Tell Me Three Things

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Jessie begins to rely more and more on SN, and as time goes by adjusting to her new school gets easier.

Tell Me Three Things is one of the most relatable YA contemporaries I’ve read this year. The story line is simple, the plot not so eventful and yet it’s everything. It’s so easy to connect with Jessie, a teenage girl who just like any other girl is simply trying to figure out who she is. It isn’t easy being a teenager as it is but having to lose her mom at such a tender age and having to adjust to a new life that is very different from what she’s known- new home, new stepmom and step brother, I doubt I’d handle things any better than she did in the story. I don't understand Scarlet. (And she has Korean blood! I mean, really?! Enough with the K-pop thing, please!) She and Jessie texted in a good vibe but when Jessie came to visit her, suddenly it was like she didn't want Jessie there. What is wrong with these people? And when Scarlet said Jessie only whined about her life while they were texting, that wasn't true. Jessie did asked about her life too, like how's she doing with Adam and all that. Yes, I'm on Jessie's side here. And what happened to Jessie at her visit did make me sad (And I think this is the best part of the story) How could two besties be like that? And they only two months separated, not years. So, come on! Grow up! All of the humour relies heavily on melodrama and stereotypes, which is something that's never really appealed to me. I like more subtlety, and humour based on truth - because, if you ask me, there ain't anything funnier than reality. Tell Me Three Things was too heavy-handed to make me laugh.I LOVE how real all of Buxbaum's characters seemed to me! Wood Valley High is very different from my high school, yet the high school experience is (for the most part) is at least similarly and generally understood by most. This high school is filled with rich snobs, with perfect hair, model good looks, weird organic food... I've never been to L.A., but I can stretch my imagination and believe it. A heartfelt, wryly perceptive account of coming to terms with irrevocable loss when life itself means inevitable change.” — Kirkus Perfect days are for people with small, realizable dreams. or maybe for all of us, they just happen in retrospect; they're only now perfect because they contain something irrevocably and irretrievably lost." A week later, in English class, a boy named Ethan asks Jessie to be his partner for their project on The Waste Land—but then informs her that he’s going to do the project alone and put her name on it. Dejected, Jessie texts her best friend from Chicago, Scarlett. Scarlett encourages Jessie to reach out to SN. SN is happy to help and tells Jessie to befriend Dri Sanchez. He also confirms that everyone is rich. Angry, Jessie decides that she can’t let Ethan do their Waste Land project alone.

This is a very well done YA that goes on my favorites of the year list. All the characters were developed, the pacing perfect, and the ending is smile-inducing. He just nods again, like I’ve said yes. Like he asked and I answered a question. Right. Maybe not so nice after all. “But—” But what? I was looking forward to being your partner? I like your serial killer eyes? I will continue to power through it—all the stagnant, soul-crushing grief—but it will never be okay that my mom is not here. That she will not be at my high school graduation; that she will never give me the lecture, and I won't be able to play along and pretend to be embarrassed and say, Come on, Mom; that she will not be there when I open my college acceptance letters (or rejections); that she will never see who I grow up to be—that great mystery of who I am and who I am meant to be—finally asked and answered. I will march forth into the great unknown alone." And the constant L.A. stereotypes were more annoying than funny. Maybe I don't have a right to be annoyed by this just because I've lived out here for a while, but some of them are just so blatantly untrue that it feels like the author knows nothing about the city. Everyone is definitely not skinny. Girls do not always wear skimpy dresses (in fact, L.A. is super casual compared to the U.K. and most people wear jeans and baggy tees). No, people do not always watch movies instead of reading. Girls are definitely not all blonde (high Hispanic and Asian population, actually). No, the grass is not always bright green just because it's always summer (sun + drought = not a good recipe for green grass). A perfect Valentine’s Day read; that’s what Tell Me Three Things is. It’s filled with relatable characters, a realistic main character, and funny banter. And although much doesn’t happen (in terms of action, drama, and all that jazz) and I found everything predictable, others might enjoy this book more than I did — especially if they don’t figure out who Somebody Nobody is around chapter two.But, that’s where TM3T differs- it’s clear from the beginning. The guy states he doesn’t want to be known and that he knows who she is and he just wants to help. They build a friendship, they grow closer, and they begin to fall in love….all the while she’s guessing/wishing/hoping about who it could be. See? All these books are so different…but the same. They all make me feel good and I truly think, for me, that’s what makes me feel so alive. Theo. Jessie's stepbrother is such an asshole in the beginning, but he actually turns out to be incredibly honest, funny, and supportive. He is one of my favorite aspects about this book.