The most favourite YA I have read this year! Jackie Khalilieh’s debut novel Something More checks all the boxes for compelling YA. Teenage awkwardness, first love, angst, and realistic characters, Something More is a book to absolutely put on your summer reading list.

Jessie is a fifteen year old high school freshman. She is so excited to finally be entering high school, ready for a new start but terrified as well. Just diagnosed as autistic weeks before the first day of school, she finally has an explaination for all the ways she feels different but that doesn’t stop her from continuing to mask and hide this important part of herself. Throw in new friends and two very different boys vying for her attention, Jessie does a whole lot more than book learning in her first year of high school.

I LOVED this story from page one! Jackie Khalilieh has taken everything I love about awkward teenage romances and filled the pages with the most delicious of moments. If you love the work of Jenny Han or are obsessed with shows like Never Have I Ever and The Summer I Turned Pretty this is the book for you. Her writing is smart and witty. Jessie is a such an endearing character that you just can’t help but root for her.

Jackie is neurodivergent and shares incredible insights, through Jessie, into what it’s like to be a teenager who is autistic. In the first chapter, Jessie is describing her elementary school experience and what it was like navigating school while not understanding why she seemed so different. It builds empathy and allows the readers to understand Jessie in a deep and meaningful way. It’s also a beautiful moment where readers who have diagnoses will feel seen and understood. I love that Jackie celebrates everything that makes autistic girls so special.

This story is also hilarious! From Jessie’s dream of fitting into a real bra and her attempts to clean up her facial hair, the laughs come when they need too but the story also has so much heart. It’s so true to the high school experience. There are major ups and downs throughout the whole book that keep the reader on the ride.

I really loved how Jessie was the object of desire. She wasn’t sitting, pining for unrequited love and had to settle for the second choice. Sure she pined, but the feelings were reciprocated, although in an unhealthy way. The friendships that she made and learning to trust people are all part of everyone’s high school experience. We all go through transformations and reinventions almost weekly in high school and it’s a tough place.