The year is 1998…or so Jess Flynn believes. With a new crush on her childhood best friend, her sister’s worsening health, and overprotective parents, Jess is just trying to make it through junior year of high school with as little drama as possible. But her small town of Swickley is getting weirder by the day. An odd flu has taken out half of the population. Jess wakes up to a strange chanting that no one else seems to hear. A small, black device with an apple logo on it falls out of her best friend’s backpack, and Jess’s friends refuse to talk about it. Enough is enough, and Jess is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. But when she discovers the truth, she must choose between risking everything to break free of the limitations imposed upon her by others or staying safe in her gilded cage.

Gripping and full of twists and turns, Anna Carey’s YA retelling of The Truman Show kept me reading until the early hours of the morning. Jess is a wonderful heroine with a fantastic voice. I enjoyed following along as she discovered the truth about her life, and even though she struggled making choices along the way, her decisions felt realistic for a high school girl. The other characters were strong as well, and I appreciated the surprising romantic developments, especially towards the end. The first half of the book is full of fun 90’s references, and the second half really pushes readers to consider the ramifications of how our technology can affect others. How far would you go for fame and fortune? With excellent pacing and an intriguing ending, this book is perfect for fans of YA thrillers.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change.)

This Is Not The Jess Show is basically impossible to stop reading. Our main character discovers a shocking secret that totally rocks her world. Jess immediately realizes that everything she thought she knew is a lie and the story refuses to slow down from there. The pacing was so fast and I loved that this story never lost momentum. There are so many intricate and intriguing plot threads throughout this novel and I honestly never knew where the story was going. This would be a great book for a teen book club to discuss!

Unfortunately, I had to put this book down, however I am grateful for the opportunity and appreciate the chance for an early arc. Thank you.

This was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. The writing was so captivating, and I loved how everything was revealed about Jess' life and the fact we got to learn everything through her eyes and feel everything she did. It was such a great story and incredibly well written!

Okay, if you're a big fan of the film The Truman Show then you need to pick this book up. I don't even need to write this review to convince you of that. Just trust me.

Now, for those who have never watched The Truman Show this book is about a young girl who starts to feel like things aren't right in her hometown. Half of the town have gone down with this mysterious flu, she keeps hearing weird chants every morning and her best friends are ignoring the feelings she has for her best friend and keep trying to force another guy on to her. Then once her friend accidently drops her iPhone and considering the year is 1998 to Jess, things start to spiral out of control.

This book was addictive and I had so much trouble putting it down and considered staying up into the early hours to finish it because I was absolutely obsessed with the plot and the characters. Jess is such a thoughtful, strong and amazing character who goes through so much in this book which helps shape her as a person. There is a lot of heartache and she starts to learn that the world she's living in is completely fake.

The writing was compelling and gripping and led to an amazing YA mystery/thriller that left me heartbroken at times. I needed more once the book was over and I wish there had been a little bit after it all. However as you can tell by the rating I gave the book that didn't stop me from loving it.

3.5/5 stars

I'm actually really conflicted about this rating and how I feel about this book but sure, let's settle on this. I was honestly a bit bored up to like 35% in the book. There was nothing to fault in the writing or the characters, it was just that nothing was really happening. But then boom at 40% the big reveal happens and I swear I couldn't take my eyes off the pages.

I was so freaking invested.

The story suddenly gained the much-needed pace, the mystery and the confusion. We actually saw Jess go through so many emotions and encounter conflict. Before the reveal her life had been boring in a it's almost perfect or cliche sort of way and while I know that was the author's intent I wish the reveal had come up a little bit earlier or the readers had been given something more substantial to hang onto.

I love how the blurb doesn't give everything away but at the same time it clues you in to what's happening. This isn't a mystery and it won't take a genius to guess what's happening but I really enjoyed reading the unravelling and the struggles that Jess and Kipps go through.

But then the ending was so sudden? It honestly felt like a good chunk of the story was missing. While I do understand the author's decision to leave the story at that, it just felt like some of the narrative was amazing. We didn't get to explore Jess and Kipps' relationship and overall it just frustrates me because I feel like this book had so much potential but the author wasn't able to take us on the awesome ride that was promised.

It's a good read but I'm a bit let down because it had the potential to be a really amazing read.

The plot was just okay, just a rehash of The Truman Show. Not really a thriller.
The writing was ... not great. The execution needs help.
Don't think many of my teens would be feeling this book. Pass.

"Jesus, Jess!" He held the side of his head like he'd just been struck with a brick. "Lower your voice. They'll hear you," he whispered.
I stared at him, and my whole body went cold.
"Who is they?" I whispered.

It's 1998, Jess Flynn's junior year of high school, and she just realized she might be in love with her best friend. She and Tyler have been friends for six years but she hadn't thought of him in this way until now. Her friends Amber and Kristen don't think he's right for her - especially since they heard Patrick is planning to ask her to the dance. Typical high school drama... but some strange things start happening around Swickley, New York. Jess starts to hear what sounds like people chanting in the distance, but no one else seems to notice. Around half the town is suddenly home sick with a flu. Jess sees a strange object fall out of Amber's bag - Amber's not sure what it is, but she found it in her dad's briefcase. What's going on with Jess and her town - and once she finds out, what should she do about it?

This was such a fun read. As you might guess from the 90s setting, the book is replete with references to movies and shows, music, AOL instant messenger, and pagers. Unlike some other historical fiction based in the relatively recent past, the references didn't strike me as too overbearing. I was a child in the 90s, not a teen, and didn't interact with pop culture much, so some of the references went over my head. The voice seemed realistically teen. I can't say I was too surprised by the twist, but I did enjoy it. Our teen patrons have been interested in some 90s things recently (the return of scrunchies, anyone?), so I could see a crossover audience between the teens interested in the 90s in a retro sense, and those who have nostalgia for the 90s, in the same way that those with nostalgia for the 80s were a good audience for Ready Player One. I've seen some reviews categorizing this as thriller - I would say it hit me more for the most part as light mystery, in the same vein as What You Hide by Natalie D. Richards.

I will note that Jess's younger sister is chronically ill, so if that's a subject that's sensitive for you at present, be aware.

Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for the eARC. This Is Not the Jess Show will be published February 2021.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and raced through it over two days. It had everything - a likeable heroine, 90's nostalgia, a pacy and gripping plot and ethical questions aplenty. Great choice for a teen book group. IT also really made me want to watch The Truman Show again!

The first half of this book had me tearing through it as fast as possible as I waited for Jess to figure out her life was all a TV show. Seeing the clues that should've helped her realize something was amiss was great fun for me as a reader. And then her conversation with Tyler where she realizes who he actually is was wonderful. From that point on, however, I lost momentum. The writing was still fine, I just wish the plot had proceeded down a different path than a "run for your lives" action novel. I was hoping Jess was going to use her new knowledge to screw with the show from the inside in some way. Or maybe find a grassroots organization that has been protesting the show's premise for years who would help her. I also wish that the author had just set the outside world in our current time, not even further into the future. The changes for Jess would've been drastic enough without asking the reader to have to understand different technology. It's going to be somewhat difficult already for teens to grasp what's happening in the 1990's where she supposedly lives. With all my disappointments about the resolution to Jess' story, however, I have to say that the twist at the end was excellent!

I didn't particularly care for this title, mainly because my expectations were completely different from the outcome. I did not expect the major twist to occur only thirty percent into the novel and then have the fall-out of the reveal be the major portion of the book. Because the reveal was so soon in the novel, I thought the pacing and character development , or lack thereof, was off. I had so many questions without any sort of answer being presented. Based on Goodreads this title is meant to be the first in a duology, but I'm not sure where else the author could build upon from the conclusion. Overall, perhaps not really meant for me or my reading taste, but the other flaws like pacing and so-so world-building prevent me from recommending this title for purchase at my library.

I really enjoyed this timely science fiction book of the story of Jess.

Jess is dealing with being a high schooler, being unsure of her crush/best friend, and her sister's illness, all while trying to figure out if strange things have begun happening in her house.

This book had a great plot and lots of references to the 90's that I enjoyed.

A fun page-turner that middle schoolers and high schoolers will love.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Jess was just an average teen dealing with school, a crush, and her ailing sister, but then things got weird. Her dog was acting strange, her friends were acting odd, and she was hearing voices too! Stressed and verging on paranoid, Jess was determined to uncover the source of all this weirdness in Swickley.

This book was one fun ride! It started out just a day in the life. I was getting to know Jess and was totally eating up all the 90s references. Then, Jess started noticing some things that were out of the ordinary. Though I felt bad watching her paranoia grow, I loved collecting all the clues. I won't lie, I think I read an older description for the book, which revealed a bit of the plot, so I did see some things coming, but then the story took a turn I was NOT expecting.

I want people to go into this story with as little information as possible, because unraveling the truth was half the fun. What I will reveal is that this book was 100% entertaining, and it had me thinking hard about some aspects of our popular culture. I found myself very sympathetic towards Jess and reveled in each new morsel of truth she discovered. I felt her pain and confusion, and I was rooting for her to come out on top the whole time. The ending was oddly quiet for me, but with the promise a sequel, I am taking it as the quiet before the storm.

This is Not the Jess Story was a fun, thrilling, intriguing, and throughly captivating story. I couldn't help but be pulled into this world, and I cannot wait to see where this story goes.

