Told in Jane's funny, dry voice. Silly premise lightens underlying issues of depression and coming of age. Should appeal to teens who like to buck the system.

Nicely done!

Sort of Breakfast Club meets an underground reality show. I loved the way this was written with the continual running commentary in Jane Sinner's head. Her interaction with the therapist in her subconscious was just delightful.
Jane Sinner, recovering depressant and attempted suicide survivor is looking for a second chance that doesn't involve God. This causes concern and consternation in her very active Christian family. Her old High School memories are too raw to continue attending. She enrols at the local community college, and in an attempt to leave home, auditions for an internet reality tv show. This gives her a rent free place to stay. Way to go, Jane!
I enjoyed all the participants and their quirky, sometimes grievous behaviour. Janes's fridge antics are a hoot. Pavlov's dogs taken to a new height! Very clever.
There's is some pointed social comment about acceptance throughout the novel, particularly in this age of same sex relationships, via Jane's friend Bonnie. Really about acceptance generally of those who are different. It seems it takes a reality show to make that happen, and to have Jane accept herself.
We continually live in Jane's head. I really enjoyed this. Jane's angst and fears and way to deal with them are sometimes funny, sometimes sad but all the time real.
Her self deprecating manner and ironic commentary gives that extra special oomph to the novel.

A NetGalley ARC

An excellent book that shows what the cusp of childhood/adulthood can be like.

This story was so much fun to read! I will do my best to give a review that is spoiler free.

This story is told from the Jane’s journal / diary entries. Jane dropped out of school due to “an event” and has to deal with the backlash from her overly religious parents. They want nothing but the best for their daughter so they expect her to become something big… Someone that will make a difference in the world. Jane feels that pressure and is not handling it well. Fate steps in and she stumbles upon an ad for a new YouTube reality show called “House of Orange”. Given the opportunity to reinvent herself, Jane is tested in ways she didn’t know could happen. She is pushed in all areas of her life, which is just what she needed. Her eyes finally open to everything going on around her.

This was such a fantastic read! Jane’s tone and POV were entertaining and even had me laughing at times. She was snarky, had a sarcastic sense of humor that added another depth, and just felt real. I really enjoyed her character arc, it seemed believable to me. I do have to point out there are some serious topics touched on in this story: depression, attempted suicide, and heavy guilt. There were parts that were not easy to read, but the author handled those with grace.

Please give this book a chance if it isn’t already on your TBR. This was a quick but enjoyable read. I highly recommend to everyone.

This was so entertaining! Jane has an incredibly dry sense of humor and at the same time it's clear that it's both a weapon and a defense mechanism. 

I'm not a huge fan of reality TV, but this was fun and it wasn't really ABOUT the show so much as it was about Jane's strategy FOR the show. (And she has some fun with it, although she also takes it incredibly seriously.)

Ultimately, this is a delightful, charming novel that is sure to leave you smiling. Highly recommended.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

Even though I am not one to watch a lot of TV, I would have to be hiding in a cave not to know how popular reality television is right now. One of the shows that started the current trend is Big Brother, which has nearly fifty versions of the program running world-wide. But why do people want to be on such a show? Are they seeking fame or fortune? Are they just looking for attention? The main character in Nice Try, Jane Sinner, by Lianne Oelke, seems to be looking for a fresh start, and some independence, after a disastrous incident at her high school.



What I Liked:

Characters:

Jane is smart, funny, and also suffers from depression. She feels oppressed by her ultra religious family, and so seeks to be independent. I can really identify with her predicament. I liked that she had this conflict with her parents, yet still loved and respected them.


I rooted for Jane throughout the story. As she stumbles upon what she thinks is a great idea (trading privacy for cheap rent in the House of Orange), you just know, this will lead to disaster. And it does. Jane, fragile from a mental health event, puts herself in a place where her emotional stability will be constantly challenged.


The other characters each have a desperate desire they are yearning for as they participate in the contest. The student producer of the show is looking for redemption after being kicked out of a prestigious college. Other contestants are looking for notoriety, or are participating as a way to propel them onto a national stage. These characters were fun to follow, and I enjoyed the strategies they employed to gain advantages in the contest. It also illustrates how difficult it is to trust people, and their motives.


Setting:

Many people discount the community college experience. They talk about it like it isn't really legitimate higher education. As someone who started out at a community college, I couldn't disagree more. I loved how the book showed that it's all about what the individual student puts into it that determines what they get out of it. While some students don't take these classes seriously, others jump in wholeheartedly. And not just with the classes. As Jane progresses through the school year, she is slowly drawn into extracurricular activities. If one tries, a person can really find their tribe in college.


