"Find the mask that fits best, never perfectly. The acceptable version. It will make it easier on them and eventually it will become your second foreign skin."

GENRE: YA Contemp/Coming of Age with Romance
RATING: 5/5
FORMAT: eBook ARC

Overall Impression: What a book! Everything Comes back to You is a book I wish I had read like when I was a teenager, lost in this world. Reading it as an adult feels like healing a part of me that was so lost when I was young and for that, I know I'm going to remember this book for a long time to come.

Review:
Okay this was my first book by Jackie Khalilieh and I'm not going to need to read everything she writes because WHAT A BOOK!!!!

Reading this and following the book through Lennon's perspective was very emotional for me and struck close to home a lot of times. I related a lot to so many aspects of it, to Lennon and how she views herself, how she faces the world as an autistic individual and I related so much to Georgie too.

And in so many ways, Everything Comes Back to You is about learning to love yourself and learning to deal with generational trauma. Now, in my late 20s, I can read this and remember how it was growing up and dealing with a lot of things that Lennon deals with. As an eldest daughter though, I did want to tell her to follow Georgie's advice of putting herself first.

Truly, this book took me on an emotional journey. I felt sad, happy and just so emotional for Lennon and her sister. I related SO much to learning to mask and trying to be the perfect daughter, sister, person...etc. to everyone around you that you forget who you truly are. To me, the teenage years were HARD and I think this book represented why it was hard. It's like trying to fit in a world that isn't meant for you and you dont understand WHY you can't fit in.

Jackie's writing was so captivating, I read through this so QUICKLY and I couldnt sleep as I really wanted to finish it. I loved that we get to follow Lennon's journey from the beginning of high school till the end of it as well. She changes so much through the seasons and so does everyone around her.

And finally, as an Arab, reading this and seeing how the generational trauma carries on and the gaps between Georgie & Lennon with their parents was sad and healing in many ways. A lot of our culture is set in its ways, in not talking about the taboo topics and avoiding the painful things.

I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.