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Something More
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.
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.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2023
124 people are currently reading
12742 people want to read
About the author
Jackie Khalilieh
3 books368 followersJACKIE 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.
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If you do want to interact, I'm active on Instagram and TikTok @jackiekhalilieh
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
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April 2, 2025Hi. I'm Jackie Khalilieh, the author of Something More releasing June 6, 2023. I want to use this space to first thank-you for picking up my debut novel and leaving a rating or review. I'm so grateful for every reader.
Something More features a Palestinian-Canadian, autistic main character. I share the same identities as my main character, Jessie Kassis. I am so proud to be putting out a book that celebrates being both Palestinian and autistic. A book like this would have meant so much to me growing up. More than anything, I hope Something More lands in front of readers who need it.
I have written a fictional ya contemporary romance based on my own experiences as a Palestinian-Canadian, autistic woman. I can not and do not speak for all Palestinians or all autistic women, girls or people who were AFAB. While I hope Palestinians and autistics see parts of themselves in Jessie or her family, I can only speak to my own lived experiences.
This is a kind reminder that Jessie, while relatable, is autistic. She doesn't always see things as clearly as you the reader see them. What is obvious or predictable to you, is not for Jessie, or many other autistic people.
Jessie in particular ruminates, reflects a lot and repeats actions as she processes her feelings and the actions of those around her. This is reflective of my experience as an autistic girl and it's how I chose to show autism on the page.
SOMETHING MORE features:
-an autistic 15 year-old high school freshman obsessed with the 90s
-complicated and sometimes messy friendships
-a loud, Arab family
-a Canadian high school setting
-a different kind of love triangle
-Seymour and Audrey vibes from Little Shop of Horrors
-and firsts
...one more thing...
#teamlevi or #teamgriffin ???
Content Warnings:
-ableism
-death of a grandparent
-racism
-adult/minor relationship (off-page)
-bullying
-teen drinking (in a social setting) and pot smoking
-cheating
Something More features a Palestinian-Canadian, autistic main character. I share the same identities as my main character, Jessie Kassis. I am so proud to be putting out a book that celebrates being both Palestinian and autistic. A book like this would have meant so much to me growing up. More than anything, I hope Something More lands in front of readers who need it.
I have written a fictional ya contemporary romance based on my own experiences as a Palestinian-Canadian, autistic woman. I can not and do not speak for all Palestinians or all autistic women, girls or people who were AFAB. While I hope Palestinians and autistics see parts of themselves in Jessie or her family, I can only speak to my own lived experiences.
This is a kind reminder that Jessie, while relatable, is autistic. She doesn't always see things as clearly as you the reader see them. What is obvious or predictable to you, is not for Jessie, or many other autistic people.
Jessie in particular ruminates, reflects a lot and repeats actions as she processes her feelings and the actions of those around her. This is reflective of my experience as an autistic girl and it's how I chose to show autism on the page.
SOMETHING MORE features:
-an autistic 15 year-old high school freshman obsessed with the 90s
-complicated and sometimes messy friendships
-a loud, Arab family
-a Canadian high school setting
-a different kind of love triangle
-Seymour and Audrey vibes from Little Shop of Horrors
-and firsts
...one more thing...
#teamlevi or #teamgriffin ???
Content Warnings:
-ableism
-death of a grandparent
-racism
-adult/minor relationship (off-page)
-bullying
-teen drinking (in a social setting) and pot smoking
-cheating
January 20, 2023
This is the best and most authentic-feeling YA novel I’ve read in years. The world is so immersive, and the characters and feelings and PINING are so real. The high school feels are so relatable (at times, almost uncomfortably so) to anyone who has ever fallen (and given up way too much of themself) for the wrong guy, or overlooked the right one. Such a well-done, realistic love triangle. (I’m very much in love with Griffin, and have continued to think about him daily, over a year after reading this book.) And all the female friendships are equally complex and real.
I found myself relating to Jessie completely (despite her being Palestinian/neurodivergent and me being white/non-ND) more than I ever have with any protagonist. Jackie is a pro at capturing all the universal emotions of being young and confused and hungry for adventure and experience, while expertly weaving in dazzling/thought-provoking lines that will stop you dead in your tracks.
Overall, my feelings can best be described the same way John Green described Eleanor and Park: “This reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl(boy), but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.”
5 stars is not enough!
I found myself relating to Jessie completely (despite her being Palestinian/neurodivergent and me being white/non-ND) more than I ever have with any protagonist. Jackie is a pro at capturing all the universal emotions of being young and confused and hungry for adventure and experience, while expertly weaving in dazzling/thought-provoking lines that will stop you dead in your tracks.
Overall, my feelings can best be described the same way John Green described Eleanor and Park: “This reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl(boy), but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.”
5 stars is not enough!
![Profile Image for ahana ⊹ [ ia ].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1745486243i%2F169798388._UX200_CR0%2C33%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 18, 2025
⤿ 🌿3 stars ︶ ⋆ ˙
you will always catch me getting completely immersed and hopelessly loving the adorable little romance books 🫂
⊹ ࣪ ˖ sometimes it feels like we’re in this alone, and the only way to survive is to be someone we’re not, someone we think other people will like. but all that does is make us prisoners of our own hate. and no one should hate who they are.
you will always catch me getting completely immersed and hopelessly loving the adorable little romance books 🫂
March 12, 2023
Something More is a messy and genuine story about a fifteen-year-old Christian Palestinian-Canadian girl on the autism spectrum.
When Jessie starts her first year of high school, she’s still dealing with her autism diagnosis. She knows she’s different. She knows she’s bad at social interactions. She knows she blurts out weird things. She knows she’s focussed on that one particular interest, in her case, music from the nineties. And she doesn’t want anyone to know that she’s autistic.
I’m pretty sure I’m neurodivergent and have DCD, which runs in my family. When you have DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder or Dyspraxia), your brain and body don’t communicate well together, and therefore you’re clumsy. Even though this condition is not well known, 5-6% of us have it. There are many similarities with other conditions like ADHD and autism, and there’s an increased likelihood of co-occurring conditions. So I might also be autistic, or just have DCD. I don’t know. What I do know is that I love to read books about neurodivergent people, like Something More.
What I liked most about this YA story is the messiness. Teens aren’t perfect people. In contrast even, they are flawed and egotistical, and pretty dramatic at times. And Jessie is all those things. Jackie Khalilieh pictures an authentic fifteen-year-old who is also on the autism spectrum, what makes the story even messier. I recognized so many characteristics: feeling different, being bad at social interactions, being focused, or even being obsessed with that one particular interest. I loved the comparison of that intense focus on one specific topic to a silo: a tall, narrow structure you fill up with information, and you can’t see outside it because you just want to swim in the details of the grains. And that part about wearing masks touched me deeply.
Next to being a story about autism, this is also a cute romance. Jessie meets two boys, Griffin and Levi, on her first day of school, and I immediatelely knew with which boy she would end up. So, I rooted for them both and smiled when they sang that duet.
There’s one small thing I liked less. Jessie didn’t have a phone. A fifteen-year-old who doesn’t have a phone?? Here all teens need a phone because they use an app for their schedule and homework.
