Set in France, 'Kids Like Us' is wonderfully atmospheric, and filled with memorable characters. I loved the mystery surrounding Martin's father, and enjoyed seeing him work through understanding his new school and his new friends.

- autism rep. YES. I can't speak from experience but I think the representation was done really well! It was easy to understand and while not always relatable, I got what Martin was trying to say. 
- the writing style. I loved the writing! It was really lyrical at times, and I adore present tense :) It felt a bit stilted, though? Sometimes it was confusing as to what Martin was thinking; I couldn't understand some of his observations. 
- the search references. I haven't read Search, so I really didn't care much about the book :/ But I did find a lot of the snippets and references intriguing! Mostly I just skipped over them, though.
- the characters. They were all so lovable!! Arthur is a personal favourite. Except I feel like we didn't get to know Gilberte/Alice much: her personality isn't really discussed? I have mixed feelings about her. 
- the setting. I LOVE FRANCE. GIVE ME ALL THE FRENCH STUFF. FOOD AND FLOWERS AND THE LANGUAGE AND EVERYTHING FROM QUATRE QUARTS TO MADELEINES FRANCE IS AMAZING

tl;dr: it's a really good book with awesome representation! some bits didn't really click with me, though? you should give it a try if you like contemporary novels and France!

I got about halfway through this book but got overwhelmed by life and did not finish. Therefore I can’t give it a complete review, the bit that I did read however was fantastic. The characters were relatable, the description of France and all the food was wonderful and I really appreciated the little bit of love story that was there. I will be purchasing this title for my library and hope to be able to finish it once things slow down.

I was unable to get this to download to my kindle so I am unable to give a review

Worth persevering with, and fairly hopeful. It was interesting to follow some of the links to wider reading about autism and generally raised awareness. I was distanced by the frequent referrals to Proust which was possibly deliberate but doesn’t make for an excellent piece of fiction.

Kids Like Us is a compelling contemporary that highlights an autistic teenager's summer in France, while he makes friends, falls in love and devours madeleines.


The story revolves around Martin, an American teenager, who's on the ASD spectrum and travels to France along with his mother and sister for the summer. He joins a general-ed school for the few weeks he would be in France while his mother, a film director, wraps up her film shoot there. Elisabeth, his older sister, is tagging along before she'll take on her journey to Stanford's med school. This book was so much more than I'd anticipated. I thought it would be a light contemporary read that might bore me with the writing that's telling too much. But I was pleasantly surprised to find so many more things in it. Plus, the writing was actually telling more than it meant. [Okay, I'll stop with the deep shit talks.] 

The story is narrated by Martin in a first-person narration and falls exactly in line with the autistic representation. He remembers everyone's dialogues because his mind is on loop, keeps repeating them in his head, and even gets stuck at a few that affect him, either in a good or a bad way. He switches up pronouns which is yet another common trait of autism. In fact, a few chapters pop-up in an unintended second-person viewpoint and those made my day because, like I've already said, they mean more than they seem. Martin exhibits echolalia where he repeats what the other person said, and makes up for another authentic representation of autism. These are just a few of the so many practical characteristics that were included. One thing I especially loved was how Martin speaks, does and thinks like any other teenager would. There isn't a hard-core stereotypical portrayal of the character, and over-the-top efforts weren't taken to highlight his autism or make him purposefully appear special-ed. Martin effortlessly comes alive to me. 

The supporting characters are another amazing aspect of this story. Except for the mother, who was a tad bit annoying for me, everyone else were distinctly characterized and given personalities that suited them the best. Right from Elisabeth who helped her brother understand stuff he might not be able to grasp in the right sense and stayed patient with him all throughout the story, to Layla, Martin's autistic friend back at LA, who texted Martin all through his stay in France—sending him her music videos of playing piano or telling him upfront when she feels he's going to forget about her—everyone had a role to play in Martin's story and they did it fairly well.

The story is certainly emotional, for me, especially when Martin reminisces his time with his Dad (won't speak too much about it in order to avoid spoilers) who by the way, has always kept his faith in his son and hoped he would learn to be happy forever. Even the entire plot line about Search, the french book he is slightly obsessed over, is interesting and gets woven commendably into the real story starring Martin. However, the story's compulsive interference became a little annoying for me, particularly toward the end. It was good to read passages from Search when it was correlating with Martin's reality but when that angle was going down anyway, I'd to skim through the references. Overall, this was a great read, no doubt. 

