Harper

More love stories like this please!

Revisado: 10-28-23

I think I've been waiting to read a book with this kind of romance for a long time. Sweet and kind, transformative and freeing, mature and thoughtful, so much respect and care, complicated and easy at the same time.

Love Radio was a fast, enjoyable read that made me think more than feel, but sometimes, I like that. I really connected with Dani and Prince's need to heal and their difficulty letting people into that journey with them. But in the end, community care and self-love won out. I love the message that sends. There was so much fun and meaning in the literature, music, and Black culture infused in this story. I've never been to Detroit, but this book transported me there.

I'll admit, my feelings about Love Radio ebbed and flowed as I read, but in the end, I was feeling satisfied and grateful.

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Super fun, couldn't put down read!

Revisado: 09-25-23

I had so much fun reading this book! The plot was exciting and captivating; the romance was compelling and thoughtful. I enjoyed Rose as a protagonist and loved getting to see all the nuances of her as a person. She was strong-willed, insecure, passionate, and open-minded all at once.

I found the depictions of anxiety to ring true (no pun intended) and to be extremely vulnerable in the best way. This book gracefully tackles the parts of mental illness people tend to shy away from. It also stands its ground in its queerness in a way you don't see often—Rose is bi, in a relationship with a guy, and it's never an issue.

And that guy...Elliott is a mess and a half but also such an earnest product of his environment just waiting for a way out. Rose and Elliott really find something life-giving in each other, and yet, the book never steers into "romance fixes everything" or other tropes about people saving each other. Rose and Elliott get to be there for each other in big BIG ways but also maintain their autonomy.

Besides being taken out of the prose by some of the dialogue tags, my only major wish is that we got more closure. I love an open-ended ending—the kind where everything isn't fine but you know it will be—which was definitely the vibe here. But I didn't really feel like I knew everything was going to be okay. I don't know how they're going to dig themselves out of the hole they find themselves in. But there was at least some closure...and with lots of unanswered questions about the future, I guess there's sequel potential too. I'd read that :)

Shout out to the cover as well, it's one of my favorites. Bi colors! While listening to the audiobook I found myself just staring at the cover as I listened. To be honest, I didn't love the narrator but I got used to her over time and did come to appreciate her approach to portraying Rose.

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Disabled college search rep I didn't know I needed

Revisado: 06-27-23

I really enjoyed this book and related to it as a disabled woman! It's so wonderful to see disability representation in YA books—I'm so happy this book exists and young disabled people will be able to read it on their journeys. The positive impact will be significant.

Effie's experience with her college search spoke to me really deeply. It made me reflect on my own experience as a disabled high schooler looking at colleges years ago and my recent rollercoaster of a time as a prospective grad student. I think the questions Effie asks herself, the challenges she faces, and the revelations she comes to are evergreen in a way that will resonate with lots of disabled readers in lots of different ways. But it all comes back to where we as disabled people find ourselves in the world and how we see ourselves there—the differences in those things and the way we seek to handle that without comprising what we deserve.

Plus, shout out for an inter-abled love story! And for the love triangle in this book being between Effie and two colleges that both have her heart in different ways :)

I definitely recommend this book and especially the audiobook! It's read by Ali Stroker and features an interview with her and the author Claire Forrest at the end. Worth checking out for sure!

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A quintessential disability justice read

Revisado: 06-27-23

Equal parts funny, poignant, and shameless, this book didn’t feel like a “memoir” — it felt like living life with Alice. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a wonderful collection of essays, podcasts, interviews, moments in time, and even a few recipes. Everything was truthful; authentically crafted not crafted to feel authentic. Intimate and vast. Moving and thought-provoking. A quintessential disability justice read.

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Incredible autism rep!! A must read!

Revisado: 06-27-23

I love this book so very much!! Long story short: 5 stars, would recommend to absolutely anyone, groundbreaking and important authentic representation that sets the bar high, and refreshing YA storytelling.

Something More has been my most anticipated read of 2023, and it did not disappoint. The way Jackie Khalilieh approaches telling a story that creates positive, authentic representation is excellent and a breath of fresh air. This book doesn’t seek to fit into neurotypical, white, or American standards, but instead forces the standards to evolve to include narratives it always should have included but so rarely does. It is powerfully autistic, shamelessly Palestinian-Canadian, and deeply intersectional—and the way it does this is by simply existing.

