved every single moment of this book and it left me wanting so much more!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity!

3.5 stars rounded up.

I love a good fake dating plot with a meet-cute. I haven’t read a book with a Palestinian main character and I think Jamie is a great lead. Her need for control & order, and her struggles with anxiety all resonated with me. Axel was a love interest you really rooted for. I definitely would read more from this author.

"You started it" by Jackie Khalilieh follows seventeen-year-old Jamie Taher-Foster, a messy type A with anxiety who gets broken up with, and the following day she sees her ex with a new girl. Jamie plans to get her boyfriend back-so she decides to fake-date TikTok dancer Axel Dahini... whose bicycle she just so happened to run over. These two have nothing in common except for their shared Arab-heritage, but their time spent together leads them to better understand each other.

I thought this novel was cute and lighthearted. An adorable, carefree but meticulous love interest, and an anxious list-making girl who just wants to cross off everything on those lists. I think teens would love this book, But personally, I think I was just not too invested in it. I liked the book, but I just don't think this book was of me.

Was it a little repetitive in some plot points? Yes. But I think that shows good mental health rep. Trauma healing is not linear but often times looping inside a circle. I loved how the characters all grew together. You really know how to write great relationships functional or dysfunctional. Axel is a true sweetheart, and the third-act breakup wasn’t annoying (good job)!

˗ˏˋ 4 stars ⟡ ݁₊ .

this was such a short and sweet book. i loved all of the characters. i was so invested in all of them. this book definitely had me hooked right from the start.

random side note: i loved the lil author's note on goodreads. you should definitely go check it out! also such a cute book cover!

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧• jamie taher-foster
i loved her character growth from living just for her ex-boyfriend to finally living for herself. i loved the mental health rep in this book, it was done really really well. i also loved how jamie's also a booklover and was obsessed with buying books. (like me!)

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧• axel dahini
i was definitely rooting for him from the very beginning. i loved how he brought out the "real" jamie and made her forget about her past relationship with ben. i liked that when she was with him, she could act like herself and didn't have to play pretend.

the teen drama was a lil too dramatic and over-the-top but i still ate it up. definitely shows a realistic high school drama experience.

also i really like that despite everything that happened, jamie and olivia developed a lil friendship by the end.

overall, this was such a cute and fluffy read, loved the lil cute moments shared between jamie and axel. you should definitely go check it out!

⤷ thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This young adult romance is what is healing me. This has great representation and the communication is so needed. I love how the characters, all of them had so much development. This author is one of my favorites. Having such an open communication standpoint is what we all need in the genre of YA. I am preordering this arc, I want it on my shelf pronto (: can’t wait for May!

You Started It is a Fake Dating YA Contemporary Romance about Jamie and Axel. Jamie has just been broken up with, and in an effort to try to win her ex back she pretended to be in a relationship with the new kid in town, Axel. I thought that the language and how the characters acted are in-line with their age, which is something I had to keep reminding myself as I read it. Overall, I found the story entertaining. However, I was hoping for more of the story post the third act breakup. I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ahhhhh I don’t think Jackie can do any wrong!

This was such a fun story but with some topics that I think are so important as well.

We are following Jamie who is half Arab. She has had a boyfriend for 3 years who comes back from summer camp and dumps her. She is mad, sad, all the feelings which leads her to start fake dating another boy to get her ex back.

Jamie is messy, flawed, anxiety ridden(hi I get it) and we see so much growth in her.

She is also dealing with her absent father and her mother who pushes her own trauma onto her and hasn’t let her connect with her culture.

I LOVED EVERY BIT OF THIS BOOK!

Thank you Tundra Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

I’m not going to lie this book is a bit more juvenile than what I’m used to. That being said, I do believe that younger readers would most definitely enjoy it. I impressed with the diversity in the characters and how relatable they are. It’s a cute read there’s laughing, crying, raging, and everything in between. There will be giggling and kicking and love and heartbreak and the mending of broken hearts.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Jackie Khalileh for providing me with the arc of this book.

Rating 3.75/5 stars
No spice

Jackie Khalilieh writes an engaging story about a high school fake dating scheme that turns into real love.
When Jamie’s boyfriend of 3 years breaks up with her after a summer away, and seemingly moves on the next day. Jamie recruits Axel, the resident TikTok famous star to be her fake boyfriend. What entails is a fun rom-com full of bucket list adventures and sweet moments.
Perfect for fans of the Calculation of You and Me and To all the boys I’ve loved before. I enjoyed reading this fluffy ya romance book, and would definitely recommend you pick it up when it releases May 20,2025.

Jackie really captures the relatable aspects of being young, having strong and yet often conflicting feelings about who you are, where you’re from, school and love. I love ALL of the representation we got in this one too. But although the drama and angst was very relatable and honest, it was a bit too messy for me personally and at times I think it took away from the growth, healing and love aspects of the story.

But Jackie Khalilieh is an auto buy author for me and I’m very excited for what comes next!

Thank you to Tundra books for my ARC, I truly appreciate it!

3/5

I just adore YA romance. There is something so genuine and authentic about young people falling in love. You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh, is like a jar of sunshine on a rainy day.

Jamie and Axel begin fake dating after Jami breaks up with her ex-boyfriend Ben to try and win him back. It's so beautifully YA, I ate this up in such a short time. This book & how it dealt with identity, heritage, culture, and the struggles that go along with finding your footing was so direct yet sensitive that it was touching. I think their emotional growth and how much joy they had really made me miss my teenage years (or at least the nice parts of it)! Axel being so carefree and charismatic and Jamie being reserved and coming out of her shell, it was a true coming of age book!

Oh Canada, this felt like an absolute love letter to you! I have never wanted to book a flight more! At the mention of Tim Horton's I swear my mouth started watering (from my very fleeing time in the Montreal airport). I feel like now I DEF need to head to Toronto. The absolutely love for the city is just something else- I love people who love where they live!

If you come into this book thinking that you are going to get fully flushed, perfect, non-annoying or obnoxious characters, you should probably turn around. However, I thought's what made this book beautiful. I was annoying, obnoxious, and definitely dumb when I was a teenager, so I found solace in Jamie and Axel. Jackie Khalilieh, you did a WONDERFUL job crafting teens. I felt my younger-self come out when I was reading this book and there is no better reaction to ask for!

If you are fans of Jenny Han's works- this is for you. What a wonderful way to write being young and in love again. Reading this book had me saying to myself: What I wouldn't do to go back! I hope that you enjoy! 4 stars for You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh!