I enjoyed this one! It didn’t hit the same way book 1 did without the fun of figuring out that Jess was actually part of a show, but it was fun. The motivation to go back into the set didn’t super work for me, but definitely felt like a teenage decision so it made sense for the character. Plus, all of the 90s references were v fun.

Thank you netgalley & quirkbooks for the eARC!

This was an unnecessary sequel. What was so fun and fresh about the first book feels like it's missing, and the plot just isn't as interesting as book one. Obviously it couldn't just be a redo of book one, but I feel like it veered soo much from what made book one feel special.

I liked the prequal to this but was less impressed with this. I have encouraged my students to read as I loved the concept, but for me, less likely to recommend to older readers.

I loved the first book so much that I was anticipating this one, unfortunately, it couldn't keep my attention like 'This is not the Jess Show' did. I think most of that was the pacing, the beginning felt like a slow slog but I felt like the middle and end were rushed through and I didn't get to really process any of it. I will be rereading it just because I feel like I may have missed things, and I hope maybe on the reread I will absolutely adore this book.

There really needs to be a third book because I felt like there was too much left unresolved.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

I really liked This Is Not The Jess Show. But this novel doesn't seem to have a reason to exist. It is needlessly cruel to its characters, and I found myself questioning SO many choices the characters made. Some novels do not need to become franchises.

This Is Not the Real World
by Anna Carey
Pub Date: 24 May 2022
This is the follow up to This Is Not the Jess Show.
Jess has been living outside of the set of the Jess Show for a while now. She's 18 and is no longer a ward of her parents. Her boyfriend, however, is still under the age and so they still have to hideout. They are discovered and he is kidnapped back to the set.
Determined to bring down the show and it's producers once and for all, Jess agrees to go back and join the cast. The hardest part is determining who she can trust and who is looking to be the next big star.
#netgalley
#ThisIsNottheRealWorld
#AnnaCarey

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. The best I can say about This is Not the Real World is that I applaud Carey for writing it. I haven't written a book, and she's written at least two. This book is a continuation of This is Not the Jess Show which was a treatise on media influence and was dark and reminiscent of the Truman Show. This tried to lighten things up with a romance angle and manipulation of friends and just felt forced and overwrought. If I didn't have to finish it, I wouldn't have.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy.

This is the thrilling sequel to,This is not the Jess show.

These books remind me so much of the Truman show.
The TV production company catches up with Jess and Kipps and forces them to finish their contract. Jess decides she will take them down from the inside.

There are lots of twists and turns throughout the story.

I enjoyed the sequel, but didn't like it as much as the first one. I absolutely love the concept of this book. It did take me several tries to get through this sequel. I picked it up and put it down several times. Once it hooked me, I sped through.

This was a highly anticipated sequel. I absolutely loved book one and could not wait to dive into book two. It’s time to adjust to the outside world and it doesn’t come easy. Fiction blurs the lines of truth in this one as Jess raises agains the clock to find out what is really her reality from a reality show. I would love for this to be a tv series and I am hopeful for a book three.

Thank you #Quirk and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I read the first book and I thought it ended well enough. This sequel gives the reader an immersive experience within the tv show with the MC knowing she’s being filmed. Felt some parts of the story line were too long and others sped up. The ending felt rushed.

I would love their to be a prequel before she finds out. Maybe from different perspectives within the set. Like Rae, when she goes missing.

Anna Carey delights with the return to Jess' world. What is great about this novel is that it is fun to read, and has intrigue, heart, and humor.

Okay I LOVED the first book of this series!! I was beyond excited to learn there would be more Jess and her taking down the show that manipulated her for her entire life. With that said, the execution for this book was not what I envisioned and I do think the book should’ve ended after book one.

I did really love Jess and Kipps being together and the ending was actually hopeful they would be brought together again. The book was not as big as a page turner as the first but all in all 3⭐️ and still was a fun and light read.

Loved this followup! I loved This is Not the Jess Show and was so highly anticipating this sequel! I loved where the story went and the development of the characters. I will def recommend this one in my store

This Is Not the Real World follows straight on from stuck in the 90's, which is fine if you've read it, If you haven't then this will be an extremely confusing book to read as it doesn't recap enough.
But if you have read it then this is a satisfying and nice follow up to the first book, to see what happened next.

I absolutely loved This Is Not The Jess Show and gave it an easy 5 star review. I loved the premise and when I heard there was going to be a sequel I was initially excited for it.

However I still have not picked this one up and I think it's down to the fact that I'm scared and the more I think about it the more I was okay with it being a standalone novel.

I don't want to ruin my love for the first book by reading this and potentially not loving it (stupid I know). I've seen the mixed reviews and I'm just not ready for it.

I'm so sorry!

This was such a fun follow up to "This is Not the Jess Show". I was quickly drawn back into Jess's world. Despite having escaped her "life" on the Stuck in the Nineties television set, Jess is drawn back in to help her friend, and try to set the record straight about some of the horrible things that happened behind the scenes.
Much like the first book, this installment was filled with fun nineties references, and a hint of nostalgia for those of us who were there, amid the worrying setting of a dystopian future.

This sequel was fun, fast paced and very enjoyable. It also left it open for a potential third book, but not annoying cliff hangers!

This was really difficult to read a year apart from book one. I needed a recap. I missed it the 90s setting that book 1 had. This lacked the nostalgia and turned much more thriller.

Firstly I want to start this review off by saying I absolutely loved the first book. Not only was it a concept I'd never read before, but it was also hilarious and brimming with the best '90's nostalgia.

This book however felt like it had lost some of the charm This is Not the Jess Show had. Yes, the fun nostalgia was still there, but that was about it. The relationship felt kind of forced and the decisions that were being made felt questionable at best and not true to the characters at worst.

I feel like this was an unnecessary sequel and that makes me so sad! A world I loved now just became reruns.

Ultimately I give it a three stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Quirk Books for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This Is Not the Real World follows directly on from This Is Not the Jess Show, where our heroine Jess finds out that she did not in fact grow up in the 1990s - she is living in a Truman Show style TV show set in the 90s. When she finds out that all her friends are actually paid actors, and her family faked her sister's illness and death because she wanted to leave the TV show, Jess is understandably pissed. While the first book covers her finding out that her life isn't real and her subsequent escape, the sequel follows her life following the escape - and the sacrifices she might have to make in order to be with her boyfriend Kips again. I don't think the plot of the sequel was quite as exciting - the main mystery is already solved, and the evil corporation schtick isn't quite as successful.

Thanks to the publishers for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.