The story is told so naturally through an extremely close first-person perspective of an autistic girl. As an autistic woman who saw a lot of her younger self in Jessie, even I didn’t know what to do with this at first because I am so not used to seeing autism shown with such completeness, affinity, and disregard for allistic norms. I love it! My expectations for autism/disability rep have forever been raised!

I loved the story and the characters, but just about anything could’ve happened in the plot and I would still be hearing singing Jackie Khalilieh’s praises because where this book shines is in her immersive writing.

Things are revealed to the reader when Jessie comes to understand them, not when the story necessitates them. Things aren’t presented as black and white, they just are black and white because that’s how Jessie sees them. The way autism is represented in Jessies’s thought processes, inner monologues, worries and excitements, actions and behaviors, goals and interests—it’s incredible and so rich. Jessie’s emotions are big and they swing back and forth all the time. She feels so deeply and gets so deep into things—people included. She is working on overdrive to figure out the right thing to say and do in every moment. (Oof, too relatable.) The book perfectly captures the dialectic of autism—you don’t fit in or like the fakeness that so many people rely on (especially in high school) and at the same time, you’re always working hard to mask and pretend to survive. I know this all too well and it’s so hard to explain. This book illustrates it, not explains it.

This book is slice of life. This book is authentic. This book throws you into the deep end of being an autistic teenager and says “learn to swim here or drown.” People might not understand the book, they might not understand Jessie. But that’s because they don’t understand autism. And books like this? They help change that and move the needle forward. People will read this book and gain a better understanding of what autism really looks and feels like. This may happen by the time they finish reading, or this book may be a seed that will bloom later. Either way, that’s real impact. And some people will see themselves in Jessie. People will realize their autistic thanks to this book. People will learn to love themselves thanks to this book. People will be moved to tell their own stories and ditch their shame thanks to this book. Something More is making the world better and changing lives, point blank. We need more books like this and more authors like Jackie Khalilieh.

And I know I said anything could’ve happened in this book and I still would’ve loved it, but I do adore the plot. It was so fun watching Jessie navigate being the point of a love triangle, sneak her way into the school musical, make (and keep) new friends, and connect deeper with her family. This book has everything from New Year’s Eve festivities to bra shopping to epic Valentine’s Day karaoke to football game friendship drama and so much more. It was such a treat to spend Jessie’s freshman year with her. Can’t recommend it enough :)

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Fun story, great narrator

Revisado: 06-27-23

This is overall a really cute, fun read I recommend if you’re looking for a breezy, smiley-inducing book full of great representation and wonderful baking puns. I’m only half kidding when I say the baking puns were my favorite part. The baking show premise of this book is super solid and enjoyable—it really makes it shine. While things were a bit predictable and unrealistic, with the competition especially, there were also some really exciting and engaging aspects of the story.

The characterization could’ve been stronger, but I liked a lot of the dynamics. I ended up really rooting for Shireen, her family, and their shop—I loved the family and cultural parts of the story. I also loved Padma and was so grateful for her presence in the book. It was a bold choice to have a best friend character who was in a different country for the vast majority of the book, but I think it paid off and created some really great, nuanced conflict. I may not feel like I know Fatima that well as a character, but the friendship storyline with her is my favorite interpersonal storyline in the book.

I wasn’t as invested in the romance storylines, but that could just be me and my preferences. I wish we would’ve been told more about Chris and their pre-book break-up earlier. That info was hidden from us as readers, and it’s a pet peeve of mine when that’s done to create a more dramatic reveal.

I know that sounds like a lot of things I didn’t enjoy, but overall, I had a nice time with this book. I pre-ordered because I loved The Henna Wars and was super excited about this premise, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. The baking vibes, the cultural representation, the interpersonal dynamics, even the Dublin setting—there was really great stuff in here! This book felt cozy and light, easy to read and nice to escape into. My three stars are bursting with love and appreciation for what this book is.

Audiobook-wise: the narrator did a great job with the different voices and accents! I listen to everything via audio, but I think this would be a good audio read for anyone.

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