This Is Not the Jess Show
by Anna Carey
Pub Date: 02 Feb 2021
Jess has lived a privileged, yet sheltered life in her small town. So sheltered, in fact, she has never ventured outside of her small town. The year is 1998, Jess is in High School and despite everyone insisting she give the school hottie a chance, she has fallen for her goofy redheaded best bud. Her other best friends seem to be in worlds of their own and suddenly, half the town has come down with a mysterious illness. Then one day a mysterious silver object that looks like some sort of communication device with an apple looking logo falls out of her best friend's backpack. When Jess questions her about it, her answer seems off. Jess starts digging for answers which lead to a wild chase for the truth about her, her parents, and everyone she's ever known.
Great read, very Black Mirror meets The Truman Show vibes.
#netgalley #thisisnotthejessshow #annacarey

Jess Flynn feels like things are off in her life. She keeps hearing strange noises, her dying sister keeps acting weird, and she is out of sync with her friends. She realizes she really likes her long time friend Tyler, but her friends keep trying to set her up with Patrick Cramer, local hero. When she discovers the shocking secret that her parents (and everyone else) have been keeping from her, she runs. But she soon realizes the secret is bigger than she realized, leaving her nowhere to hide.

This book wasn’t bad and actually very entertaining and easy to read! However, in my taste, it lacked in every aspect except action. It’s set in the 90’s but I felt that the retro-vintage style was missing, and I really thought it’d be darker and more thrilling than the truman show with jim carrey. it was short and fast-paced but I expected it to go differently. more fleshed out characters, more mystery, betrayal, heartache. It was kind of bland but I didn’t hate it! if you want a quick, fun read go pick this up! but don’t expect a thriller!

Jessica Flynn is a seventeen-year-old junior who plays clarinet in the high school band. She comes from a nice family; her mother is an interior designer, but her dad isn’t around all the time. She loves Swickley, NY, the small town where she has grown up. Jess has three good friends, Kristen and Amber, and Tyler, who she realizes is now her first crush. The only sad thing in her life is that her sister, Sara, has Guignard’s disease, a terminal illness.

Jessica begins to notice some strange things happening around Swickley. She realizes that many of her school classmates and townspeople are absent with the flu. She can hear strange chanting in the distance, but no one else seems to notice. A black object with an apple on it falls out of Amber’s backpack, and she pretends not to know what it is. And the weirdest thing of all is, her dog, Fuller, seems different; he acts like he doesn’t know her.

Jess feels like someone is always watching her, and she eventually realizes that she a character on a reality show called Stuck in the 90s. She decides to escape, although the cast is trying to prevent her from leaving. As she is being hunted down by the network, she gets help from sympathetic cast members and learns the year is actually 2037! She concludes that her whole life has been a lie, and she never wants to go back to 1998.

This Is Not the Jess Show has been billed as The Truman Show for teens. Author Anna Carey has written a fun, engaging read that is a real page-turner. The way the story unfolds is rather unremarkable in the beginning, until Jess finds out that she has been living a lie her whole life. Jess seems very naïve at first because she is fooled by changing characters and people playing multiple roles in her “life”. However, when she discovers that she has been misled, she shows what a strong character she is by running away. This only adds to the show’s drama because the network is milking her escape and using social influencers—shades of today-- to poll viewers as to possible outcomes.

The addition of the 90s nostalgia and memorabilia to the story enhances the authenticity of the reality show. The story has some surprising twists and turns, and the ending sets readers up for the next book of the duology. Hand this book to readers who enjoy 90s bands and nostalgia and reality shows. I recommend it for middle school, high school, and public libraries and give it four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quirk Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a riot! I love how unique the concept was, and how fast and intense the plot was. I wasn't sure what the expect from it going in but it blew me out of the water in almost every way.

The idea of reality and if what we experience is the "true" experience is such an interesting concept to play with. And the idea that one day you're just living your life when you start to notice things that don't fit, that feel weird, not like you're used to and it just spirals from there. Jess was such a likeable main characters, and I was rooting for her all the way.

Part of me wishes the book had another 100 pages dealing with the aftermath of that ending but at the same time I think it ended in the perfect place.

This is Not the Jess Show was a fast and easy read, with a little twist at the end that surprised me. Perhaps for its YA-intended audience the plot of growing up on a TV show where you don't know you're being filmed is a suspenseful concept. For those of us who did grow up in the 90s and are familiar with the popular film, The Truman Show, this seemed like a bit of a ripoff. The plot is very similar with much of the push towards a planned loved interest and commercial deals. It was ok, but not very innovative. I would have liked to see more strong opinion from Jess about her situation and the lack of ethics surrounding the set.

Unfortunately, I did not finish this book.

It's a typical YA book that shows a girl crushing hard over her best friend suddenly after he became hot and started working out. While I do have some issues with that, that is also fine. I actually like the friends-to-lovers trope.

