“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
I knew this was going to be a good one, when I saw it blurbed by one of my favorite contemporary writers, Jennifer E Smith. I have had this book since YallFest in November, and wish I would have read it sooner. This book evoked the same sort of warm and fuzzy feelings that I get when I read a Sarah Dessen, JES, or Kasie West book.
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.
