This book was such a neat idea but I don't think the execution was quite there. I really loved the 1990's theme and it brought me right back to my childhood but I think there were too many moving parts and there was just too much happening at one time.

Overall, I liked this book a lot. I found the plot to be the strongest element of the entire thing - that a girl would be on a reality show but not know it. It was really interesting following her journey of discovery and how she was going to handle new information. I did like the main character Jess fairly well. The supporting cast of characters were hit and miss, as I don't think we got to spend a lot of time getting to know them super well. I also love the setting of the reality show being in the 90s. It was a nice throwback.

Where I felt there were some issues were the pacing - it felt rushed and some things were a bit too convenient. The story also wrapped up neatly for what I believe is the first in a series. I just would have liked to see more struggle and tension from Jess after she discovers she's on a reality show. So overall, I liked it, but a few things kept me from loving it.

Compulsive reading. Finished in one sitting. Jess goes about her daily life in the 80’s with some unusual twists. When the reason is revealed, all her relationships with friends and families are shattered and she must become a new person to cope. Fascinating and frightening. Teens will love this.

I really enjoyed this book and the writing style of Anna Carey. The characters are relatable and easy to connect with.

At first it seems like a glimpse into the life of a middle class teen girl in the 90's with common teen issues and angst. That feeling doesn't last long as little things start happening that the main character Jess has not seen or at least not noticed before. It starts with a cell phone falling out of her friend's backpack and landing at her feet. The odd thing is the apple on it as this is 1998 and i-phones have not been invented yet. This event, along with dealing with her sister Sara's terminal disease and passing, starts her on a path to learning the truth about her life as more events and revelations start popping up. There were quite a few interesting twists and turns along the path of discovery for Jess with her friend Patrick by her side every step of the way. I don't want to say too much and risk spoiling the book for others so I will stop here. I think the description given by the publisher is the perfect amount of information to draw readers in to a very enjoyable book. I didn't realize until I went to write the review that there is going to be a sequel. I look forward to that coming out so I can find out what happens next!

Thank you to #netgalley for the advance copy.
Review posted #goodreads

I think the less you know about this going into it, the better, so I'll try to keep this brief. I had a great time with this! The concept was very intriguing overall. Admittedly, I'm not entirely sure how society has gotten to this point, but I think it's an interesting examination of these topics. I thought this was pretty well paced, and it definitely kept me involved throughout the book. I loved the 90s nostalgia here! That's a big draw to this book (at least for me).

In terms of the characters, we certainly have several very selfish characters. However, Jess was pretty great. I found her to be quite genuine, and I thought she reacted pretty realistically as the book progressed. She seems nice, and her love for her sister was very sweet.

Evidently, this is the first book in a series (duology maybe?). I would continue the series, but I do feel pretty satisfied with where this ended up.

Overall, I'd recommend this if the premise sounds interesting!

I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.

My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 13:16-15:34 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5fzUIsFj-8

This is a story about the future & the ethics of the entertainment industry

I really enjoyed this! I had a couple qualms- Jess reaches what would generally be considered a completely irrational conclusion very quickly & with relatively little evidence. I think really, I just wanted this book to be longer- I would have liked to see more of her trying to figure out what was happening, and more of her experiencing life after the twist. That being said, this book was so fun! I loved the 90s cultural references, and the character’s sassy, determined attitude. I especially loved the found family aspect - I think the author nailed the concept that a true family isn’t always who you happen to be related to.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫!

Thanks @netgalley & @quirkbooks for this e-ARC!

When I saw this book advertised I thought 'A YA Truman show, with a dash of the 90's? Hell yes!' I grew up in the 90's so I could appreciate that about it and I adore the concept of The Truman Show, so a book with all of that bundled into one neat YA parcel for me to read - I was excited.

I don't want to give too much away about the plot or anything in this book because that would ruin the experience, but This Is Not the Jess Show is about a young high-schooler named Jess and her life inside this 'show'. The less said the better, that was all I needed to know going in and I am glad that was all I knew.

This book just gave me such enjoyment. I read it all in a day and was thoroughly entertained. The story kept me wanting more and I just devoured it. The story was well written, and I enjoyed the character of Jess. The other characters... not so much. I felt that Jess was sweet, honest, ordinary girl, and I think her reactions to the things happening throughout the story were well executed.

