Something More by Jackie Khalilieh

The quick cut: A Palestinian-Canadian girl is diagnosed with Autism weeks before starting high school. Drama ensues as she navigates both her new diagnosis and the new environment.

A real review:

Getting a new diagnosis for any condition can be difficult, but when that condition changes how you look at yourself? Somehow it is made even worse, making you question the foundation of who you are or can be. This is something Jessie is grappling with when she's diagnosed as Autistic right before starting high school.

Jessie has always struggled socially and felt out of place, but never did she think that there was a true reason for it. A few appointments later, she has a diagnosis of Autism and many new coping mechanisms to find her way through high school years. As she starts a private school that her older sister attends, she tries to make connections and quickly ends up with more than she bargained for. Between her new friends, a boy in her science class, and a boy in her art class, she rapidly finds new people in her life. Can she hide her diagnosis and find a place where she belongs? Or will she find herself completely overwhelmed and drowning instead?

I really enjoyed the audiobook of this one, especially since the narrator did a phenomenal job of making the voices sound different between the two boys. The story itself with Jessie is one that I wish I had, but I didn't get diagnosed until I was a full fledged adult. I would like to think that I could handle high school as gracefully as Jessie did, but I would absolutely be lying to myself. The girl may think she's a total mess, but she is in actuality very smart and brilliant.

Getting a diagnosis as a female Autistic can be complex because so many people are quick to tell you it's not true. The reality is that female Autism presents differently than it does in males and the story here did a great job at highlighting that. It also did a lovely job of showing a rarely seen side of Autism: that the masking can leave you with a talent for acting. Seeing Jessie channel that and show that not all of us need to be so isolated is a good thing for breaking stereotypes. In short: I rooted for her so much! My only frustration with Jessie is how much she tried to justify one particular boy's behavior.

Jessie finds herself in a love triangle with two boys: Levi and Griffin. Levi is her classmate in science class who depends on her help to pass and has icy blue eyes. Griffin is the sweetheart from art class who listens to her and helps her figure out how to get what she wants when she hits a roadblock. They're very different people and the experiences between the two of them are very different. Griffin is understanding, empathetic, and not afraid to do what is right, even if his friends don't support that. Levi is popular, well liked, and yet somehow unreachable in the most inconvenient moments. It seemed obvious to me who was the right choice.

There are so many characters that play important roles, including Jessie's family and her female friends at school. All of them are important for seeing the pressures she has to fit in while also being true to her origins. It truly does feel like a real life playing out in front of you on the pages.

An amazing representation of female Autism that has a frustrating romantic angle.

My rating: 4.5 out of 5