Good, not mind blowing. As the author says, more than just a dead mom book. Read this from 3:38am to 7:42am because I couldn't sleep. Just call me Ethan. See the full review and more at MyBookJoy.com!

Recommended: sure
For a quick cute read, for those who can suspend disbelief and pretend the world is a nice place, for a fairly predictable and straightforward story, for those who can tolerate a plot that sometimes makes you roll your eyes at the MCs ability to misinterpret obvious things

Thoughts:
The primary strength of this book was in the connections created between characters and the portrayal of grief from Jessie. She's thrown into a crazy situation when around a year after her mother's death, her father abruptly announces he's remarried a rich LA lady, and they're going to move out to California to live with her. Cue Jessie's entrance into a creme de la creme private school for the rich and glamorous, as well as a bizzaro world of her new "family" in a house that's more like a museum.

Jessie's grief stays with her through the story, as a constant point of reflection and pain and growth for her. The author in a note at the end states that this is very personal for her, as she lost her own mother at 14. Because of that painful personal experience, the portrayal in the story of grief -- Jessie's, her father's, and even her new stepmother & stepbrother's -- are consistent and painfully believable.

In tandem with the grief comes the connection with others despite it, and sometimes because of it. Jessie's relationships with SN, her father, and her friend back home are well developed (even though SN is technically some anonymous blocks of text). Her competing anger and love toward her father give poignant insight into the painful realities of their dynamics after losing Jessie's mother. The moment where Jessie discusses wishing it were her father and not her mother, then considers that her father might have had the same thought about her, is grim and heartbreaking for its honesty. I also deeply appreciated the conflict with her friend back home, and the way it was resolved for again feeling realistic and courageous on both character's parts.

Now, the weak point here was unfortunately in the crux of the novel: the question of Who Is SN? This was pretty obvious from about 30-35% of the way through the story. The primary theory of his identity that Jessie pursues about midway through is so clearly wrong and such a glaring plot hole that it really affected my opinion of her. Who knew she was so dense? /sigh. I feel like it's not even a spoiler if I pointed out the plot hole, because it should be clear to anyone who reads this, but I'll forgo it just in case. It just ruffles my feathers quite a lot. Ugh.

Additionally, Liam was a weak addition. Everything with him felt like a poorly developed crutch to the story, and in the end it barely even mattered anyway. I was glad when the book was ended because at that point I was just kind of tired of the way the main plot of SN was going. When the answer is too obvious to the reader when it's not supposed to be, it puts a damper on the ending. Overall, the answer is anticlimactic. ( )

Good teenage romance. Picked it up for $1.99 mostly because I liked the cover.

Story is about a girl in a new school, in a new city, struggling with the death of her Mom, her father's new wife, and normal teen angst. A mysterious email pen pal comes into her life and we follow along as he helps her cope with her new life.

It was a cute book and went by quickly. YA often doesn't work for me but I liked this one. ( )

I found this book to be a fun read but it did now wow me and the characters were not my favorite. I did like how this book focused alot on tackling grief and self exploration. I liked how the text messages conversations throughout so many different characters were a main element of this novel. I also liked how this book had so many side characters in this book that really populated the world. I liked how the book also handled harder topics in high school. I really adored her other book and this book was fun to read and I wish the book had a less open ending but It was a enjoyable read. ( )

I found this book to be a fun read but it did now wow me and the characters were not my favorite. I did like how this book focused alot on tackling grief and self exploration. I liked how the text messages conversations throughout so many different characters were a main element of this novel. I also liked how this book had so many side characters in this book that really populated the world. I liked how the book also handled harder topics in high school. I really adored her other book and this book was fun to read and I wish the book had a less open ending but It was a enjoyable read. ( )

Jessie is lost. Her mom died, she's been pulled from Chicago to L.A. because her dad married a woman he met online, and she's going to a ultra-exclusive prep-school where she does NOT fit in.

Enter SN.

She gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody Nobody (aka SN) and they claim to want to help Jessie get the lay of the land at Wood Valley. The two begin a back-and-forth chat that keeps going.

Jessie feels like SN really SEES her, and she can feel herself falling for him.... only problem is-- he knows who she is, and he's not ready to let her in on his identity.

My Thoughts:
I hate books like this. Hear me out-- what I mean is a book that I like but don't love. I want to LOVE all the books. But if I don't love it, I want to hate it. Because I will know why I hate it and I will know why I love it. But like?? I'm not so good at telling you why I thought it was "just okay".

Since this book is called Tell Me Three Things, I'm going to be cheesy and tell you three things I liked and didn't like.

3 Things I Liked:

1. I thought this was well plotted and flowed really well. At no time did I think I should put it down. I wouldn't say I was obsessed with reading it, but I did enjoy it when I was in it.

2. I found it cute. I need cute books in my life sometimes because I tend to read and seek out books that deal with TOUGH subjects. I like to feel the sad and deep feelings, but I can't do it all the time or I would turn into a puddle on the floor. So I need books like this that are more on the fluffy, fun side every now and again.

3. Dealing with parental death is a part of this book, but it doesn't take over the whole feel of the book. This isn't a "dead mother" book. At the same time, I really enjoyed Jessie's insights about her loss. It was the most realistic part of this book.


3 Things... Well, Not So Much:

1. So I feel like I've read a version of this book before and I feel like I liked that other version better. This felt like it almost followed a YA Contemporary Romance formula, and I wasn't a fan of that.

2. It. Was. So. Damn. Obvious. Who. SN. Was. Okay, maybe the author didn't want it to be a giant surprise, but I did!! I knew who it was and Jessie knew who it was (although she kept pretending like she didn't know), and I was hoping against hope that there would be a massive twist... but no.

3. Jessie spent a lot of this book trying to make me feel bad for her. And I did... sometimes. So, I totally hurt for her about her mom. And I felt bad for because her dad was being a prick. But that's it. Everything else in her terrible life wasn't that terrible at all.

Example(s): She starts a new school and feels really alone. Enter SN. Someone who tells her who to make friends with and anything else she wants to know about her new school. It sort of negates the whole "I'm on my own" argument she tries to put out there.

She is bullied. Everyone and their mother jumps in to stick up for her.

She feels ugly. Every dude in a five mile radius LOVES her. Boys break up with their girlfriends for her. No one ever rejects her. She does the rejecting. (And yes, she's another girl who is obviously very pretty, but pretends like she thinks she's fat and ugly).

Also (going over on my 3 things... sorry!!), what guy would do what SN does?? I think it was a little bit of wish fulfillment going on there. Teenage boys don't tend to go out of their way to "notice" when a girl is sad and lonely. And the special snowflake factor was STRONG here. All the other girls were described as Mean Girl Barbie just so that Jessie could look that much extra-special cool. I didn't think she was that extra-special. She was just a girl.

And FYI to the author-- A Pharmacist and a College Professor does not = POOR... even regular middle class. In any way whatsoever. They both make 6 figures!!

I did like the book, but it's just not my favorite book done like this. I do very much LOVE the cover. I dig the simplistic cover designs.

OVERALL: A YA Contemp Romance that I feel like I've read before... and I liked the other version better. It was good if you could let yourself just have fun with it, but I'm not the laid back type, so it wasn't a favorite for me. It's completely readable-- good writing, very flowy. I wouldn't recommend against it, but I wouldn't say it's a must either.

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