Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Something More by Jackie Khalilieh

8 reviews

madisonstarkov's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I can’t believe it took me so long to finally pick this book up. 

Something More chronicles Jessie Kassis, a fifteen year old girl and recently diagnosed autistic, as she goes through her first year of high school and navigating all the things that come with adolescence. If there’s ever a book I wished I had growing up, Something More would definitely be one of them. Somehow, Khalilieh was able to get me so wrapped up into the story that it made think about my time in high school as an autistic woman. Jessie felt like the friend I wished I had growing up and I really appreciated the time Khalilieh put into addressing Jessie’s character development as well as showing autistic people getting their own happy endings. 

If you’re looking for a fresh voice in the YA genre with Palestinian and autistic rep featuring a friends-to-lovers romance, you should definitely check out Something More.
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amberinpieces's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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zombiezami's review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Talk about killing me softly with words. As someone who learned of her autism status as an adult, I resonated so much with Jessie. Some of her experiences feel ripped out of my own life, her thoughts ripped out of my own mind. I felt very emotional reading about her struggles. At the same time, her triumphs, which never happened for me at that age, gave me such a feeling of wish fulfillment. 

My only complaint is that the number of characters weakened the book. I had a really hard time telling Jessie's female friends apart. When the one friend
was dating a 19-year-old and then that issue was resolved,
there was no followup or stakes or anything. Also, her family members' struggles felt like a distraction from the main plot, rather than an integral part of it. I know the author was probably trying to capture the fact that everyone has their own issues going on while you're having yours, but the execution was cluttered. The most poignant example of this was
the death of Jessie's grandmother. Because this character  was only in one scene prior to her stroke, the emotional impact that should have been in that scene wasn't there. It would've been better if this character had been developed more/if she had interacted more with Jessie. Or even if she had lived with the family.


Overall, though, listening to this was a very moving experience. 
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michelle_my_belle's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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cover2covertx's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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innerspacewaffle's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

After reading 200-something pages of grueling, messy high school romance this book closes with an amazingly emotional end to a love triangle, and I can easily that it's the best representation of a teenage autistic girl I've read.
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