Jessie is a teen just starting high school and learning to understand herself as someone who’s recently been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. For Jess, someone who’s always felt like an outsider and someone who’s always been a little bit different than all those in her life, the diagnosis is like two puzzle pieces fitting together. Suddenly, so many things in her life make sense, but it’s definitely NOT what she wants to hear as she’s about to begin her high school career. Everyone wants to belong in high school and this throws a wrench into the idea she held for herself.

Despite everything going on in her life, Jessie is able to set and accomplish goals. She finds a friend group for herself (though not all of the friends might be as welcoming as she initially things), she develops her first crush, and she seems to carve out a niche for herself in a way she didn’t even imagine.

I think a lot of young readers will really identify with Jessie. She’s quirky and fun. She overthinks, but always tries to do what feels right. She can be the most observant and the most oblivious all at the same time. And ultimately, she’s just trying to make her way in her new high school without making a complete fool of herself. It’s all anyone can ask for, really. She’s an incredibly likeable character, made all the more endearing for her socially awkward mannerism. Plus, her awesome affinity for all things Nineties instantly makes her incredibly joyful.

I will say, I waffled about giving this a 3 or a 4 star rating. I ultimately gave it a 4 because it’s certainly an endearing read. I did find the writing style to be a bit difficult to get into. It took a good 50 pages before I really found myself in the flow. Keeping in mind that I was reading an unedited advanced copy, this could very well change by publication. I think the strong characterization and endearing narrative are enough to carry this book through.

Overall though, I think this book has a ton of potential. The protagonist is a standout from the rest of the books dotting the YA landscape today and this story will be relevant and relatable to a vast array of young readers out there.

Welcome Back!

So today we are going to be talking about another DNF. I am really trying to DNF books I am not enjoying more and more each year instead of forcing myself to get through them. Not every book is for every person and sometimes you just do not click with a book. I was really excited to give this book a try and I even pre-ordered a copy. I saw so many good things in other reviews about it so when my Libby showed me that there was an audiobook copy available I thought it might be time to give this book a read! I did not get super far into the story but I will give my thoughts below.

SPOILERS AHEAD (I am not going to be too spoilery as I did not read the whole book)!

I started out interested in what this story was going to look like. We meet Jessie (our main character) right away and learn a little about her life. Jessie is struggling for many reasons in high school but she still has the desire to be her best and make high school into the best experience possible for herself. My interest quickly fell off and I am honestly not sure why. I was listening to the audiobook and I just found myself losing parts of the story despite being focused. At this point, I made the choice to DNF. I think I was just not clicking with this book. I do think this story has great potential but I am going to be selling it in my Pango store! I will mark it as a DNF on Goodreads and have since moved on to some other reads! So stay tuned for a new review very soon!

Goodreads Rating: 1 Star (Marked DNF)

This was such an enjoyable read. Honestly, I couldn't put this book down at all. Jessie was a great character to follow, and I loved seeing her growth throughout the novel. It felt very organic, and realistic. I also really liked the friend group. I mean, there's one not that great friend in the group but I liked her part in the story. I feel like she was a great and real example of semi toxic friends, and I think it's great that it was portrayed in a story like this because I can imagine several teenagers reading this book, seeing that side plot, and realising their friend migth not be worth the trouble anymore. The two other girls in the friend group are absolutely incredible as well.
This book is extremely high school though. I know, it's a YA book, and it definitely reads like it. There's a lot of high drama about things that don't matter that much. A lot of focus on things that don't actually matter, but as a teenager are your entire world and more. It did get on my nerves a little bit at times, and I wanted to scream at the characters because they couldn't see the easy solution to their problems. That being said, that's all very realistic behaviour for a group of 15 year olds, just starting high school. I also know I would have absolutely ADORED this book, and related to so much of it if I read this when I was 15. It's just my experience as a 22 year old right now.
The romance was quite decent as well. It's actually one of the best love triangles I have ever read. It definitely felt very believable and real. There were some small icks in the two romances though, that I wish would have gotten a bit better adressed throughout the novel, but for the rest I did quite like it. Love triangles are so easy to do wrong, and I truly think this book did a really well, and knocked it out of the park. So yeah, I really enjoyed this book but had some small issues with it, but I definitely recommend it, especially for readers around the same age as our main character here.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I loved this book! Sweet and charming, and ACTUALLY funny, I found myself laughing out loud repeatedly. I adored our narrator Jessie, and loved seeing her “come of age” and come into her own. This book was beautiful, messy, complicated, and brought me back to high school in a way that few young adult books have been able to do (in a good way lol). I loved this book, and I can’t wait to read more from the author!

