Everything Comes Back to You

by Jackie Khalilieh

Lennon has always tried to live up to her Palestinian Canadian father's exacting standards, even if her older sister hasn't, but when a crush on an older white boy develops into something more, she must find the strength to balance her own desires against her father’s expectations.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter meets The Sun Is Also a Star in this new YA novel.

Lennon is excited and apprehensive about starting high school, where her older sister is going to be a senior. Then her sister drops a bombshell: she is pregnant. Her Palestinian Canadian parents are devastated, and Lennon finds herself under even more pressure to be a "good girl” – a role autistic Lennon has always played well. But after a chance encounter with John, a white boy in the grade above, Lennon finds herself nursing a crush on someone her parents would definitely not approve of—which only seems to intrigue her more.

As Lennon and John are drawn together and pulled apart throughout her four years of high school, Lennon wrestles with feelings of shame and yearning, obedience and rebellion through the lens of her autism, trying to both please her parents and herself. When a relationship with a different boy challenges her notions of family and happiness, her way forward becomes clear, even if it might mean losing everything and everyone she loves.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Disability, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Coming Of Age, Contemporary, Fiction

440 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication August 4, 2026

About the author

JACKIE KHALILIEH is a Palestinian-Canadian writer with a love of nineties pop culture, Dad jokes, and warm and fuzzy romance. Like many autistic females, she received her diagnosis as an adult. She is passionate about positive representation within her writing. She currently resides just outside Toronto, Canada with her husband and two daughters, complaining nightly about having to cook dinner. Something More is her debut YA novel.

Please note: As an author, I use Goodreads mostly to keep track of the books I want to read.

I don't check/accept friend requests from readers/people on Goodreads who I don't know, as I feel that may blur the lines. I hope you understand. Thank-you!

If you do want to interact, I'm active on Instagram and TikTok @jackiekhalilieh

Reviews

[annes_mesmerizing_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

”You don’t have to hide who you are, Lennon. There are people who love the real you.”
“But why does it have to be that way? Why does it have to be this push and pull of who I want to be versus who they want me to be? There’s no way to win. You pick one, you lose the other. Either way, you lose.”
“Or,” John says, “you break the chain, and you set yourself free.”

This paragraph resonated with me so much even though I’m not a teen like Lennon. Far from it even. But don’t we all hide parts of ourselves sometimes (or often)? Just because we don’t want other people to see that part for whatever reason, or because we think or even know the people we love won’t like that piece of us.

With every new Jackie Khalilieh book, I end up loving it even more than the last, and the earlier ones were already fantastic. Somehow, the more I read her stories, the more she pulls me into the heads of those autistic, flawed teen girls who feel so incredibly real.

Everything Comes Back to You follows a girl who starts to feel sexually attracted to boys and slowly comes closer to having real sex, even though her dad expects her to wait until she’s married. This story is about want and shame and consent and how people judge boys and girls differently, which makes it incredibly important.

I also need to gush about Lennon and John (or can I say John (&) Lennon?) as a couple for a second because I loved them so, so much. I already gushed about Alex from You Started It, but oh John, how I loved you and how I rooted for you. And those last pages! Tears kept leaping to my eyes.

And finally, I have to talk about that cover. Because it’s just glorious.

Thank you, Tundra Books and NetGalley, for this amazing ARC!

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[Jackie Khalilieh]

A note from the author with a list of content warnings:

Dear Reader,

As arcs of Everything Comes Back to You prepare to go out in the world, I thought it was time to leave a quick author note here with a list of content warnings.

This story is for people who see themselves in Lennon. And for those who, regardless of age, want a safe space to read about the evergreen issues that can stay with us long after our teen years.

I should know.

While I don't police who can/should read books, I do believe that Everything Comes Back to You is most appropriate for readers ages 14 and up due to some of the more mature subject matter.

