This Is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey

This Is Not the Jess Show

by Anna Carey

Black Mirror meets My So-Called Life in this fast-paced, timely YA thriller about separating fact from fiction-and how far we'll go to create our own version of reality.

"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!

Reviewed by Angie on

4 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • 17 March, 2021: Started reading
  • 17 March, 2021: on page 0 out of 304 0%
  • 17 March, 2021: Finished reading
  • 3 April, 2021: Reviewed