This Is Not the Jess Show

by Anna Carey

“A fantastically smart, funny, and thoughtful thriller.”—Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star

The year is 1998: Titanic just won six Oscars, boy bands are dominating MTV’s airwaves, and like any other teenager Jess Flynn is just trying to survive high school. Between a crush on her childhood best friend, overprotective parents, and her sister’s worsening health, the only constant is her hometown of Swickley, which feels smaller by the day.

Jess is resigned to her small-town life, until the day she discovers a mysterious device with an apple logo, causing her to question everything and everyone she’s ever known. As more cracks appear in Jess’s world, she faces a choice: can she live the rest of her life knowing it’s a lie, or should she risk everything for the truth?
 
A fast-paced, mind-bending YA thriller packed with ’90s pop culture references and perfect for fans of Riverdale, This Is Not the Jess Show will keep readers guessing until the very end.

And don't miss the explosive and thrilling conclusion, This Is Not the Real World!

• ISBN10: 1683691970
• ISBN13: 9781683691976
• Publish Date: 2 February 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Quirk Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781683691976

Reviews

When I first read the synopsis for This is not the Jess Show, I was very excited.

The synopsis I read pitched the book as a YA version of The Truman Show. I enjoyed that film years ago and was intrigued to see how the premise would turn out in a book. Unfortunately, it hasn't adapted well. I think the issue lies in the fact that I already knew the concept, whereas if you look at the new synopsis, it doesn't mention The Truman Show anywhere. So I lost the suspense element.

Most of this story was around the characters running away from their reality, which was disappointing. I didn't pick up this book to read that kind of story. This story wasn't about the main character trying to figure out what on earth was going on, she didn't slowly figure things out, someone ended up telling her outright. And everything that happened before that point hadn't felt natural or real. Everything that happened after that point was kind of bland and predictable.

This is not the Jess Show wasn't quite the story I had hoped, but it was a quick and easy read, so I didn't have to slog through it.

[Angie]

This is Not the Jess Show was such a trip! Seventeen-year-old Jess lives a pretty normal life. She lives with her parents, she has a younger sister (who is on hospice care), has a cute dog, two best friends, and a crush on a guy she's known her whole life. But then things start feeling off. Jess hears something weird one morning, but can't pinpoint what it's coming from and no else seems to have heard it. Then her sister's health takes a sudden turn for the worst, and her beloved dog bites her! Not to mention that her BFFs act weird when Jess sees an iPhone fall out of one of their bags. Of course, the iPhone doesn't exist since it's 1998.

I really enjoyed This is Not the Jess Show but I don't want to say too much about the plot and give away the fun surprises! It starts out reading like 90s Fiction. Jess is just going about her life and trying to figure out why everyone is suddenly acting so strange. Even her crush who seems to like her back is starting to act odd. But then he lets her in on a secret and it blows Jess's world wide open! WTF is going on!? I was shocked. I was disturbed. I had to read more!

I will admit that I've questioned the reality of my life many times over the years. This is Not the Jess Show just takes it a few steps further. What if you weren't who you thought you were? What if your life wasn't what you thought it was?! This book was just a good time, from reliving the '90s to that exciting plot twist, up until that disturbing ending.

[katie]

Wow.

Wow wow wow wow wow.

I apparently missed that this is a duology, so it was a bit of a surprise when I got to the end and realized it wasn't over.

But like.... such a great story! I love Jess, and the world building is PHENOMENAL and I can't wait to read more!!!

Full review to come as we get closer to the publication date, since I read this super early (like, the second I got it early).

But jsyk, this isn't a "round it up" 5 stars or a "someone will love this book even if it isn't me" 5 stars- it's a "holy cow I can't believe that was such an AMAZING story!!!" 5 stars. And I'm already looking forward to rereading it before I read the sequel. And possibly before then.