This novel contains the following:
Teenage pregnancy.
Discussions of prenatal options.
Alcoholism in an adult.
Mature subject matter, including scenes depicting consensual sexual activity.
Recreational teenage drug and substance use.
Emotional abuse.
Disordered eating.
Depression.

Please take care if any of these topics are sensitive to you.

With love,
Jackie

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's #YAFriday! I'm here to share a new young adult novel by Palestinian Canadian @jackiekhalilieh, Everything Comes Back To You.

This swoon-worthy YA introduces us to Lennon, a young teen who has autism, as she navigating High School and finding herself. When Lennon's older sister announces she's pregnant just before Lennon starts high school, her family's expectations of her only grow stronger. As an autistic Palestinian Canadian teen, Lennon has always tried to be the "good daughter," but navigating first love, friendship, identity, and the pressure to meet her conservative parents' expectations forces her to question who she wants to be. Spanning all four years of high school, this coming-of-age story explores family, culture, love, and the difficult journey of finding yourself.

I absolutely loved this book. The autism and Palestinian Canadian representation felt authentic and thoughtful, and Lennon's journey beautifully captured all the highs and lows of growing up, first love, and trying to figure out where you belong. I especially loved the way the story explored the pressure Lennon felt to hide different parts of herself depending on who she was with, along with the complicated emotions surrounding her sister's pregnancy and the expectations placed on her within her family. It was heartfelt, emotional, and incredibly relatable, making this a YA novel that I think both teens and adults will thoroughly enjoy.

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher @tundrabooks for giving me the chance to read and review this excellent novel. It's pubdate is August 4th so preorder now!

[Jav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of the ARC via NetGalley

4.5 stars

Jackie Khalilieh is one of my favourite authors. She writes her books in the only way she knows how: raw and real. There was a lot to unpack with this one; a lot of important discussions around shame, familial expectations, relationships and love. The multi-year love story was heartbreakingly beautiful and I don’t think John and Lennon’s story should have worked out any other way. Going through each chapter, each act, I felt as if I was reading Jackie’s own story. I got goosebumps at certain points—the writing poignant and poetic, the story familiar and heartbreaking.

My sole gripe with Everything Comes Back to You is that John’s character felt underwhelming. By act 3, we get to know him much better and he starts to feel like a more significant part of the story. But in act 1, it came off as instalove (which I think it was, but I didn’t think that was executed well). There was no substance or context to his character at first, it’s as if he were interchangeable with any other boy. And while this book reads more like a story about Lennon, as opposed to Lennon & John’s love story, I wish John’s character was fleshed out more.

P.S. I wish more than anything that there was an epilogue or a novella for this book so I can read John & Lennon’s HEA.

[rachel x]

"A YA romance told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior and senior year—following an autistic, Palestinian-Canadian girl intent on being the perfect Arab daughter after news of her older sister’s accidental pregnancy shakes her family’s foundation."

[Sawsan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

[Meg Eden]

I'm not sure the content warning prepared me for the level of sexual content in the book, just FYI for readers. Mature themes I think is meant to mean explicit interactions, but not sure I realized that. Also was weirded out by the shaming about not having sex--like, to each his own? Why do you have to make it weird? I don't think this book is for me.

[Sierra Nathans Lightner · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️ I always love Jackie’s books, she writes the teenage girl experience SO well (specifically autistic teenage girls). This book really gave us explorations of love in all forms - friendship, family, and romantic.

Lennon’s relationship with her family is extremely complicated, which is so real. She’s so close with her older sister, and they are always there for each other, despite her sister having a baby so young. Her relationship with her parents is rough since her parents are Palestinian and religious and have very high morals and standards for Lennon and Georgie. But it all ended beautifully.

Lennon also had her best friend, Andie, throughout high school who I am SO happy was there. She told Lennon the hard things, never thought of her as less than, and really and truly loved her. I am Andie’s biggest fan.