I just recently learned that there will be another book, so I am excited for that one. I cannot wait to read what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

In a world where we are surrounded by pleasurable media, the question sometimes arises; how far would we be willing to go to keep ourselves entertained? That’s the question I thought of when reading “This is Not the Jess Show,” which is one of the best books I have read in a while.
Jessica Flynn doesn’t consider her life very exciting. Growing up in Swickley, New York in the 1990s isn’t exactly ideal, especially since her little sister has recently grown sick with a chronic illness. But, everyone seems interested in Jess. Her mother always makes sure she is in designer clothes, her best friends always invite her to the biggest parties, and the hottest boy in school wants to date her. All Jess really wants is to play guitar, go off to college, and date whoever she wants.
Jess would have never guessed that there was a reason why everyone was interested in her and why bad things always seemed to happen. In reality, it’s not the 1990s, but 2037. She’s living on the set of a television show and no one bothered to tell her that her life was being filmed, not even her own parents, who have been using her for their own personal gain.
Jessica escapes the set, but life is no easier. Eager fans of her television show aren’t willing to let her go so easily; the people and the television company are willing to do anything to get her back, whether it’s pretty or not.
While this book had nods to The Truman Show, I appreciated the author showing me more of the world behind the set where Jess lived. I could see a startling prediction of the future of where reality TV might be heading. It was an excellent read, one that kept me glued to every page and excited for the sequel.

Reviewed by Bailey Day, author of “The Amazing Imagination Machine” by Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine.

Abrupt ending, thin characters, people reacting as though they're on Prozac, but not unenjoyable. I sped through this teenage version of The Truman Show, wanting to know what would happen next. Jess was clever, noting little inconsistencies and putting them together. But she never seems as betrayed or upset as I was expecting. Perhaps she's in shock?

I found the ending very abrupt as well, but Goodreads tells me there's a second book coming, so hopefully that will smooth things out. I'll be watching out for it; I'd like to know what happens next.

I enjoyed this read, but I found it a little frothy and surface level. There was no real feeling of peril or upset or anything else. I hope that the second book will help to add some depth, and I'll be looking forward to reading it.

This Is Not the Jess Show is an interesting book with a fascinating synopsis. The story is captivating within the first few chapters and you find yourself falling in love with the characters and their various arcs. In a "Truman Show" type story, the ending was not so much a shock as it was just an entertaining story. I expected and wanted more from it, but not much happened after the climax. The first half was gripping, the second half, unfortunately, was tedious.

It's 1998 and Jess Flynn is surviving her high school years as best as she can. Her younger sister is sick, she's developed a crush on her best friend, and she's hearing mysterious chanting that no one else seems to be willing to acknowledge. If that's not bad enough, a strange object falls out of her friend's bag, imprinted with the Apple logo. But the first iPhone isn't due to be released for another nine years. What's going on?!

I was excited to read a YA take on what is essentially The Truman Show, but I found that this story lacked a lot of the development and intrigue I was hoping for. Jess is a likable enough character, but I never truly cared about what was happening to her at any stage of the book. It all felt very surface level.

This book describes itself as a thriller but I never felt any sense of true danger or thrills.

Warning, mild spoilers follow:

I also just massively struggled with the concept of the book. I don't find any of it believable. Is it likely that so near in our future we're so desperate for money and entertainment that we'd allow a young girl to be raised in the public eye without her consent--including her changing her clothes? That we'd be so desperate to keep that show running for our entertainment we'd allow a manhunt through the streets of New York that had the potential to turn so violent?

I don't think I'll be picking up any of the follow on books unless Carey can really step up her game.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from Quirk Books. This YA book brings 90’s nostalgia front and center in a version of The Truman Show, where the main character Jess learns her family is the focus of a Like-Life TV production that is the top rated show in the US. Everything and everyone is suddenly different when Jess learns the truth. Can she escape the spotlight and what would she do if she wasn’t surrounded by actors 24/7? I’ve read Anna Carey before and I like how she writes a teen character for teens. I’m not sure current teens are going to see the fun in her 90’s references, but I completely understood each one from the Delia catalog, to TRL, to Jagged Little Pill, to Joey Lawrence. LOL!

