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!

I really enjoyed this book! It was such a beautiful story and I adored the love interest. We don't get enough of thr funny boy getting the girl, and we definitely don't see enough Arab boys allowed to be full of life and joy. This was such a great read, and the author is one I will definitely read from again.

I really enjoyed her previous novel, and this one was just as entertaining! The false date was one of my favorites, and I liked how Khalilieh handled it. I really enjoyed learning about Arabic culture through the characters' experiences. The main character's bucket list around the city reminded me of Rachel Lynn Solomon's Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, which is one of my favorite books, so I like that part. I also believe it's an excellent strategy for fleshing out a city, as location is so crucial in literature. My only complaint about the novel is that she fell love the guy a little too early for my tastes. I appreciate when characters become a little closer before they start experiencing that.

You Started It is a quick, easy, and sweet read that I enjoyed for the most part. The story had a strong start, and I appreciated the character development, but it felt a bit rushed toward the end. A lot of significant moments seemed crammed into the final chapters when they could have been more evenly spread throughout the book.

That being said, I really liked seeing Jamie finally make a friend and learn to be more independent. I also wished there had been more exploration of her Arab heritage—it was touched on but could have been developed further.

I did love the realistic approach to her anxiety. The messy room, belly aches, and panic attacks were very spot on.

Overall, this is a light and enjoyable read with heartwarming moments. While the pacing in the latter half didn’t fuller work for me, I still appreciated the journey and the themes of self-discovery and friendship. 3.5 stars!

A book you can most likely read in one sitting that will have you smiling ear to ear 🥺 so much fun and sweet

I enjoyed this book, but I was not a huge fan of it. The "trendy" language came off more cringy than relatable, it felt kind of felt forced. I did enjoy the aspect of self-reflection from Jackie's perspective but it was a bit unbearable in the beginning. I enjoyed the banter between Axel and Jamie, the main characters; they were such a good match. I did not mind the third-act breakup but it was kind of predictable and as I was approaching the end, I was expecting the worse. Overall, I rate this book a 3.5/5 stars, while it was enjoyable read, it was not my favorite! Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you for the arc!
3.5 stars rounded up!
There was a lot to love about this book! I quite liked the main character Jamie and the love interest Axel. I liked them together and separately, and I liked how they communicated/connected. I also really liked the way Jamie's family issues were explored, and how Jamie wanted to connect with her culture. However, some of the interpersonal drama was very, very repetitive. I felt like I read the same argument with her ex-boyfriend Ben over and over again. I also didn't love the way Jamie villainized her mother all the way to the end. It's something the narrative addressed a bit, but not to the extent I would have wanted. My last critique is I think the narrative focused too much on Jamie either having a boyfriend or being completely alone for her own feeling. I really wanted her to also make a friend outside of the weird love square they had going on; it would've been nice to develop characters outside of the main four and Jamie's family. Overall, a pretty cute YA romance! I quite enjoyed Something More as well, so I am very excited to continue Jackie Khalilieh's work!

3.5-3.75 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC of this book.

Definitely for fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. If you loved those series, you’ll enjoy this book!

Blurb: Jamie is deadset on getting her ex-boyfriend, Ben, back after he comes back from camp and dumps her for a fellow counselor. Panicked, her and Ben’s new neighbor, Axel, start fake dating to get him back!

I enjoyed reading this book, Jamie is fun and quirky with her lists, and she finds out how to be someone besides being “Ben’s gf” with Axel. I think their dynamic together worked really well, and I loved how they got into those weird situations, including dancing for his entire family. Adorable. Very modern. (In not a bad way, btw)

*mini spoiler* but I loved how her and Olivia made up and became friends. I think one of my fav parts about this book was that Jamie had no friends after Ben broke up with her but now she has so many people surrounding her! Totally high school 😢🫶🏼

The entire time I read this book, I had Olivia Rodrigo’s albums on the background. get him back! was definitely on repeat fs 😂

You Started It is a sweet, yet emotional coming of age story featuring Jamie and Axel. I love a good fake dating trope with charismatic characters and a bit of chaos which this story definitely had. Other themes I enjoyed were seeing Jamie learn to connect with her Palestinian side, coming to terms with not being able to control everything in her life, and the storyline between her mom and dad. There's definitely a lot that goes on in You Started In which sometimes can lead to disappointment if there's not enough attention on each individual piece but fortunately the different storylines found their resolution one way.

The characters!!! So enjoyable in their own way. It is awesome to see the portrayal of Axel, a young Arab man, in such a positive light and the ways he embraces his culture. Jamie's uncle, Eli, was also such a fun addition to the story definitely one of my favorite characters in the book!