I absolutely devoured this book! Fun, exciting and dramatic, this high-octane thriller is sure to entertain. Takes the Truman Show and updates it for a new generation. I haven't read the sequel yet although I have a copy of that too, possibly because I wonder how it could possibly be as good, as a big part of this book was watching Jess slowly realise that her life has been a lie.

The 90s references were really fun, and it covers some difficult subjects without being an issues-led book which I'm finding a lot of my young people enjoy reading.

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

I liked this book. A solid three stars from me. However, I think the first half of the book where Jess was slowly realising her whole life wasn't real was far more interesting than after she realised. I wish that was a bit longer

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

thank you netgalley and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

i liked this a lot!! i thought it was gonna be a simple boring read but i was very intrigued and i really liked the main character. it had an interesting, unique plot and i’m very excited for the next book! and guess what, i have an arc for that one too 🌝

I liked this book, I enjoyed its drama, the characters were compelling and the pace was brilliant. I ultimately enjoyed the book, I would recommend it to my students and would happily have it part of our LGBT library

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Tw: chronic illness, gaslighting, child death, emotional abuse, car accident, animal death, confinement, gun violence, terminal illness

Jess has a pretty typical life for a girl in the 90s and she is trying to get through her junior year without any drama, but weird things keep happening around her and what is that sleek black device with an apple logo on it that fell out of her best friend's backpack? Jess will soon learn there is a very fine line between reality and fiction.

I LOVED this book and I'm still obsessed with it. The 90s are a special time period for me, so I absolutely loved all the 90s references and I was shocked with all the twists and turns this book has.

The writing is smooth and will suck you in from page one, the characters are well rounded and I loved the fast paced rhytm,

If you are a fan of YA contemporary with tons of 90s references, this book is definitely for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy.

This was such a fun book! The writing style sucked me into the story and the plot was so engaging! It felt like I was watching a movie honestly. I loved the time period and the references to pop culture then. The thriller aspect gripped me right at the beginning and I had so much fun racing towards the end.

The concept here is decent, a plot clearly influenced by "The Truman Show", though the plot centers more on staying out of the clutches of the show than in the slow reveal of the nature of reality. It's a darker view of human nature and what we'll do for money. In the early chapters Jess is surprisingly oblivious to some pretty obvious holes in here reality. Luckily these are just a temporary road block. Once she learns the truth, the pacing and details improve. The plot relies on some pretty intense coincidence, though. It is more about things happening to Jess than her making conscious changes for her future.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a 3.5 that I’m rounding up to 4.0

This is Not the Jess Show was, above all else, a fun light-hearted read, which is surprising considering that the main character discovers that her whole life was fabricated and everyone she loved was lying to her. The premise of the book is amazing and original, however, I don’t think it was executed as well as it could’ve been. There’s not enough scenes of Jess and her (supposed) friends and family, we don’t get to see much of their interactions and family dynamics before Jess becomes suspicious and finds out the truth. Because of this, the reader doesn’t feel betrayed or hurt the way that the protagonist does, a big opportunity that the author missed and something that could’ve been achieved if the novel was longer. The brevity of that section of the story also results in Jess’s connections seeming shallow and wooden, the only relationship that has a bit of depth to it is between her and her “sister”, Sarah.

Although the romantic interest is a bit more developed than the other characters, his and Jess’s crush on each other is sudden, as if it came out of nowhere, and feels rushed. Actually, the whole book feels rushed and a tad unpolished, had the author stretched it out and developed the characters better, this would’ve easily been one of my top reads of the year. Kip and Jess are not believable as a couple exactly because their relationship is not based on anything other than their current situation during the plot, so all of their scenes fell flat for me.

The best aspect of this novel is that the pace is quite fast, which makes the reader feel as frantic and agitated as Jess does during the story. It’s for sure a page turner and, due to it being so short, less than 300 pages, it can be read in one sitting. Overall, it’s a fun read to pass the time during vacation or a lazy afternoon, just don’t go into it with high expectations. As I’ve mentioned, I didn’t connect with any of the characters, so it’s safe to say that I won’t be picking up the sequel.

Marina Garrid

A Truman Show inspired novel that shows the horrors of growing up with your whole life exposed.

The Jess Show was a rollercoaster of nineties nostalgia that soon crashes into the shocking reality that is having your whole life broadcast for an audience.

This book couldn't be more timely, so many children are growing up on YouTube or reality tv where their whole lives and every embarrassing or private moment is exposed to help grow their parents brand and then preserved on the internet forever. They can't conawnt. And while this book took that to the extreme, it's not all that big of a leap.