Then of course, we have Lennon and John. It was a LOT of back and forth, which is why I am dropping my rating a bit. It was giving me a bit of whiplash, even though it was sort of necessary for the plot(ish)? But they were so so sweet together, and it worked out so well for them (together and separately). I hope we get a lil short story or bonus epilogue kind of thing for them, because I’d love to see how their relationship plays out throughout/after college.

I hope that a teenage girl somewhere finds this book right when they need it. I can tell this will have such a positive impact on so many girls.

Side note, I cannot stand Theo <3 idc if he ended up being a friend to Lennon, fuck that guy

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Tundra Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Everything Comes Back to You is beautifully told in four parts—ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. It follows Lennon, an autistic, Canadian-Palestinian teen, as she navigates life trying to be her parents’ perfect daughter while also searching for her own identity. When Lennon meets John, a boy her parents would never approve of, she instantly feels a connection to him and begins to question her beliefs. As the story progresses, Lennon and John are constantly pulled apart and brought back together throughout their four years of high school.

It’s difficult to review this book since so much happened in it. I will say it contains quite a few triggering topics, such as: teenage pregnancy, emotional abuse and manipulation, alcoholism, disordered eating, and depression to name a few. The story also explores more positive themes of family dynamics and forgiveness, friendship, first love, and having the courage to follow your dreams.

I would recommend this book for older teens, and as a discussion book for parents and teens. My favorite aspect of this book was probably Lennon’s relationship with her best friend, Andie. I also thought Lennon, John, and Georgie (Lennon’s older sister) were all very likable characters with a lot of depth. I can’t say I agree with every decision Lennon made, but I did enjoy reading her story, and I was rooting for her from the first page. This book is well-written, and I do think its message will resonate in some way with most readers.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rep: Autistic FMC, depression, Palestinian Canadian FMC

Thanks so much @penguinteenca, @tundrabooks, and @netgalley for the ARC! ECBTY is a coming-of-age novel that spans all four years of high school, following “good girl” Lennon as she navigates life under her parents’ strict cultural and religious expectations. When her older sister gets pregnant as a young teen, her family fractures, and the pressure for Lennon to be perfect intensifies. At the same time, she’s trying to figure out who she is, experiencing her first real crush, and falling in love.

There’s so much packed into this story: intergenerational trauma, the first-gen experience, familial pressure, purity culture, sister relationships, found family, first love, coming of age, independence, autism, and rebellion.

What really stood out to me was how relatable Lennon was. Some moments were so close to my own teen experience—the confusion and the push-and-pull between who she is and who she’s expected to be.

I also loved the relationship between Lennon and her best friend, Andie. May we all have a friend like Andie who both encouraged Lennon to grow and supported her and saw her for exactly who she was.

CWs: teen pregnancy, alcoholism, drug and substance abuse, emotional abuse, disordered eating, depression, death, cancer, underage drinking, purity culture

[Alicen Ricard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc of this book. It’s taken me a couple days to be able to write a review because I was kind of stunned to silence by this book. The characters were so messy and real. I understood everyone’s motivations and reasons for what they were doing even though they frustrated me with their choices. I thought the language was really beautiful and I loved the insight into Lennon’s mind. It was raw and real and this book with me sticking with me for a long time.

[Basma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Jackie's books but this did not do it for me personally. Trying to fit four years in one book did not work and the pacing was so so off. The writing in between time jumps was still good but jumping around lessened the impacts of everything happen.