I received an ARC from Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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When Jessie starts her first year of high school, she’s still dealing with her autism diagnosis. She knows she’s different. She knows she’s bad at social interactions. She knows she blurts out weird things. She knows she’s focussed on that one particular interest, in her case, music from the nineties. And she doesn’t want anyone to know that she’s autistic.
I’m pretty sure I’m neurodivergent and have DCD, which runs in my family. When you have DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder or Dyspraxia), your brain and body don’t communicate well together, and therefore you’re clumsy. Even though this condition is not well known, 5-6% of us have it. There are many similarities with other conditions like ADHD and autism, and there’s an increased likelihood of co-occurring conditions. So I might also be autistic, or just have DCD. I don’t know. What I do know is that I love to read books about neurodivergent people, like Something More.
What I liked most about this YA story is the messiness. Teens aren’t perfect people. In contrast even, they are flawed and egotistical, and pretty dramatic at times. And Jessie is all those things. Jackie Khalilieh pictures an authentic fifteen-year-old who is also on the autism spectrum, what makes the story even messier. I recognized so many characteristics: feeling different, being bad at social interactions, being focused, or even being obsessed with that one particular interest. I loved the comparison of that intense focus on one specific topic to a silo: a tall, narrow structure you fill up with information, and you can’t see outside it because you just want to swim in the details of the grains. And that part about wearing masks touched me deeply.
Next to being a story about autism, this is also a cute romance. Jessie meets two boys, Griffin and Levi, on her first day of school, and I immediatelely knew with which boy she would end up. So, I rooted for them both and smiled when they sang that duet.
There’s one small thing I liked less. Jessie didn’t have a phone. A fifteen-year-old who doesn’t have a phone?? Here all teens need a phone because they use an app for their schedule and homework.
I received an ARC from Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Follow me on Instagram
July 13, 2025
Disability Pride Month 2025 #1
I read this for many reasons:
▪️ it's Disability Pride Month, and this is one area I need to read more diversely in
▪️ the author is Palestinian-Canadian, and I am trying to read more Palestinian diaspora authors
▪️ I am on hold for YOU STARTED IT, rec'd by a friend
▪️ the fuckboi on the cover looks like the cute runner at work
Jessie is fifteen, a little awkward, and fresh off an autism diagnosis that I'm not sure anyone in her life really understands. While most of the world assumes the Palestinian diaspora is Muslim, Jessie's family actually practices Greek Orthodoxy. She attends Catholic school. It's close-ish. I'd say closer than Protestantism. I grew up Catholic. Read about the schisms if you wish. I wouldn't recommend it. Orthodox churches are the prettiest, in my opinion, although women having to be veiled in them irks me. Religion irks me.
While it's not quite a love triangle, there are two boys, as seen on the cover. Levi is the fuckboi. Look, if it looks like a fuckboi, talks like a fuckboi, and acts like a fuckboi, let's just assume it's a fuckboi. He acts like he likes Jessie, and maybe he does, but he's very belittling about her autism, even mansplaining to her that she doesn't really have it. He also plays with her feelings while dating another girl. I usually hate saying girl vs. woman, but these zygotes are in high school, so I feel the denotation is fine.
I found Griffin fine, if a little sad. Most of the reviewers seem to be into him. If you're into friends-to-lovers, this storyline is for you. Poor kid gets friendzoned and still tries. I'm not sure I felt the chemistry, and I would hate to be second best, even if to a fuckboi, but they're children, and they have their whole lives to make more dating mistakes. I can't talk. I'm still making them.
I read this for many reasons:
▪️ it's Disability Pride Month, and this is one area I need to read more diversely in
▪️ the author is Palestinian-Canadian, and I am trying to read more Palestinian diaspora authors
▪️ I am on hold for YOU STARTED IT, rec'd by a friend
▪️ the fuckboi on the cover looks like the cute runner at work
Jessie is fifteen, a little awkward, and fresh off an autism diagnosis that I'm not sure anyone in her life really understands. While most of the world assumes the Palestinian diaspora is Muslim, Jessie's family actually practices Greek Orthodoxy. She attends Catholic school. It's close-ish. I'd say closer than Protestantism. I grew up Catholic. Read about the schisms if you wish. I wouldn't recommend it. Orthodox churches are the prettiest, in my opinion, although women having to be veiled in them irks me. Religion irks me.
While it's not quite a love triangle, there are two boys, as seen on the cover. Levi is the fuckboi. Look, if it looks like a fuckboi, talks like a fuckboi, and acts like a fuckboi, let's just assume it's a fuckboi. He acts like he likes Jessie, and maybe he does, but he's very belittling about her autism, even mansplaining to her that she doesn't really have it. He also plays with her feelings while dating another girl. I usually hate saying girl vs. woman, but these zygotes are in high school, so I feel the denotation is fine.
I found Griffin fine, if a little sad. Most of the reviewers seem to be into him. If you're into friends-to-lovers, this storyline is for you. Poor kid gets friendzoned and still tries. I'm not sure I felt the chemistry, and I would hate to be second best, even if to a fuckboi, but they're children, and they have their whole lives to make more dating mistakes. I can't talk. I'm still making them.
November 30, 2023
I absolutely LOVED this!
It was so incredibly relatable, educational, addictive and one of the best YA contemporaries that I’ve ever read. Jesse was such a real character & I genuinely wish that I had this to read when I was in high school.
Thank you so much to Libro.FM for my alc 💜
5/5⭐️
It was so incredibly relatable, educational, addictive and one of the best YA contemporaries that I’ve ever read. Jesse was such a real character & I genuinely wish that I had this to read when I was in high school.
Thank you so much to Libro.FM for my alc 💜
5/5⭐️
September 17, 2023
I’m not crying, you’re crying😭😭😭
June 13, 2023
So after sitting with this one for a day and reaching out to some other readers and having some of my questions answered, I don't think I'm as mad at this book as I originally was but I am disappointed.
So first off it's quite clear that I am in the minority here where almost everyone loved this book and the people who didn't love it either are being shitty about the autistic representation or didn't finish it just based off of the reviews here on Goodreads. I had no issues with the autistic representation as an autistic reviewer and reader and I did actually finish the book so let's dissect the parts I didn't like.
Ironically it happens to be some of my own autistic traits that are causing me to nitpick and pick apart this book to a point where I don't like it. Sometimes I will hyper fixate on a few smaller details that ruin an entire story for me and I think that might be what happened here.
First off I got sort of an icky feeling from both the author's review and the language in the book where it exclusively describes autistic girls as autistic females. I have been talked off the ledge and am trying to work myself back down because it is scientific language but I think that there is a responsibility to stop using problematic language like this. Using the term females to describe girls and women can be both misogynistic and transphobic and I want to assume that the author didn't mean it this way but that's where my brain went. It's also worth noting that not once are boys or guys described as males. Autism does present differently in afab people and it is an important distinction. As an AFab person who has only recently discovered their autism at 27 years old, I am very well aware of how differently autistic traits present in girls versus boys and how stigmatized the medical field is against autistic girls and women.
Moving on, one of my biggest struggles with this were the plot holes and because I am the way I am I fixated on that and could not work past it. So one of the main things that our main character works through is her black and white thinking yet her black and white thinking is so inconsistent. For example, she has a "friend" who continuously cheats on a boyfriend and Jessie thinks that this is terrible yet at the same time she is interested in a guy who has a girlfriend and wants to be with him yet sees no issues with his behavior which is technically cheating. Then of course we have the second love interest who plays the best guy best friend the whole time and has the audacity to complain and bitch about this other guy having a girlfriend and how "he's never going to choose Jessie" and "don't you want someone to put you first" blah blah blah while he ALSO has a girlfriend! I even thought that I must have missed the moment when it's talked about where Griffin doesn't have a girlfriend anymore but I went back and skimmed through the physical book and could not find any mention of it and no one else had any answers for me. So at the beginning of this book Griffin has a girlfriend and he uses her as an excuse to not get with one of Jesse's friends, and then all of a sudden he's single and available for dating with no context changes. I'm still not over this and it's bugging me.
There's another super uncomfy part where Jessie tells one of the guys that she's autistic and he immediately goes "no you're not My brother's nonverbal autistic You're definitely not autistic" and while that is a realistic thing that happens and has happened to me and many other autistic girls, immediately after this moment Jessie starts blushing and flirting with the guy. In my discussions with other readers they pointed out that this is probably just teenage hormones and that me being asexual has made me have a bit of a bias and they're totally right but also I was very annoyed. Like girl he literally just insulted you and now you're flirting what's up with that?
Other plot holes are the fact that Jesse's supposedly super close with her brother yeah her brother barely is in this book at all. After there's a falling out with one of the friends the friend just literally disappears. Like where did she go? There's no way that she was quiet about that drama. Why is everyone cheating? And why is it okay for some people to do and not okay for others? It's not okay for anyone is the whole point here...
I feel like I was supposed to root for Griffin but honestly he felt like a dick too. He talks this big talk about understanding Jessie and knowing her better yet assumes the entire time they had a friendship that she knew and picked up on his social cues that he was interested in her.
That leads me to my last point that I should have realized sooner but I didn't that the whole premise of this book is that romantic relationships are something more than friendships. It took me until the very end of this book where it literally spells it out in a sentence that I realize that was the route it was taking. So not only is there not a single queer person in this book, but the whole idea is aphobic. And before someone comes for me that it's a romance novel and whatever, it is possible to be inclusive and have some basic recognition that platonic relationships and friendships can be just as valuable and important as romantic relationships. This book has a very cut and dry hierarchical approach to relationships that rubbed me the wrong way.
It's been a minute since I have felt so removed from a book and it's a very odd feeling when you know that so many others have connected so strongly with a story. I was supposed to have this for a book tour and had these super high expectations after seeing one of my favorite authors blurb it and one of my favorite artists create promo material for it and knowing that it was own voices autistic representation, but it was such a letdown for me.
So first off it's quite clear that I am in the minority here where almost everyone loved this book and the people who didn't love it either are being shitty about the autistic representation or didn't finish it just based off of the reviews here on Goodreads. I had no issues with the autistic representation as an autistic reviewer and reader and I did actually finish the book so let's dissect the parts I didn't like.
Ironically it happens to be some of my own autistic traits that are causing me to nitpick and pick apart this book to a point where I don't like it. Sometimes I will hyper fixate on a few smaller details that ruin an entire story for me and I think that might be what happened here.
First off I got sort of an icky feeling from both the author's review and the language in the book where it exclusively describes autistic girls as autistic females. I have been talked off the ledge and am trying to work myself back down because it is scientific language but I think that there is a responsibility to stop using problematic language like this. Using the term females to describe girls and women can be both misogynistic and transphobic and I want to assume that the author didn't mean it this way but that's where my brain went. It's also worth noting that not once are boys or guys described as males. Autism does present differently in afab people and it is an important distinction. As an AFab person who has only recently discovered their autism at 27 years old, I am very well aware of how differently autistic traits present in girls versus boys and how stigmatized the medical field is against autistic girls and women.
Moving on, one of my biggest struggles with this were the plot holes and because I am the way I am I fixated on that and could not work past it. So one of the main things that our main character works through is her black and white thinking yet her black and white thinking is so inconsistent. For example, she has a "friend" who continuously cheats on a boyfriend and Jessie thinks that this is terrible yet at the same time she is interested in a guy who has a girlfriend and wants to be with him yet sees no issues with his behavior which is technically cheating. Then of course we have the second love interest who plays the best guy best friend the whole time and has the audacity to complain and bitch about this other guy having a girlfriend and how "he's never going to choose Jessie" and "don't you want someone to put you first" blah blah blah while he ALSO has a girlfriend! I even thought that I must have missed the moment when it's talked about where Griffin doesn't have a girlfriend anymore but I went back and skimmed through the physical book and could not find any mention of it and no one else had any answers for me. So at the beginning of this book Griffin has a girlfriend and he uses her as an excuse to not get with one of Jesse's friends, and then all of a sudden he's single and available for dating with no context changes. I'm still not over this and it's bugging me.
There's another super uncomfy part where Jessie tells one of the guys that she's autistic and he immediately goes "no you're not My brother's nonverbal autistic You're definitely not autistic" and while that is a realistic thing that happens and has happened to me and many other autistic girls, immediately after this moment Jessie starts blushing and flirting with the guy. In my discussions with other readers they pointed out that this is probably just teenage hormones and that me being asexual has made me have a bit of a bias and they're totally right but also I was very annoyed. Like girl he literally just insulted you and now you're flirting what's up with that?
Other plot holes are the fact that Jesse's supposedly super close with her brother yeah her brother barely is in this book at all. After there's a falling out with one of the friends the friend just literally disappears. Like where did she go? There's no way that she was quiet about that drama. Why is everyone cheating? And why is it okay for some people to do and not okay for others? It's not okay for anyone is the whole point here...
I feel like I was supposed to root for Griffin but honestly he felt like a dick too. He talks this big talk about understanding Jessie and knowing her better yet assumes the entire time they had a friendship that she knew and picked up on his social cues that he was interested in her.
That leads me to my last point that I should have realized sooner but I didn't that the whole premise of this book is that romantic relationships are something more than friendships. It took me until the very end of this book where it literally spells it out in a sentence that I realize that was the route it was taking. So not only is there not a single queer person in this book, but the whole idea is aphobic. And before someone comes for me that it's a romance novel and whatever, it is possible to be inclusive and have some basic recognition that platonic relationships and friendships can be just as valuable and important as romantic relationships. This book has a very cut and dry hierarchical approach to relationships that rubbed me the wrong way.
It's been a minute since I have felt so removed from a book and it's a very odd feeling when you know that so many others have connected so strongly with a story. I was supposed to have this for a book tour and had these super high expectations after seeing one of my favorite authors blurb it and one of my favorite artists create promo material for it and knowing that it was own voices autistic representation, but it was such a letdown for me.
