'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.

Jess is living her typical 90s life: listening to Jagged Little Pill, swigging Clear Pepsi on dares, binging 90210. But suddenly people are falling ill, her dog seems to find her to be an enemy, her little sister is hospitalized, and everyone is giving Jess weird looks. With Lisa Frank stickers, a hot guy sidekick, and a flash forward to the 21st century, it’s time for her to figure out that reality isn’t all that it seems.

This Truman Show-esque dystopia has a quick pace, creepy insight into mass thoughts about technology, and the power of influencers on every day life. I can see readers being intrigued by this story. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! 3.5/5

This was a really neat story. When it started I was so confused, I didn't think actual young adults wouldn't get all the 90s references, so wondered how this story was going to go and what was going on. It was so well done how Carey blended in believability to the first half of the story, I was blown away when the revealing happened. Very entertaining, and though the start was a bit slow the rest was something I couldn't put down! Probably would give 4.5 stars, but rounded up.

This is Not the Jess Show follows Jess who thinks she is living an ordinary life only to find her life is not what it seems, the people around her have been lying to her and everything she has done has been recorded.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book; the plot and concept are not unique, but I liked the writing style of the book and Jess herself. The book is quite fast paced, and I did think that things moved a bit too quickly at the start, I would have liked to see Jess’ life before she discovered the secret more – the book seems to start with her already being suspicious about certain things. The plot of the first half follows Jess discovering the truth, I did like the atmosphere and tone of the first half and thought Jess’ sense of betrayal and shock was portrayed really well. Jess herself is a likeable main character, I liked how she dealt with everything and I liked the focus on her emotions throughout the book.

The second half of the book is where I expected the plot to be more interesting and unique and I was really disappointed with what happened, it was really boring and dragged out. The romance felt forced and unneeded, nothing really happened with the plot and the ending felt rushed. I did like some elements of the second half; the focus on technology and the outside world and I did like what happened towards the end but overall, everything was happening really fast that the book did not really go into much detail over these things.

3/5

Jess Flynn is growing up in the 90s. Life is pretty simple until she find this thing that fell out of her friend backpack. It like a rectangle with an apple on the back. Her friend says its her dads from work and she took it from him. Then her dog is no longer her dog. It looks like her dog, but is suddenly missing spots and scars it once had and is trying to bite and back at her. Finally her crush Tyler lets her in on the be biggest secret of all and life is never the same.

A unique young adult story which I really enjoyed. I was totally hooked on the whole concept and was eager to see how things would turn out for the main character. I think this would appeal to a wide audience and fans of all genres. There is nothing unsuitable for younger readers in it. There is a good mix of action and contemplation, relationship building and suspense.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I picked this book because it is compared to Black Mirror which I adore so I had to know! I was a little worried this book would be another book with a solid premise that fell flat but I am so glad I was wrong! This book was great!
I loved reading along while Jess slowly started to piece together what was happening to her. I was so interested in how Carey was going to explain so much of what was going on so I felt like I was learning more and more right right along with Jess.
The last half of this book especially was a wild ride. I loved reading about this near future world that Carey had crafted just as meticulously, which sadly not always the case. The end is honestly what really sealed my passion for this book! I was eager to what was going to happen next. I can not wait for the sequel to this book so I can learn more!
If I had one gripe about this book it would be I wish it had gone just a tad bit darker with the premise. I am aware this is strictly a me thing so it has not effected my rating. I just personally would have liked it to be darker and I am hoping the sequel takes it to that level I was hoping for.
Overall though this was a fantastic thriller! Carey managed to both make and reveal two amazing worlds with believable characters within those environments. I can not wait to see where she takes this story next.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Once again, thanks so much to Netgalley for sending this to me!

This Is Not The Jess Show took me totally by surprise. The blurb, which describes a girl living in the 90s who discovers an iPhone well over a decade before its invention, had me anticipating some kind of time travel plot – a futuristic device falling through the cracks in time, maybe giving us a chance to explore the impact of social media well before it became part of the mainstream. The actual plot of this book is very different, and extremely compelling. [As a side note, I’d recommend steering clear of the reviews. I feel like this is one of those books that’s best gone into without any prior knowledge, and the big plot twist was completely ruined for me when I decided to have a quick scroll through the reviews before reading. I’m still annoyed about it, because I think it would have been a real gut-punch if I’d found out about it in real time.]

The book drops us straight into the middle of the 90s, where we meet Jess, an average girl living an average life, along with the beginnings of a very vanilla relationship with her best-friend, the boy-next-door, and a sister struggling with a terminal illness. I have to admit, the first few chapters were dull as dishwater. I was deeply bored – it just seemed like the dictionary definition of the most basic book you could think of. Then the Big Twist happens, and totally shakes everything up. I was hooked – sat at the dinnertable raving to my family about the sudden twist the plot had taken and how excited I was about it. I flew through the next 30-50% of the book, absolutely obsessed with the way it was going. I can’t go into detail without ruining some of the magic, but trust me, it’s good. The definition of a page-turner. Everything you thought you knew is completely overturned in the best way possible; it defies all expectations. This was shaping up to be one of the coolest, most unexpected books I’d read in a LONG time.

Unfortunately, that was when things… I won’t say crashed and burned; more sort of drifted to a sad and sort of disappointing halt. The last thirty percent of the book drags, with the protagonists ambling around not doing a lot, losing most of the momentum and all of the intrigue that had been built up previously. The worldbuilding is weak, lacking the rich details we started off with, and some deeply implausible things begin to happen. The last ten pages or so are completely laughable, and not in a good way.

Then we get to my final gripe: it turns out this is a series, which I wasn’t aware of going in. I already think that was a bad idea – it feels like this story could definitely have been contained in one novel, and I have no idea where else it could possibly go next. In addition to that, I don’t think I’ve ever read a self-proclaimed ‘thriller’ that was longer than a single book. We’d already worn out all of the tension that built in the first half, so I fail to see how it could possibly be built back up again for the sequel. In addition to that, the most important thing about a series is that each book does actually need to work as its own self-contained narrative, with a beginning, end and set arc that takes us from one to the other. This book, however, cuts off randomly with no real conclusion and no indication as to exactly what it is we’re supposed to expect from the next book. It doesn’t attempt to tie anything up or even leave off on a particular cliff-hanger – it just sort of stops in a deeply unsatisfying way, like the latest season of your favourite show that had to stop production mid-season due to Covid. It totally killed all of the good feelings I had for the book up until that point. I felt cheated, to be honest, and as a result of that, I’ve had to drop this book from four stars to a solid three. It’s disappointing, because it seemed like it was shaping up to be a fantastic story, and when we were in the thick of it, it was a chilling narrative – but the author really dropped the ball. I’ve heard of the muddy middle, but in this book it was the opposite: a fantastic second act bookended by a (I think strategically) bland beginning and a disappointing ending.

This Is Not The Jess Show definitely has its good points – as mentioned, the plot is intriguing, it’s a thought-provoking story and had a lot of potential, but I ultimately found it to be a bit of a let-down. 3 stars.

I’m not sure about this book. Was it a good book? Yes. Did I read it all in two days? Yep. Was it a complete rip off of the Truman show? Absolutely.

The problem with it is - it’s aimed at teenagers / young adults. But most of them nowadays were born after the year 2000 and don’t remember a single thing from the 90’s. Conversely, for someone in their late twenties reading the book, aspects of the pop culture references are quite funny - but the book itself is too immature.

It’s interesting, it’s funny and it would make a cute Netflix film / TV show (I’m thinking Stranger Things meets The Truman Show). On that basis, I’ve given it four out of five stars.... But as a whole... I am not sure it was for me.

Thank you to Quirk Books & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a fun read focused on Jess Flynn, an average teenage girl in the 90s, who's biggest problems are her sick sister and how to say no to the boy preparing to ask her out. Or so she thinks.

Heavy with pop-culture references that will fill a (slightly) older reader with nostalgia and have the younger reader longing for an era they missed out on, this Truman Show-esque title is a fun, easy read which is fast paced and filled with excitement.

One criticism, however, is that there is no real depth to the tale and even the main character lacks real grit. There is a similarity to Nerve by Jeanne Ryan in the second half of the novel, though slightly less violent. This is the perfect novel to binge read and is a fun way to spend a day or two.

It doesn't quite have the staying power of The Truman Show but it certainly serves as a modern cross with Black Mirror.

What would you do if you found out your whole life was a lie?

Meet Jess. Jess is 17. She lives in Swickley, New York - a town where everything closes at 8pm, nobody is around on the weekends and every spring something awful happens.

Jess’ life is a TV show, and she’s about to find out.

I was worried at first that this premise of “girl is unaware she lives in a TV show” would run stale as it is clear to the reader from the book blurb, and Jess herself discovers this halfway through. The plot however never runs stale as there are constant new layers to the plot that are discovered by both Jess and the reader.

As a child of the 90s I particularly loved the in depth 90s references scattered throughout the book that made everything seem a lot more realistic and natural - descriptions of clothes, shops, objects and pop culture. It’s clear the author knows her subject well and I loved how the time period differences in particular cast stark differences between the world inside the TV set and wider society.