I was unable to open the downloaded file, and will not be giving feedback at this time. I look forward to picking up a finished copy.

This was on my TBR way before the genocide in Gaza came to light. But upon finding it out and that there wasn’t a real way for anyone to help with donations because groups were stopping them, I thought it was the perfect chance for me to buy this book (twice) and show my support that way. And in doing so, I’ve found a new author that I really loved and can’t wait to read more by her.

The only issue I had with this was it was pitched to me as a romance, but this is most definitely a coming of age book. And I’m so glad it was because Lordt knows I was so scared that she was going to end up with that one idiot. But on top of that, the entire book was about them and their romance developing. I wanted more of the actual person and I wanted her to choose earlier. Only because I wanted to see that she was treated the right way. Because that one person was not doing it. I hated seeing her treated that way. And because we only saw them in one real scene at the very, very end, I was left feeling unsatisfied by their relationship. I think had she made her choice earlier or if there was more book after it lol , I would have felt better about it.

The amount of emotion this book had me in tho was so crazy. I read this as a buddy read on Storygraph, and let me tell you we were all basically like yelling at everybody in this damn book lol I know I wanted to take ALL her friends and tell them “LEAVE KAT ASS ALONE!” She was terrible. And I wanted to give her a hug every time she realized she wasn’t #1. I’m not a teen anymore, but I know that feeling from the past and I really felt like her mom. I wanted to hug her after that. I went through happiness, I got mad, I laughed, everything. I really felt like I was like an extra in this book.

I know a lot of people had a lot to say about the way I’ve been reading only YA books to learn about what’s happening to the Palestinian people, but as a YA librarian, this is what I know how to do. And even still, there is a spot in this book where Jackie gives the history of Palestine. So yes, you CAN learn things from YA books. And sometimes they explain it in a much better way. And now, teens can also learn about it as well as maybe go back and learn more on their own. Stop saying YA books don’t matter in these conversations.

Lastly, I’m not autistic, but I have read many Own Voices reviews that have said the rep is A+. And I love that. I know it’s an own voices book, so I love that Jackie put so much of herself into these pages. I will be keeping this book in mind whenever I get recommendation requests from work.

This was a fun read and I really am looking forward to other things that Jackie writes. I hope she includes more characters like her, and I really really hope she writes a spin-off of the cousin that was an activist that was mentioned in the story. I really want her story to be told as well. (I’ll take even a novella at this point Jackie!!! lol)

Something More is the story I didn't know I needed growing up. As a member of the Palestinian diaspora, I grew up on a cultural intersection between life at home and school. I was also a dedicated reader so I found aspects of myself in different characters, creating a fictional mosaic. For example, Hermione Granger was studious and awkward like me, and Raina from Raina Telgemier's Smile got a set of braces earlier than anyone in her class just like me. However, Jessie from Something More is also growing up at a cultural intersection, I think so many children from immigrant families will be able to see a part of their lives that is rarely reflected in middle-grade books. Jackie Khalilieh has written a messy and honest coming-of-age story that will ring true for many readers.

Loved this! Such an authentic and heartfelt YA about a young teenager starting high school shortly after an autism diagnosis.

I usually hate love triangles, but the way it was handled in this story was so incredibly sweet and endearing. (I'm most certainly #teamGriffin)

I really enjoyed Jessie's story and her journey. Jessie as a character was fantastic, and this book had such a great cast of supporting characters as well.

This was a fantastic debut, and I'll be on the lookout for more by this author!