I would recommend it to all those looking for a good autistic representation and an young adult tale that's realistically overwhelming.

'Maybe the actual place will unlock you'' Kids Like Us by Hilary Reyl is told from the perspective of an autistic boy called Martin. He is spending the summer in France with his mum, a film maker and sister Elizabeth. 
He carries a copy of Proust's In Search of Lost Time with him everywhere and uses this as his key to unlocking the world around him- by comparing and measuring everyone against these characters, he can make sense of the world.

I found this to be a truly insightful look at how a young person with autism may view the world and interact with it. Martin misses the subtleties of human interaction at times, and told through his eyes, you can see how some arguments and disagreements can seem absurd. 

His interpretation of how people communicate with each other- and how they are thinking and feeling is sometimes startlingly accurate, his view of the world may be different, but that shift in focus cuts through the white noise of every day situations to highlight real truths. 

He tries so very hard to make his mum happy, but we keep flashing to thoughts of his absent dad- and how much he means to Martin. 

He falls in love with a French girl, Alice, who he names Gilberte after a character in Proust's Search. He begins to realise that love is not out of his reach and as this beautiful story unfolds, we see a collection of love stories that tell us who Martin is; his love of baking quattre quart cake, his love of Proust and his love of his absent father. 

Kids Like Us is available on Amazon, snap it up for an exquisite read that could equally suit the young adult or adult market!

"How it feels like seeing the life through the eyes of an autistic sixteen years old boy? Quite an epiphany! Kids Like Us is an eye opening journey into the unknown world of autism and how its diversity collides with our well-known world. " 



"I received a complimentary copy of this book and have volunteered to leave a review."

First of all I want to be honest with you. I have never been into books which captures social issues. However, this year I promised to give it a try. Hilary Reyl's book cover was what firstly attracted my attention; secondly came its synopsis. While, I haven't any relation with the autism spectrum is an issue I am familiar with it through conversations with other mothers. I was in the dark! Kids Like Us helped me understand this unknown world and I'm very happy for taking the chance to read it.

There are so many levels and differences between the autistic people; I have never imagined that. Martin Dubois, a sixteen year old boy helped me learn some of these differences while narrating his own personal story. It is a revelation to me seeing through his eyes how daily life unfolds before him; The way Martin sees (understand) himself so clearly, how easily rationalize the behavior of the people around him shows me a person who, while he lives into his own personal bubble most of the time, he's also trying to live into his loveones personal bubbles too.

Martin's understanding with the world around him is intoxicating. While he is constantly compares his real life with his favorite book, always keen on finding connections between the two, in the end he earns the recognition of how the world around him works. For me, Martin's mind works the way I wish all the other peoples minds work. I might sound naive but my explanation for this wish is that is not bad to think once in a while or always, about who you really are to yourself and to others; how you might treat better yourself and the others.

Martin's trip to France with his mother and sister, opened him a new door to what the real world is about. For the first time he is out of his comfort zone. He isn't forced to do anything but he has the opportunity to go to school there and interact with "normal" kids. So he goes and that's how his journey begins. Martin's experiencing a lot of unwelcome behaviors whereas he is acting much more mature than all the others. He experiencing love with different individuals, in various ways. His mother, his sister, his best friend Layla, his France friends, his book heroine that he found out she is totally real and unique. Each type of love gives him the knowledge to separate them and go along with them. It's unnerving and remarkable at the same time.

Hilary Reyl introduced me to the world of autism spectrum disorder in the best possible way. The storyline she chose to feature is intelligent and clearly very helpful to understand that subject. Hilary Reyl using a first person narration gives me the opportunity to see and feel through Martin's eyes and emotions of how people and their behavior around him affect him. Also, she tangled up Martin's thoughts and attitude using an old book which Martin is so attached to. For me it wasn't always easy to follow up with his book's scenes but in the end it is clear that Martin life is nothing but this book. I could write unstoppable about what where the things I like in this book. The fact that it is very well written and not at all scientific, is important to be mentioned. All the others are waiting to be unfold to be known.

I hope I intrigue your a little and make you grab the book, finding out what's really happening in the end because there is no way to tell you myself.

Until next time, enjoy your free time reading great books with the most unforgettable stories.

