
Member Reviews

This is my first ARC review, and I’m thrilled to be sharing my thoughts on “You Started It!” by Jackie Khalilieh. I had a blast reading “Something More” and was immediately drawn to Khalilieh’s writing style. This book features a delightful faking dating trope that I found both entertaining and relatable. While I did encounter a few clichés, I anticipated this aspect of the story. It also reminded me “To All The Boys I’ve Loved.” Overall, “You Started It!” is a quick and easy read that delivers a heartwarming message.

This was SO CUTE!!! Anytime a book starts with a breakup and then a fake dating plot--I am IN! And Jamie was sooo easy to root for. She had a plan with Ben. Their senior year had a sequence that it was going to follow. He screws everything up by coming back from his summer camp job and breaking up with her. But Jamie isn't going to let go of her senior year plans that easily.
Axel was everythingggg. It's almost bad when you have such a likable love interest because anything the MC does that hurts them makes you more mad at the MC, but I think that worked well here. It was easy to see why Jamie didn't trust people to have good intentions and why she would lash out like she did. I just wanted her to get out of her own way so she could heal and have healthy relationships!
The relationships between Jamie and her mom and uncle were really interesting too. I LOVED her uncle.
If you're looking for a cute but emotionally heartfelt ya contemporary romance where the plot is less important than the character growth and relationships, then I highly recommend this story! Such a lovely read.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a sweet young adult romance. This book did a good job at capturing teenage love, what’s it’s like to try and find yourself and figure out what you want, and exploring cultural topics. Everything was tied in well so you got a good balance of serious and light moments. This was a good one full of drama and realistic situations.
Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy of the book.

It’s not a surprise that I loved this book. I truly enjoyed Khalilieh’s previous book and this was just as wonderful.
We are following a teenager named Jamie that gets broken up with right before school, runs over a random boy’s bike, and then starts a fake relationship with that random boy to make her ex-boyfriend jealous. Of course it’s not going to go as planned but that’s what makes this books so precious.
Jamie has major anxiety and it’s talked about throughout the book in a very realistic way, which I appreciated. It’s good to normalize how someone feels and how they deal with it. She’s also been through a lot of trauma that makes her think everyone is out to ruin her life, which is normal for a 17-year-old and makes her a believable character.
I really enjoyed every aspect of this book; the family dynamic, the love interest, how Jamie grows throughout the book. I couldn’t help smiling the whole time I read this book and also shouting “NOOO” at the appropriate moments.
I hope anyone who picks up this book enjoys it as much as I had.