This book was fantastic and honestly terrifying as it showed a not so distant future. I definitely be requesting the sequel!

4.25 stars

Thank you Quirk Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book all opinions are my own.

I found the writing a little uneven. The beginning dragged for me and then I was sort of interested in how everything worked exactly but I didn’t feel connected to the characters. Loved the idea though!

I’m not the target audience for this book. Mainly because unlike today’s teens I actually lived through the 90s and I don’t really want to relive the 90s. But I do think teens will enjoy the book.

This book consumed me in a cloud of nostalgia, packed with late 90's pop culture that made me almost miss it. And while I'm letting myself get swept away in a teen drama, suddenly everything shifts and we find ourselves in a sinister, sci-fi thriller with hidden mysteries... starting with a strange device with an apple logo that finds its way to Jess that leads to the whole world unravelling around her.

Written in a way that's fast-paced, with short chapters this was a super quick read. At parts I felt like the confusion and chaos didn't seem to serve a purpose or have any plot, but it was still intriguing and definitely fun to read.

Thank you Netgalley and Quirk Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review This Is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey.

When I tell you that this book was amazing, outstanding, spell-taking, and breathtaking all at once. I was enchanted and excited by the book, and as each chapter passed, I got more attracted to the world and the plot!
Honestly, this is the most imaginative book I have read and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to read it because it is everything and anything you could ever want in a book!

Jess Flynn is trying to survive high school in Swikley, 1998. Her home town, one that grew smaller everyday.
One day during a peaceful night in Swickley, Jess discovers a device with an apple logo. As more cracks appear in her world, she cannot help but feel curious. She faces two choices ; can she live the rest of her life knowing it’s a lie, or should she risk everything for the truth?

This is a YA mystery and thriller that will keep you hooked and keep the reader guessing all the way till the end.
Honestly this reminds me so much of WandaVision by marvel and I absolutely loved that because it's my favorite show!

As for the characters, at first I thought that Jess was boring, but as the cracks appeared, you could really see the vicious part of Jess, one who would fight for her life no matter what, and I came to love the character by the end!
As for her sister Sarah, I loved her as well. The sisterly connection was so fun and cute to read about and it was just so nice seeing how Jess took care of her sister!

Loved this book and it honestly exceeded my expectations!

this book had an interesting concept, but the execution just wasn’t for me. i got bored and could sense the ‘plot twist’ from the beginning. points for creativity to the author because it reminded me a lot of wandavision!

I really liked the concept of this book but it was too long to start and it didn't delve enough into the subject.

It’s 1998 and Jess is a junior in high school in the small town of Swickley, New York. Recently, though, some strange things have been happening. A mysterious flu has the hallways at school virtually empty (this isn’t a pandemic book, I promise), Jess has begun to notice a pattern of bad luck striking her family in the spring, and suddenly her family dog is acting… strange. And then Jess learns the truth about her day-to-day life.

This YA take on the premise set up in the Truman Show was a wild ride, and I couldn’t put it down. This was the best kind of Black Mirror-esque dystopia, and Carey had me invested both in Jess’ individual journey of unraveling truth from fiction, as well as the ecosystem of Stuck in the ‘90s. The pacing here is much faster than the Truman Show, with more action and less simmering dread.

I was in middle school in 1998, so this book was full of the best kind of nostalgia, from Sara’s collection of Lisa Frank Stickers, to Jess’ CD binder and mentions of celebrity crush-fodder.

This was super fun and fast-paced, and I’m now eager (for the second time in a single month) to violate my “standalones only” stance to pick up the second book in the series, This is Not the Real World, which comes out in May.

This one will likely appeal the most to teen readers, adults who were teens in the late 90s, and fans of Black Mirror, as this book blends contemporary YA and some mild sci-fi elements seamlessly.

This is Not the Jess Show is now out in paperback. Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for a digital copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I didn't know too much about this book going into it - I really just knew it was set in the 90s. The twist this took was so cool and I really enjoyed it. I think I've found a new favourite.. genre?

This Is Not The Jess Show is a really unique book. If you are a fan of dystopian fiction or the show Black Mirror, you will probably really enjoy this title! It kept my interest with its fast-paced plot, but the ending felt rushed. I also felt like some key characters were pretty flat. Overall, I had a handful of issues with this novel which is why I only rated it 3/5 stars.

So many people have been comparing this to a YA version of The Truman Show, and there were definitely some correlations. The premise of this story was intriguing but as far as plot development it kind of fell flat. It is a short and fast-paced read that will keep readers hooked, but overall I wish it had a bit more plot and character development. As a child of the 90s, I did love all of the 90s references.