Scan barcode
kdscolley's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
This was a great YA story of a girl just trying to find her footing after losing her mom and her dad literally lying to her and upending their entire life. She's gone from one state to another and is trying so hard to find her place in a new school with a dad that sort of forgets she exists and it broke my heart. Someone Noone sending her an anonymous email trying to help her really just gives her an anchor as she starts to figure out who she is in this new life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Bullying
twonky's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol
bigolscrewup's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75/5⭐
I don't know why, I just don't seem to enjoy YA books the way I loved few years back. Tell me three things is a poignant story of Jessie, a 16 year old girl who moves from Chicago to California after her dad marries a woman, (two years after Jessie's mom passed away) and how she makes connections in the new place. My friend recommended me this book.
1) Right off the bat, I loved the author's exploration of grief, this idea of "before" and "after", like an event that separates a person's life in two halves. It was one of the three things I absolutely loved about this book.
2) Even though it was infuriating at times to read this book, because it's not really a mystery who's SN in real life, I just loved reading the texts between SN and Jessie. I don't want to give anything away, but the author really should have handled it better. At times, it felt like Jessie was bright in everything except when it comes to figuring out SN's identity. I really don't like when authors do that, it's somewhat lazy I feel. Also, at various points in the book, a character would behave completely different to how they have been from the start of the story.
3) I felt like the author was prejudiced against blondes and girls who live in California in this book ( even though the author herself lives in LA ) It was blatant stereotyping at some places. Honestly, if it weren't for Dri, Agnes and Scarlett and their friendship with Jessie, I wouldn't have completed this book, since it bordered on hate at some places. I get that some characters are just mean, but it's not like every person who has the same body features as those mean characters are similar.
I don't know why, I just don't seem to enjoy YA books the way I loved few years back. Tell me three things is a poignant story of Jessie, a 16 year old girl who moves from Chicago to California after her dad marries a woman, (two years after Jessie's mom passed away) and how she makes connections in the new place. My friend recommended me this book.
1) Right off the bat, I loved the author's exploration of grief, this idea of "before" and "after", like an event that separates a person's life in two halves. It was one of the three things I absolutely loved about this book.
2) Even though it was infuriating at times to read this book, because it's not really a mystery who's SN in real life, I just loved reading the texts between SN and Jessie. I don't want to give anything away, but the author really should have handled it better. At times, it felt like Jessie was bright in everything except when it comes to figuring out SN's identity. I really don't like when authors do that, it's somewhat lazy I feel. Also, at various points in the book, a character would behave completely different to how they have been from the start of the story.
3) I felt like the author was prejudiced against blondes and girls who live in California in this book ( even though the author herself lives in LA ) It was blatant stereotyping at some places. Honestly, if it weren't for Dri, Agnes and Scarlett and their friendship with Jessie, I wouldn't have completed this book, since it bordered on hate at some places. I get that some characters are just mean, but it's not like every person who has the same body features as those mean characters are similar.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, and Death of parent
katievallin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I did like this, but the characters and plot felt very cliche overall, like I was watching a movie. Also I didn't like the almost constant sexual undertone. Seriously, that band name? What in the world? The ending of the book was very sweet though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
readwithdrb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a cute YA! It explored themes of grief/loss of a parent or sibling, bullying, friendships, finding yourself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, and Death of parent
cschaepe84's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I liked this story. It was cute with an emotional layer to it that wasn't too heavy handed. I could sympathize with Jessie. Her mom had passed away two years ago, her rock in a family that was previously three, and one day, out of nowhere, her father up and packs her away from everything she knows to go to the wild jungles that it Los Angeles and a Los Angeles private school for her last two years of high school. Away from her best friend since she was a kid, Scarlett, and away from the only home she's ever known, swapping them for a mansion which is more like a museum where she cannot touch anything than an actual home, and a step-brother who wants nothing to do with her. Friendless, it becomes clear that she will also become an utter social failure in her new school when she keeps having one embarrassing moment after another.
But then, one day, she gets an anonymous e-mail (of which I'm still wondering how this one person got her e-mail address. I'm thinking maybe it was listed on a roster, but that's me using my imagination) from someone who claims to be a sixteen-year-old boy who only wishes to help her navigate around the school. His advice actually helps, and it doesn't take long for the two of them to forge a virtual friendship where they soon come up with a game "Tell me three things" to get to know each other better. Can something more ever grow between them, away from the virtual world, and into reality?
Again, cute story, but some things didn't resonate with me, the biggest problem being the supporting characters. Theirs not really any depth to any of them, and any defining characteristic is more like a caricature cardboard cut-out than an actual person you can feel sympathy with. There was some opportunities where Jessie's relationship with her step-brother Theo could have grown deeper and you could feel more sympathy toward Theo. But no, that never happens, and even when Theo makes some effort to be nice to Jessie it's just kinda shallow and half-hearted, and I never warm up to him. Which is sad because he could have turned out to be a great character. Like Jessie, he lost his parent, he's experienced bullying from Gem years ago. But no...
