Things I Should Have Known

by Claire LaZebnik

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Chloe is one of the popular girls at her school but it's not because she tries. It's because she doesn't try that people admire her and like her. She's even dating the most popular guy at school and everything seems okay. But at home, Chloe takes care of her older sister Ivy who is Autistic. Chloe is already used to taking care of Ivy and being there for her, so when Ivy starts asking questions about kissing and relationships, Chloe sets out to pair her up with Ethan, a boy from her school who's also Autistic. What Chloe doesn't know is that Ethan is David's brother, the annoying and insufferable guy from school who she can't stand. But by going on Ivy's and Ethan's dates, Chloe and David start to see a new side of each other that they hadn't seen before.

I know I just made it seem (as well as the synopsis) that this is a book focused on romance and that Autism takes a backseat. I'm here to tell you that's not the case. I was quite surprised when I realized that yes, there's a cute romance, but it's not the focus at all. In this case, Autism takes the full front and passenger seat. I don't know if the author wrote this story from experience but it felt so real. The characters came to life before my eyes, especially Ivy and Ethan. I mean, we see Chloe and David struggling with their siblings because they don't understand normal cues. They get loud if something upsets them, ask more questions than normal because they aren't able to get what's up, they are brutally honest, they can be extremely quiet or talk non-stop. The list goes on and on, and because of it, these characters made me see Autism in a new light.

I'm her younger sister, but I can't remember a time when I didn't feel like I needed to protect and take care of her.

I loved how flawed Chloe was and how her reactions were very normal in the sense that she would get upset, mad irritated because her sister wouldn't understand things. At the same time, she's always there for Ivy and is always giving her advice and motivating her to try new things in life. With David, his reactions towards Ethan are actually calmer and more soothing. We see how it affects David and his family that Ethan has Autism. One thing I loved about David was how open he was about his feelings towards this situation, to the point of even crying, which broke my heart. Chloe and David are teens handling a tough situation because their parents aren't really there to help and it's sad to think that it happens nowadays and how ignorant a lot of us are to this Mental Health.

People can have nothing but good intentions and still sometimes makes you want to kill them.

This story is so important to read! Not only that, it also tackles another important topic and the way it was handled was great and it made me so happy! I can't say because it's a major spoiler, so you guys will just have to read it :D One thing I did find negative of the story was the fact that there are various topics thrown in the story and I wish some had been fleshed out more.

Things I Should Have Known is an impressive, wonderful story that tackles Autism in a realistic way, as well as family dynamics, especially sisterhood.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.