I don’t think that YA books are just for teenagers, but I think this is a book teenage me would have LOVED. 

 

The gist of this story is common enough: 15 year old girl, starting high school, has never been able to have/keep friendships, struggles with crushes, family angst. What makes it unique is the POV given by Jessie as a Palestinian-Canadian autistic teen. 

 

The rules of friendship/girlhood is something she’s navigating for the first time. And even when the subtext is clear to the reader, it isn’t clear to Jessie. 

 

The tumultuous crushes of high school and the love triangle are the pinnacle of high school angst. And while I as the reader was like “GIRL NOOOOO” I remember being in her shoes. And even when a boy treated you one way when you were alone another way in front of people - you were so swept up in your moments that you looked past the glaring red flags. 

 

The notebook of her goals was a perfect YA touch. I LOVE a book centered around completing a goals list, or dares list.