2.5 stars!
This book was just meh for me. I don’t really know how to explain or review it. Although categorized as thriller I wasn’t really thrilled by the story. I like going into the book without knowing much about it so as the title suggested I had imagined the book to be something different than what it is. I am not convinced about the story and I have so many questions unanswered even after finishing the books, perhaps because the book is not too lengthy. Overall, the premise of the book is actually good and enjoyable however I still don’t understand and not convinced at all on the story or the characters.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

This book was not what I was expecting in the sense that I was expecting more of a sci-fi plot rather than what actually became the plot. This book was interesting and a little scary considering my name is also Jess and thinking about what I would do if I found out what she finds out. I wished the ending was a little better. It felt very abrupt and like I didn't get the wrap up I wanted, unless this is going be a series or there's going to be a follow up book, I would have liked an epilogue or at least another chapter to wrap it up because the plot really got going and then it kind of just came to a full stop. Overall a very unexpected and unique book
Update: I have learned that this is possibly a duology so if that is the case then the ending definitely makes more sense .

2/5🌟: i love reading thrillers but this was falsely marketed as a thriller similar to "black mirror". i've watched and loved that show and nothing in this book came even close to it! there was nothing mysterious about this, one could guess the whole plot after a few chapters. the writing was easy which is unfortunately one of the few positive things i can point out. if you've watched "the truman show" you already know 80% of this book's plot. the beauty standards (thin=pretty) are not critised and the romance was thrown in quite late in the novel and didn't make any sense. if you're looking for an easy predictable read, you might enjoy this one, but don't expect it to be mind-blowing.

thank you netgalley for the digital arc.

This Is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey. Thanks to @netgalley and @quirk for the e-Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While Jess lives a typical teenager’s life at school, at home she is dealing with her little sister’s fatal illness. When weird occurrences start happening, her friends and family begin acting strangely and her life changes completely. Will she figure out why half the town seems to be missing... and what is this strange device that fell from her friend’s purse?

I could read this book again solely for all the 90’s references and pop culture! I was a teen in the 90’s, so this book was perfect for reliving some nostalgia. It was a bit overloaded, but based on the storyline line it worked. This was referred to as Black Mirror meets My So Called Life. I get totally get the MSCL reference, as well as Black Mirror, however the Black Mirror aspect doesn’t really kick in until 40% through. I sped through this book in an afternoon. It was a very light, fun and fluffy read. Don’t expect deep commentary, but it did read almost as a satire of the entertainment industry at times.

“My secrets and hopes and quirks had been out there for over a decade, for everyone to consume whenever they’d wanted, as cheap and filling as popcorn.”

This Is Not the Jess Show comes out 2/2.

I honestly don’t have many feelings or thoughts on this book. It is short and fast-paced, but was not what I was expecting and I had way too many questions that were never answered. I don’t really understand how this is being marketed as a thriller, because it wasn’t really thrilling or did it keep me on the edge of my seat. I did have high hopes especially with the really fun and intriguing synopsis, but was just let down overall.

I’m not saying this was a bad book, I just think I went into it thinking it was going to be much different. For one, I thought it was going to be a much darker version of The Truman Show. So many things happened in this book that weren’t ever explained in depth that made me frustrated. I won’t spoil the plot twist of the story, but even though I did enjoy it and it was definitely not expected it just wasn’t explained. I needed more of the why and way more plot development. I think because it was so fast paced with minimal details that it was hard to connect to the main character, Jess, and it felt unbelievable.

I think the plot of this book is very clever, but the execution of the story just didn’t do it for me. I especially didn’t like the ending. I was honestly reading and went to flip to the next chapter and was super confused that it was over. I didn’t feel like anything was wrapped up and it was all too weird.

'This is not the Jess Show' was my first novel by Anna Carey and I certainly hope it will not be the last. A thrilling young adult twist on 'The Truman Show', Carey has built an unsettling but intriguing future world. Jess lives in the small town of Swickley. She has never left which, up until recently, hasn't bothered her. She has loving parents, a close sister, good friends and a boy who likes her back... However, these people she has known for years are starting to act strange, clearly hiding things from Jess. Half the town have disappeared, due to a mysterious flu, Jess' sister is dying from a rare disease (it is funny how bad luck always strikes Jess around March) and her friend Amber has a strange device with an Apple logo in her bag...

I enjoyed Carey's writing immensely. She cleverly builds the mystery throughout and makes us really root for Jess. The plot acts as a scathing portrayal of modern media and reality television. I won't say much more about the plot but alongside the despicable people, there are some redeeming characters - all hope in humanity is not lost! Overall, this is a pacey and fun read with some clever plotting to tie all of the twists together. I hope we get more of Jess' story in some future sequels - I will be first in line to read them! 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.