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A review by cschaepe84
Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
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