April 29, 2025
I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for this book twice, which tells you how much I love Jessie’s story. It’s unique because there’s a neurodiverse female teenage lead, yet her autism isn’t the main focus of the story. We need more books like this, where we can see ND characters just living their lives!
15-year-old Jessie is everything you’d expect a girl her age to be: awkward, curious about boys, and struggling to find out how she fits into her traditional Palestinian-Canadian family as a young adult, rather than a child. And being recently diagnosed as autistic adds even more to her plate.
When Jessie starts a new high school with a clean slate, she’s assimilated by a fierce girls-only clique, who may or may not have her best interests at heart. Should Jessie share her truth with her new friends, or keep masking? And how should she react to lazy, cool Levi, who hangs around with her only when nobody’s watching? Or will sparks fly with friendly, kind drama king Griffin?
Something More is a beautifully written, joyous, and often laugh-out-loud funny take on teenage girldom, perfect for those who love coming-of-age stories with all the feels.
15-year-old Jessie is everything you’d expect a girl her age to be: awkward, curious about boys, and struggling to find out how she fits into her traditional Palestinian-Canadian family as a young adult, rather than a child. And being recently diagnosed as autistic adds even more to her plate.
When Jessie starts a new high school with a clean slate, she’s assimilated by a fierce girls-only clique, who may or may not have her best interests at heart. Should Jessie share her truth with her new friends, or keep masking? And how should she react to lazy, cool Levi, who hangs around with her only when nobody’s watching? Or will sparks fly with friendly, kind drama king Griffin?
Something More is a beautifully written, joyous, and often laugh-out-loud funny take on teenage girldom, perfect for those who love coming-of-age stories with all the feels.
Want to read
July 29, 2022Autistic girls in books >>>>>
SO glad to see it, especially on the younger end of YA!
SO glad to see it, especially on the younger end of YA!
February 21, 2024
these teens were messyy omg
(also i am a number one levi hater)
(also i am a number one levi hater)
August 5, 2022
I had the privilege of being a beta reader for this hilarious, heartwarming book and I'm ECSTATIC that it'll be on bookshelves soon.
Jessie is an unforgettable character. Iconic. She's about to start high school, was recently diagnosed with autism, and one of the most relatable and funny MCs I've ever read. Both teens and adults will connect with her, trust me.
Palestinian and autistic rep is something I've never read in a book before, just one of the reasons why this story is so important. People who've never seen themselves in books will finally get to!
Throw in a love triangle for the ages, a dynamic family, and a fun musical theatre plotline, and you have yourself an incredible laugh-out-loud YA story.
It gave me Never Have I Ever meets My So Called Life vibes, but for a slightly younger audience.
Jackie Khalilieh is an author to watch!! 🌟
Jessie is an unforgettable character. Iconic. She's about to start high school, was recently diagnosed with autism, and one of the most relatable and funny MCs I've ever read. Both teens and adults will connect with her, trust me.
Palestinian and autistic rep is something I've never read in a book before, just one of the reasons why this story is so important. People who've never seen themselves in books will finally get to!
Throw in a love triangle for the ages, a dynamic family, and a fun musical theatre plotline, and you have yourself an incredible laugh-out-loud YA story.
It gave me Never Have I Ever meets My So Called Life vibes, but for a slightly younger audience.
Jackie Khalilieh is an author to watch!! 🌟
November 11, 2023
I love this book so very much!! Long story short: 5 stars, would recommend to absolutely anyone, groundbreaking and important authentic representation that sets the bar high, and refreshing YA storytelling.
Something More has been my most anticipated read of 2023, and it did not disappoint. The way Jackie Khalilieh approaches telling a story that creates positive, authentic representation is excellent and a breath of fresh air. This book doesn’t seek to fit into neurotypical, white, or American standards, but instead forces the standards to evolve to include narratives it always should have included but so rarely does. It is powerfully autistic, shamelessly Palestinian-Canadian, and deeply intersectional—and the way it does this is by simply existing.
The story is told so naturally through an extremely close first-person perspective of an autistic girl. As an autistic woman who saw a lot of her younger self in Jessie, even I didn’t know what to do with this at first because I am so not used to seeing autism shown with such completeness, affinity, and disregard for allistic norms. I love it! My expectations for autism/disability rep have forever been raised!
I loved the story and the characters, but just about anything could’ve happened in the plot and I would still be hearing singing Jackie Khalilieh’s praises because where this book shines is in her immersive writing.
Things are revealed to the reader when Jessie comes to understand them, not when the story necessitates them. Things aren’t presented as black and white, they just are black and white because that’s how Jessie sees them. The way autism is represented in Jessies’s thought processes, inner monologues, worries and excitements, actions and behaviors, goals and interests—it’s incredible and so rich. Jessie’s emotions are big and they swing back and forth all the time. She feels so deeply and gets so deep into things—people included. She is working on overdrive to figure out the right thing to say and do in every moment. (Oof, too relatable.) The book perfectly captures the dialectic of autism—you don’t fit in or like the fakeness that so many people rely on (especially in high school) and at the same time, you’re always working hard to mask and pretend to survive. I know this all too well and it’s so hard to explain. This book illustrates it, not explains it.
This book is slice of life. This book is authentic. This book throws you into the deep end of being an autistic teenager and says “learn to swim here or drown.” People might not understand the book, they might not understand Jessie. But that’s because they don’t understand autism. And books like this? They help change that and move the needle forward. People will read this book and gain a better understanding of what autism really looks and feels like. This may happen by the time they finish reading, or this book may be a seed that will bloom later. Either way, that’s real impact. And some people will see themselves in Jessie. People will realize their autistic thanks to this book. People will learn to love themselves thanks to this book. People will be moved to tell their own stories and ditch their shame thanks to this book. Something More is making the world better and changing lives, point blank. We need more books like this and more authors like Jackie Khalilieh.
And I know I said anything could’ve happened in this book and I still would’ve loved it, but I do adore the plot. It was so fun watching Jessie navigate being the point of a love triangle, sneak her way into the school musical, make (and keep) new friends, and connect deeper with her family. This book has everything from New Year’s Eve festivities to bra shopping to epic Valentine’s Day karaoke to football game friendship drama and so much more. It was such a treat to spend Jessie’s freshman year with her. Can’t recommend it enough :)
Something More has been my most anticipated read of 2023, and it did not disappoint. The way Jackie Khalilieh approaches telling a story that creates positive, authentic representation is excellent and a breath of fresh air. This book doesn’t seek to fit into neurotypical, white, or American standards, but instead forces the standards to evolve to include narratives it always should have included but so rarely does. It is powerfully autistic, shamelessly Palestinian-Canadian, and deeply intersectional—and the way it does this is by simply existing.
The story is told so naturally through an extremely close first-person perspective of an autistic girl. As an autistic woman who saw a lot of her younger self in Jessie, even I didn’t know what to do with this at first because I am so not used to seeing autism shown with such completeness, affinity, and disregard for allistic norms. I love it! My expectations for autism/disability rep have forever been raised!
I loved the story and the characters, but just about anything could’ve happened in the plot and I would still be hearing singing Jackie Khalilieh’s praises because where this book shines is in her immersive writing.