But my problem is the setting of the book. The time, to be specific. The book is set in a time where the teenagers had no phones of their own and communicate via AOL. While I understand that the author has probably written what they know, the book is very out-of-place for today's Young Adults. The book is a YA book and yet is not relatable to today's teens. That is a problem. I'm an adult and it is too old for even me.

Because of that, I simply couldn't continue with the book. It did not hook me in in the first few chapters and did not have anything unique to interest me. There is the main character dealing with her sister's illness but that is just not enough, especially with the writing style being a little drab.

This Is Not The Jess Show is an imaginative, original, fun, YA thriller. I don't think I've said so much praise about a YA title since Karen McManus' One of Us is Lying! I am truly a stickler for this genre, but when books like this come around, it proves that I shouldn't be so quick to throw in the towel.

This is a quick and entertaining book that will be most enjoyed by teens who aren't familiar with the concept it's re-imagining. The world and the characters are not deeply fleshed out, but it makes for a fast-paced story I inhaled in one sitting.

I want to thank NetGalley & Quirk Books for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is extremely smart and I really enjoy many factors in it, which makes me happy because I adore the author and her past works. Maybe I haven't managed to connect 100% with what was happening due to the fast-paced of the story, and the amount of information that's given very early, but still I think it's a great book that's built on a very solid base and well thought out idea, so I liked it a lot, the idea is very good and interesting to explore.


In this book, we follow Jess Flynn an ordinary girl who's trying to get through her senior year without too many complications, but drama seems to get to her anyway no matter what she does & one day Jess sees a strange device fall out of the backpack of a friend, and that arouses many suspicions in her about her life and the people around her.


I don't want to give too much information about the book since I think that discovering it is the magic of this story, so I would recommend that you enter it knowing as little as possible, I'll also try to be kind of vague with my review so as not to ruin anything for you. I think one of the strengths of this story is the base idea and the revelations, it's a concept that has been used in movies before but, I've never read it in a book, so I loved having this new side of the story. I also love the construction of characters, I think that even though I don't have a super favorite, they're generally quite good and have marked personalities which is interesting.

On the other hand, I have a conflict with the fact that it's a book that gives too much info to the reader and in this type of stories where the surprise factor is everything, I don't know if it is something very beneficial, in my opinion, it is more fun to go discover everything little by little and create that atmosphere of mystery and then give all the information, but the author has chosen another way to tell her story and it's valid as well. The fact that the information is given so deliberately and so quickly also affects a bit the weight and impact of the reveals, which are great in themselves, and I liked them, they just come with less force when you already know what to expect. In my opinion, it's more fun when you don't expect what's coming, you know?


I was expecting something more sci-fi, and I found a highly contemporary story, which isn't a problem at all, but I think it's important to clarify it in case it's something more sci-fi what you're looking for. Anyway, it obviously has a dystopian or fantastical factor, due to the main theme.

I liked and I also appreciate the work that's put into the construction of the setting not only in the town itself where we began to meet the characters, but also in the world itself, we're talking about a super particular situation that surrounds Jess's life so each character forms a super important role as well as the society and obviously each one of the places, so I loved that the author took her time to build all this atmosphere that surrounds the main story.


I wanted to mention that I don't think this book is well classified when referring to it as a thriller, it may be many things even mystery but it's definitely not a thriller, and I wanted to make that clear. I would like there to be a second book, in fact, I think there will be, because there are many things that were left unexplained and others that were touched in a very superficial way, of which it would be amazing to have a greater depth and learn more.

In summary, although I expected a darker point of view on the plot itself and especially a slower-paced, I enjoyed it anyway, I think it's wonderful to give life to such an intriguing entertaining story, the characters are very good, the revelations don't disappoint either and makes you question many things about the human being and how far we are able to go for money or for fame, there's a great discussion about morals in the book and at one point you find yourself judging the whole world, but at the same time that's the captivating thing about this book, that we'll all have different opinions and exploring the human being in these ways is extremely cool for me. From a psychological point of view this book is brilliant as well as its plot base, I would highly recommend it

What a quirky read! I loved it. From the beginning it is obvious that something is wrong in Jess’ life. Everything is a bit too perfect and lacking in emotions. Relationships seem flat and Jess doesn’t really get much from her interactions. The twist came earlier than expected and then the second twist was great. Amazing what you see when you pay attention. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an egalley.

Great YA book
Lots of 90s nostalgia with a Truman Show style twist.
Jess gradually realises that her life is not what she thinks it is. She is naive and trusting but slowly starts to notice some strange details in the town she lives in and everything begins to unravel.
I really feel sorry for her as her story develops and think she copes with everything she learns remarkably.
An interesting and enjoyable read

Looks like a traditional YA romance but BOOM a twist. So clever and totally worth a read! Only 4 stars as the first half was significantly better than the second but would recommend to my pupils when it is published. Thanks Netgally and Quirk books!

