mrs_mander_reads
Written on Nov 28, 2017
A New York Times Bestseller
“Here are three things about this book: (1) It’s . . . funny and romantic; (2) the mystery at the heart of the story will keep you turning the pages; (3) I have a feeling you’ll be very happy you read it.” —Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
With the perfect mix of comedy and tragedy, love and loss, and pain and elation, the characters in Julie Buxbaum’s Tell Me Three Things come to feel like old friends who make any day better. This YA novel is sure to appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell, Jennifer Niven, and E. Lockhart.
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son, and to start at a new school where she knows no one.
Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?
In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?
More praise for TELL ME THREE THINGS
“Three Things about this novel: (1) I loved it. (2) No, really, I LOVED it. (3) I wish I could tell every teen to read it. Buxbaum’s book sounds, reads, breathes, worries, and soars like real adolescents do.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Time and Off the Page
“The desire to find out whether Jessie’s real-life and virtual crushes are one and the same will keep [readers] turning the pages as quickly as possible.” —PW, Starred
“A heartfelt, wryly perceptive account of coming to terms with irrevocable loss when life itself means inevitable change.” —Kirkus
“Buxbaum’s debut is hard to put down because of its smooth and captivating text. The addition of virtual conversations through email and chatting adds to the exciting plot twist.” —SLJ
- ISBN10 0553535676
- ISBN13 9780553535679
- Publish Date 14 March 2017 (first published 5 April 2016)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Ember
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 352
- Language English
- URL https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780553535679
Reviews
lizarodz
Written on Jan 20, 2017
- The characters - Are amazing. There is depth, growth, pain, happiness, love... So many changes and emotions that make Jessie, his dad, his new step-mother and step-brother's life chaotic, hard, and eventually better. There are mean girls, knights in shining armor, new and old friends, and then there's Somebody/Nobody (SN).
- The story - Waffles, IM, email, moving to a new city, a new family, a new school, new work. Feelings of abandonment, friendship, love, bullying, bereavement, homesickness. The bright beacon that SN becomes in Jessie's life and her in his. I absolutely loved their banter, their exchanges, and their three things.
- The writing - Is flawless, moving, engrossing, fluid, packed with emotion. In short, pure awesome.
- The romance - Ah. Buxbaum masterfully introduces characters that seem like they could be SN, but there is no love triangles (or squares), we know who Jessie likes and grows to love above all other possible suitors. In her mind there is only one and I adore the ending of the book. It is truly amazing and masterfully done.
Overall? Go read Tell Me Three Things and What to Say Next to your list ASAP.
Jorjeana Marie is one of my favorite narrators and she was stellar in Tell Me Three Things. Her voice acting is masterfully executed, the characters voice's distinctive from each other and carrying clear emotions. SO good.This review was originally posted on Quite the Novel Idea
melanchalina
Written on Jan 9, 2017
4 из 10
Жанр: YA, современный любовный роман
POV: от первого лица, женский
Геометрия чувств: мнимый треугольник
Отличительные черты: анонимная переписка, неуклюжая героиня-аутсайдер, герой-музыкант, потеря близкого
РЕЦЕНЗИЯ:
Есть у меня один маленький недостаток – я слишком много ожидаю от некоторых книг. Легко ведусь на красивые обложки, заманчивые описания и рейтинги. Поэтому, когда я узнала о «Три правды о себе» то ожидала, ну не знаю ЧЕГО-ТО особенного, понимаете?
Ох, ну, черт побери, ну как я могла думать иначе? Мне обещали милоту, драму и переписку с незнакомцем (все знают, как я люблю тему переписок). Я верила в эту книгу, я ждала ее, в своем воображении я заочно поставила книге пять звезд, писала хвалебные отзывы и мысленно была готова советовать ее всем своим книгодрузьям.
Но… нет. Просто нет. Между мной и книгой не было никаких искр и химии. БЕЗНАДЕГА.РУ.
Я не почувствовала связи с героями и не смогла погрузиться в сюжет. Большинство событий в книге казались слишком наигранными, словно я находилась на не очень хорошей постановке в театре. Большую часть времени меня ужасно раздражала героиня. Автор пыталась сделать из нее страдалицу, несчастного лебедя, но нельзя настолько сильно утопать в жалости к самой себе. Джесси не пыталась понять своего отца или пойти на контакт с новой семьей. Все что она делала это думала о себе, постоянно, я не шучу - «Я такая несчастная», «Я одна, совсем одна», «Как мне быть…». О, пожалуйста, возьми себя уже в руки, тряпка.
Но беда в том, что не только Джесси, но и все остальные герои были слишком плоскими, картонными. В них не было ничего особенного или запоминающегося, не смотря на все старания автора. Эти жалкие потуги привели лишь к рождению кучи штампов, но не милых и очаровательных, а раздражающих и в стиле я-уже-устала-закатывать-глаза и кто-нибудь-дайте-ей-мозги.
