Joelle Egan
This is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey will probably become quickly popular with its intended young adult audience. It includes some romance and teen angst while addressing current Youtube/Tok Tok culture, throwing in a touch of reality television as well. The combination of these hot buttons might have wide-spread appeal, but its premise and execution here are not terribly original. Reminiscent of the “Truman Show” and some episodes of “Black Mirror,”, the plot of Carey’s book is already well-worn by better versions. Jess is a teen who is a protype child of the 1990’s and references to that era abound in the novel. She has her core group of friends, one of whom is a boy who she is beginning to have deeper feelings toward. Her life is relatively easy and uncomplicated, except for some typical conflict with her parents and a younger sister whose terminal illness envelops the family’s every moment. Things take a strange turn, however, when Jess starts noticing some weird coincidences and unexplainable happenings popping up around her. When she questions others about what she is experiencing, everyone seems to be covering up a secret of some sort. She soon discovers that everything that she remembers growing up in the town of Swickley is not as she has been led to believe. The story has some thrilling moments and interesting twists, but there are some major non-sequiturs and inconsistencies that will hopefully be corrected prior to the books’ final publication. Light and topically relevant, This is Not the Jess Show is far from great literature, but will still undoubtedly draw in those young readers who avidly follow the current digital zeitgeist. Thanks to the author, Quirk Books and Library Thing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
