Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication Date: February 2021
Like many teens, sometimes it feels as though everything in Jess Flynn's life has been engineered for maximum drama--from her performance at the school talent show, to the reappearance of her childhood best friend and perennial crush Jeremy, to her friends trying to set her up with one of the hottest guys in school. It's almost as if everything might finally be going her way...until one day a tiny black phone with an apple logo on its screen falls out of her best friend's backpack and lands at Jess's feet.
The problem is, it's 1998, and the first iPhone isn't due out for another nine years.
Jess's friends refuse to acknowledge the strange device. Her sister Sara, on hospice care with a terminal blood disease, for once can't tell Jess what she should do. It's almost as if everyone is hiding something from her. Even her beloved dog Fuller seems different...like, literally different, because he definitely didn't have that same pattern of spots on his stomach last week...
Nothing in Jess Flynn's world is as it seems, and as the cracks begin to show, Jess will discover her entire life is nothing more than someone else's entertainment. Except in this reality, the outside world is no place anyone would want to escape to.
This s Not the Jess Show involves Jess who lives in 1998. It follows her life as she navigates high school, crushes and a dying sister. Everything is normal, until things begin to not make sense to Jess. She begins to hear things outside that don't sound bizarre. Her dog isn't the same dog she has grown to love. And all of her friends and family ignore what she see.
This book is kind of a YA take on The Truman Show If you have seen that movie, then you know where this story is going. This ended up being just an OK read for me. I was intrigued in the beginning and liked the reveal as to what was going on. But I didn't really like much else. I didn't care for any of the characters, that includes Jess.
I really didn't like how many 90s references were included. I get it's "set" in 1998, but it was over the top. Also, I have to question who this was written for. Teens in 2020s who will read this may not get the 90s references. I know my kids who are teens wouldn't. My last issue with the book was the ending. Just when it was going somewhere, it ends with no warning, no closure. I know that there is a second book, but I'm not sure I'll pick it up. I don't really recommend this one.
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