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.