Also, I fear I was not rooting for this romance

[Nissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Thank you so much for letting me read and review this book NetGalley, I'm so glad I got to enter Lennon's world.
I was a little hesitant in starting this book because at the beginning, the main character is in the ninth grade, and honestly I was just scared it would be too juvenile for me. I was so wrong. First of all, this book takes place over Lennon's 4 years of high-school, showing the progression of her home life, her romances, and her growth as a young woman. Secondly, due to her family life and upbringing, Lennon never feels too young. She never makes choices that make me groan because it's a dumb childish thing, and it makes sense for her character. She feels her age, especially as she grows, and her actions make sense to her environment.
On to the romance and story. Lennon's family life is complicated. I loved the nuance in her family life, the layers in her relationship with her dad was so well done, and so much more realistic in my eyes than just the 'I hate my strict parents trope'. This book deals with fighting to be more than what your parents insist you are, fighting to sneak out of being the perfect daughter, but while also being scared to lose your parents, and scared to disappoint their ideals that are so engrained in you. Lennon is the younger daughter, and her sister did her job of royally disappointing her parents, so Lennon feels 10X more pressure to be perfect, she cant disappoint them like Georgie did. But thats hard to do when you're entering high-school, meeting new people, and feeling new feelings.
Lennon meets John, in which they both immediately sense a cosmic connection (beyond their ship name being John Lennon). The story follows the pair over Lennon's 4 years of high-school as they go back and forth, fighting their own issues before they can be true to their feelings. I don't want to spoil too much of the romance, but it was so well done. The yearning from both felt real, they had genuine reasons to want each other and it didn't feel forced. John had depth, he had a story of his own, battles of his own, and he didn't just feel like someone there for Lennon to want, he was his own person.
Lennon has one other romance during this book, and that story was interesting. It's obvious when they start interacting that he wants her, but it takes her years to feel the same. She enters the relationship before road blocks come, specifically around sex. Her fears, her hesitance, and her way of speaking about this issue was SO well done. Even though it was a hard moment for Lennon, I think this part of the book, this relationship from start to finish, was one of my favourite parts because of how real it was. There was no bad guy, just two people who don't quite get each other.
Lennon eventually can't keep the perfect daughter persona up anymore, and makes a decision that she spends a year paying for, dealing with the dissapointment of her parents. Her pain, her suffering, and her want to take it back are so sad to read, and again, it was so well done.

The biggest thing with this book is just how complex the story is. Lennon feels like a real person; she feels like some peoples realities, I know in parts she is mine. Every event and bump in the road is well done. The emotions are amazing, and the author did so well in giving everything the right amount of focus before moving on to the next thing.
I will say two things. One, just for overall knowledge, this book is spicy. It's got on the page sex, which is uncommon for YA, so just be aware before reading. It's not overly graphic, but it is there. The other thing is Lennon's best friend Andie. I love having good friends in books, chances for genuine female friendship, but I will say that Andie is the one character in this book I thought felt a little 2D. I wanted to see a little bit more about her life, her struggles, and more than just her being beautiful and supportive of Lennon. We are told she's going to school in Toronto, but we never learn what school despite all the focus on Columbia for Lennon. Especially when all the other characters had SO much depth, and were so real, it just sucked a bit that Andie felt like she was just there to be Lennon's friend. Her character was great, she had great advice and genuine kindness, but I wanted to see more than who she is to Lennon and boys.

Overall, this book was amazing. It's going to stay in my mind for a while because of how much the story and characters stuck with me, and I would highly recommend it to any readers interested in complex family and social systems.

[Cozy Sabie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Find the mask that fits best, never perfectly. The acceptable version. It will make it easier on them and eventually it will become your second foreign skin."

GENRE: YA Contemp/Coming of Age with Romance
RATING: 5/5
FORMAT: eBook ARC

Overall Impression: What a book! Everything Comes back to You is a book I wish I had read like when I was a teenager, lost in this world. Reading it as an adult feels like healing a part of me that was so lost when I was young and for that, I know I'm going to remember this book for a long time to come.

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Review:
Okay this was my first book by Jackie Khalilieh and I'm not going to need to read everything she writes because WHAT A BOOK!!!!

Reading this and following the book through Lennon's perspective was very emotional for me and struck close to home a lot of times. I related a lot to so many aspects of it, to Lennon and how she views herself, how she faces the world as an autistic individual and I related so much to Georgie too.

And in so many ways, Everything Comes Back to You is about learning to love yourself and learning to deal with generational trauma. Now, in my late 20s, I can read this and remember how it was growing up and dealing with a lot of things that Lennon deals with. As an eldest daughter though, I did want to tell her to follow Georgie's advice of putting herself first.