4.5 ⭐
Jamie has the perfect plan set out for her and her boyfriend, Ben Cameron that involves doing all sorts of touristy things that she hasn’t been able to do. But then he comes back from summer camp with some news: he’s breaking up with Jamie.
Literally a couple of days after Ben breaks up with her, Jamie discovers that he ALREADY is dating another girl. And for some reason, she is determined to get him back. Even if that means she has to fake date Axel Dahini on a mutual beneficial (fake) relationship.
Except from both being Arab, she and Axel have nothing in common, but their forced time together brings them closer to one another, and brings up questions for Jamie that she hasn’t considered.
You know, I wasn’t really going to read this because I thought it was just another rom-com, but then I saw that it was set in Toronto, and I was hooked! I will say that I am extremely happy I decided to read You Started It.
Besides this one, I have read two other books set in my city: Ghostlight by Kenneth Opel and The King of Jam Sandwiches by Eric Walters. But Ghostlight was just set on Toronto Island and Jam Sandwiches was not as forward with it being set in Toronto (if that makes sense).
But You Started It… that had everything! In one of my Goodreads status updates I wrote something like “it is surreal seeing Ripley’s Aquarium, the ROM, and the CN Tower all in one sentence.” And I stand by that! Honestly it was really weird to read about a character who visits all of these places in a YA Contemporary book. Also the whole Wonderland part was awesome, though it was weird knowing all of the rides and places in Wonderland that she went to. (If you don’t know Canada’s Wonderland is the big theme park in the GTA, Greater Toronto Area).
But besides the Canadian rep, You Started It had phenomenal representation for so many other groups/people/conditions. Part of this was the Arab and queer rep, but also rep of people with panic attacks, IBS, and absent parents. I personally don’t fit into any of those groups, but it is refreshing to read about characters that don’t fit the usual stereotype (you know what I mean).
Also Jackie did a phenomenal job with the pace of You Started It! There was never once a time when I was bored while reading it. I actually stayed up more than because I couldn’t put it down. I only stopped reading because I knew that if I continued, I would be dead tired the next day.
The official synopsis compares You Started This to Better Than the Movies—which I haven’t read but know very much what it plot is because my friends read it—but I think this is also very much for fans of Ann Liang books. I say this because yes, it is an incredibly cute rom-com, but like Ann Liang’s books, it also has fantastic character development. But I do feel like it would have been nice to see more of Jamie’s uh final relationship (I hate having to not be able to give minor spoilers). I have the same issue with Ann Liang books; it’s as if there is such a big build up but then we don’t actually see the couple together for long.
Overall, You Started It is a solid 4.5 stars for me! It was such a cute rom-com that touched on so many important issues and struggles that teens face, and had great rep. But I feel like it could have benefited from a couple more chapters to wrap things up. I highly recommend that any Ann Liang or rom-com fan read You Started It. The amount of times that it made me laugh and smile is more than I can count on my fingers. Also just all the Canadian touristy stuff they did was so surreal and I was there for it!
Again: GO READ THIS BOOK!
Many thanks to Tundra Books and the folks at TBR & Beyond Tours for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 38%
This book started out strong for me. I love the author’s purpose for writing this book, and I absolutely love fake dating. Add in the main character accidentally running over some guy’s bike after she sees her very recently ex-boyfriend with another girl, and I was sold. Until that guy whose bike she ran over started doing a TikTok dance routine to “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes, aimed right at Jamie, and I until I got too frustrated with Jamie never being able to take any responsibility or accountability for her actions and behavior. This had the makings of a very strong story with amazing representation, but I just couldn’t seem to get invested in any of the characters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tundra Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

This was the perfect YA new romance for anyone who is a fan of feeling like they’re back in that first love nostalgia. :) Jamie and Axel are the sweetest fake couple ever and I love how much their romance was rooted in their friendship and genuinely connecting w/ each other. I absolutely can not wait to read more from Jackie Khalilieh!

*3.5 stars*
This was a cute YA romance. This gave the vibes of those cheesy teen romance movies, and I really enjoyed it. I liked both MCs, Jamie was very complex and was dealing with a lot, but I appreciated how the author wrote her journey in a very realistic way. I loved Axel, he was such a fun and enjoyable MMC. Their relationship was really cute, I loved all of the cute dates they went on throughout the book. I appreciated the representation for anxiety, panic attacks, and IBS. I thought the author addressed these issues very well and I loved the messages behind a lot of this book. I really enjoy Jackie Khalilieh’s writing, she’s very good at making you feel like you’re watching a movie in your head while reading. Overall, this was a fun and heartfelt read.

This was a great young adult read! It reminded me back of when I was in high school and young love. I ate this book up. I loved the FMC, Jamie. I could really relate to her and her anxiety as I suffer from anxiety myself. Axel was such a sweetheart and understanding and I loved him! I got Never Have I Ever vibes from this book, and I loved that show. I loved how Jamie came full circle and learned her wrongs and made them right. It was not only a romance book but a putting yourself first and fixing family relationships book. I also loved all the inclusion talked about in this book. I highly recommend!! MY review will be posted on my instagram in the next few days. @paigetopagereads