Vivi

Kids Like Us is the story of Martin, a teenager on the autism spectrum who moves to France. Unfortunately, I found this book very difficult to read due to the formatting, and had to give up a few chapters in. I will look for this book in the future though as it’s refreshing to read a different autistic character than the usual savant stereotype. Definite potential.

One thing that made me read this novel was that protagonist is an autistic teen. He sees the world different, he compares it to his favorite French Novel, The search. His world navigates on French cuisine and figuring out how to make room for more people and trust them. When he start referring his crush from one of the characters from his novel, I was stoked to see how she will react. It surprised me that she let him call her from that fictional character's name. 
    To be honest it was hard to understand some parts of the scenes with the whole you is me and me is you lol. The author wrote it in a autistic perspective and it was rather difficult because of what they all react and think. Main reason for my rating.
    I loved that she was able to make the protagonist evolve from his autism. He was able to see his crush in a different way. Meaning, he saw her as her and not that character from his novel. 
    May I add that it takes place in France? oui!. I wish to say more but I hate doing spoilers. It was a great read. If you want to understand more and gain some perspective of autism, this is a good book to begin with.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! 
There is a boy who is obsessed with reading, its set in France, had lots of food, and does a great job at autism reprisentation. I had some problems with the book, but overall it was a great read. 

AND THAT COVER! It’s so beautiful. 

I loved Martin! He was adorable, thoughtful and intelligent. Can Martin and I be friends forever?  His life revolves around a story called Search and I can 100% relate. My life is filled with books so I completely understand his obsession. 

I loved that Martin didn’t fall into the stereotype of Autism. I understand a lot of people with ASD fit them, but it was nice to read something different. It was refreshing and yet accurate. 

I loved Elisabeth too. She felt so real. She was an amazing elder sibling and I enjoyed the relationship between Martin and Elisabeth. 

Also, why was I not warned about the tears? 

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the romance as much. So Alice… WHO IS SHE? I barely know anything about her. If I don’t know much about her, how will I ship them?

I read Kids Like Us almost entirely in one sitting during a long car journey over the Christmas period and to my surprise absolutely loved it. I had been apprehensive about whether I would enjoy this book after reading the first page and struggling to get into the writing style. However, after a few pages I was completely on board and charmed by Martin's unique voice and way of looking at the world.

Kids Like Us follows Martin, a 16 year old boy on the autistic spectrum as he spends a summer in France with his family and experiences a mainstream school for the first time.

I don't have much experience with people on the autistic spectrum, but from the little knowledge I do have, Martin's voice seemed to be a very sensitive and authentic portrayal. His obsession with the French novel "In Search of Lost Time" was so cleverly interwoven within the plot of the book and I liked that we actually got to learn a lot about that text whilst reading this story.

I found the book slightly difficult to follow in places because it was written from Martin's point of view which I felt gave me a tiny insight into how difficult it must be for some people on the autistic spectrum to follow the everyday conversations of people who are not on the spectrum. Martin's confusion with using pronouns correctly is just one example of the issues people on the autisitic spectrum face.

The love storyline was not my favourite aspect of the story as I didn't like Gilberte/Alice, or the other kids Martin made friends with in France but I did like how it highlighted Martin's personal development throughout the Summer. I also really liked the gradual discovery of where Martin's Papa was. This storyline was for me the most touching. Reading about their close relationship and then finally realising what had happened and why he was no longer around was very interesting.

I found this book really warm hearted, touching and insightful. If you loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I recommend this book to you.

God. Okay. I am so tired of requesting contemporary books and feeling so completely meh on them. 

New Year's Resolution: don't request contemporary books unless I'm literally desperate to read them immediately.

The thing about Kids Like Us is that none of the events seem to draw a bigger picture. Its arc is obvious. Or maybe, to put it simply: this book is a bit boring.

Let’s explore this. The problem with this book is that there are a lot of events and sideplots and about 75% have nothing to do with the book. That blurb? That romance and exploration of incorrect expectations promised by this book? Basically nonexistent in the first half. You know what the focus of the first half is? Well, me neither. Because what the hell was even happening. 

It just felt like a lot of buildup and not enough development. That is all. 

I was… unsure how to feel on the autism rep. See, I love that there’s an autistic protagonist who gets to be the focus. And I’m hoping this book will improve on this front later. But Martin’s mother is… really clearly anti autistic people, and the narrative is very unclear on calling her out. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Okay, a lot uncomfortable, but I'm trying to stave it off because narrative agency is a freaking mixed bag. 

