This is not the Jess Show is a book that took me by surprise. I didn’t have a lot of expectations going in: I just knew it could be a great book, for some reason… and it turns out I was right. It had been a while since a book had surprised me this much (in a good way) and, if you’re a thriller/mystery fan, definitely recommending this one. Check out my full review below!
This Is Not the Jess Show (This Is Not the Jess Show, #1) by Anna Carey Published by Quirk Books on February 2, 2021
Genres: thriller, young adult
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon, Bookshop, Blackwell's
Goodreads
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.
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.
☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Terminal illness, strong language, death of a loved one, underage drinking, gun violence, blood.There are no spoilers in this review.
This blog post contains affiliate links. If you buy something on my recommendation, I will receive a small commission. Purchasing via these links will not cost you any extra and will help me cover the costs of book blogging. You will find more info on my privacy policy and disclaimer pages. Thank you!
I ENJOYED…
☂️
- What I loved the most about This Is Not The Jess Show is the entire concept of the book. I honestly think it’s best to get into this story as blindly as possible. That’s why I’m going to try and convince you to read this book in a few words and without spoiling it at all, because, damn. The twists, turns, surprising reveals and everything else that came along with it was what made this book so, SO good, friends.
- This story is set in the 90s and Jess is your typical teenager, living in her idyllic small town, with her friends, trying to deal with her sister’s terminal illness and her growing feelings for her best friend. It all sounds good and nice until… things start getting weird, cracks in this perfect life starts showing and.. that’s it. Honestly, that’s all I want to say because I’d love for you to be as surprised as I was when I read this.
- I really enjoyed the characters in this story. Jess was such a good main character: she’s kind, she’d determined, she’s fierce and she’s going through so many emotions as she discovers the truth. I really found myself rooting for her and wanting for her to be okay.
- I’m not going to dwelve any deeper into this because, spoilers, but I really loved the themes of this book, so relevant and really making you think about our actual world, too.
I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
- I felt like the book took a bit of time to really kick off. I was told this was an exciting story and I was so eager to get to the point, to know what was happening, to be surprised and blown away. I was, don’t get me wrong, but I also felt like it was a bit of a slow start.
- I would have loved to get a little more of some relationships, especially between Jess and her sister. I love a good, close sister relationship and I would have loved to see a little more of that. This is a duology, though, so maybe I’ll get more later on!
OVERALL
☂️
If you’re looking for an exciting YA thriller with a twist you won’t see coming -if you don’t read too much about the book before you pick it up, that is-, you should LOVE This is Not the Jess Show. I was hooked and really, really can’t wait to read the next book in this duology!
FINAL RATING : 4 stars!
Buy this book:
📌 Pin the book review of This is not the Jess Show, by Anna Carey on Pinterest!
Did you read This Is Not The Jess Show, or do you want to? What’s the last book that surprised you? Let me know in comments!
Twitter ☂️ Bookstagram ☂️Goodreads ☂️ Bloglovin’ ☂️ Support the blog
Subscribe to the newsletter for more book recommendations, exclusive intl giveaways, behind the scenes and more:
Great review! I also don’t like slow start. It makes me impatient. Whole illuminae files trilogy surprised me. I knew I’ll like it but didn’t think it will be my most favourite sci-fi series.
Thank you so much! I haven’t finished the Illuminae series, maybe I should someday!
I hope you do. I loved the series, specially second book.
Ahh looking forward to reading it! 🙂
Oooh, this sounds really interesting!! I’m going to definitely buy a copy (I’m just so mad at myself that I only just read this post today cause I just bought some books yesterday lol) soon!
I haven’t read a good YA thriller in a while so I have high hopes for this. 🙂
Oooh yay! I hope you’ll get a copy soon, I’d be curious to hear what you think of it! 🙂
Omg I’ve finally found someone who read this book! I read it as an arc and yessss it’s so interesting and weird but in a good way! I think I had the same complaint that we didn’t get enough of Jess’s relationships and also things were a tad bit unrealistic when she was on the run for me. And yeah I was quite bored in the beginning, I feel like some of the set up could have been skipped so I gave it a 3.5 star rating. Andddd the ending was rather sudden. Also I didn’t know it was a duology?? I feel like I won’t read the second book cause I was in it for the concept which has been you know, demystified now.
YES AH FINALLY! I feel like it’s not that well-known, or at least, I don’t know that many people around me who read this book, either. I’m so glad you did and enjoyed it!🥰
I understand that, the twist and the concept was the most fun of it all. I’m still curious to see what happens next!
Thank you so much, Charvi!!
The way you described this book, and rated it so highly shows, that this is a book I’m going to love. Thanks so much for always switching up the genre of books you review! Always get me excited to read a whole bunch of new stuff. Great review 🙂 xx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Ahhh Melina this means a lot, thank you! I really hope you’ll have fun reading this book! 🥰
I thought this book was interesting. I’ll be intrigued to see where the sequel goes!
Same here, I can’t wait to read the sequel! 🙂