Thanks to Tundra for letting me read this book early. All thoughts are my own!! 3.5 stars rounded to 4!
You Started It is a YA romance book full of family, laughs, and finding yourself after your life completely changes. To me, the theme of this book is about finding yourself and learning who you are during a tumultuous time. I really loved the parts of this book that explored Jamie’s family dynamic. I loved seeing her reconnect with her family in multiple ways. Family is so complicated, and I really loved the way this book handled it.
Jamie is such a complex character. I definitely relate to her need for a plan and knowing everything about something to help soothe anxiety. I really loved her interactions with Olivia towards the end of the book, and I’m so glad there was closure between those characters.
Axel is definitely my favorite character in this book. He may have been the youngest, but he definitely was the most emotionally mature of the core four teenagers, with Olivia right behind him. I really appreciated what he brought to the story.
While this is a Young Adult book, I do think the constant back and forth with all of these characters got to a point where I couldn’t keep up. Within one chapter, Jamie would change her mind about who and what she wanted multiple times. Ben did it a lot too, and I just found myself not really rooting for any of them to be together by the end. I really felt like they all just needed to get some space from each other. I almost needed to keep a timeline of how often they all switched around who they liked at any given time. It’s definitely realistic for high schoolers to change their minds some when it comes to romantic interests, but this was too much for me.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand why Jamie reacted the way she did for a lot of these things, but it gets to a point where someone needs to start calling her out on it because she’s causing more issues and hurting people unnecessarily, which Axel did eventually. And I loved that he did.
If you’re looking for a very messy and complicated YA romance with a lovely side plot about family, then this is the perfect book to read!!

Absolutely adored this!
The anxiety representation reminded me of how I struggled when I was a teenager and I really do enjoy seeing it represented more in YA books. Jamie and Axel were super fun much to Jamie’s chagrin but she had some real growth which I loved following.

Just finished You Started It and I’m officially a Jackie Khalilieh fan. Axel? LOVED him. Sweet, confident, TikTok-dancing king. If you’re cringing at that, maybe unpack why joy makes you uncomfortable. He was such a lovable, sunshiney presence — totally stole the show.
Jamie… whew. As a fellow overthinker with Big Feelings, even I was like, girl, please chill. She was in her own head 24/7, which slowed the pacing — especially in the last third. I kept thinking the story was wrapping up... and then it just kept going.
Still, the deeper themes hit — especially the look at internalized bias within Jamie’s family. That part was handled with a lot of care.
Despite the slow bits, this was such a cute, heartfelt read. Fake dating, Arab rep, Toronto vibes, a dreamy love interest — what more could you want? Definitely adding Jackie to my auto-buy list.

This was such a strong young adult fake dating story. It took a moment to feel immersed in the prose, but there's so much character growth here. The characters hold one another accountable, as they should, which leads to beautiful development and self-realization.
💜 Young Adult / Coming-of-Age
💜 Anxiety / Mental Health Rep
💜 Fake Dating
💜 Opposites Attract
💜 Arab / Palestinian-Canadian & Lebanese-Canadian MCs
💜 Identity
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Oh YESSSSSS! Sorry, let me be chill for a sec. This book is so YA it's magnificent. Sometimes, despite adult level problems or conflicts of identity, connection, community, and decisions to make, young adults are just that: young adults. So, let's get silly, heartfelt, adventurous, and hurt with these wonderful characters that Jackie Khalilieh has crafted.
One of my favorite things was that, even though there were certainly miscommunications (they're humans after all), the main romance was full of such thoughtful and clear communication to ensure that needs were being met while having as much fun as possible. Jamie's learning to deal with/the way she has learned to manage IBS and certain situations (due to anxiety and autism) were very relatable to my particular experiences. All in all, this book was exactly what I was looking for, and I look forward to reading Khalilieh's next book ❤️

