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Mar 31, 2017samcmar rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I have adored Claire LaZebnik's books in the past. They are cheeky, funny, and always full of heart. That's not entirely the case where with Things I Should Have Known. This book is definitely full of heart and it definitely comes from a deeply personal place. I admit I had a bit of a rough start with this book, but it's only because the introduction to Claire and Ivy is a slow burn with a lot of ground to cover. Once I got a few chapters in, I felt the spark from this book. This book, at it's core, is a book about autism and sisterhood. Ivy is autistic, while Claire is the older sister who becomes in a lot of ways, Ivy's pillar of support. Claire teaches Ivy about dating, integrating with others, and through the story we come to learn that not only is Ivy autistic, but she is also gay. There's a lot of exploration in this story revolving Ivy's sexuality, how her autism affects her, and how she wants to feel like everyone else, despite knowing she is anything but. I really loved the way LaZebnik sheds light on the sister's relationship: it shows a lot of strength and there is a part of me that could really relate the sister's situation. Claire has to sacrifice parts of herself for Ivy, but it's only because she cares so deeply for her sister and her happiness. I really adored how real this book felt. The large conflicts at play, be it Ethan's plotline or Claire's relationship with David -- there is something in how LaZebnik connects all these people together that just works so well. I also liked how long it took Claire and David to get together, it felt so organic and I found it made a lot of sense as I was reading a long. The only thing I can say in regards to the romance that I disliked was Claire trying to force Ivy into a relationship towards the beginning. I really didn't like that, but I did understand Claire's point of view in this regard (even if it didn't make it right). I appreciate that this gets remedied later on when Claire and Ivy start to undercover Ivy's sexuality more. It's very interesting and thoughtful. I feel like those who love raw YA novels will definitely love Things I Should Have Known. This is an amazing and well researched book that has really great characters, and it shows a lot of sensitivity. There's a gentleness in this novel that is appreciated as it is thoughtful. If you love tough YA, this book is worth checking out.