Джулия Баксбаум слишком много раз подчеркивала в романе, какие все подростки в новой школе глупые, помешанные на внешности и стервозные. Как не вписывается сюда героиня, ведь она САМО СОБОЙ совсем не такая. Читателю неоднократно впихивали какой необычный главный герой, он весь такой темный, мрачный одиночка, уставший от женского внимания и живущий в своих собственных мыслях (оуч, серьезно что ли?). И в итоге, все то, что обычно срабатывает у других авторов, здесь было чрезмерным и лишним.
Но самая главная проблема… любовная линия. Она как бы есть, но как бы и нет. Опять же, никакой химии (я плакаль). Я не увидела ни одной причины, по которой герои сошлись. С одной стороны, да, была переписка, где герои открылись друг другу, поняли как они похожи, но с другой стороны… казалось, что вне переписки они совсем не связанны. Ужасно неестественно, даже реалити-шоу вызывают у меня больше чувств и сопереживания.
По итогу – книга переоценена. Безумно переоценена, я читала ранее и более трогательные и душевные романы. «Три правды о себе» всего лишь история на один раз, история у которой был потенциал, но автор не сумела его развить и использовать в полной мере.
readingwithwrin
Written on Nov 22, 2016
“Perfect days are for people with small, realizable dreams. Or maybe for all of us, they just happen in retrospect; they're only now perfect because they contain something irrevocably and irretrievably lost.”
See reviews first on my Blog
Julie is a young woman whose life is drastically changing. Her mom has passed away and her dad isn't dealing well with it. That is until he goes away for a business thing and comes back with a surprise that makes him and Julie move to the other side of the U.S. where everything is different from the people to how your supposed to act. Because lets face it to outsiders LA is terrifying especially LA private high-school. Julie has no idea how to navigate this new school, or which social class she would even fit into. That is until a random person starts messing her and offering her friendship and free advice. While this is a little creepy, it works and we get to know much more about both characters an a easy format where they feel comfortable and aren't trying to impress each other.
“You know how it is. Mean girls get mean in seventh grade and they stay that way until your ten-year reunion, when they want to be best friends again.”
As for Julies other friendships they weren't doing so well. The only friend she had back home felt left out somewhat while also still being incredibly supportive. Yes Julie wasn't asking her how things were back there, but she still truly cared for her best friend and when they finally got to see each other again, it was worth the distance, because they got to deal with things they hadn't before. It also made Julie realize she didn't have to do things alone all the time.
“Just because you're strong doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for help sometimes. Remember that.”
As for her new step-mom and step brother I wasn't a fan of them at first. They seemed to not really like or want Julie there, but as time went on and they all started getting use to each other things started changing. Her and her step-brother became friends and were protective of each other. Her step-mom realized that she needed to start trying with Julie and making her feel welcomed. Sure this whole new family dynamic still has a lot to learn and just proves why you shouldn't rush into a marriage when children/teens are involved.
“Not feeling like I belong anywhere has made me crave constant motion; standing still feels risky, like asking to be a target.”
Overall I enjoyed this story. The way that Julie dealt with loss was very real, as was her moving and having to start completely over. I was able to figure out who the anonymous person was about half way through the book, but then again after that I was also always trying to make sure who I thought it was was correct and it wasn't actually someone else.
“He's more like me, I think: burdened with the realization that what goes on in his mind is somehow different from what goes on in everyone else's. Even those closest to us.
And how you can't think about that for too long, because that thought - the truth of our isolation - is too much to bear.”
Joséphine
Written on May 1, 2016
Initial thoughts: This is such a sweet book grappling with loss and new beginnings. The mystery guy was who emailed Jessie, helping to ease her into life in Los Angeles was kinda predictable. Although,the possibility of three guys ensured that things didn't turn into a tired old love triangle, which I appreciated.
Being the new girl at a school in a different city is always tough and Julie Buxbaum managed to capture the nuances very well. I also liked the way the tenuous relationships between Jessie and stepmother, as well as her and her stepbrother were conveyed. It was honest as well in the way her friendships and the meaning of family shifted as her best friend from Chicago and her father became a little more distant. On the whole, I liked Tell Me Three Things but also felt like there could've been more to the story.
nightingalereads
Written on Apr 5, 2016
Sam@WLABB
Written on Apr 3, 2016
Our MC is Jessie. Jessie is starting in a new school, in a new state, in a new home, with a new family, and without her mom. She is still grieving her mother's death, and now must learn to navigate her way in a new land. Just when she feels she has nobody to turn to, she receives an anonymous email from Somebody/Nobody, who offers his services.
I loved it all. I loved the way Buxbaum shows (through multiple characters), that people grieve in different ways; none are wrong. I loved the way she illustrated that strength does not mean facing everything on your own. I loved that she showed it was ok to have feelings and to feel them. In addition, Jessie, Theo, and Ethan were all such fabulous characters with so much to say. Buxbaum let them say it, and did so in an entertaining way.
I really enjoyed Buxbaum's style, and have already added her adult fiction to my TBR. I look forward to reading more of her work.