Anna Carey

"When strange things start happening in Jess Flynn's hometown of Swickley, the high-school junior suspects reality isn't as it seems and seeks to uncover the truth about her family, her friends, and her town"--

This Is Not the Jess Show

Elle May

*I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

With an interesting twist and structure the book is easily comparable to the Truman Show except from a teenage girls perspective, drama plays a big part throughout Jess's life and seems to follow her no matter what she tries to do. Having an introduction to everyone in her life was early on made the book focus more on how these people who she considered close to her betrayed her hit me to my core, I couldn't imagine finding out that my whole life has been a lie and the world knew all my secrets. I highly recommend giving this book a read, it's a refreshing tale that will hook you!

Eli🕺🏼

A really quick paced book for the laid back reader. It was enjoyable but it didn’t have the wow factor for me. The plot was interesting but it could have been executed a bit better in my opinion. Especially the ending was a bit lack lustre. I will be reading the sequel because the ending was nowhere near what the ending should have been like . I’m thinking maybe the two books of this series may have been better off being a standalone rather than two short books in a series.

Shareca

** spoiler alert **
           This Is Not The Jess Show ★★★★
05/25 This Is Not The Real World ★★★★
Anna Carey

After reading Anna Carey's previous novel, This Is Not The Jess Show, I eagerly anticipated her sequel, This Is Not The Real World. 😭

In the first book, I was drawn to the retro Truman Show, Black Mirror, and My So-Called Life concept. The plot of ‘Jess Show’ takes place in the 1990s and develops an engaging character named Jess Flynn.

Even with the strange relationship between Jess and the world she knows, the prose by Carey is beautifully descriptive when describing Jess' internal feelings about the newness of her realizations. ✨

In the same way that Jess notices the weirdness around her, so do you. It becomes a game to determine what exactly is going on — it made for an enjoyable reading experience. 🌤 Each time Jess experiences a new bit of truth, we feel for her and feel empathy as she tries to understand this weird situation.

✨(Finding out the truth about this story is a large part of the enjoyment of it as well as the reason it kept me turning the pages, so there will be no spoilers, as I hope you will read the book. 🙏🏾)✨

Jess' narrative continues straight from the final pages of the previous novel: “The Jess Show” may no longer exist, but her life is no less dramatic as a result. Although we thought Jess would have some respite, 'Stuck in the 90's' remains her greatest challenge.

Even though I enjoyed reading these two together as a binge, some parts of the first were addressed here pleasantly. There is also an enjoyable development of the larger questions surrounding Jess's journey into her Truman Show world, the story behind how she was brought into Stuck in the 90's, and the romance.

Following the first novel, this was an exciting sequel, I enjoyed the characters, plot, and the possibility of a third book. The quality of Carey's writing continues to be outstanding throughout. As a character, Jess is superbly crafted and is a delight to root for. 🔪🥰😍

"At once thought-provoking and hilarious, This Is Not the Jess Show is a timely, incisive book so masterfully-plotted you won't want to put it down."--Tahereh Mafi, New York Times best-selling author of the Shatter Me series and A Very Large Expanse of Sea "A fantastically smart, funny, and thoughtful thriller about how our devices manipulate and exploit our closest relationships."--Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star The year is 1998: Titanic just won 6 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 Black Mirror, This Is Not the Jess Show will keep readers guessing until the very end.

ashley larsen

i’m still confused but i really like it

Candyce Kirk

I'm still deciding between 3.5 or 4 stars! Full review to follow soon!

Katie

The concept of this book was really fun, but it didn't go deep enough to truly grip me. This is described as a thriller, but I was never particularly thrilled. I would have loved a more in-depth discussion of how society got to this insane point, but that conversation never happened. (view spoiler)[We, as readers, are just supposed to accept that in less than 20 years, it will be okay to raise a child 100% in the public eye, not even knowing she's living in the wrong decade? (hide spoiler)] I know there is a second book, so I'm hoping that will come more to light in the sequel. For now, I don't love it, but I don't hate it either.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: This is Not the Jess Show

Author: Anna Carey

Book Series: This is Not the Jess Show Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: Truman show fans, Black Mirror fans, sci-fi, ya

Publication Date: February 2, 2021

Genre: YA Thriller/Sci-Fi

Recommended Age: 16+ (alcohol consumption, death, animal violence mentioned, running away)

Publisher: Quirk Books

Pages: 304

Synopsis: Like any other teenager, Jess Flynn is just trying to get through her junior year without drama . . . but drama seems to keep finding her. Between a new crush on her childhood best friend, overprotective parents cramping her social life, and her younger sister’s worsening health, the only constant is change—and her hometown of Swickley, which feels smaller by the day.

Swickley is getting weirder by the day, too. Half the population has been struck down by a mysterious flu. Conversations end awkwardly when Jess enters the room. And then one day, a tiny, sleek black device—with an apple logo on it—falls out of her best friend’s backpack and lands at Jess’s feet.

But the year is 1998, and the first iPhone won’t exist for another nine years.

Review: Oh my goodness I fell in love with this book! It was amazing! I didn’t know I needed a YA book based on The Truman Show but dang if I didn’t! I devoured this book within an hour and a half and couldn’t put it down! The book was perfectly paced, the characters were expertly developed, and the world building was amazing! The details! THE DETAILS WERE SO GOOD AND SO FUN TO PICK UP ON! I can’t wait for the second book!

My only complaint is that it went outside the tv show, but I’m liking where it’s going.

Verdict: I need more!

Cara Johnson

Holy moly what a roller coaster! I loved this! It was a little fast paced for me and I wish there was more of a build up but overall I loved the story, characters, and the ending!

“At once thought-provoking and hilarious, This Is Not the Jess Show is a timely, incisive book so masterfully-plotted you won't want to put it down.”—Tahereh Mafi, New York Times best-selling author of the Shatter Me series and A Very Large Expanse of Sea The year is 1998: Titanic just won 6 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 Black Mirror, This Is Not the Jess Show will keep readers guessing until the very end.

Chelsea Hogg

Rounding up to 3.5. 
I really appreciated this 90s throwback YA version of the Truman Show. I rode the nostalgia waves all the way through this book. 

It did take a bit to get into things, I felt there was a lot of build up at the beginning of the book that led to kind of an underwhelming conclusion. 

I kind of wish there was a bit more to this story. The love interest also felt kind of forced and mainly for filler? Idk, it was a pretty decent book but I wasn’t like super in love with it.

This Is Not the Jess Show

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