The book "Something More" is a captivating coming-of-age YA romance that follows Jessie, a Palestinian-Canadian teen, as she navigates her first year of school while also dealing with her autism diagnosis. It was incredibly relatable and cute, and I found myself rooting for Jessie throughout the entire book. The story is about a lot of firsts and how messy life can get as a teen, but it was also a comfort read. The book was very romance-heavy, and I couldn't help but squeal like a teen girl when Jessie was getting wooed!

Overall, the book is a perfect embodiment of a young adult book. It's a coming-of-age story with messy characters, and I really enjoyed that. I found Jessie's character easy to read about and relatable. Through the writing, I could tell how much Jessie's character has grown from questioning every single one of her decisions to voicing her opinions more assertively. Additionally, the book feels like a movie, and I could watch the entire story play out in my head as I read it.

This is a great ASD rep story. Jessie was so relatable and showed great character growth throughout the book. I’m so glad this exists for YA readers.

I love when we get diverse representation!
This book was quite amazing. The main character Jessie was likeable and fun to read about and her story was very well written. I enjoyed everything about the book and the romance was just adorable. Looking forward to reading more from Jackie Khalileh!

The funnest, cutest YA high school read that I was hoping it would be! The characters were amazing and I saw so much of myself in the main character. Couldn’t have asked for anything more from this!

This was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, but I actually liked this one (and my ship won so really how could I complain?). Jessie was an amazing main character, she felt well fleshed out and I liked reading about how she went through these new experiences and she navigated a new environment, it was pretty relatable. I also liked the love interests and the way they interacted with Jessie. The friendship aspect of the book was also great, it really shows how complicated friendships can be at that age and while I feel like it could have been explored more, I still liked what we got. It also has a family aspect, particularly the relationship between Jessie and her sister, but also between her parents and her brother. The story itself feels really comforting in a way, I'm not sure, but it felt familiar and sweet. There’s a LOT of drama and I was honestly living for it, the teenage experience is dramatic (not mine, but still lmao). Overall, a fun story, perfect for young readers.

This was such a cute story that it made me want to buy the book (when I get around to doing so). I loved all the characters and couldn't put the book down. People might say the characters were immature, but I mean, hi... they're 15 years old! I know a lot of adults who are more immature than teenagers. In any case, this was a very good book and one I'd recommend, and buy for my library!

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

I had such hope for this book. It's my first-ever hardover ARC from Penguin Teen.
I was so excited and with that super-cute cover, I wanted to love the story.
The first two chapters were good and I emphathized with the main character, Jessie.
But it wasn't long before I didn't like her much.
The autistic portrayal was understated, unlike all the high school drama which got to be too much.
I couldn't stand the main character's double standards. It got annoying very fast.
I would have liked Jessie better if she had held on to her integrity.
Instead of the emotional, meaningful story I'd expected, this story turned out to be all about high school teen dating angst and the typical bad boy drama.

Jessie was diagnosed as autistic just before she started high school. Her therapist suggested she create a list of goals to help her navigate her diagnosis. In creating the list, she tries to hide her diagnosis along with experiencing some things that normal teenagers experience. Her situation becomes more than she can handle navigating her new diagnosis, a new school, new friends, and new experiences. It's an interesting coming-of-age story mixed in with understanding an autism diagnosis.

I loved this book! It was such a fun read and I was hanging out to every word! Were Jessie and her friends a little immature? Yeah but so are most 15 year olds. I had so much fun and my only criteria would be I wanted more of Griffin and his development! (Can we get a fluffy story please)

We love to see Palestinians thriving! This was my first book of Palestinian rep and I loved every second of this loud Arab family

4 Stars

Something More is a fun and genuine story that captures the authentic and often times messy high school experience. Khalileh manages to portray through Jessie how teens aren’t perfect. She explores themes of fitting in and self-love through Jessie’s journey to navigate her diagnosis of autism and the messy nature of high school. I’m not the biggest fan of love triangles, but each love interest is developed beyond their basic characterizations creating a cute romance. The love triangle exemplifies how the person you think you need or want might not actually be that person but someone else entirely. Once again, similar to The Luis Ortega Survival Club, it was so great to see more Autism representation in young adult stories.