Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Reality isn't what it seems in this fast-paced thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
It's 1998 in THIS IS NOT THE JESS SHOW, or so thinks 17-year-old Jess Flynn. She knows that Titanic has just won the Oscar and that Bill Clinton is president. What she doesn't know is about to upend her world. Jess has spent her whole life in the small town of Swickley. She dreams of going to UCLA for college, but she's pretty certain that will have to be on hold, as her 14-year-old sister, Sara, may be dying. She and her mother are constantly battling, and she's just realized she's falling in love with Tyler, her best friend. It's Tyler who tells her what's really happening in Swickley. He's an actor and everyone in town, other than Jess, are cast members in a hit reality TV show called Stuck in the 1990s. She barely has time to process all this when Sara "dies" and leaves the show. But Sara's left Jess a trail of clues to help her escape from the well guarded set. And escape Jess does, along with Patrick, one of the teen actors. But the show's producers launch a desperate nationwide search to find them and bring them back to Swickley.
Is It Any Good?
This page-turning blend of mystery, pop culture, and teen romance takes a hard look at the high price that can be paid for the pursuit of fame and celebrity. Some readers may find This Is Not the Jess Show takes a bit too long moving beyond what seems to be a rather cliche coming of age story. But they'll soon find that this "cliche" is a necessary dramatic setup for the rollercoaster of a reality-bending storyline that follows.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how much the characters in This Is Not the Jess Show give up to be featured on the show. What do you think are the best things and the worst things about being a celebrity?
Would you ever want to be on a reality TV show? How real do you think they are?
Have you ever felt betrayed by someone close to you? Were you able to repair the relationship?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Quirk Books
- Publication date : February 2, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 18
- Number of pages : 304
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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