I also loved the Canadian setting. While there are many similarities to America, Canada has it's own character and charm. The wildness of the open wilderness just outside of town emphasizes how close we are to our essential selves, if we will only seek it out.


Story:

The competition itself was very entertaining. As with actual Big Brother types of shows, there were alliances to be made, and challenges to compete in. Many of them were very creative, such as when the contestants had to get in a van and see who could remain there the longest. The students had to figure out how they would handle things such as bodily needs without leaving the van. It was gross, but also hilarious!


What I Didn't Like:

I wish the author would have been a little more serious about Jane's mental health issue. With all the stress of the game, I was surprised that Jane wasn't more on the edge, especially since she cut herself off from her support system. I would have liked for Jane to realize that it is okay to rely on others such as a counselor, friends, or family. Instead she rejects these and tries to go it alone. I think she does, in the end, finally accept some of her problems. But I think in real life she would have been at risk for serious harm given that she rejected any help.

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley.

I loved this book! It’s been awhile since I gave out 5 stars, but this one is well-deserved. Loved Jane, loved all the other beautifully flawed characters, and I loved watching them change. It’s a book that is witty, timely, thoughtful, and laugh-out-loud funny. I was sad to see it end.

I'm not even finished reading NICE TRY, JANE SINNER, but I couldn't contain myself to yell: I'M LOVING THIS BOOK! Seriously, with an opener... "No trespassing. Violators will be shot. Survivors will be shot again." I knew I was goner for this book and Jane Sinner. Now, if you'll excuse me I have some more reading to do.

Jane is funny, inventive, and snarky as she tries to win the House of Orange car. A wonderful read.

As I explained above, I downloaded this to my Bluefire Reader app back in October and then went to read it today and got an error message about an expired license. So I requested it at the library and will hope to read it soon. Sorry that I didn't get to it in time!

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the opportunity to read and review Nice try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke! The book opens with journal entries written by Jane, who is trying to move past a mysterious event involving James Fowler. Jane alludes to this event as she continues writing in her journal. She joins a reality show in the making, House of Orange, so she can move away from home and move on with her life. Eventually, we discover that James Fowler is the high school Jane was attending when she thought about ending her life and tried doing just that by jumping off a cliff. She wasn’t successful. She learns a great deal about herself while participating on House of Orange. Jane’s sense of humor is entertaining and the broad range of characters makes Jane stop and look at herself and grow personally. She learns to not care about what people think of her and her actions. This contemporary book shows that doubt and insecurity are both normal for everyone as we become adults and grow into our identity. 4 stars.

Jane Sinner is the badass, snarky, brave, hilarious, and heartfelt heroine I didn't know I was looking for.

Part 'Community' mixed with a little 'Arrested Development', this is the story of Jane Sinner who, after a personal crisis and getting expelled from high school, decides, mainly to appease her parents, to finish her diploma at the local community college. She ends up signing on to be a contestant on a student run reality show, House of Orange, which solves her problem of where to live and give her the chance to start over where no one knows her or the truth about what happened in high school.

I loved this debut novel by local author Lianne Oelke. I laughed, I cried, I actually gasped out loud at one point, startling my cat. Featuring one of the cutest boy-girl moments I've read in awhile, involving a nose bleed of all things, and a wicked game of laser tag that took me back. Nice Try, Jane Sinner was fantastic. I can't wait to see what Oelke comes up with next.

Nice Try, Jane Sinner is so good! It’s all about… well Jane Sinner, a 17-year-old who’s trying to get out and do something, which leads her to a community college reality show that she sees as an opportunity to move out from home and start her independence. I will be completely honest and say this book didn’t hook me since the beginning, I think it was mainly because I read a very mysterious, engaging book about murders before this one, but I did end up liking it a lot.

Jane is really funny, and the things that happen to her, I found myself actually laughing as I read her story, she’s so sarcastic and ironic, I loved it. She earned her spot as my favorite character, I adored her hypothetical calls and therapy sessions. Nice Try, Jane Sinner doesn’t have a ton of romance, it does have a romantic side and a cute hint of romance throughout but nothing major, the story is mainly about JS and the reality show.

The characters were really interesting, I found them kind of relatable, they’re just college students, and they’re funny and ironic, shy and annoying. They were really nice to read. Also, Lianne Oelke’s writing style is very original and creative, easy to follow and her story is very original because I had never read -or even thought of- a reality show book, it was really cool.

