Genre: 

Young Adult, visit Contemporary

Pages: 

336 pages

Part of a Series?:

Standalone

Release Date: 

April 5th, order 2016

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Book Depository

iBooks

Author Website

GoodReads Summary: 

 

Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. 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?

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.

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?

My Review:

 

1. I SUPER LOVED THIS NOVEL
2. Any novel that takes place in California in some way is always a win in my book (I am so biased)
3. I can’t wait for Julie Buxbaum to write another novel.

I started this book while lounging around in the pool. I was house sitting for a friend and was totally taking advantage of the fact that she had an epic pool. I was about to participate in BFest, the first ever nationwide Barnes and Noble teen book fest, and Julie would be on my panel that day. I literally started the book when I got into the pool and nearly finished it by the time I got out. From opening line to the closing sentence, I was hooked, hooked by her writing, her stories and all of her incredible characters. As someone who grew up in California, and went through some hellish years in high school, this felt like reading my own high school diary. I knew so much of what Jessie was going through and I loved every bit of her story.

What I think makes Julie’s book so freakin’ good is the fact that it feels so incredibly real and genuine. She captures that teen voice so well, while also making Jessie feel different and unique at the same time, which is a hard thing to do, both in writing and in life, especially when you’re in high school and trying to fit in. Jessie is someone that you both completely relate to and also wish was your best friend. She is dealing with so much in this book; the death of her mother, the remarriage of her father, a new stepmom and stepbrother, a new school, a mysterious friend, and she just charges forward, even when she wavers, she’s still strong as hell and its what makes me root for her so hard.

I also love that you’re not quite sure where the book is going to go. I know that I kept jumping back and forth on who I hoped Somebody Nobody was! She has you guessing again and again, and it sent my head spinning and made me turn the pages faster because I was just dying to find out who exactly it was. And when I did? I was so happy with the results. Julie wrote a serious page turner, that’s funny and sad, and addicting all at the same time and I FLEW through this book and I really urge all of you to go pick up a copy because I think this book just might be one of my favorites of the year!

Rating: 

5 out of 5 stars