2018 School Spending Survey Report
Gr 9 Up–Khalilieh’s sophomore YA rom-com is a heartfelt, delightful story about Jamie Taher-Foster, a biracial Palestinian Canadian high school senior navigating a recent breakup with her boyfriend Ben Cameron. She’s started having feelings for Axel Dahini, the younger Lebanese boy she’s been fake dating after running over his bicycle. Readers will have no trouble relating to Jamie’s likable accident-prone, list-making nature and the way she isn’t afraid to rely on coping strategies, such as therapy and medication, to manage her anxiety disorder and IBS. Khalilieh creates an excellent balance between the complicated family relationships Jamie has with her mother and absentee father and some lighter comic moments of going on dates with Axel around their hometown of Toronto. With his golden retriever energy and loving Arab family, Axel shows Jamie how to try new things and embrace her identity in ways she never has before.
VERDICT Highly recommended for libraries diversifying their YA romance collections with more stories that focus on managing identity, disability, and mental health anxieties in positive ways. A sure delight for fans of authors like Tashie Bhuiyan and Farah Heron.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
Thank you for visiting.
We’ve noticed you are using a private browser. To continue, please log in or create an account.
Be the first reader to comment.
Comment Policy:
Comment should not be empty !!!