Online versus Reality

The theme of online interactions versus those that take place in reality is a nearly ubiquitous theme in the novel, drawing attention to the ways in which characters interact similarly and differently in each. Being that the novel is largely realistic in its portrayal of teenage life, the same attention can therefore be paid to the way in which the reader uses the same technology. Emails, texts, and online messages comprise a large part of the dialogue in the novel, and the stylistic choice to delineate them in a different format reflects the separation of online and real interactions.

Jessie and SN's relationship is the primary example of the theme in the book, during which Jessie frequently notes the different ways she interacts online and in person. For example, Jessie replies with a suggestive "That's what she said" to one of SN's first emails...