Jessie just found out that she is autistic before entering into her 1st year of highschool. She has set herself up with some goals, including kissing a boy from class. As she tries to figure out this thing called life, she finds out who she wants to be around and how people make her feel.
This was a sweet, fun, coming of age book. To me, there wasn't much depth to the story as she took us on her day to day adventures with her struggles. It's also nice to see an autistic female being portrayed as there aren't many stories (that I've read) that give that kind of insight.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!

I loved this book so much. It touched a place in my heart because my daughter has ASD.
The characters in this book were relatable to teens that I know and teens are going to find themselves in these characters. Lastly, putting ethnicity into the main family was a learning experience of a culture I didn't know a lot about.

Such a refreshing YA Contemporary! Jessie is a magnetic protagonist that'll keep you glued to the page as you follow her journey through high school, first loves, and new friendships. Would highly recommend for YA readers of all ages!

At first I was really enjoying the story. Jessie had a very strong character and point of view, but she got lost in her obsession with a boy. Her toxic relationship with this guy takes over the entire novel, and even her friends seem to only think about boys and sex.
Not only was this guy a smoker and drinker, but he was also a cheater with both girls and homework/tests. I didn't even really think he liked her outside of using her, but he got more possessive when someone else showed interest.
Griffin with the one light in the story. The steadfast friend and kind soul. Too bad she didn't appreciate him until literally the LAST CHAPTER! I will never understand girls who are hung up on guys that didn't treat them right, autistic or not. Her autism and how she delt with that was actually an interesting part of the story, but thanks to her boy obession I didn't really see much character growth and I just wish I got to see more of the spark and intelligence she showed when she was with Griffin or doing something she loved, like singing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra for the eARC!

SOMETHING MORE was a fun, sweet, relatable YA romance about an autistic Palestinian-Canadian teen navigating her first year of high school. This novel will appeal to fans of Jenny Han or NEVER HAVE I EVER. I highly recommend it!

Fifteen-year-old Jessie is newly diagnosed with autism when she starts her first year at a new high school. She's got lots of goals for the year, and top among them are getting her first kiss and hiding her diagnosis. But as the year unfolds, Jessie comes to learn that life might be more exciting when things don't always go according to plan.

I loved Jessie as a narrator—she was so funny, so relatable, so honest, and so true to what it's like to be a teen girl navigating high school. On top of that I absolutely loved seeing a younger MC in YA. The first year of high school is such a huge moment in teens' lives and it was a great backdrop for this story! I wish I'd had more stories with narrators like Jessie when I was that age, because I think it would have helped me navigate a lot of my own feelings/experiences.

The two love interests were really well fleshed-out, and even though I immediately preferred one to the other, both had their positives. I also really enjoyed and appreciated the ND rep in this story, and the reactions of different characters to Jessie's diagnosis (including her own reaction). It all felt very real and relatable.

This was a fresh, funny, beautifully written coming-of-age story that I would highly recommend to anyone starting high school (or reminiscing on their own high school years!). A great debut, and I look forward to whatever's next from Jackie Khalilieh!

This book gave me all the feels! Jessie stole my heart..

Jessie is starting high school with the new knowledge that she is autistic. She must navigate her first year of high school while contending with this new information. She starts to make new friends and gets a crush on a boy. While trying to complete the list of goals she made for herself she starts to fall for two very different boys.

I loved following Jessie's journey as she navigated new friends and her crush. The romance was cute! I definitely liked one of the boys better. This love triangle was not annoying to read like many others are in my opinion. I think Jessie had to have relationships with both of them to learn things about herself and I praise the author for utilizing the triangle in this way.

We also get to see her relationship with her family. She becomes closer with her sister. There's also her relationship with her female friends that was so great to see develop. It was complex and realistic. I really liked how honest Jessie was though at times her friends didn't get it.

If you enjoy YA romance I definitely recommend you check this one out when it comes out 6/6/23

I’d love to interview Jackie on my podcast Raise Your Words. This is another example of Muslim representation done in a slightly more respectful manner. It’s weird to see Muslim teenagers dating since Islam forbids it. I’m aware this happens especially at a public school and I’m guessing this might have experienced based off the author’s life. This has a Muslim character who is autistic. It also has Palestinian rep which is the first time I’ve read a fictional book with a Palestinian character.

Jessie is a entering high school with a fresh take on life after her autism diagnosis. She sets plenty of goals for herself as a friend, sister and daughter.

I liked this book. I liked the overall idea that she has set backs along way because obviously what fifteen year old has their life together. The friendship felt a lot like high school but with a little more added drama.