Things are revealed to the reader when Jessie comes to understand them, not when the story necessitates them. Things aren’t presented as black and white, they just are black and white because that’s how Jessie sees them. The way autism is represented in Jessies’s thought processes, inner monologues, worries and excitements, actions and behaviors, goals and interests—it’s incredible and so rich. Jessie’s emotions are big and they swing back and forth all the time. She feels so deeply and gets so deep into things—people included. She is working on overdrive to figure out the right thing to say and do in every moment. (Oof, too relatable.) The book perfectly captures the dialectic of autism—you don’t fit in or like the fakeness that so many people rely on (especially in high school) and at the same time, you’re always working hard to mask and pretend to survive. I know this all too well and it’s so hard to explain. This book illustrates it, not explains it.
This book is slice of life. This book is authentic. This book throws you into the deep end of being an autistic teenager and says “learn to swim here or drown.” People might not understand the book, they might not understand Jessie. But that’s because they don’t understand autism. And books like this? They help change that and move the needle forward. People will read this book and gain a better understanding of what autism really looks and feels like. This may happen by the time they finish reading, or this book may be a seed that will bloom later. Either way, that’s real impact. And some people will see themselves in Jessie. People will realize their autistic thanks to this book. People will learn to love themselves thanks to this book. People will be moved to tell their own stories and ditch their shame thanks to this book. Something More is making the world better and changing lives, point blank. We need more books like this and more authors like Jackie Khalilieh.
And I know I said anything could’ve happened in this book and I still would’ve loved it, but I do adore the plot. It was so fun watching Jessie navigate being the point of a love triangle, sneak her way into the school musical, make (and keep) new friends, and connect deeper with her family. This book has everything from New Year’s Eve festivities to bra shopping to epic Valentine’s Day karaoke to football game friendship drama and so much more. It was such a treat to spend Jessie’s freshman year with her. Can’t recommend it enough :)
August 9, 2023
4.5 stars rounded up
A romance-heavy teen coming of age story with an autistic, Palestinian heroine. Something More was really fantastic and is going to be perfect for teenagers, especially on the younger end of YA.
The summer before her first year of highschool, Jessie gets an autism diagnosis and is determined to keep it a secret and learn how to fit in (and maybe get her first kiss). She ends up caught up in complicated friendships, a major crush, and a boy who might be her new best friend. Or more? As a neurospicy person myself this felt VERY relatable to the challenges of navigating social cues as a teenager with lots of messy emotions and conflicting pressures. Jessie's growth arc feels authentic and this is a great example of how to properly do a love triangle in a way that matches genuine teen experiences. The audio narration is great as well and I for sure recommend this. I received an audio copy of this book for review from Libro.FM, all opinions are my own.
A romance-heavy teen coming of age story with an autistic, Palestinian heroine. Something More was really fantastic and is going to be perfect for teenagers, especially on the younger end of YA.
The summer before her first year of highschool, Jessie gets an autism diagnosis and is determined to keep it a secret and learn how to fit in (and maybe get her first kiss). She ends up caught up in complicated friendships, a major crush, and a boy who might be her new best friend. Or more? As a neurospicy person myself this felt VERY relatable to the challenges of navigating social cues as a teenager with lots of messy emotions and conflicting pressures. Jessie's growth arc feels authentic and this is a great example of how to properly do a love triangle in a way that matches genuine teen experiences. The audio narration is great as well and I for sure recommend this. I received an audio copy of this book for review from Libro.FM, all opinions are my own.
May 7, 2023
I got to read an ARC of this through Netgalley. It is being released in mid-June.
YA romance, first person, single POV, MC is a Palestinian-Canadian girl diagnosed autistic the summer before her first year of high school. While definitely a romance, it's also a novel of self-acceptance as Jessie learns to navigate her diagnosis and deals with high school social life and conscious decisions about masking and unmasking. The love triangle (yes, there is a love triangle) is in some ways fairly conventional, but I think very well executed-- even while there is a clear "right guy," the other one has his moments. I guess some reviewers have trouble believing that Jessie is oblivious to one boy's romantic interest for as long as she is. All I can say is those readers are (a) obviously neurotypical and (b) not internalizing what the novel clearly communicates about Jessie's reading of social cues directed at her that don't fit with a current paradigm. It's SUPER realistic.
The romance plot is cute and compelling, but the things that make this a great read are: (1) Jessie's narrative voice!!!! She is such a real and endearing teen narrator, and it is a delightfully voicey book. (2) The friendships, which are much more of an unconventional emotional rollercoaster than the romance plot, because Jessie has always been the weird kid and is trying to figure out how to make friends and sustain friendships, and it is hard and confusing and frustrating and ultimately mostly rewarding. (3) The autistic rep, by an actually autistic author, is so good, and autism is enmeshed in the story, but it isn't an autism story, it's a love story. She's just getting to be a teenager, with an extra layer of challenge. And I can't wait to get this book into students' hands.
YA romance, first person, single POV, MC is a Palestinian-Canadian girl diagnosed autistic the summer before her first year of high school. While definitely a romance, it's also a novel of self-acceptance as Jessie learns to navigate her diagnosis and deals with high school social life and conscious decisions about masking and unmasking. The love triangle (yes, there is a love triangle) is in some ways fairly conventional, but I think very well executed-- even while there is a clear "right guy," the other one has his moments. I guess some reviewers have trouble believing that Jessie is oblivious to one boy's romantic interest for as long as she is. All I can say is those readers are (a) obviously neurotypical and (b) not internalizing what the novel clearly communicates about Jessie's reading of social cues directed at her that don't fit with a current paradigm. It's SUPER realistic.
The romance plot is cute and compelling, but the things that make this a great read are: (1) Jessie's narrative voice!!!! She is such a real and endearing teen narrator, and it is a delightfully voicey book. (2) The friendships, which are much more of an unconventional emotional rollercoaster than the romance plot, because Jessie has always been the weird kid and is trying to figure out how to make friends and sustain friendships, and it is hard and confusing and frustrating and ultimately mostly rewarding. (3) The autistic rep, by an actually autistic author, is so good, and autism is enmeshed in the story, but it isn't an autism story, it's a love story. She's just getting to be a teenager, with an extra layer of challenge. And I can't wait to get this book into students' hands.
June 13, 2023
Jackie did something very special with this debut. She created characters I fell in love with…and that’s evident by the fact that I remember their names. I forget character names instantly, but Griffin and Jessie are two of the best YA characters I’ve ever come across.
Also her writing was gorgeous. There was a lot of stuff that made me smile, some things that made me angry, and some lines I had to highlight because of how good they were.
If you’re looking for a contemporary to read, this is one I can’t recommend enough. Khalilieh is on her way to becoming a favourite author.
Also her writing was gorgeous. There was a lot of stuff that made me smile, some things that made me angry, and some lines I had to highlight because of how good they were.
If you’re looking for a contemporary to read, this is one I can’t recommend enough. Khalilieh is on her way to becoming a favourite author.
June 2, 2023
As someone diagnosed with autism recently as an adult, I wish I would’ve had a book like this as a teenager. I related to Jessie and her struggles so much! More to come.
January 29, 2024
I came for the Palestinian-Canadian representation but stayed for the autism representation. It's another one of these books which I wish had existed when I was a teenager and I'm glad exists for the current generation of teens.
December 23, 2022
“I’ve gotten used to playing the supporting character.”
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!
This book is like a 90s romcom comfort movie. But make the MC Arab and autistic. Basically, it’s perfect.
First, I want to say I’ve seen a lot of reviews about this book. And after reading it, I think a lot of these complaints…would not exist if this was book written by a white author. Nearly every rom com I’ve read or watched that features a white MC has received glowing reviews, and it does nothing more or less than what this book has done. That, and a lot of people who aren’t autistic are claiming to understand autism better than the author who wrote this. Frankly, it’s annoying that this book is getting worse reviews than any of the very problematic books I’ve read written by white authors that don’t include any mental disorders. Keep that in mind when scrolling through these reviews!
Characters: our main girl Jessie is a 15 year old about to step into high school for the first time. If that’s not terrifying enough, she was also just diagnosed with autism. Having felt like the odd one amongst her family and friends her whole life, this comes as no surprise to Jessie. But in order to maneuver her way through high school, she decides to keep it a secret and try to appear as “normal” as possible.
I absolutely adored Jessie. From the cover, I was expecting a basic short quirky MC who’s naturally pretty and gets everything without much effort. One page in, I could tell I was wrong. Jessie is so fun to read. She’s very aware of herself and the people around her, she analyzes social situations and people and tries to understand her place in all of it. But she doesn’t let anyone step all over her, and can be blunt and tends to straight to the point. I think she’s by far the most interesting character pov I’ve read so far. I liked how distinct her voice was, and I know a lot of it had to do with her autism. This gave me a lot of perspective on the way autistic people think and feel. Even though Jessie resonated with me personally, I could still tell there were differences in the way me and her responded to situations and people. But I absolutely loved reading about her.
Romance: Jessie meets two boys in this book, the first is your average bad boy and the other is a much more shy, quiet type. (I won’t spoil who she ends up with). I really liked how the romance ended, I was definitely rooting for the endgame couple throughout the whole book. I do wish we got to explore their relationship a little more before the end, but I liked the development of their friendship over the course of the book.
I heard a lot of people complain about how oblivious Jessie was to the interests of one of the characters. Which I’m kind of surprised people found an issue with! Jessie’s sister mentions that she gets tunnel vision around her crushes, and Jessie goes on to do just that. She becomes hyper focused on one person, one relationship, one goal. It takes all her attention and her interest. I wasn’t surprised at all when she didn’t quite realize anyone else was interested in her romantically until they came out and said it. It was slightly frustrating, but definitely more rewarding at the end.
Family: okay, this is probably where my main issues lie. I really liked Jessie’s family! I liked her relationship with her father which resonated with me on a personal level, I loved how much her brother cared about her. Her sister was an interesting character, but she definitely bothered me. I didn’t like her all that much, but I can appreciate the development their relationship went through. But overall, I just didn’t feel like I was reading about a Palestinian family. This might just be a personal thing, but the fact that she was Palestinian was brought up maybe twice. I was SO excited to see a girl from the same place as me get to fall in love and live the rom com life, but she didn’t feel very Arab to me. I related to Jessie on many levels, but not at all culturally which was a bummer! Her family didn’t seem all that interested in bringing up their past, and when they come to travel to Palestine…it was met with annoyance from the kids.
In my experience, Palestinians grow with a lot of love and longing for the homeland. It really affects our choices and our personalities. Jessie’s dad had this, but everyone else seemed to have adapted completely into the western life, and that was really disappointing to me.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I hope we can see more romances like this with characters who are shamelessly themselves. I highly recommend it if you’ve enjoyed books like The Summer I Turned Pretty and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before!
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!
This book is like a 90s romcom comfort movie. But make the MC Arab and autistic. Basically, it’s perfect.
First, I want to say I’ve seen a lot of reviews about this book. And after reading it, I think a lot of these complaints…would not exist if this was book written by a white author. Nearly every rom com I’ve read or watched that features a white MC has received glowing reviews, and it does nothing more or less than what this book has done. That, and a lot of people who aren’t autistic are claiming to understand autism better than the author who wrote this. Frankly, it’s annoying that this book is getting worse reviews than any of the very problematic books I’ve read written by white authors that don’t include any mental disorders. Keep that in mind when scrolling through these reviews!
Characters: our main girl Jessie is a 15 year old about to step into high school for the first time. If that’s not terrifying enough, she was also just diagnosed with autism. Having felt like the odd one amongst her family and friends her whole life, this comes as no surprise to Jessie. But in order to maneuver her way through high school, she decides to keep it a secret and try to appear as “normal” as possible.
I absolutely adored Jessie. From the cover, I was expecting a basic short quirky MC who’s naturally pretty and gets everything without much effort. One page in, I could tell I was wrong. Jessie is so fun to read. She’s very aware of herself and the people around her, she analyzes social situations and people and tries to understand her place in all of it. But she doesn’t let anyone step all over her, and can be blunt and tends to straight to the point. I think she’s by far the most interesting character pov I’ve read so far. I liked how distinct her voice was, and I know a lot of it had to do with her autism. This gave me a lot of perspective on the way autistic people think and feel. Even though Jessie resonated with me personally, I could still tell there were differences in the way me and her responded to situations and people. But I absolutely loved reading about her.
Romance: Jessie meets two boys in this book, the first is your average bad boy and the other is a much more shy, quiet type. (I won’t spoil who she ends up with). I really liked how the romance ended, I was definitely rooting for the endgame couple throughout the whole book. I do wish we got to explore their relationship a little more before the end, but I liked the development of their friendship over the course of the book.
I heard a lot of people complain about how oblivious Jessie was to the interests of one of the characters. Which I’m kind of surprised people found an issue with! Jessie’s sister mentions that she gets tunnel vision around her crushes, and Jessie goes on to do just that. She becomes hyper focused on one person, one relationship, one goal. It takes all her attention and her interest. I wasn’t surprised at all when she didn’t quite realize anyone else was interested in her romantically until they came out and said it. It was slightly frustrating, but definitely more rewarding at the end.
Family: okay, this is probably where my main issues lie. I really liked Jessie’s family! I liked her relationship with her father which resonated with me on a personal level, I loved how much her brother cared about her. Her sister was an interesting character, but she definitely bothered me. I didn’t like her all that much, but I can appreciate the development their relationship went through. But overall, I just didn’t feel like I was reading about a Palestinian family. This might just be a personal thing, but the fact that she was Palestinian was brought up maybe twice. I was SO excited to see a girl from the same place as me get to fall in love and live the rom com life, but she didn’t feel very Arab to me. I related to Jessie on many levels, but not at all culturally which was a bummer! Her family didn’t seem all that interested in bringing up their past, and when they come to travel to Palestine…it was met with annoyance from the kids.
In my experience, Palestinians grow with a lot of love and longing for the homeland. It really affects our choices and our personalities. Jessie’s dad had this, but everyone else seemed to have adapted completely into the western life, and that was really disappointing to me.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I hope we can see more romances like this with characters who are shamelessly themselves. I highly recommend it if you’ve enjoyed books like The Summer I Turned Pretty and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before!
May 31, 2025
Cute, sweet, easy to read. I only yelled “NOOOOO GET IT TOGETHER” out loud a few times at Jessie and then reminded myself this is YA and they’re only 15/16 lmao
December 12, 2024
Well this was freaking awesome!
I love finding new authors, and even better when they reside in Canada and use Canada as a location in their books.
Enter Jackie Khalilieh with her fabulous characters, delightful story and just enough drama to make it pop!
Jessie is wonderful and I was rooting for her the whole time hoping she got her HEA.
This is Khalilieh's debut and I cannot wait to read anything else she writes in the future!
I love finding new authors, and even better when they reside in Canada and use Canada as a location in their books.
Enter Jackie Khalilieh with her fabulous characters, delightful story and just enough drama to make it pop!
Jessie is wonderful and I was rooting for her the whole time hoping she got her HEA.
This is Khalilieh's debut and I cannot wait to read anything else she writes in the future!
October 26, 2022
I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I had the honor of beta reading it — and I know everyone says this, but I actually laughed out loud and cried. A lot. I felt all the feels. Khalilieh is a brilliant writer and successfully gets inside the raw, awkward, first crush, vulnerable, and wonderful emotions of teenage everything. Including Palestinian and autistic rep, this book is a must read. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
December 3, 2023
˚˖𓍢ִ ໋ 3.5 stars ࿐
⤿ no spice!
❝i'm like a disposable camera someone forgot to develop, left behind, the memories gone with them.❞
typically, i don’t pick up contemporary-romance books, as i prefer reading fantasy, but this book was so cute! i read it in less than two days and am glad i did!!
this book follows jessie who was recently diagnosed with autism as she navigates life as a freshman high schooler. i really liked her character! her obsession with 90’s media was so cool and i loved seeing her grow and gain confidence throughout the book! the rest of the characters were just okay. other than griffin, i didn’t particularly care for any of them! also the amount of cheating in this book was craaazy. but idk maybe that’s what it’s like in a public high school.
the romance was…interesting to say the least. i hated levi. if he treated me the way he treated jessie i would’ve dumped his sorry ass so quickly. literally never would’ve spoken to him again. griffin on the other hand was the sweetest, cutest, kindest, person ever. he’s amazing and treated jessie so perfectly!!
i loved seeing the representation!! i rarely read books with arab characters, so i was really excited when i heard jessie was palestinian! and i loved reading about a young girl’s experience with autism. it was quite insightful! <3
overall, this book was good! it didn’t blow me away or leave me with wanting more, but i still recommend it!!
❝when you really stop to think about it, our weaknesses and quirks, the things we spend so much time trying to hide from others, these are the things that make us beautiful.❞
⤿ no spice!
❝i'm like a disposable camera someone forgot to develop, left behind, the memories gone with them.❞
typically, i don’t pick up contemporary-romance books, as i prefer reading fantasy, but this book was so cute! i read it in less than two days and am glad i did!!
this book follows jessie who was recently diagnosed with autism as she navigates life as a freshman high schooler. i really liked her character! her obsession with 90’s media was so cool and i loved seeing her grow and gain confidence throughout the book! the rest of the characters were just okay. other than griffin, i didn’t particularly care for any of them! also the amount of cheating in this book was craaazy. but idk maybe that’s what it’s like in a public high school.
the romance was…interesting to say the least. i hated levi. if he treated me the way he treated jessie i would’ve dumped his sorry ass so quickly. literally never would’ve spoken to him again. griffin on the other hand was the sweetest, cutest, kindest, person ever. he’s amazing and treated jessie so perfectly!!
i loved seeing the representation!! i rarely read books with arab characters, so i was really excited when i heard jessie was palestinian! and i loved reading about a young girl’s experience with autism. it was quite insightful! <3
overall, this book was good! it didn’t blow me away or leave me with wanting more, but i still recommend it!!
❝when you really stop to think about it, our weaknesses and quirks, the things we spend so much time trying to hide from others, these are the things that make us beautiful.❞
July 23, 2024
12+
"– I co powiedziałeś?
Przeczesuje włosy dłonią, nadal nie chcąc spojrzeć mi w oczy.
– Zgodziłeś się, tak? – pytam łamiącym się głosem."
Piętnastoletnia Jessie właśnie otrzymała diagnozę autyzmu. Jest Palestynką, która
wyróżniała się kolorem skóry w dzielnicy, której mieszkała. Wiedziała, że jest inna od swoich rówieśników. Czuła się odrzucona przez znajomych. Wraz z nowym rokiem szkolnym, chce, żeby coś się zmieniło. Zaczyna tworzyć listę celów, które chce zrealizować. Natomiast korytarze liceum pokazują jej, że nie wszystko jest kolorowe i czarno- białe. A jej lista może ulec nieco zmianom...
"Siedząc tak, przypominam sobie te wszystkie przerwy w szkole, które spędzałam sama na małej górce na placu zabaw, podczas gdy dookoła bawiły się pozostałe dzieci. Wróciłam do miejsca, gdzie zaczęłam. Byłam naiwna, myśląc, że jestem teraz kimś więcej. Nieważne, jak mocno staram się być tą nową wersją Jessie – wygląda na to, że nie mogę uciec od tego, kim byłam i kim naprawdę jestem."
Kiedy zaczęłam czytać tę historię, nie mogłam się oderwać. Jessie jest świetnie wykreowaną bohaterką, która w moim odbiorze była bardzo autentyczna. Całą sobą czułam jej myśli i uczucia, ponieważ nie miała łatwo w gronie z powodu autyzmu. Autorka świetnie przestawiła temat dopasowywania się do grupy i udając przy tym, kim się nie jest. Po to, żeby zostać zaakceptowaną i mieć przyjaciół, zamiast móc swobodnie być po prostu sobą. Ta jak główna bohaterka. Myślę, że poniekąd wiedziałam w niej dawną siebie z czasów szkolnych. Dla mnie to bolesne, że czasami nie można pokazać, jakim się naprawdę jest. Bardzo polubiłam też Griffina, który był dobrym przyjacielem dla Jessie. Podobało mi się, w jaki sposób ją traktował. Natomiast nie mogę tego powiedzieć o Levim, który powiem wam szczerze, że zdecydowanie więcej mnie irytował swoim zachowaniem w stosunku do głównej bohaterki. Wątki zawarte w tej książce zostały bardzo dobrze poprowadzone, ale zabrakło mi tu trochę może bardziej zainwestowania w wątek romantyczny, oczywiście nie było tragedii. Było świetnie. Chociaż myślę, że teraz kiedy minęło kilka dni od kiedy skończyłam tę świetną młodzieżówkę, to wątek romantyczny był idealny, ponieważ według mnie nie o relację romantyczną tu tak naprawdę chodziło.