To wrap it all up, I recommend this book literally anyone, from hopeless romantics to ironic existentialists, this book is very nice to read, it’s light but not full of fluff, it has a good story, challenges, it’s funny and it’s about a reality show, what else could you ask for?

I’d already been approved for the ARC of this book on NetGalley when I saw the announcement from Rockstar Book Tours for this blog tour, and I figured it would be fun to take part. I knew from the summary that Nice Try, Jane Sinner (NT,JS) was supposed to be humorous, and I thought it’d be a nice change since I usually do blog tours for YA sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction. I’m so glad I asked to participate, because I’m thrilled to be able to share with you just how much I love this book!

Because of the format the ARC was in, I couldn’t highlight and make notes on my Kindle, so I had to take notes manually (I almost always take notes and/or highlight or use page flags (lots and lots of page flags!), whether electronic or hard copy, and not only when I’m participating in a blog tour). I was writing in a little notebook, but I counted, and I figure I took about nine full-size pages of notes. NINE! There were just so many incredible quotes I wanted to capture, so many laugh out loud moments I’d jot down page numbers for so I could go back later, and quite a few times when my reaction was simply, “OMG, [character’s name]! Really?!”

This book was the funniest thing I’ve read in a long, long time. I laughed out loud and snickered so much, I think I irritated my kiddo who was reading next to me ;-) At the same time, there are some really profound moments, and the book touches on important topics, especially for teens who are closer to high school graduation and pondering not only “what’s next?”, but also, “who am I?” We all go through that time of separating ourselves from our parents and “their” beliefs, or else digging in deeper and deciding that their beliefs are also our beliefs. It is often a tricky, emotional, isolating process, and we see that in Jane’s story. She struggles with her faith (but is it even *her* faith? or is it just her parents’ faith?), and there is some truly incisive commentary regarding spirituality as opposed to organized religion. She struggles with trying to decide what she even wants to do with her life, not to mention what kind of person she will be.

Now, lest you think maybe I misspoke originally and that this must actually be a heavy drag of a book, trust me, it’s not! Jane reckons with all these questions about her future (and her present) with huge doses of humor, witty retorts, and biting sarcasm. The book is written in journal style, so we are hearing Jane’s voice exclusively, assuming when she’s recalling conversations that we are hearing what *she remembers* someone having said. In that sense, this is all filtered through her brain, and oh, that brain is truly a fabulous place to be! Jane’s experience in the “House of Orange” - both the physical place and the reality show - is truly life-changing, and I am so glad I went along for the ride. I really wasn’t sure how the author was going to end the story, but once I finished I knew it was exactly as it should’ve been. Ms. Oelke absolutely nailed it. (And I have the teeniest spark of hope that we may see Jane, Carol, Robbie, Marc, Jenna, and Alex Park again...)

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and I want to put it into the hands of everyone I know! I am going to keep my pages of notes; I’m even going to go back and write down the full quotes that I don’t want to forget. I promise, if you read this: you will laugh so hard, you may even cry (I did!), and you will love this book. It’s an amazing debut from a new young talent, and I will be watching with hawk-eyes to see what she brings us next.

Thanks so much to Clarion Books for the ARC, to Rockstar Book Tours for including me on the tour, and to Lianne Oelke for the incredible book!

Rating: 5 stars for this laugh-out-loud debut!

Disclosure: I received an e-ARC via NetGalley from the publisher, but this has in no way affected my review. This is my honest rating and review of the book.

Jane Sinner. One name, so many levels.
And, we are lucky enough to be reading her thoughts firsthand.
Because this is her journal, where her deepest thoughts are being written under utter secrecy.

Jane's whole life has changed ever since the Event. And, the author delivers everything brilliantly.

Everything starts slowly and we only get glimpses here and there of her old life and what she used to be like.

In the beginning she seems like a tough to love girl, but she evolves as the plot thickens, and by the end of the story I couldn't help but have fallen in love with her.

The story starts speeding up after she starts participating in House of Orange, a big-brother-type reality show who starts as a YouTube sensation and ends up being so much more. And, just like its popularity in the book, I started to feel affectionate towards it and the people behind it gradually and steadily, too.

But, the audience's and my affection towards HOO are not the only things developing through this story. Jane is, too.

She has been diagnosed with a mental health issue and taking antidepressants.

And, of course, I couldn't help but be even more interested in her, due to that reason and my psychology degree.