The boys. I was cheering for one guy in particular but oh the journey was a little rough. I guess I don't remember high school boys being quite so much drama.

Overall I would recommend and read more from this author.

a strong debut YA contemporary romance! I really enjoyed this one as a whole. I was really invested in the main character. This book was about 320 pages but felt longer. Had amazing representation and will spark important conversations. I loved the female friendships in this book with Mel and Odelia. The love triangle with the guys didn't do it for me though, I didn't really care which one she ended up with as long as she was happy with her friends at the end.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

So Something More was one of my most anticipated books to read this year, especially as an Arab, and I absolutely adored this book! Personally, I think this was one of the most realistic depictions of a fifteen-year-old girl in her first year of high school as a girl who also went to a Canadian high school. The friend groups and dynamics, although at times were dramatized for the sake of the novel, were eerily similar to my own experiences. Khalilieh really captured the feeling of walking the fine line between wanting to make friends and easily getting upset at something they do as a neurodiverse autistic character. So in short, I saw a lot of myself in Jessie.

In this book, Khalilieh mentions several societal issues such as favouritism towards the son in an ethnic family though she really only briefly touches on this topic which makes a lot of sense personally. This is because this book is read through Jessies POV, (a neurodiverse fifteen-year-old teen going through puberty) so of course she will be at least a bit more self-centred than other characters you’ve read.

To reiterate another review on here, the love triangle never felt in balance and I personally knew right from the beginning who Jessie would/would not end up with. It was a little frustrating to read at times but then I kept reminding myself of the fact that Jessie is a fifteen-year-old girl and I was most likely the same at that age. To be honest, I wasn’t really invested in the romance as I was with following Jessie’s journey throughout the first year of high school.

Overall 4.5!

Oh...I hate HATE the phrase 'bad representation' when it comes to neurodiversity. Just because your own personal experience, or worse, your presumed knowledge on the subject doesn't make other experiences WRONG. So it really pains me to say...this was bad representation. Did this book not have sensitivity readers?

And even if the rep was realistic, the high school experience was not. I'm there, right now, and this isn't realistic at all. A girls only clique? Has this author ever met a teenager? Been one at some point? Girls like the ones in these books don't hate boys!

Unrealistic and bad...sorry!
Thank you net galley for the arc.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

If you're looking for a fast paced book, this one isn't for you. I liked that though.

The story follows a 15 year old autistic Palestine-Canadian girl, just trying to figure out how to fit into her first year high school. Boys happen along the way, new friendships and protective but such a loving family. She struggles with accepting she's autistic as well, but I loved the way this was incorporated in the book. Very well written!

I think we all experienced high school differently but I felt clueless on how to fit into the "perfect mold" like probably a lot of other teenagers still do, so reading this kind of felt healing to me. When I read this I recognised a lot of my past self in it, so that was very comforting. Its written in such a realistic way of teenage years, so maybe its not everyones cup of tea.

Now onto the love triangle: I am not a fan of love triangles, but I tolerated this one as it was needed for her to realise some aspects of relationships and growth.

Team Griffin all the way though.

Something More follows Jessie as she navigates 9th grade after being newly diagnosed with autism. There is friend drama and boy drama and it’s just so relatable. It reminded me of My So-Called Life in the best way possible. Levi gave me strong Jordan Catalano vibes and, in my mind, Griffin is the cooler version of Brian Krakow.

I can’t explain how much this book means to me personally. I wish I had this book when I was a teenager, before I realized that not everyone looks at people’s ears when they are talking, or rehearses every social interaction in advance. But, I am so immensely grateful that my kids now have this book where they can see themselves represented. Especially because it was written by someone whose brain works like ours.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who loves the YA genre. It is clever and captivating from beginning to end and I am so grateful to Tundra Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

3.5 stars

this book was exactly what a ya-romance should be, cute, funny and naturally full of second hand embarrassment that makes you feel like hiding away. would 100% recommend

I’m not usually a fan of YA novels but I had just finished a Jenny Han book and saw that this one said if you like her books then you’ll want to read this one, and I’m so glad that I did!
So technically I guess, because the main character is a teen this is a YA novel, but honestly this novel is for anybody.
It’s for anyone who can relate to having times of self-doubt, having times of wanting to fit in, having times of empowerment, maneuvering friendships and relationships, etc.
So basically everyone!
And it is absolutely so well written! Conversations between characters flow smoothly, the pace is really well done!
The author writes in a way that really lends itself to it, becoming a movie or a series! I hope it does!
The characters are people you would want to check in on regularly.
I was shocked that this is a debut novel.
I was also disappointed that it is a debut novel, because I want to read more from this author!