Truly, this book took me on an emotional journey. I felt sad, happy and just so emotional for Lennon and her sister. I related SO much to learning to mask and trying to be the perfect daughter, sister, person...etc. to everyone around you that you forget who you truly are. To me, the teenage years were HARD and I think this book represented why it was hard. It's like trying to fit in a world that isn't meant for you and you dont understand WHY you can't fit in.

Jackie's writing was so captivating, I read through this so QUICKLY and I couldnt sleep as I really wanted to finish it. I loved that we get to follow Lennon's journey from the beginning of high school till the end of it as well. She changes so much through the seasons and so does everyone around her.

And finally, as an Arab, reading this and seeing how the generational trauma carries on and the gaps between Georgie & Lennon with their parents was sad and healing in many ways. A lot of our culture is set in its ways, in not talking about the taboo topics and avoiding the painful things.

I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for an ARC of this book.

I really resonated with Jackie's previous two books, so I was very excited when I got approved for this ARC!! I'm happy to say that this is another one of her stories that will live very close to my heart.

I don't even know where to start. Jackie is really skilled at writing realistic and relatable teenage girls (to me). Even now, as an adult, there is so much of myself I see in her MCs. There were several moments where I had to pause, put the book down, and reflect on similar experiences and feelings I've had to Lennon. Not ashamed to say that I cried during these reflections. Her relationship with her family and her feelings for John were all too familiar.

Speaking of John, their love story was soooo cute! I really do hope we get an epilogue or bonus short story... *wishful thinking*

I unfortunately know that there will be criticisms of this book due to there being depictions of teenagers talking, thinking about, and having sex (it is nothing explicit or written in a way that is meant to titillate the reader). I understand that some adults may feel uncomfortable reading about teenagers having sex. However, I don't think adults' feelings should be prioritized when the core audience are teenagers and teenagers deserve to have stories that reflect their own experiences, and their messy, complicated feelings etc. Teenagers go through a lot and are often met with very little understanding and sympathy from the adults around them (which we also see depicted in this book).

I wish I had a book like this when I was Lennon's age and was navigating conflicting feelings about family, religion, sex, sexuality, and shame. So much shame. I hope this book finds its way into the hands of whichever (autistic) teenager needs this and hope that they feel seen and know that they too, are the sun, moon, and stars.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating 4.5/5 Stars

Publication Date: August 4th, 2026

First I want to thank Tundra Books and Jackie for having me be part of the travelling ARC team. It was awesome chance to read one of my lost anticipated releases and annotate my thoughts along the way.

Everything Comes Back To You is Jackie's third YA novel and probably her most ambitious because it covers the 4 year span of Lennon Hadid and her connection with John Brody who continues to come in and out of her orbit.

On top of that she is navigating 4 years of high school while also being autistic and being known as the sister whose der sister got pregnant her senior year.

This story is a roller coaster full of care, respect and understanding of what it means to be not only a teenage girl but a teenage girl who feels the weight of being first generation Palestinian Canada and her parents incredibly high expectations.

Jackie also takes care to address sex among teenagers, the stigma, the awkwardness and the inevitably that it happens so why not address in the context of consent and the practice of safe sex. I thought it was approached thoughtfully done and serviced a purpose for education not arousal.

As for the relationship between Lennon and John (yes this was intentional and There is whole Beatles subplot that I love) you can tell both of them wear their hearts on their sleeves but they all struggle to come together and commit because external forces. It's a four year journey of right person wrong time and I would love to revisit these characters as adults.

