Julie Buxbaum's teen debut may not officially hit shelves until April, but I get a chance to share it with you today!Jessie's mother has been dead for 733 days and counting and now her father has remarried and moved them both from Chicago to Los Angeles. They're living in the new wife's house, Jessie is attending a posh private school courtesy of that new wife, and even though she has a new stepbrother in the mix, she's never felt more alone and left out.
Until Somebody Nobody (SN) starts emailing her. He's been watching her - more like keeping an eye out for her - and wants to offer his anonymous friendship in this trying time. And even though Jessie is wary, it turns out he's exactly what she needs. But as their virtual relationship progresses, Jessie begins to wonder just who SN really is - is he her hot co worker, is he her English partner, is he someone she's never noticed before? Will she ever find out just who SN really is? And if she does, will their friendship survive?
Tell Me Three Things isn't Julie Buxbaum's debut novel but it is her first foray into teen fiction and it's fantastic! The story is as heartfelt as can be considering Buxbaum herself lost her own mother at the same age as Jessie. It's actually really sad to think that a story this wonderful has come from the author's own terrible loss, but if the finished book comes with Buxbaum's opening letter to the reader (which I hope it does) then I think everyone will agree she's accomplished what she set out to.
Tell Me Three Things isn't a "dead mom book." It's not depressing, even though there are plenty of touching and tearjerking moments. Instead, it's about a girl trying to fit in and find her way amidst a terrible loss, without the one person she might have relied on to help guide her.
This is a sweet read, one that you'll want to devour and then share with a friend!
Rating: 4/5
(Tell Me Three Things is due out from Delacorte in April.)
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