I couldn't put down This is Not the Jess Show!!! I love thrillers and suspense, so This is Not the Jess Show is right up my alley. It's rare to find such a suspenseful read without violence. Carey's ability to create intrigue, discomfort, and overall eeriness is next level. Would recommend to any teen who likes thrillers, speculative fiction, or dystopian fiction!

Anna Carey has a way of outline you into her characters plot lines and making you care. With a heavy story and a slow beginning, that was needed for "The Jess Show."

In 1998 Jess Flynn is navigating high school and all its ups and downs. Her sister’s precarious health is deteriorating, her parents (particularly her mother) are overprotective, and she has realized that her best friend, Tyler, could be more than just a friend. Sounds like typical teenager stuff, right? But wait. There’s more. Jess begins to notice anomalies in her life and she wonders if she really understands the people she thinks she knows.

This is Not the Jess Show is peppered with references to the culture of the ‘90s. It has humor, to be sure, but it’s also thoughtful and clever, with good dialogue, plot and writing. The story is fast-paced and takes several unexpected turns. Not all of the characters are likeable, but they are interesting and varied. If I was a teenager, I’d definitely want to be Jess’s best friend. This book is engaging and definitely difficult to put down. I enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

This is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey was such a great read! This story follows Jess Flynn, a teenager living in the small town of Swickley. She's got a love interest, friends and is a typical 1990s teenager. However, things start to feel not quite right for Jess. Friends and family begin acting strangely, she's hearing voices, and even the family dog isn't himself.

This story started at a YA contemporary set in the 90s, and then became a twisty, exciting read. I was captivated by this story and didn't want to put the book down. First, the 90s nostalgia in this book was so real and definitely hit home. It was like reliving my youth and I was completely here for it! I found this book extremely enjoyable and it was very easy to keep turning the pages and lose time in the story. I really appreciated the complexity of the plot for a YA novel and the social commentary embedded within its pages. I would recommend going into this one blind so you can fully appreciate the events as they unfold, but I would definitely recommend picking this one up!

I received a e-copy of this title from Quirk Books via NetGalley which did not affect the contents of my voluntary review. All opinions are honest and my own.

The Nostalgia I felt from this book was real - take me back to the 90,s - what a decade. When life seemed almost simple! This was a solid 4 star read, I love Jess’s character, a typical 90’s teenager with complicated family, love and school life. I think the 1st half of the book went a little too fast, and I would have liked to have dived deeper before moving on, but overall I loved the characters and the turn the book took. Thank you @netgalley, @annacarey and @quirkbooks for the gift copy for an honest review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A completely enjoyable and bingeable trip into the 90s with a plot twist turning everything upside down and putting everything into question.

THIS IS NOT THE JESS SHOW has to be one of the most fun books I have read in a minute. Carey brings all the 90s goodness while still layering in questions about Jess’s world and who the people around her really are.

Honestly, I thought I would like this book because of all the 90s pop culture references and maybe an interesting plot twist here and there. What I didn’t expect was to truly invest in Jess as a character while being captivated by the duplicity surrounding her. And let us not forget, the complete unraveling of her entire life. I will not give spoilers, but in her small-town nothing is as it seems. Within these pages, you will be right there, step by step, as she discovers the truth.

This book is just as entertaining as it will cause you to consider just how much we all take on face value. THIS IS NOT THE JESS SHOW is a fast-moving tale with twists, turns, and a hint of romance on the side. Oh…and so many 90s references that I am wishing for the days of TGIF on Friday nights.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have so much thoughts about this book. As someone who never watched the Truman Show, I was in middle of describing the plot to my husband, when blurted out the name and told me how much he liked the movie. It sounds like this book could be inspired by the movie, and the author took it to a whole new level, with the few decades time gap manipulation.

Jess lives the most basic normal high school girl life possible, except for just a few minor things: Her sister is dying, hooked to a machine for the last few years. The last time she sneaked out and left the front door unlocked, her house was burglarized and her mom lost her wedding ring. Also, she notices her town having less and less people walking around., everyone caught a severe flu virus. One day, when a shiny glassy silvery device with a familiar logo of a half- eaten apple dropped out of her best friend's bag, she began to notice all the other strange things happening.

Small details in the book that I loved:
- yes, the 7 book series about the English young wizard is going to be huge.
- I got goosebumps when the bad Fuller bit her
- GAP Dream perfume, yes, I definitely had a bottle
- the super fan's room
- pressing the D button to drive, and R to reverse

My favourite part besides maybe the ending is her internal monologue when she was driving with Kipps. "My secrets and hopes and quirks have been out there for over a decade, for everyone to consume whenever they'd want, as cheap and filing as popcorn." Wow, my throat felt all clogged up reading that, it was getting a little bit harder to breath.

Overall, fantastic book.

*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!