I think this is another fantastic YA that belongs on the shelf next to Jenny Han and John Green that tackles a multitude of  topics that an help young adults feeling seen.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely gorgeous and I just devoured it! It hit me in all the feels. Lennon's story was breathtaking. And I loved how it was so many things at once and it hit all the themes and topics so well. It filled my heart and had me reacting to it all. I loved Lennon and John's love story. It felt so youthful and authentic but also more, because there was an underlying feeling that they are true soulmates. But despite that feeling, there were no guarantees in their story with so much working against them, both internal and external. Everything Lennon went through felt so real. I felt so much for every single thing that happened. Her sister's pregnancy, controlling family, the religious guilt and emotional abuse, the sexism and slut shaming, her self worth, her struggle with wanting to be her own person with her own experience and also having her dad's approval, and all of that through the perspective of being autistic. It all tugged at my heart so well and made me happy, sad, mad, swoon, all back and forth.

I also loved Lennon's relationship with her best friend Andie and sister Georgie. They were both so supportive but also the aspects of their relationships felt nuanced, too. As well as Lennon's relationship with her dad. I also love how there's love and nuance there too, it's not completely black and white. Life is messy, but the love is so so palpable.

Something else I loved was the title of the book Everything Comes Back to You. It is multilayered and the way it was portrayed was perfect. I won't say any more, it's best as it comes together when reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for a review!

[Jordyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything Comes Back to You is a deeply emotional coming of age story following Lennon, an autistic Palestinian Canadian teen, throughout four years of high school. Throughout this book we walk with Lennon as she discovers who she is, what she wants, and see her struggle to find her own sense of self-worth separate from her father's approval. An approval we see that can only be gained through strict adherence to his religious expectations. We see Lennon struggle with this desire for approval particularly as it affects her in falling in love and dating throughout the four years in which the novel takes place. She wants to be the perfect daughter her father expects her to be, but she also wants to make her own choices and follow her own path.
While Everything Comes Back to You does have a focus on romance, I believe the heart of this story is an aching examination of the effects of purity culture on young girls and teens and the impacts on their self worth. As an autistic girl myself, who grew up in the exact type of Christian community Lennon does, which was heavily focused on girls' worth being tied to their 'purity,' I found Lennon's story to be extremely relatable. The way in which Khalilieh captures Lennons struggles and thought processes as she grows into a young woman is beautiful, heart wrenching, and inspiring. As someone who did a lot of reconstructing on my own faith as regards to purity culture and the harms it does, I highly recommend this story to older teens, young adults, and even adults who might have had similar experiences. Definitely pick this one up!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much tundrabooks and colored pages book tour for the gifted physical copy for an honest review.

This is my favorite YA of the year so far.

That book absolutely wrecked me in all the best ways. The writing was so beautiful. It felt lyrical, poetic and I absolutely loved the mind of our protagonist, who's autistic.

Lennon is so sensitive to the people and the world around her. I loved reading her point of view. Her dreams, what she wants and how to achieve them while trying to be the perfect daughter for her parents.

Her parents doesn't want her to have sex before marriage and forbids her to date John, the one she fell for. This story navigates consent, shame, and how girls and boys are viewed and treated differently.

It punched me through the heart many times.

⚠️ The book contains topics that could be sensitive to some readers. Read the triggers at the beginning of the book.

Read this if you love :

✨ Yearning ;
✨ Upper YA books ;
✨ Autistic Rep ;
✨ Coming of Age Novel ;
✨ Forbidden Love.

[Wild · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Everything Comes Back to You is, at its core, a layered story of toxic masculinity, emotional abuse, and manipulation by the main character Lennon's Palestinian father.

Shame is the biggest weapon. Whether it was wearing a dress he didn't approve of, not getting a high enough math grade or reading a book he thought was trash he utilizes shame to convey his displeasure. Both publicly and in private.

His character was so repellent, judgemental and overbearing I found the book oppressive. Even when he's not present Lennon's fear over what he'd think poisons everything.

I find it difficult to review this book because it spans the four years Lennon's in high school, but in a disjointed way. There are big time gaps and not a lot of plotline progression. While there are an abundance of secondary characters I never felt as if they were integrated into the storyline well. Not even John her first crush. We learn bits and pieces about him, but he's still very peripheral, as is Theo.

