Tell Me Three Things Characters

Jessie Holmes is the novel’s 16-year-old protagonist. Two years ago, Jessie’s mom died and about a month before the novel begins, Jessie’s dad remarried and moved Jessie from Chicago to Los Angeles. Jessie initially hates… read analysis of Jessie Holmes

Ethan is a boy in Jessie’s grade and her love interest. He’s tall with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, and he wears the same Batman T-shirt every day (hence Jessie referring to him… read analysis of Ethan/Somebody Nobody/The Batman

Gem, Liam’s girlfriend, is a blonde and conventionally beautiful queen bee at Wood Valley who immediately takes to bullying Jessie. She wears tiny dresses that show off her perfect body and breasts that… read analysis of Gem

Jessie’s dad is a pharmacist. Though he was always there for Jessie when Jessie was little and Mom was still alive, Jessie watched him shrink as though he also had cancer while Mom was… read analysis of Jessie’s Dad

Theo is Jessie’s stepbrother and Rachel’s son. He’s about the same age as Jessie, though the two never figure out which of them is older. Theo is openly, proudly, and flamboyantly gay. Though… read analysis of Theo

Scarlett is Jessie’s half-Jewish, half-Korean best friend. Scarlett is a tiny spitfire who works hard to make herself “undeniable” to others. She’s an exceptional cheerleader for Jessie and has been since Jessie’s mom died—she… read analysis of Scarlett

Rachel is Dad’s new wife, Theo’s mom, and Jessie’s stepmom. She’s a tiny woman, but in Jessie’s estimation, she makes up for her diminutive size with her exceptionally loud voice. She and… read analysis of Rachel/Dad’s New Wife

Jessie’s mom died about two years before the novel begins of ovarian cancer. She was a bright, happy woman who loved poetry. She worked part-time and with the rest of her time, she kept… read analysis of Jessie’s Mom

Caleb is one of Jessie’s classmates whom Jessie initially assumes is SN. He’s very attractive in what Jessie considers a very stereotypical, Ken-doll kind of way, and his daily uniform is a gray T-shirt… read analysis of Caleb

Dri is Jessie’s first in-person friend at Wood Valley High School. Dri looks like the kind of person Jessie would be friends with—she wears big glasses and puts her hair up in a messy… read analysis of Adrianna Sanchez/Dri

Agnes is Dri’s best friend; she’s a tiny girl with a dyed red bob and plastic-framed glasses. Jessie thinks she’s not beautiful, but she’s cute. It takes Jessie a while to warm up to… read analysis of Agnes

Mrs. Pollack is Jessie’s English teacher. Mrs. Pollack is in her 20s, dresses in hip clothing, and is pretty, so the student body unanimously decides to be nice to her. Jessie finds her kinder… read analysis of Mrs. Pollack

Adam is Jessie’s neighbor in Chicago and her first kissing partner. Their kiss was awful because Adam was a horrible kisser when they kissed in ninth grade, so Jessie writes him off as a… read analysis of Adam Kravitz

Xander was Ethan’s older brother; he died of a heroin overdose about a year before the novel begins. He was the lead singer for the locally famous high school rock band Orgasmville. Liam took… read analysis of Xander

Theo’s dad died sometime before the novel begins. Theo doesn’t talk about him much, but he does share with Jessie that his dad ran 12 miles per day and still died of lung cancer… read analysis of Theo’s Dad

Liam’s mom is the owner of the Book Out Below! bookstore, where Jessie gets a job. Jessie can never remember her first name, so she usually refers to her just as Liam’s mom. Unlike… read analysis of Liam’s Mom

Gloria is Rachel’s “house manager.” She’s Mexican, like the rest of the household staff, but according to Rachel is “like family.” Though Jessie takes issue with this, Gloria does seem to genuinely care for… read analysis of Gloria

Crystal is Gem’s sidekick in tormenting Jessie. She’s a mean, conventionally beautiful blonde girl who seems perfect in every way. Given that Crystal is so mean, Jessie makes no effort to learn anything… read analysis of Crystal