a beautiful book that dealt with few heavy topics while being revolved around a YA romance which is perfect for the fans of better than the movies and Jenny Han. I had a great time with this book.

You Started It follows a teen girl trying to find her true self during her senior year of high school. She sets goals to get exactly what she thinks she wants but realizes that might not be what she needs anymore. The book explores self-discovery, family dynamics, and high school social constructs. The main character is relatable and a great reminder to young adults that life is messy but that doesn't mean they should give up.

I loved this book. I was unsure at the beginning, but it turned around so fast! I love that there is a bit of confusion about her identity as a Palestinian. It comes from her mother’s own issues with her identity. Whereas, Axel is so secure in who he is and where his family comes from. I feel like this can resonate with so many people, and is incredibly important to character development throughout the story.

Warning: This story tackles anxiety, cheating, alcoholism, and several other things.

Characters: Although the story mostly follows Jamie, Axel, and Ben, it puts such a spotlight on side characters. Her uncle is the best supportive character. He has so much personality, and he is her greatest supporter.

Tropes: it is primarily a fake dating story. There are a few other tropes, but know that this is the focus.


Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC read. I am always grateful to get the opportunity to read a book early.

Cute adaptation of girl loses boy, girl meets new boy, tries to get back old boy but likes new boy better!

You Started It was a lovely YA Romance/Find yourself kind of book. I think that many teenagers will find themselves relating to Jamie with her anxiety and not wanting to fail at things. There is so often a mentality of why try if I think I may fail. Axel is able to bring her out of her shell, being goofy, but also helping her to dive deeper into her past trauma and learn about her roots. This friends to dating/fake-dating was just what I needed to get me out of a slump.
What a great book full of diversity and genuine characters!

This was so cute it had me kicking my feet and giggling, it also had its serious moments. Jamie was so serious at first and when she let the reasoning behind it be known she allowed herself to become so vulnerable, and that allowed for so much growth. I was so annoyed at a couple of the characters and loved the growth that came with everyone over all. Coming of age, family drama, first love, fake dating and bucket lists. This was the first book I read by Jackie Khalilieh but I immediately went and (finally) borrowed her first book on Libby and look forward to reading more!! 4.5⭐️

Even thought it says its a YA story the book had elements of adulthood. This was such a lovely book and loved the diversity in its characters. I felt like i was learning of a culture i don't know much about. This book made me cry, laugh, and feel heartbreak all at the same time. Such a tender story and i liked how the characters dealt with issues that affect many people. And by the way the playlist was perfectly matched to the story, loved it!!!

I want to thank @jackiekhalilieh and @netgalley for letting me read this ARC now i have fuzzies in my heart, thank you!

A very cute read. Pacing was great never a dull moment or a time you question if things will get worse or better. I was frustrated with certain characters and the decisions they made at one point.

unfortunately i dnf this book around 60-70%. i tried to finish it, however, every time i picked up my kindle, i just kept putting the book away.

i cannot not mention the toronto references because they were so fun! some places were actually so well described and it gave such a nice vibes.

now moving to why i didn’t finish the book.
even though the story started very suddenly, i couldn’t find myself being connected to either characters. as a read further, main characters stayed pretty much the same, making not really much of a development.
this book is marked as ya, and i do think there are kids who would enjoy this book, but i also believe many of them wouldn’t really understand characters. at some moments, jamie was very unrealistic, especially as a 17 year old.

overall, i enjoyed the plot but characters were too difficult and unnecessary over characteristic.

I can absolutely see the influence of Olivia Rodrigo's Sour album and I absolutely loved this book and Jamie and Axel. The characters were so lovable and complicated. I love a fake dating trope that turns into a real relationship and how Jamie figured out what she wanted and saved herself in a way that was extraordinary.

Sometimes you just need a nice contemporary romance amidst the fantasy and romantasy novels on an ever-growing TBR...You Started It was exactly what I needed to fill that space between those higher-stakes, more involved reads. I thoroughly enjoyed both main characters and loved the chemistry between them!

The first half was super cute, i loved the fake dating and thought Jamie and Axel were cute together.

The second half felt like it was trying to cram too much in, but it also dragged at parts. I liked the addition of the subplot of Jamie's dad returning and her friendship with Olivia, but also adding Jamie's grandparents, Jamie's "bookish" personality (which wasn't much besides she liked buying collectors versions of books) and ALL the counts of miscommunication made the third act a bit confusing. The end scene with the dance felt super rushed!