Speaking of Gem, she is so awful and mean there's almost nothing else to her personality. Besides being as beautiful as she is mean, she too feels more like a prop than a real person. She's never really fleshed out for me.
I liked Ethan too, and it was pretty obvious he was SN (even without having read spoilers beforehand, I would've figured out it was him) but that wouldn't have been a problem. My problem with him is that he too never fully fleshed out for me either. We don't know him too well other than the fact that he's mysterious, he's in a band, he's hot, and he reads poetry and books in general for fun. But I never got the sense of chemistry between him and Jessie, never feel an emotional spark with them that has me cheering on Jessie that he's SN.
The one supporting character that I really liked and I thought her struggle without Jessie was done pretty well was her best friend Scarlett. I loved how we got to explore how Jessie's sudden departure doesn't only affect her. Scarlett was the one who was left behind. It was a good moment between the two of them when Scarlett called out Jessie for only thinking about herself, which was a good opportunity for Jessie and Scarlett to strengthen their friendship, and for Jessie to really look inward and really think about how she needs to move forward, not backward, into this new life in Los Angeles, not living in the past. I thought this part was portrayed very well, and I'm pretty sure this has something to do with the author losing her own mother at a young age, and it really brought Jessie's pain to life that I could feel too.
I can also appreciate the ending where you have a moment when Jessie really doesn't know which boy, Ethan, Caleb, or Liam could be SN, which was something of a side mystery along in the story. It was a good attempt, though I didn't really feel any tension, mostly because none of the guys really had much of a connection with Jessie.
Still, overall good story that delves into grief, and what it means to move on and give new experience (and people as is the case not only for Jessie, but Ethan too, which I also wish was explored a little more too) a chance.
But then, one day, she gets an anonymous e-mail (of which I'm still wondering how this one person got her e-mail address. I'm thinking maybe it was listed on a roster, but that's me using my imagination) from someone who claims to be a sixteen-year-old boy who only wishes to help her navigate around the school. His advice actually helps, and it doesn't take long for the two of them to forge a virtual friendship where they soon come up with a game "Tell me three things" to get to know each other better. Can something more ever grow between them, away from the virtual world, and into reality?
Again, cute story, but some things didn't resonate with me, the biggest problem being the supporting characters. Theirs not really any depth to any of them, and any defining characteristic is more like a caricature cardboard cut-out than an actual person you can feel sympathy with. There was some opportunities where Jessie's relationship with her step-brother Theo could have grown deeper and you could feel more sympathy toward Theo. But no, that never happens, and even when Theo makes some effort to be nice to Jessie it's just kinda shallow and half-hearted, and I never warm up to him. Which is sad because he could have turned out to be a great character. Like Jessie, he lost his parent, he's experienced bullying from Gem years ago. But no...
Speaking of Gem, she is so awful and mean there's almost nothing else to her personality. Besides being as beautiful as she is mean, she too feels more like a prop than a real person. She's never really fleshed out for me.
I liked Ethan too, and it was pretty obvious he was SN (even without having read spoilers beforehand, I would've figured out it was him) but that wouldn't have been a problem. My problem with him is that he too never fully fleshed out for me either. We don't know him too well other than the fact that he's mysterious, he's in a band, he's hot, and he reads poetry and books in general for fun. But I never got the sense of chemistry between him and Jessie, never feel an emotional spark with them that has me cheering on Jessie that he's SN.
The one supporting character that I really liked and I thought her struggle without Jessie was done pretty well was her best friend Scarlett. I loved how we got to explore how Jessie's sudden departure doesn't only affect her. Scarlett was the one who was left behind. It was a good moment between the two of them when Scarlett called out Jessie for only thinking about herself, which was a good opportunity for Jessie and Scarlett to strengthen their friendship, and for Jessie to really look inward and really think about how she needs to move forward, not backward, into this new life in Los Angeles, not living in the past. I thought this part was portrayed very well, and I'm pretty sure this has something to do with the author losing her own mother at a young age, and it really brought Jessie's pain to life that I could feel too.
I can also appreciate the ending where you have a moment when Jessie really doesn't know which boy, Ethan, Caleb, or Liam could be SN, which was something of a side mystery along in the story. It was a good attempt, though I didn't really feel any tension, mostly because none of the guys really had much of a connection with Jessie.
Still, overall good story that delves into grief, and what it means to move on and give new experience (and people as is the case not only for Jessie, but Ethan too, which I also wish was explored a little more too) a chance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, and Drug use
chris_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Drug use, and Sexual content
sequoiareads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse
mariposa517's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Vomit, and Medical content
kassidyreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer and Drug abuse
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content