The single POV writing style felt a bit inconsistent too. While we're told many times that Lennon is autistic this is rarely shown. The strong Telling style doesn't convey her autistic behavior in discernable ways and had there not been repeated references to it I wouldn't of come to that conclusion on my own.

This contains quite a few potentially triggering topics including teenage pregnancy, emotional abuse and manipulation, alcoholism, disordered eating, depression and teen drug/alcohol use.

While I do feel this will resonate with certain audiences I also feel the subject matter will be too heavy for others.

I received an e-arc via NetGalley. All opinions are my own and freely given.

[Kate Brasington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those YA romances that pulls at your heart strings! We meet Lennon at the beginning of the book during her summer before highschool begins and spend the book going through her highschool experience and her romantic relationship with one person who she keeps coming back to time and time again.
I enjoy that Lennon is autistic , it is mentioned several times in the book and she has pretty deep conversations about how it affects how she responds in social situations. As somebody with autism it made it easy to relate to her. I also enjoyed this coming of age story and reminisced on some of my highschool experiences that paralleled with Lennon’s.
If you are looking for a book that deals with someone learning to be comfortable with their self, learning how to be more than just what their parents expect of them and an “it’s always been you” kind of romance then Everything Comes Back to You is going to be the perfect book for you!

[Natalie ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️ Thank you so much to NetGalley & the publisher for the e-ARC!
Rep: own voices autism
This might be my favorite of Jackie’s! All of her books have been great, but I really liked this one - it’s so beautiful and emotional but also so real and funny and raw. She just so perfectly knows how to capture the experience of being a teenager/young adult, and I think she’s one of the best authors at doing this. I loved how this book was split up and how we followed Lennon from 9th grade to leaving for college. The format really allowed for us to see how much her character develops and how she grows as a person, and she was so likeable as a character. I also adored the romance plotline and how it tied into familial pressures and other significant conversations, but was also sweet and emotional. Highly recommend this one!!

[LiteratiGlitterati · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 - So good but ahhhhh this was so frustrating!!! The amount of control exerted over Lennon’s life was so hard to bear and so baffling that she could abstain from fighting back for so long. I kind of loved the way it all blew up, even though it was painful and utterly miserable, because it felt like the only possible outcome after all that mounting pressure and the war of familial protection, safety, control, morals vs. passion, freedom, true identity, love, and the desire to live unmasked. As usual I love Jackie Khalilieh’s work, in content, raw emotion, lyrical style, and even banter. I read this via NetGalley and would note it did seem to be a longer, earlier edit (with some dialogue still being worked out), as the page count is about 120 pages longer than what is listed here.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

***ARC FROM BOOKTROVERT NOT NETGALLEY***
(I tried to change but seems I’m unable)


I don’t usually read many coming of age novels anymore. At 30 I find it hard to resonate again with a younger mindset. With Everything Comes Back to You I didn’t have a choice! Lennon pulls you in with every word, every thought she has. I saw so much of myself in her - in her struggles with being a good daughter or a good friend, while still being true to herself. Her frankness and realistic autistic tendencies struck a chord while still making me laugh out loud at times. She said everything I wish I could have when I was her age. Beautifully written, I can’t wait to buy a physical copy to put on my trophy, sorry, book shelf when it’s out!

[Quinn]

First of all, I really appreciate that this book has an autistic main character. Lennon’s voice was unflinchingly honest and realistic. She seemed like the kind of person I would have befriended in high school. I also liked the sister bond in this story, as well as Lennon’s friendship with Andie.

However, I wasn’t a fan of the whole insta-love thing. Lennon and John had a lot of chemistry, but I felt the way his ex-girlfriend was treated was somewhat unfair. I’ve never liked the “boy flirts with another girl when he’s already in a relationship” trope, even if that relationship is failing and the other girl is more compatible.

The fast pace also made it hard to stay engaged. I’m not sure it was necessary to cram all four years of high school in one book.

