TELL ME THREE THINGS by Julie Bauxbaum

 

 

by TPS reader hallyc20

Julie Buxbaum’s debut Young Adult Fiction novel, Tell Me Three Things, is a book full of romance, suspense, and relatable situations that readers can connect with and reflect on. The novel begins with the protagonist, Jessie, a high school junior who feels like the odds are stacked up against her.

We meet Jessie in medias res as she is adjusting to her new life in a fancy prep school in Los Angeles. Originally from Chicago, her mother passed away not even two years ago. Her father met a woman online and blindsides Jessie with the news of his elopement. Then, he moves Jessie and himself across the country to LA where Jessie must adjust to life with a new stepmother and her pretentious son. As if the pain of losing her mother wasn’t enough, now she has lost her previous life as she knows it.

Jessie receives an anonymous email from someone who calls themselves SN (Somebody/Nobody) and the suspense of the novel begins to build. This mystery person approaches her offering advice for how to adjust to her new life and her new, fancy high school. Obviously, this cautions her at first, but Jessie is desperate for a friend and soon begins to open up to this online personality. Will Jessie meet this Somebody/Nobody? Will she figure out their identity? Are they there to help her, or hurt her? These are the types of questions that will spin in the reader’s mind as they read the chapters of this book.

This book is relatable for the young adult audience for many reasons. The protagonist is a high schooler who is starting new in the middle of their high school years, one of the worst fears of any adolescent! Popularity isn’t everything, but the fear of being an outcast is something that many readers can relate to.

The novel doesn’t protect the reader, it goes there. Jessie’s mother is deceased, another great fear that any reader can connect to. Some readers may even be able to relate to it because of their own personal experience. Jessie overcomes the loss of a parent throughout the course of the novel. Her character is dynamic and the end result will leave the reader feeling inspired by her experiences and reactions. Lastly, online safety is something that is very relevant in current times. Many parents and teachers warn young adults not to trust anyone they don’t know online. Jessie is having trouble trusting the real people she faces on a daily basis, and this conflict is one of the central themes of the novel.

Tell Me Three Things is a young adult novel that speaks to the teenage audience it is intended for. This book will have the reader ravenously turning the pages to find out what will happen next. Julie Buxbaum’s debut young adult novel will certainly not be her last!