'Something More' by Jackie Khalilieh

5 stars!

Book Blurb:

"A contemporary teen romance novel featuring a Palestinian-Canadian girl trying to hide her autism diagnosis while navigating her first year of high school, for fans of Jenny Han and Samira Ahmed.

Fifteen-year-old Jessie, a quirky loner obsessed with the nineties, is diagnosed as autistic just weeks before starting high school. Determined to make a fresh start and keep her diagnosis a secret, Jessie creates a list of goals that range from acquiring two distinct eyebrows to getting a magical first kiss and landing a spot in the school play. Within the halls of Holy Trinity High, she finds a world where things are no longer black and white and quickly learns that living in color is much more fun. But Jessie gets more than she bargained for when two very different boys steal her heart, forcing her to go off-script."


My Review:

15-year-old Jessie is a fantastic and relatable neurodivergent teen. I had a blast following her through her freshman year of high school, the first crush who likes her back, and making new friends. It was great to able to see her thoughts as she tries to find her place - with all these new friends and within the high school setting itself - by adjusting her masking.

When she catches glimpses of herself without her mask in place, she realizes that she is growing into herself, even under all the masking. Jessie has to decide if she likes who she's becoming, as we all do.

Grab a copy on June 6th!

#NetGalley - I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.