Review – Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-0553535648
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Gift
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week as a junior at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.
Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?
In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?”
This was a cute and quick YA contemporary romance read. It was cleverly put together, if a bit predictable. I ended up enjoying it. It was hard to put down and addicting.
Jessie has had a really rough time, her mother is dead and her father moved them from Chicago to LA. She just doesn’t fit in and things are completely awful; that is until she gets an email from SN who helps her navigate the terrain of her new school. He gives her advice on who would make good friends and who to avoid.
Meanwhile in school Jessie is paired with a moody boy named Ethan for an English project. She really likes him but can’t figure him out. To make matters even weirder one of Ethan’s friends from the band they are in decides that Jessie is a “breath of fresh air” and wants to ask her out. Jessie is trying to solve the mystery of who SN is and match SN to one of these boys at her school.
I thought the mystery was pretty predictable. However, this was still a quick and fun read. I liked the “tell me three things” where Jessie and SN got to know each other by telling each other three true things about themselves.
Overall this is a cute and fast-paced contemporary fiction set in a high school setting. The main driver behind the story is the mystery around who SN is. The story was a bit predictable, but it is well written and a quick, fun read.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– YA Reading Challenge