My first read by this author but I am interested in reading their other/future works. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Jamie has senior year all planned out, with lists of “firsts” for experiencing with Ben, her boyfriend of three years. She wasn’t expecting “first heartbreak” to top the list, but that’s what she gets when he comes home from his summer camp counseling job and breaks up with her—and then immediately starts dating popular girl, Olivia! When Jamie, during a drive-by of Ben’s house, gets distracted in witnessing Ben and Olivia kissing on his porch and accidentally runs over new kid Axel’s bike… One thing leads to another and suddenly Axel and Jamie are fake dating in a ploy for her to win Ben back.
Axel isn’t reallyJamie‘s type. The only thing they have in common is there Arab heritages. But Jamie hasn’t had much contact with her Palestinian grandparents (her mom‘s estranged parents), so there’s not a lot of common heritage to share. But Axel turns out to be exactly who she needs, and the “fake” part of their fake relationship is quickly blurred by real feelings.
I love a good fake dating story, and this one is *definitely* a good fake dating story!
I love the bits of messy family dynamics that are interwoven throughout. I would’ve liked to see a bit more of Axel‘s family, but we seeJamie‘s POV so it makes sense that we don’t get a lot of of that. I also love that Jamie‘s anxiety is a big, pivotal point of the story, but not an ableist or syrupy “See what you can accomplish with (or in spite of) your disability?” kind of way. I do think Axel‘s character could’ve been fleshed out a bit more, but I loved him even so, and read this book in one day!

I had to DNF this. I tried, I really did. The dancing TikTok’er put me over the edge.
The author tried way too hard to incorporate Gen Z slang into this and it just didn’t work. Nothing fit or flowed. Too many themes were thrown in for the sake of having them in the book.
I appreciate NetGalley giving me the opportunity to read this as an ARC, it just wasn’t for me.

The book was a little slow in the beginning but it was so good. I had to keep reminding myself that this are YA.
I love the way Jamie is so outspoken and how everything came together for her in the end within the circle. I was scared for a second when at 90% Jamie and Axel still weren't together but it worked out.
Definitely #Jaxel

This book was such a cute little story. If you love the fake dating trope, this one is definitely for you. 💕 While this book is a romance this book dives deep into family expectations, personal growth, and even discusses mental health. I really enjoyed the character growth from cover to close. Overall, You started it is a good blend of humor, heart, and a sprinkle of family drama. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars!)

Thank you to Tundra Book Group and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Reading “TikTok Dancer” had me wanting to not read this book but the Author’s note demanded I give it a chance.

Representation is so important and it’s so refreshing to see someone properly write a character with an Arab background (I’m looking at you, icebreaker).

It’s giving “To All The Boys I Loved Before”, it’s giving “The Perfect Date’, it’s giving “Holidate” all in the best ways.

Were there some cringey moments and cheesy dialogue? Yeah. But was the overall story cute and easy to get through? Absolutely.

Axel is a sweet angel baby, and Jamie has her moments where she’s insufferable (we get it, you’re quirky) but who hasn’t been a cringey teenager? She did give me Ginny from Ginny and Georgia vibes, but that’s the trauma I guess. I had to remind myself they’re just high schoolers, and this kind of behavior is pretty typical at that age. It is the end of the world, and it is that dramatic. First love, first heartbreak, etc. At this age, emotions are so raw and intense – it genuinely feels like the worst possible thing that could ever happen. You experience all these wild, extreme feelings and have no real way of knowing how to handle them yet.

This book deals with a lot of heavy topics under the guise of a cute romance, and it does so really well while still being an easy, enjoyable YA read. I’d recommend this to pretty much anyone (older girlies, if you can go into it reminding yourself these are literal high schoolers, you’ll enjoy it) but it’s especially wonderful for anyone wanting to recommend books to a young adult/teen.

As a Canadian, especially in current times, I’m always so happy to see and support a Canadian author and LOVE the bits of Canada sprinkled throughout the book.

Such a cute coming of age novel💕 I giggled, i screamed, i kicked my feet. Obsessed. A rom-com for the ages! Can’t wait to have my book BFFs read!!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

When I tell you this book had me at the edge of my seat the entire time! I was stressed. Over all though this book was a great read and experience. It was hard for me to put the book down. Now where do I start? First off, the character Ben had me fighting to like him throughout the book. I love that in this story we learn that what we know about a person is what they're all about. Assumptions are never good. I love the Character development Jamie went through in this book. She went from being stubborn, and the type that wouldn't listen at all, even if it benefits her, to someone who would actually take changes and put herself out there. I love that about this book the most.

The one thing I will say though is that the miscommunication trope was working overtime in this book. Which usually I don't like but, I see how this was important for Jamie's character development.

All and All this book is such a fun read with all of the feels!

cute YA romance with some fun characters and good vibes! axel was a cool one, as was our protag. 4 star. tysm for the arc.