I really went into this expecting to love it. I'm so happy there is a book out there with a Palestinian and autistic representation, but unfortunately this book just didn't work for me.

Funnily enough, I thought the use of the love triangle was the best part of the book. This was not an equal love triangle by any means—you know very early on who she's going to end up with—but that wasn't not point. We follow Jessie as she experiences these two relationships and watch as she resolves what she is willing to tolerate and how she wants to be treated. I didn't necessarily care about the triangle itself, but I liked that it was used in a way to facilitate Jessie's (albeit long and nonlinear) coming of age in a way that felt authentic to many teen girls.

However, while I appreciated the framing of the love triangle as more of a personal journey, it was still not developed enough for it carry the story. And yet, it took up most of the space in the narrative to the detriment of every other aspect. There were so many things that this book touches on only to never really develop—the gender dynamics between her siblings, the family relationships in general, her Palestinian heritage. So many of the side characters felt like caricatures of their archetypes, and I found her friend group, frankly, annoying.

Overall, I really wanted to love this but it was not for me.