Is this another book picked up because it’s been on my saved shelf at the library for ages and I’m currently waiting on a bunch of holds that look like they are about to come in? Yes. Did any of the holds come in before I finished? Absolutely not.
The book follows Jess, a young woman living in the 90s and having what seems like a very typical life until one day something strange happens. One of her best friends drops a strange device that she’s never seen before and she starts to realize that her little town is not what it appears. She learns that she is the star of a reality show and has been since the day she was born, a secret kept from her all her life. Nothing in her world is real and Jess finds herself desperate to get to a reality she has never known.
Is this like a modern Truman show? Absolutely yes. I don’t think this shies away from the comparison at all, and I really did enjoy the execution of this. Jess feels very normal in contrast to the people slowly revealing themselves to be actors around her and it was interesting to see that there was an end date in place for Jess to learn the truth and leave potentially as a factor in this.
There are parts that feel less grounded than others. For the sake of the plot, she accepts what’s happening around her a lot easier than I would expect and is fully capable of getting around what are apparently trained military at one point in the book.
Even with all of this, it is a pretty fun read. I enjoyed it and the pace is pretty quick, so none of the strangeness overstays its welcome. And, well, I’m a 90s kid. I liked the references. You might enjoy it too!