This Is Not the Jess Show

Product Description

“A fantastically smart, funny, and thoughtful thriller.”—Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star

The year is 1998:
Titanic just won six Oscars, boy bands are dominating MTV’s airwaves, and like any other teenager Jess Flynn is just trying to survive high school. Between a crush on her childhood best friend, overprotective parents, and her sister’s worsening health, the only constant is her hometown of Swickley, which feels smaller by the day. Jess is resigned to her small-town life, until the day she discovers a mysterious device with an apple logo, causing her to question everything and everyone she’s ever known. As more cracks appear in Jess’s world, she faces a choice: can she live the rest of her life knowing it’s a lie, or should she risk everything for the truth?
 
A fast-paced, mind-bending YA thriller packed with ‘90s pop culture references and perfect for fans of
Black Mirror,
This Is Not the Jess Show will keep readers guessing until the very end.

And don’t miss the explosive and thrilling conclusion,
This Is Not the Real World!

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-Carey’s latest is an entertaining thrill ride set in the 1990s that will keep readers guessing even after the twist is revealed. Jess Flynn has a lot on her mind. A high school junior with a newfound crush on her best guy friend, Jess is also dealing with her sister Sara’s illness, which seems to be worsening by the day. And then there are the odd things that keep happening around town: Half the population is out sick with a mysterious flu, her two best friends keep pushing her away from her crush and toward another boy, and only Jess seems to hear a mysterious chanting. When Sara is hospitalized, Jess begins to see the cracks in her world more clearly, and once she realizes the truth nothing will ever be the same. Jess is a relatable protagonist whom readers will root for as she forges through Carey’s upside-down world and topsy-turvy plot. As the narrative careens past the twist, Carey’s scrutiny of modern-day life resonates. Friendships, romantic relationships, and familial bonds are all examined via new perspectives as Carey’s thriller not only entertains, it makes one think. Race and skin color aren’t explicitly stated, though one of Jess’s friends “look[s] like Dionne from Clueless.” VERDICT A fun and thoughtful thriller; this YA novel will please fans of E. Lockhart and Kiera Cass.-Elissa Bongiorno, Washington, DCα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

Named one of Brightly’s Best YA Books Being Published in 2021

“It’s a dark and distorted mirror of our own extremely strange times, perfect reading for anyone who wants to feel seen without necessarily needing to be looked at.”—
Shondaland

“I read this in a single, compulsive sitting. A fantastically smart, funny, and thoughtful thriller about how our devices manipulate and exploit our closest relationships.”—Nicola Yoon, #1 
New York Times bestselling author of 
Everything, Everything and 
The Sun Is Also a Star 

“At once thought-provoking and hilarious, 
This Is Not the Jess Show is a timely, incisive book so masterfully-plotted you won’t want to put it down.”—Tahereh Mafi, 
New York Times Bestselling author of the Shatter Me series and 
A Very Large Expanse of Sea 
“Nostalgic, romantic, thrilling, and with an exciting twist, I devoured 
This Is Not The Jess Show and didn’t want it to end!”—Sara Shepard, #1 
New York Times bestselling author of
 Pretty Little Liars and 
The Lying Game  

“A thrilling and thought-provoking ride.”—
Kirkus Reviews
 
“
This is Not the Jess Show goes deep in exploring how people live their lives and create their own realities—sometimes at a cost.”—
Foreword Reviews
“The fast-paced, intricate plot ramps up Jess’s paranoia and frustration, both of which are vividly expressed through her fir