[Sarah Ainslee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jackie has written something truly breathtaking with this book. Unflinchingly honest and painfully awkward in the most relatable ways. The romance(s!) here are tender and vulnerable (Team John all day, every day), but Lennon and her family are what resonate most, especially for those who may have or still be growing up in similar environments. Her journey from a quiet, compliant daughter to a young woman exploring her voice, sexuality, faith, and independence will burrow under your skin and invite healthy dialogue for anyone at any age.

TL;DR? This story just sings—an absolute masterclass in what a coming-of-age story should feel like.

[Anisa Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

while I did enjoy the story line I could not get over the fact that for this being a YA it wasn't very clean, lots of language and physical things happening I was not comfortable reading about as these are young teenagers. Had I know that In advance I wouldn't have read this. I did however enjoy the idea of a the FMC having autism and being able to see love and life navigated differently. Some topics discussed teen pregnancy, overprotective parents, cultural differences, emotional abuse, depression. I would have liked an epilogue to see what the future held for the FMC. Overall the storyline was enjoyable although i did have to skip the intimate parts.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: 4.25 stars

Thank you, Penguin Teen Canada for the eARC via Netgalley.

For a YA book, this one sure packs quite a punch. This book features Lennon and it is broken into 4 parts featuring her 4 years of high school and her exploration of her identity as she comes into age while balancing her family, religion and culture. It also takes place in Toronto which Iove!

On the surface, Lennon is the perfect daughter to her strict and religious father and mother while the older sister is the rebellious one and often disappoint their parents. Things changed when her older sister got pregnant in her senior year of high school. This leads to a fracture in the familial structure with her sister determined to keep the baby but refusing to get married to the baby’s father.

As such, Lennon feels much more pressure to lead a “good girl” life to avoid disappointing her parents, especially how close she is with her dad. But things get complicated when she starts feeling sexually interested in boys and starts to fall for an older boy, John whom her parents disapprove of.

Gah, given the strong themes in this book, I find it difficult to review since it hits a lot of trigger topics such as controlling parents, intergenerational trauma, emotional abuse, teen pregnancy, depression, friendship, sibling love, self-love and the determination to follow your dreams. I was also surprised by how sexual it got but it made sense due to the themes it was exploring.

Her relationship with the parents is very realistically portrayed here and not the standard “I hate parents” deal such as how her parents use religion to dictate the female “purity” culture aka no sex before marriage etc. Her relationship with her sister and her best friend were my favourite parts - it was so sweet and lovely that she does have their support and they do keep her from spiralling at times due to her autism.

I love her friendship and eventual love for John - it feels a little bit of insta-love to start but the connection, banter and yearning over her 4 years of high school with their push-pull of a relationship was so well done. The issues they faced are realistic. Jon, himself is also a character with depth and issues with themes of alcoholism through his dad, being forced to grow up too soon and family love.

Overall, this book builds on the complexity of exploring in-depth characters full of hope, dreams, wants while grappling with self-identity and expectations hitting religion and culture. A solid read for a YA book.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Khalilieh's latest contemporary YA story is a heartfelt coming of age story that follows Lennon, an autistic Palestinian Canadian teen starting high school when her older sister has just told their parents that she's pregnant.

Amidst family turmoil and new feelings for a boy who already has a girlfriend, Lennon navigates trying to please her parents and be the 'good daughter' they want her to be with following the dreams she has for herself.

Relatable and realistic with excellent autism rep, this is one not to miss that is perfect for fans of books like The lesbiana's guide to Catholic school by Sonora Reyes. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

⚠️CW: teen pregnancy, open door teen sex (mild details)

[yashelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A coming-of-age story that feels honest, hopeful, and deeply real.

Everything Comes Back to You is perfect if you’re looking for a heartfelt YA with meaningful representation, complicated family dynamics, first love, and a romance worth rooting for.

Jackie K. beautifully captures what it’s like to grow up feeling torn between who others expect you to be and who you truly are. One of those books that quietly stays with you long after the last page.

I can’t recommend it enough.