Slap on your slap bracelets, get out that Britney CD, and pull on a skort - it’s the late 90s, everyone!

Or at least, that’s what Jess in This is Not the Jess Show knows. A simpler time before cell phones and social media. When tragedies happen every May and her friends disappear outside of school hours. Just your typical teen experience.

What Jess doesn’t know is her life is curated and live-streamed. Guess they hid The Truman Show from her when it premiered in theaters. This fact is not hidden from readers, making our voyeuristic look into her life all the more real. You’re invested like a soap opera, because it is. Questions of exploitation abound.

I loved this book for not only helping me relive my teen years but because it held my attention all the way through. The not too distant future juxtaposed to the not too distant past is a fascinating ride of questioning reality, especially as we experience Jess experiencing both worlds simultaneously.

Where facts are questionable and you never know who to trust, This is Not the Jess Show is the perfect pick for those of us missing the questions Black Mirror poses. Going into it, I didn’t realize it’s part of a series. Fans will be pleased with this book but also be ready for what comes next. I can’t wait to see how they clean up this mess!