I don’t know, guys. I’d read Cait @PaperFury’s review of this (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2043859050) if you want more info on autism rep, because she’s honestly smarter than me on this topic. And also I literally second 90% of what she’s saying here.

One more thing: not enough France. This is set in France and I wanted at least one pretty setting description. That is all.

I could understand the poor writting as the author is trying show life though someone with down syndrom, I can not forgive the main characters falling in love on the fifth page. Nothing is more cliche and less thought out plot line then lust/love at first glance.

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this book; the narrative dragged and was boring, and the book itself was horribly formatted to the point it distracted me.  Maybe the full version for sale will be better, but I just couldn't do it.

I was planning on writing a full-length review of 'Kids Like Us', but because I've been slowly chugging forward for the past month I don't really have that much to say about the beginning of the book anymore. This is my fault for being too busy with university to make notes - something I definitely won't let myself slack on next time!
I'm not qualified to comment on the authenticity of the autistic rep in this novel, but based off of some of the other reviews I've seen it appears that Hilary Reyl does a good job throughout the book. Martin is a lovable character, and the development he undergoes throughout the novel definitely makes this more of a coming-of-age novel than anything else. The summery French setting allows the book to move at a slow and lazy pace - perfect for someone who was reading it as irregularly as I was! - but looking back it doesn't really feel as though too much actually happens, which is why I've only been able to give this four stars.
I'll definitely be looking out for more work from Reyl in the future, though.

To lay the groundwork for what it might be like to come of age as a person with autism is a challenge. There's a lot of research of treatment and the strain it puts on families -- which is appreciated. But there's also the complication of communication, which is repeated throughout the story. One line exchanged with Martin's friend reinforces the perils of communication. How do we ever learn to understand each other? I like the questions the book raises and how it mirrors Proust's In Search of Lost Time. It's a solid book. Thumbs up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrah, Straus, and Giroux for letting me read Kids Like Us, by Hilary Reyl. Martin is a wonderful teenager, struggling with his father being in prison, his mother temporarily moving him to France, and learning to function in a regular ed class as an Autistic teen. We see the struggles of his parents raising a young child with Autism, Martin’s struggles to be a functioning teenager outside his special classes, and the world around him learning to accept differences in people. This book is informative, as well as highly entertaining. Set in France adds to the beauty of this book.

This novel asks us the questions about love and our identities.

It took me two days to finish this story and I really enjoyed the time I spent on this book. A wonderful coming of age story of a boy named Martin, a sixteen year old with autism. The book starts in second person which confused me at first. Eventually, I got used to it, this actually made me more immersed in the story because it transposes us in his life. 

I do not have much knowledge about autism but this really got me to think more about it and how most of us see it.

It fascinates me how Martin associates the people he meets in France to the characters in his favorite book, In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. He attends a summer school where he meets a girl who he believes to be Gilberte (a character in his favorite novel) but soon learns isn't Gilberte, and falls in love with her anyway. I really love the line Martin says in one of the chapters, "At first, Mr. Swann loves Odette because she looks like this painting, but eventually Mr. Swann loves the painting because it is a painting of her."

I had to pause after reading that because yessss.  

As much as I like Martin (and his sister Elisabeth and friend Layla,) I don't quite like the other characters, I feel like they were too shallow. I would have loved to get to know his love interest more because I wasn't really attached to her, I feel like she was just there and nothing more.

Let me add, this isn't just a love story, it's so much more than that. 
 
Overall, it was a good read and I'd recommend it to anyone who wishes to better understand the autism spectrum, who are looking for a quick touching read, and who wants to recall the feeling of awkward first love. 

Rating: 4/5

This review will be posted on the blog in the third week of December.

Reyl has done a truly wonderful thing with this book. She has done her research with autism. Our main hero, Martin, doesn't have this official diagnosis, but it's clear while reading that he is on the spectrum. He has a fascination with Proust, and frequently References Proust throughout the book.

There are many interweaving love stories in the book: the love of a parent, first crush, etc. You can focus on these stories, or on the book within a book aspect. Either way the story will move you like no other.

I liked this story enough to read it all in one day. It was very engaging.  Starts a little slow, but does warm up quickly in just a few chapters, so if you are lukewarm on chapter one, continue until at least chapter three to give it a chance to grow on you. Billed as YA, but can be read by anyone 13 and older.