The brief glimpse of the world outside is almost post apocalyptic in nature - mass unemployment, everyone addicted to TV and phones, everything automated to an insane degree. And the obsession with retro eras really taps into the zeitgeist of current society, a smart move by the author who is simultaneously writing in the past and the present.

The supporting characters were multilayered instead of being one note unlikable which made is easier to feel conflicted along with Jess and empathise with her struggle after being lied to by everyone in her life.

This is The Truman Show for the Tik Tok generation and I loved it from start to finish.

4.5 stars

This book was a wild ride from start to finish and I loved every single second of reading it.

‘This Is Not The Jess Show’ follows Jess, who is a normal girl in 1990’s America, or so she believes. The year is 2037 and Jess’s life is actually a TV show. All her friends and everyone else around her are actors and she is the only one who does not know this.

I loved this book. I loved the concept of this book as it was something that I had never read before and it was so interesting to read. I loved Jess as a main character, and I could not help but root for her to be able to escape the life that she had grown up in in the TV show set. I loved seeing Jess’s relationship with Kipps develop in the second half of the novel and how he went from being someone she hated to the person she trusted the most in her life.

I absolutely flew through ‘This Is Not The Jess Show’ as I could not put it down because I needed to know what was going to happen next. The writing was so fast-paced which was perfect for the story as it made the situation so much more tense and put me on edge.

The ending!! I need more!! I felt both satisfied by the ending, but it also felt like a cliff-hanger?? But either way, I need more. I want to know what happens next to Jess and Kipps and Sara.

Read ‘This Is Not The Jess Show’. It is so good and will have you hooked from the first page. I cant wait to read more books by Anna Carey in the future.

Thank you to Quirk Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This Is Not The Jess Show follows Jess, a typical 90’s teen. She has two best friends and she’s got a crush on her guy friend, even though the more popular guy is interested in her. She’s also having to deal with the fact her sister’s dying from a rare disease. But odd things are happening in her town, starting with half the town being sick for flu and one of her friend’s dropping a device with the apple logo on it - despite the fact it’s 1998.

I honestly would recommend reading this book with no further knowledge of what happens in it. I went into the book knowing nothing, and that’s the best way to read it. The book starts off a little slow and at first seems like a typical teen book, but there are mysterious and strange occurrences that eventually lead up to a plot twist that makes the book special. I found the first 100 pages did drag on a bit, but after that everything got very fast-paced and action-packed and I couldn’t put the book down. Jess is a relatable protagonist and I would love to see how her story continues further (I think there may be more books in the series). The premise for the book is so interesting and executed well. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to someone looking for a short, fun thriller.

This was a fun read with a variety of things going on. Reality TV, plus "The Truman Show" re-imagined, plus some world economic reality and futuristic stuff going on *outside* the show, and a question of what is considered going "too far" when it comes to one's children and reality shows. There are some big ethical questions, and the story of Jess herself is more about the bigger picture than just her character. I think I would've enjoyed some more time "in" the show before popping out of it, and it does take some suspension of disbelief (like, she really lasted 17 years without suspecting anything weird? Heck, that is one well run show!). I think, ultimately, I felt really bad for Jess. What the world did to her was really reprehensible, not to mention her own family. It does end with some room for discovering what might happen next, and it also honestly felt like a "Truman Show"/"Black Mirror" mashup, in a way. Definitely worth the read.

A few days ago, I decided to not finish a book I was almost half way through. I was feeling very low and sad about it, and wondering what I could pick up next to break me out of my mood. I am so glad that one of the two books I picked up to read was This Is Not the Jess Show. I genuinely read it in one sitting (well two, if you count that I fell asleep and finished it the second I woke up). Jess Flynn, we share a name, but we also share so much of the same thoughts. There were so many parts in her story that I related to (not that I have a TV show happening around my life but, you know what I mean.)

I particularly loved how part of the story happened in the 90's, a period of time we are all nostalgic for, and part of it happened in the near future, the year 2037. The technology was slightly more heightened than what we have now and it was interesting to see a story play out around our current time period instead of in it.

I genuinely loved this book and it reminded me that I really need to read more YA. Bravo, Anna Carey!

I loved this book!! It was so fast paced and compelling. I truly could not put this one down because I needed to know what happened to jess. this would make a fantastic black mirror episode, and I'm not going to spoil anything in this review because I think you should go in blind. my only issue was that I thought the ending should have been longer. as it was, it felt a little rushed. but overall, this was an extremely fun ya thriller that made me think about how complicit I am.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a lot of fun!

