Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

This was a really fun read! It is a lovely teen romance.  

Jessie’s mother died a year or so ago. Her father recently went off the deep end and remarried a wealthy movie executive in California. Jessie is uprooted from her familiar Chicago life to try to make a happy family with her father’s new wife and step-son. Her new life includes Wood Valley private school, filled with amazingly wealthy and beautiful people. Jessie feels hopelessly Chicago-an. The popular queen bees take delight in bullying her, most people act like she doesn’t exist, and no one seems even vaguely normal. But then she gets an email from somebody/nobody. He offers to be her guide to Wood Valley High and help her navigate the hazardous landscape of this new school. Is it Liam, the handsome lead singer? Or Caleb who spent his summer hiking Kilamanjaro? Is it her new step-brother who pretends she doesn’t exist, but is surprisingly nice at times? Or is it someone else entirely? Through this anonymous relationship, Jessie gains confidence, friends (“Dri is cool. Befriend her.”), and intrigue that get her through the bumpy first few months of her new life. And the ending, when she finally finds out who Somebody/Nobody is, is delightful and happy making.

So typical teen romance in many ways, but I cared about the characters. They felt realistic-ish. And the anonymity of the email format for Somebody/Nobody is sort of fun. Like a persistant secret admirer--Jessie can tell him things that she might feel awkward telling other people. And how fun to go around thinking I wonder if it is HIM? Or him? Someone nice and interesting likes me! That would have been pretty fun for my teenaged self. 

If you like YA romances without a ton of angst, you will like this!