This Is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey

 

Le sigh. The Truman Show is one of my favorite movies, so obviously when I heard that THIS IS NOT THE JESS SHOW was being compared to it, I was all over that like white on rice. And at first, I was really intrigued. Jess is your stereotypical 90s girl and the book is awash in 90s nostalgia, which I was super into. But then one day her friend drops a mysterious glowing device with an Apple logo on it. What could it be?! Suddenly, things start happening that have Jess questioning her reality, which is on the verge of shattering.

I liked the beginning of this book but the second half was such a slog. I felt like the author had an interesting idea about how people fetishize the past, and the book was kind of like Truman Show meets Pleasantville. But it was like all her inspo stopped at the concept and she wasn't quite sure how to have her story pan out.

Quirk Books usually delivers on the fun, but this was a bit of a disappointment. It's not a bad book but if you've seen The Truman Show already, there's no real surprises and it just kind of feels like an urban 90s version of what Truman was doing with 60s middle America. I'm not a fan and probably won't be continuing.

2 to 2.5 out of 5 stars