The start of the book is pretty tame, only really getting going by about the midpoint. What would have helped is more of the 90s references, and more hints that something is not quite right. Jess feels far too comfortable in the "after" parts when one would have expected her to be more at sea about what life is really like (I'm trying hard not to spoil things!). Rounded up from 3.5 for concept.

eARC provided by publisher.

I had a good impression of THIS IS NOT THE JESS SHOW after reading the first two chapters. I was really enjoying it. Then the confusion set in.. I had to go back and read the summary which I didn't initially because I didn't want to know too much. It was described as a YA thriller so I wanted the story to unfold as I turned the pages. That didn't work out so well. Once I read THIS IS NOT THE JESS SHOW described as a YA Truman Show I was able to jump in and go for the ride.

It didn't quite hit the mark for me, though. It read more like dystopian then thriller.

I really enjoyed all the 90's references and nostalgia. I thought the commentary on reality TV and obsession with social media influencer and content creators was on target. I can see reality TV evolving similarly as the envelope continues to be pushed and lines being crossed.

Oh my, did this book send me for a loop. If you liked The Truman Show, read this. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read this, too. I absolutely did not know where this was all headed, and in many ways, this was a more dystopian novel than those branded as such because it was just so plausible and realistic. A must-read for anyone interested in reality, media, and manipulation.

This was clever and funny, and Carey did a remarkable job at making the world feel like it was closing in around us and Jess. It is eerily reminiscent of the related film (no spoilers! because I went in completely blind, and it did't hit me until partway through and it was remarkable). The little details and nods were incredible, although on occasion it felt too heavily reliant on the film's plot points.

This book is creepy, yet funny, absurd yet heartwarming, and one of my favourites this year. I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of this universe, and will be eagerly awaiting the sequel.

This YA novel about a 90's teenager is full of nostalgia. Readers who grew up in the 90's will find themselves reminiscing about dial-up internet, Doc Martins, and grunge music while following Jess through teenage life - falling in love, trying to find independence, and worrying about her little sister. Then things start to go awry, causing Jess to question everything she knows.

This Is Not the Jess Show starts out like any other coming-of-age story, but when surprising twists show up and the plot thickens, you are propelled along with Jess to try to figure out life as it really is, and not as you see it.

This Is Not the Jess Show is a book that draws you in from the very first sentence, keeping you invested in the characters and the world in which they inhabit right until the very end. The clues as to what is happening are carefully laced within the story with twists that keep you guessing. A must read for all the 90's fan out there as it full of references that will fill them with nostalgia.

3 stars? 3.5 stars? I can't decide!

This review is probably going to be very short, because not only is it really hard to talk about this book without giving away spoilers (and you know how I feel about spoilers), but I still can't decide how I feel about the book! Without giving anything away, the basic premise is that Jess lives in the late 1990s and has the typical problems of a teenager, only with the extra burden of a sick younger sister. She’s fallen in love with her male best friend, she’s starting to feel left out by her two female best friends even though they’ve always been a trio, etc. Only weird things are starting to happen, like the fact that an iPhone falls out of her friend’s bookbag, even though the iPhone hasn’t been invented yet.

The book was very readable, which is a huge plus for me, especially with everything going on in the world right now and how that is affecting my focus. I also enjoyed the pacing throughout the first half or so, as little clues added up slowly until the twist was revealed, and then things rapidly unfolded from there.

The things that lower the rating for me are 1) the pacing of the last third or so of the book, when I think the "thriller" aspect was supposedly kicking in, but I was actually just bored by this point, and 2) believability. I think that any premise can be sold to the reader if handled well, but I never fully bought into the situation of the book. The execution was lacking. Also, going into it, I thought it would be a standalone. I think that's part of where it fails a little, because the world isn't as fleshed-out as it could be because, guess what, there's going to be at least one other book! Blargh. At least it didn’t end in a cliff-hanger, which I hate.

But, as I said, I found most of the book really readable and I so badly needed a page-turner right now. I think I'll stick with the 3-star rating for now.