Thank you to Author Jackie Khalilieh, Penguin Randomhouse Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this lovely book before it is released!
🌸🤗📚 Charlene @lastnownext

😍𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄😍

Did I say special? Well yeah, this book definitely took the special place in my heart!!

“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴.”

As soon as I read the blurb and it said "Palestinian," I knew then that I was going to love this book from the bottom of my heart. Instantly, I went to Netgalley to request it and I was so pleased to be approved. Thanks to the author and Netgalley, and I'd also like to thank my bestie @mmlady for being my buddy read I'm so glad that we both enjoy this beautiful work of art.

It didn't take me that long to hook up with the story. A lot of things happened through the pages and it happened so well that I was unable to put the book down. I liked how the story unfolded and the characters were portrayed amazingly.

I expected to know more about the Palestinian vibes, such as the Palestinian accent (gladly, some Arab words are written that have melted me anyway 🫣), and would like to know more about the culture, both Palestinian and Canadian are great, and so on, but that is not the case in this book. However, I am absolutely obsessed with how the romance vibe has been pictured, the love triangle was just so adorable and got me giggling and infuriated 🫢. The only character I wish would fade away is Catherine, uhh that lass, She should get bullied by the entire school!!

And finally, I love that Jessie ended up being with the character I adore the most👀 well if you read this book, you probably know about him!! J♡G (⁠◠⁠‿⁠◕⁠)

Something more- I had a great time reading this book as an adult! I knew the setting fits the younger YA audience, so the juvenile thoughts, actions, and language is meant for them, not like me who went to high school ten years ago LOL. Only because I thought some parts were very cringy but then again, those times were cringy! Anyways, we follow a girl named Jessie with recently diagnosed autism who's about to begin high school. She has a lot to carry and wants to fit in as much as possible with a few goals in mind: friends, boyfriend maybe, and being in a school play.

Character development- I love Jessie. I related to her high school experience myself. Trying so hard to fit in is a relatable theme in the book, whether it was set in high school or a different setting. Her character growth in the book grew tremendously and I love every second of it. I won’t say who, but one of the character interests stole my heart and the last ten pages were the best part of the story!

I gave this book 4 /5 stars!
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the e-arc!

Something More is about a recently diagnosed girl with autism, as she tries to survive her first year of high school. While there she meets new friends and two boys who are interested in her.

Supposedly.

Truthfully this book is more of a coming of age book then a love triangle like the marketing makes it seem like. The love triangle never felt balanced. I never felt like they were equal in likeability. It was obvious who she was gonna end up with. There was too many red flags with Levi that I never truly liked him. I mean Jessie immediately liked him because he was hot and nice while Griffin, the other love interest, didn't have the same reaction. That was the moment I knew who she was going to choose. So the love triangle wasn't as good as I hoped. Griffin was super sweet though.

Other then the romance between Jessie and Griffin and the easy writing style, there was nothing else that I liked about the story. I was expecting a good love triangle but it was easy choice. The little bits of relatability from Jessie are not enough for me. I have autism but I'm a person who likes characters because of their personality or their charming moments and not because I relate to them. The main character, Jessie, I didn't like. She was quick to act like she was better then her friends about boy problems while she herself didn't see the problems with Levi. I would be okay with it if there was conflict about it, but it is never said out loud in the story or even in her head. There was no character development in that front. It was not confronted. It just made me hate her a little more. 

I wish her friends were given more time between them. They already had pretty obvious problems with each other at the start and I wish I saw their relationship in a more positive light, so I can feel a little more sad when things come to ahead. I also wish they had more of a personality. I can't name a single thing about them besides their boy troubles. The only character I actually liked was Griffin who was a total sweetheart.

The story was mediocre with its bad love triangle, underdeveloped characters, and a unlikable protagonist. I was just wishing for a good love triangle but it was lackluster. It wasted so much time with Levi with his red flags that I felt like I was wasting my time.

Adorably quirky and weirdly fantastic, this cozy little coming of age hit all the right spots for me this time of the year <3 would highly recommend!!

This is the first book I’ve found as authentic on teen life, and being an autistic female.
Jessie is starting high-school, trying to hide her biggest secret- masking herself so nobody will see her autism. Throughout this book she grows a lot, learns to have friendship, and how fall in love (and make a very hard choice between layed back Levi, and adorable theatre boy Griffin.)
I really love how neither her Diagnosis or the love triangle were shown as the main focus of the story, it was just growing up and balancing all these things at once.
I loved this book, I saw something about it on TikTok a few weeks ago and I’m so thankful I was given the opportunity to give it a read.
Also, the author is seems super kind!