I thoroughly enjoyed You Started It! This was such a cute story with a lot of heart. I LOVED Axel's character! If you're all up in the Goodreads reviews cringing over him being a dancer who likes making TikToks...grow up and stop being embarrassed of everything!! Axel was so sweet, lovable, and fun. 10/10 big fan.
Honestly, I found our female main character, Jamie, pretty annoying. She was very critical of everyone around her, overthought everything, and had BIG feelings and got super caught up in her own drama. I've been known to overthink things and have big feelings, but SHEESH. Even I thought this was a lot. I think that dragged the pacing down--from 70% onward, I was like "okay is this book over yet? Let's wrap it up!" It just kept going and going and going and could've been done way sooner.
Aside from that, I really liked the theme of dismantling your own internalized discrimination at your ethnicity, like Jamie's mom was doing with regards to Arab men.
All in all, a fun read with an adorable cover and awesome love interest! Definitely worth reading.

Genre 📚: YA Contemporary, Romance, Coming-of-age
Tropes 💁♀️: Fake dating, Opposites attract
Rep ✔️: Palestinian-Canadian main character, Lebanese-Canadian love interest
CW ⚠️: Anxiety, claustrophobia, panic attacks, alcoholism
Rating ⭐️: 4/5
New auto-buy author unlocked. I just finished Jackie Khalilieh’s Something More and immediately jumped into You Started It. And now I want her next book. Her characters are endearing, easy to root for, and so full of life that I’m willing to forgive them for any teenage rage and miscommunication (I’ll get to that in a sec).
Jamie’s family life has been messy and unpredictable, making her an anxious planner. She likes knowing exactly where her life is going — so it’s a total nightmare when her boyfriend of three years suddenly dumps her for another girl. Thankfully, the new boy in town Axel swoops in, and like a true romantic hero, he covers Jamie by pulling the fake dating card. They begin a partnership (he helps make the ex jealous, she helps with his TikTok biz) while also developing a friendship (he joins her on her bucket list mission, she gets to know his lovely Arab family). It’s all adorable.
Then, the miscommunications started happening and all hell broke loose. It was hard to read Jamie constantly self-sabotage, but it made sense with her character and what she’d been through. What was important for me was her arc, how she handled it and grew from it, and honestly, the execution was pretty damn satisfying. She had a lot to work through — not just with Axel, but with every relationship in her life — and she fully committed. Were some of her tactics cringe? Absolutely. But the girl’s, like, seventeen. We were all cringe at seventeen.

I love Jackie and her writing. She writes truly beautiful stories with beautiful characters. It was a great storyline, it flowed perfectly and the challenges felt realistic. The only thing was the dreaded third act breakup for me.

This one was a bit too YA for me.
A perfect rom com story for an actual youth reader.
The characters are well written and the story is easy to read and follow. Definitely recommend to any teen romance readers!

3.5 stars, rounded up
This is a very cute, very high school romance story. Jamie and Axel and Ben and Olivia really read like high schoolers, from the way they talk to the way they react, think, and behave. It unfortunately highlighted the age difference between me and these characters. I enjoyed the story but had to keep shutting up the voice that wanted them to be more mature or less emotionally fraught. And that's a me problem, not a book problem.
Axel is my favorite! He's so sweet and enthusiastic and unapologetically himself. I found Jamie a little harder to connect with. I loved seeing her growth, especially around some heavy topics, but I wasn't as invested with her as I was with Axel.
This book covers a lot of topics: Palestinian heritage, Arab heritage, alcoholism, abandonment, anxiety, teen pregnancy, and more. And while I applaud Jackie Khalilieh for tackling so much, it felt like a lot of these were glossed over. The impact even one of these would have on the characters and their lives felt underwhelming.
Technically, the pacing of the book is off. The fake dating situation came about too soon, which pushed up the timeline on everything that came after. The ending dragged a little before we get to the HEA. The dialogue was cringey and stilted at times, too. And this is just me being picky but is that really the best title?
All that aside, it's still a cute, fun read! I will happily recommend this to the younger readers in my life.
<i>Many thanks to NetGalley, Tundra, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

When I say I loved this book, I’m saying it with my whole chest. I love the characters and premise. I love Axel so much and I need to read more from this author.