We follow our protagonist Jess as she begins noticing parts of her 90's suburban life seem a little off. She keeps hearing weird chanting outside her window, half of the population of her small town disappears overnight (apparently suffering from the flu), and a strange electronic device falls from her friend's backpack.

The plot was fast paced and I was invested in Jess' story as she starts to figure out what is going on. The comparisons to Black Mirror are appropriate, though the story is neither dark nor completely horrifying. I enjoyed the 90's references, and though I wasn't around for most of the 90's, I recognised enough to feel nostalgic.

Going in to this, I thought it would be a standalone-- the story certainly is self contained enough for it to work as one, though I felt the ending lacked any real depth. Perhaps the sequel will flesh out the world more?

Overall a very interesting concept; It was executed well enough but I thought more could have done with it.

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

Jess Flynn is your average, American, 90's teenager. Only she isn't. It's not the 90's anymore and her entire hometown is actually a reality TV show set. Her friends are actors, her teachers are actors, and even the boy she likes is an actor. Everything she thought of as real life is actually all a carefully curated construction from the past. Every single moment of her life has been viewed by millions of people who are all living in a world decades ahead of her own. How will Jess cope when the truth is revealed and how will the world cope when their favourite TV show personality quits the role of her life?

This premise was too intriguing to pass up on reading but I worried that it would soon feel stale when the reader was given so much knowledge about Jess' predicament from the synopsis, and when she herself did not possess this for almost half of the book. Carey did an excellent job of orientating the reader into Jess' nostalgic, 90's world and it remained interesting to see her both navigate through the average teenage worries as well as to organically puzzle out the façades surrounding her.

I was unprepared for the adrenaline-filled and action-packed turn events took once Jess became privy to the truth. The outer world was opened up to both Jess and the reader for the first time and it proved just as intricate and intriguing as her hometown set. I really appreciated how both the 90's and our near future were constructed and how major differences between the two were all the more apparent for their close proximity to the other. Facets that are part of the reader's everyday life were also called into question through Jess' new exposure to them.

This last facet was something I wished was featured more heavily throughout. Jess was filled with wonder and bewilderment but I yearned for a deeper and more lingering focus on the heavier topics touched upon. I wanted the nature of society, the entertainment industry, and those who were meant to protect Jess to be called out for their influence and their failures. This could have become an insight to society's dark nature, in a Black Mirror-esque fashion, but remained a lighter and more surface-level read, instead.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an early eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Like any other teenager, Jess Flynn is just trying to get through her junior year without drama . . . but drama seems to keep finding her. 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.

Swickley is getting weirder by the day, too. Half the population has been struck down by a mysterious flu. Conversations end awkwardly when Jess enters the room. 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.

But the year is 1998, and the first iPhone won’t exist for another nine years.


I saw this book completely by accident not too long ago and it was the concept of, This is Not the Jess Show that took my attention. I was so intrigued as to what might happen throughout this book because the synopsis doesn’t give much away. It is a unique, fun and interesting novel that had me invested throughout. This issue is, I did actually feel quite let down with the way that this book and its writing played out.

I can’t really discuss this book in much detail due to the possibility of giving away even the most minor of spoilers, but I’ll discuss what I can. I enjoyed the concept, the characters and most of the pacing of this book. Jess’ character is well-rounded, believable and a character that I really enjoyed reading about. I did enjoy a couple of the secondary characters as well but I won’t mention their names.

I was expecting This is Not the Jess Show to be more of a thrilling story than what it actually was. I’m unsure if this is because I’ve read a lot of thriller stories recently and this was as thrilling as those. The pacing of this book starts out fast and gripped me, then the middle section slowed down and lost my interest. It just seemed to drag on way longer than necessary. Then for the last few chapters, the pacing picked up rapidly and I was hooked on the story again. So, if you read this be prepared to go on a pacing rollercoaster.

This book has sections that feel incredibly believable and then sections that felt really unbelievable. I don’t quite know why certain sections of this book felt so far fetched but they really did and it took me out of enjoying this book.

That being said, I did have a fun time reading this book and seeing the twists and turns throughout the plot. I am intrigued with where this story can go as it is part of a duology. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the TV series, Black Mirror or the movie, The Truman Show. It is an intriguing story with such an interesting concept! Give this one a read because the synopsis gives nothing away!

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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4,5*
This is the story I never knew I needed.
Pros: A freaking fantastic YA retelling of The Truman's show. Although we already know the gist of it from the get-go, it is still incredibly surprising, immersive and full of twists. Interesting and engaging characters. Delves right into consumerism, the addictive side of technology and social media, the tight grip of capitalism over relationships. An utopian view of a dystopian world.
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Cons: Takes a bit to pick up, but I would love a sequel.