Her mental health is even in danger right in front of the reader's eyes at some point, and all of my instincts yearn to help her, just like her environment tries to, although not always successfully.

And, not even get me started about the plot twists and turns, especially the biggest one around the middle of the book, which got me (and apparently every viewer of HOO) so deeply immersed into the plot and Jane's shenanigans.

Overall, the author promotes through her book an important mental health issue in such a... healthy way, and the very essential message that people do not need condolences and pity, but friendship and affection, especially after facing psychological problems.

All in all, 4 stars for a brilliantly written book featuring an amazing and deep in so many levels character, her refreshingly original and enlightening story and a deeply important message.

This book was hard for me to read as I don’t enjoy the journal writing theme. However, in spite of that, which is only my opinion, I think this will be a big seller. It is funny, honest, thoughtful, original and simply a terrific story!

I'm having a hard time articulating my thoughts on this book. Part of me really wants to love it because of all the references to Canada and places that not only I knew but I had also been before, but the other part of me felt like the story overall was carried at times by these references.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book. As always, all opinions are my own.

The story follows 17-year-old Jane Sinner who, after dropping out of her high school due to some personal issues, decides to start fresh at a new school, like her parents want. Her only request is that she can move out of their suffocating home. The only living situation Jane can afford is a house with five other roommates, that just happens to be a part of a social experiment akin to a reality show. In this Big Brother-esque house, Jane and the other contestants have to compete in challenges to win immunity and not get kicked out. The show is soon picked up by local TV and Jane finds herself at the helm of a group of fans dedicated to helping her win, that is, if she can make it that far.

As I previously mentioned, and if you've been following my Goodreads updates, you'll know that I am a Canadian (specifically in Southern Alberta). I always get really excited to see both Canadian authors getting their name out there, because there are so few of them, especially in the YA genre, and to see books set in Canada being published. Most of the books (at least, that I've read) have been set mainly in the States, which is fine, but every once in a while you want to see places you recognize. And Oelke really delivered on that. She includes smaller details like getting a nosebleed because of the dry, Southern Alberta air, going to see the Flames play hockey, and of course, if you're an Albertan, the ever important Calgary vs. Edmonton city rivalry (just so we're clear, she got the better city right) as well as larger references to places like Fish Creek Park and Peter's Drive-In, both of which any self-respecting Calgarian has heard of and been to.

But my concern with this book is that I was only really invested in the story to see these references. There was a lot of really important content going on that I think was lost because of the excitement over places I knew and the reality show aspect. The book talks about deeper issues like depression, a suicide attempt, a religious crisis of faith, religion in general, all really relevant things that don't get a lot of 'page-time' in most books but it didn't really keep these things as a focus. Soon, I found myself feeling like Jane's issues as plot points, which broke my heart because I was really hoping they would get more of a focus.

At the same time, the geographical references and reality show element made this book unique and interesting, something I wanted to pick up. I can't imagine it being told any other way, I'm just disappointed that I ended up feeling this way.

I will say, the writing style of this book was really unique and enjoyable. Jane has a cleverness and a super dry humour that I really enjoyed. There were a couple jokes she made that were self-deprecating but felt a little too severe. I figured out fairly early on that the personal issue that caused her to leave school in the first place was related to her depression and I felt like some of the jokes she made about it were, while possibly within her style of humour, in a bit of bad taste.

The story itself was told in a journal format, one I haven't read in a while, but once you get going, you get used to it. I felt like there was enough information given in her POV to easily understand the story, but I wouldn't have minded an alternative perspective to break up a bit of Jane's humour.

Overall, unfortunately, I think I just wanted to like this book more than I actually did.

I had a very hard time getting into this one. The conversation is printed as if you're reading a script for a play, an interesting concept for a novel...but it just felt awkward in it's execution.

5 out of 5 stars to NICE TRY, JANE SINNER!!!

Oh, man this book. I don't have words. It's a doozy. It starts out as just a fun romp through Jane's mind and a reality TV show, and ends up being such an intense look at mental illness, at the reality behind reality TV shows, and the lies we tell ourselves. Jane is such a hard character, and I love her for it. She's hurt and messed up and doesn't trust anybody, and watching her arc over the book was fully satisfying.

There were portions where the book became very heavy and, as someone who also lives with depression, there were sections that were really hard to deal with. Because we so clearly see the inside of Jane's mind, it's impossible not to fully identify with and feel her pain. But that's not a reason not to read the book; it's just something to be aware of.

All in all, it's a book I would highly recommend!