I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Martin, his sister, and his film maker mother are living in France for the summer. Martin has autism which often makes it hard for him to connect with other teens his age. Martin isn’t sure himself that finding love is something that he will ever have happen to him, but he does have a good example of what he hopes for one day in his favorite novel. He love this novel so much that he lives his life as if it were the novel most of the time. While in France, Martin is attending school, and when he sees a beautiful girl he knows instantly that she is his Gilberte. Making new friends, and trusting them isn’t something that comes easy to him. He often cannot understand the emotions that people signaling to him, and he learns the hard way that not everyone has the best of intentions (even though his best friend back in the states, Layla, has been trying to tell him to watch out). Life is hard puzzle to navigate, and Martin shows readers that no matter what cards you are dealt, things can be okay.

I found this to be an honest portrayal of someone on the autism spectrum. As a person not on the spectrum, it felt authentic, but not in an overly clinical or juvenile way. Some of the references to Martin’s favorite book might go over reader’s heads, and they often bog down the story a bit in the process, but this is an overall solid read. Recommended for all libraries.

I absolutely adored this book, which was both a bit of a delightful surprise and the first step in laying a foundation of affection for everything that comes after this!

This book would be a fantastic addition to any high school library.

I picked up the ARC of Kids Like Us because I seek out diverse books. In this case, our narrator Martin is on the Autism spectrum, and we live a few weeks of his life with him, seeing the world through his eyes. And whereas I've read books with narrators on the spectrum before, Martin still felt like a unique, fresh voice. He's aware of how his brain functions, and he understands some of the steps therapists have taught him to ease communication with his parents and friends. He is very opinionated, which I loved, and he's aware that he's mapping a 19th century French novel onto his real life. This awareness really teaches the reader to empathize with Martin.

I really liked the pace of this novel because I feel that it mirrors Martin's favorite books by Marcel Proust. At one point, Martin explains that Proust could expand upon a moment and make it stretch into years, while he'd leave out other encounters entirely. Even if we haven't read Proust, we can see that Reyl accomplishes the same thing here. It's a lovesong to Proust, but also a standalone novel.

I also liked the French setting, and the deft discussions of cultural differences. Having lived in France, I related to Martin's encounters with the people and the scenery, and the whole thing made me happily nostalgic.

I cannot see this working in my library. While it may turn out to be a touching, unconventional love story starring an autistic boy obsessed with an old novel, it was super hard to get into.

There seems to be this new up and coming trend of using obscure or just plain really old literature as a point of reference for our contemporary heroes. I think this is fine as the few times I've seen it done the authors do a seamless and fluid explanation and summation of what is being referenced. I enjoyed the setting of this book, I enjoyed the fact that this book read like a summer in the French countryside (beautiful, warm, slow, and easy with great food). What I enjoyed most about this book was the relationship between brother and sister, I get so tired of bad sibling relationships but this one was nicely portrayed.

This is a wonderful coming of age book about a 16 year old boy with autism. He is the book's narrator, and the writing is wonderful. Though fiction, it is still a fascinating glimpse into the mind of a person who has autism. It explores areas of his autism, but also areas of life we all face - school, friends, family, romance. I highly recommend it to teens and adults alike.

Read Alike for "Anything but Typical" Narrator is a young man with autism living in France for a short time. He continues his friendships and school via computer but also works to make new friends in his new town and school where his challenges aren't understood.