You Started It
by Jackie Khalilieh
You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date May 20 2025 | Archive Date Jun 24 2025
Tundra Book Group | Tundra Books
Description
Seventeen-year-old Jamie Taher-Foster has big plans for senior year. She's made a list of things and places in Toronto she and her boyfriend of three years, Ben Cameron, need to check off before graduating. And the biggest plan of all: a very special night for the two of them at the upcoming Winter Formal. But then Ben arrives back home after a summer away with an unthinkable announcement: he wants to break up.
And when Jamie discovers him with Olivia Chen the next day, she is determined to get him back. Even if that means fake dating the younger, curly-haired, TikTok dancer Axel Dahini, whose bicycle she accidentally ran over.
Though she and Axel have nothing in common aside from their shared Arab heritage — she's a messy, type A with anxiety; he's carefree but meticulous — their forced time together brings them to better understand one another. And for Jamie, it just might mean learning that not all experiences or people need to be crossed off a list.
"You Started It is honest, wise, and wholeheartedly romantic, starring a cast of endearingly flawed characters who feel like real friends. A total delight." —Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
“A true joy to read. Earnest and effortlessly charming, You Started It embodies everything I adore about YA rom-coms. Jackie Khalilieh has such a talent for writing nuanced characters you can’t help but laugh with, cry with, and root for.” —Ann Liang, New York Times bestselling author of I Hope This Doesn’t Find You
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781774884751 |
| PRICE | CA$26.99 (CAD) |
| PAGES | 336 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Rachael S, Reviewer
Wow. Jackie Khalilieh does it again. I absolutely adored Something More, Khalilieh's debut YA novel, and I couldn't wait to pick this up. When I was able to read an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley (and then the author herself), I immediately jumped at the chance! I was NOT disappointed.
Khalilieh does such an incredible job writing young adult romance. The teenagers in the story are very authentic and their growth throughout the stories follow a believable trajectory. The romance always fills me with butterflies as I recall my first loves and crushes, and Khalilieh captures those feelings perfectly in her writing.
What I love most about her writing is how she weaves in her own experiences, particularly her experience as a Palestinian-Canadian and her experiences with anxiety in this book. She writes her characters' flaws with nuance, humor, and self-reflection that gives them depth and allows the reader to resonate. And you can't miss the fun playlists she includes in the back of her books, as music and her characters' love for music is a recurring theme throughout her novels.
I can't say enough good things about this book and have already pre-ordered my copy, which comes out May 2025. Thank you to NetGalley, Tundra Books, and the author, Jackie Khalilieh, for the opportunity to read this book early, in exchange for an unbiased review.
Antonella H, Reviewer
I loved her last book and this was also so much fun! The fake dating is one of my favorites and I enjoyed how Khalilieh handled it. I also loved learning more about Arabic culture through the characters and their journeys. The main character's bucket list around the city reminded me of Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon, which is one of my favorite books, so i really loved that aspect. I also think its a great tactic for fleshing out a city since setting is so important in literature. My one little gripe with the novel is that she fell for the guy a bit quickly for my taste. I usually prefer when characters become a bit closer before they start feeling that attraction. However, I still had a great time and would definitely recommend this book!
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Cristina Jiménez
Biographies & Memoirs, Nonfiction (Adult), Politics & Current Affairs
Uzma Jalaluddin
General Fiction (Adult), Multicultural Interest, Mystery & Thrillers
Yvette Manessis Corporon
General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction
