You Started It

If the book is authored by Jackie Khalilieh, I’m here for it every single time. Her second novel, You Started It, is a smart and delightful teen romcom featuring the fake dating trope which I will say is one of my favourites!

When Jamie Taher-Foster finds herself being dumped right at the start of senior year by her longtime boyfriend Ben, it sets into a bit of a tail spin. Enter Axel Dahini, the new kid who just moved in down the street from Ben. A comedy of errors brings them together and sets in motion a fake dating scheme that we all know is headed to romance, or is it?

I truly loved everything about this novel. It was the perfect read to start off my summer and now I need more from Jackie! I love how her characters are so real and honest. They are messy, just like the readers, make epic mistakes and learn excellent lessons about life and themselves. She writes from her heart and puts a little piece of herself into all of her characters making them so relatable and authentic. I could not help but root for Jamie and then curse her and then root for her again, all of the feelings that a classic romcom should evoke in a reader. I read this book in a day it ids so engaging. I just didn't want to leave the chapters for worry the characters would do something ridiculous while the book was closed.

I really enjoyed all the messiness and the growth in the story. Teenagers are gonna do things that aren’t so brilliant. Things are gonna get messy and in this case, things not only got messy with Jamie’s love life but also her home life. I loved the glimpse into the Taher-Foster household, a non traditional family, and the reminder that we have family and chosen family and survive hard things.

More please Jackie!!!