"Jessie K. Chce Czegoś Więcej" to ważna i wartościowa młodzieżówka, którą bardzo polecam. Jessie jest nastolatką, która tak jak każdy inny z nas nauczył i uczy się lubić i akceptować siebie, jakim jest.
#JessieK.Chceczegoświęcej#SomethingMore#pierwszamiłość#początekliceum#listacelówdozrealizowania#neuroróżnorodność#rodzina#rodzeństwo#przyjaźń#dostosywaniesiędoinnych
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"– I co powiedziałeś?
Przeczesuje włosy dłonią, nadal nie chcąc spojrzeć mi w oczy.
– Zgodziłeś się, tak? – pytam łamiącym się głosem."
Piętnastoletnia Jessie właśnie otrzymała diagnozę autyzmu. Jest Palestynką, która
wyróżniała się kolorem skóry w dzielnicy, której mieszkała. Wiedziała, że jest inna od swoich rówieśników. Czuła się odrzucona przez znajomych. Wraz z nowym rokiem szkolnym, chce, żeby coś się zmieniło. Zaczyna tworzyć listę celów, które chce zrealizować. Natomiast korytarze liceum pokazują jej, że nie wszystko jest kolorowe i czarno- białe. A jej lista może ulec nieco zmianom...
"Siedząc tak, przypominam sobie te wszystkie przerwy w szkole, które spędzałam sama na małej górce na placu zabaw, podczas gdy dookoła bawiły się pozostałe dzieci. Wróciłam do miejsca, gdzie zaczęłam. Byłam naiwna, myśląc, że jestem teraz kimś więcej. Nieważne, jak mocno staram się być tą nową wersją Jessie – wygląda na to, że nie mogę uciec od tego, kim byłam i kim naprawdę jestem."
Kiedy zaczęłam czytać tę historię, nie mogłam się oderwać. Jessie jest świetnie wykreowaną bohaterką, która w moim odbiorze była bardzo autentyczna. Całą sobą czułam jej myśli i uczucia, ponieważ nie miała łatwo w gronie z powodu autyzmu. Autorka świetnie przestawiła temat dopasowywania się do grupy i udając przy tym, kim się nie jest. Po to, żeby zostać zaakceptowaną i mieć przyjaciół, zamiast móc swobodnie być po prostu sobą. Ta jak główna bohaterka. Myślę, że poniekąd wiedziałam w niej dawną siebie z czasów szkolnych. Dla mnie to bolesne, że czasami nie można pokazać, jakim się naprawdę jest. Bardzo polubiłam też Griffina, który był dobrym przyjacielem dla Jessie. Podobało mi się, w jaki sposób ją traktował. Natomiast nie mogę tego powiedzieć o Levim, który powiem wam szczerze, że zdecydowanie więcej mnie irytował swoim zachowaniem w stosunku do głównej bohaterki. Wątki zawarte w tej książce zostały bardzo dobrze poprowadzone, ale zabrakło mi tu trochę może bardziej zainwestowania w wątek romantyczny, oczywiście nie było tragedii. Było świetnie. Chociaż myślę, że teraz kiedy minęło kilka dni od kiedy skończyłam tę świetną młodzieżówkę, to wątek romantyczny był idealny, ponieważ według mnie nie o relację romantyczną tu tak naprawdę chodziło.
"Jessie K. Chce Czegoś Więcej" to ważna i wartościowa młodzieżówka, którą bardzo polecam. Jessie jest nastolatką, która tak jak każdy inny z nas nauczył i uczy się lubić i akceptować siebie, jakim jest.
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August 29, 2023
Let one thing be clear: I dislike the love triangle trope. And I knew, going into this, that the whole premise of this book is a girl finding herself in one of these. I only really picked up this book for the autistic representation, and that left me kind of disappointed too.
One of the possible love interests, I found infuriating. It especially frustrated me how Jessie gave him endless chances and kept going back to him, seemingly just because he was hot.
The other love interest was actually kind of decent.
It bothered me that, throughout most of the book, Jessie seemed to treat her autism diagnosis like some kind of curse and a shameful secret. Choosing not to disclose your autism diagnosis is a personal choice and it's completely valid, but I didn't enjoy being reminded again and again how it's like a shameful secret of Jessie's. There should've been more moments of autistic joy. Not only this, but she tolerated so many ableist comments. While there's nothing wrong with representing ableism in a book, it doesn't sit right with me (/m) for the protagonist to most of the time not say anything against that kind of behaviour (even within her own thoughts).
There were inconsistencies and certain things I had a hard time following, and this made the read more frustrating.
All in all, I did not enjoy reading this novel. I don't know. Maybe I misinterpreted some parts, but this was my personal experience with this book.
One of the possible love interests, I found infuriating. It especially frustrated me how Jessie gave him endless chances and kept going back to him, seemingly just because he was hot.
The other love interest was actually kind of decent.
It bothered me that, throughout most of the book, Jessie seemed to treat her autism diagnosis like some kind of curse and a shameful secret. Choosing not to disclose your autism diagnosis is a personal choice and it's completely valid, but I didn't enjoy being reminded again and again how it's like a shameful secret of Jessie's. There should've been more moments of autistic joy. Not only this, but she tolerated so many ableist comments. While there's nothing wrong with representing ableism in a book, it doesn't sit right with me (/m) for the protagonist to most of the time not say anything against that kind of behaviour (even within her own thoughts).
There were inconsistencies and certain things I had a hard time following, and this made the read more frustrating.
All in all, I did not enjoy reading this novel. I don't know. Maybe I misinterpreted some parts, but this was my personal experience with this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2023
5 Stars
Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved this book. I wish I could've read this when I was still in high school because I saw so much of myself in Jessie (we even share the same name lol), and I love her and her character growth so much. This book brought back so many memories of my own high school experiences and even to now - as someone navigating the world as a neurodivergent person of colour - and I just love how seen I felt reading this. This was super sweet, cringey and even messy at times, but soooo relatable, and now one of my new fave YAs.
Oh my gosh, I absolutely loved this book. I wish I could've read this when I was still in high school because I saw so much of myself in Jessie (we even share the same name lol), and I love her and her character growth so much. This book brought back so many memories of my own high school experiences and even to now - as someone navigating the world as a neurodivergent person of colour - and I just love how seen I felt reading this. This was super sweet, cringey and even messy at times, but soooo relatable, and now one of my new fave YAs.
July 3, 2023
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
We love to see Palestinians thriving! This was my first book of Palestinian rep and I loved every second of this loud Arab family
March 9, 2024
This was so freaking cute!!!!! I was hooked and loving Jessie from the first page!! Ugh i adored Jessie’s inner monologue, she was so freakin hilarious and fun . I cannot speak for the autism rep but I learned so much?! And found her inner monologue really relatable at times oof.
I’m so so happy with the ending it was so satisfying but I wanted more😭😭 I already miss them
I’m so so happy with the ending it was so satisfying but I wanted more😭😭 I already miss them
June 18, 2023
Something More is a funny, painfully relatable coming of age novel, but as its title suggests, it provides more than laughs with a uniquely nuanced portrait of an endearing protagonist whose trials in high school will remind readers of the power of self-love.
June 15, 2023
*4.5
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