However, it’s the pacing, especially in the second half, that really drags the novel down.

There are enough hints to keep the reader guessing, and when the truth comes out it feels deserved and is pulled off well. Parallels to a certain classic 90’s film are unavoidable, and the way that Anna Carey subtly builds up to the twist at the midway point is truly wonderfully done. While the second half sees an almost seismic shift in tone and pacing, the first half raises some interesting questions that I wish Carey had delved deeper into. There were plenty of positive notes throughout the book, though. It was a shame, then, that as things progressed, particularly after the mid-point twist, that This Is Not the Jess Show really failed to live up to its promises. The premise of this book set it out to be something incredible, and the opening showcased all of the hallmarks of a special kind of book - a small town, an interesting main character, and some subtle hints that not everything is exactly as it should be. 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. Conversations end awkwardly when Jess enters the room.

Half the population has been struck down by a mysterious flu. Swickley is getting weirder by the day, too. 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. Like any other teenager, Jess Flynn is just trying to get through her junior year without drama…but drama seems to keep finding her. 90’s nostalgia and a fast-paced plot mix to make this an interesting YA take on a classic 90’s movie, which sadly doesn’t hit the highs it could have.īlack 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.

This Is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey