68 Comments
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Alicia's avatar

em-dash girlies unite 💖 I can’t wait to read all of the shameless flirting!

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

they are a lifestyle, honestly

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Nicole Waite's avatar

The greatest joy to finally get to see you irl and give hugs!! My mom commented more than once about how happy I was that night 🥹

Also, the SLL audiobook is amazing AND I just saw Patti Murin in Frozen at The Muny in St. Louis last night, so your newsletter timing feels like fate 💖

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

it was such a long time coming! i loved getting to see you and your mom 🥹

and oh man, Patti is such a legend, i bet that was AMAZING!! (clearly i'm psychically attuned to your schedule)

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Amanda Hyland's avatar

I had such a blast at your event at The Last Chapter, and I'm loving the Chicago love here. :) So happy you had such a great time in our city! Also the em-dash terror is SO real lol.

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

thank you SO much for coming!! my whole family has been missing Chicago a lot since we left 😔

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Marysa Stevens's avatar

Everything you’ve said about writing in summer, shit time in America, self-conscious use of em dashes, are all completely relatable and it’s like you’re in my brain but much more eloquent. I miss you on IG. I miss your writer/wannabe author tips for us. I miss a simpler time when the country wasn’t this fuck ass shit. Thank you for opening up your keyboard for us, even just a short check in. I’m glad you had a successful event in Chicago. Enjoy the summer with your family, be well.

xx

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

I feel you on all of this! I sincerely hope all of this pain is just because we’re in the process of getting rid of old, horrible systems…maybe it’s naive of me, but I have to believe that at some point things will turn around.

I also miss being on instagram, but I’m so happy that at least I can connect with you all here! I’m so appreciative of our brief snippets of time together 💕

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Grace Hart's avatar

As a Chicago suburbs girlie and a cubs fan. This post felt like a hug!

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

it absolutely was!!

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Mads's avatar

Jessica, we also love baseball hats and good hands. This is great news for the book community! Thanks as always for sharing these special little pieces of you. I have been feeling the burden of the draft 1 too and feeling disappointed that this hasn't been the writing summer I had hoped for, but the balance and self care is so important too.

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

i always forget how chaotic summer is and am surprised every year when NOTHING gets done! ugh. my own fault. hope things settle down for you once fall hits!

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Memonah's avatar

always so lovely to hear what you’ve been up to! 🩷

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Memonah's avatar

shameless flirting, good hands, THE PINTEREST BOARDS!!! i’m on my knees for this book already

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

i mean, what's not to love about good hands?!

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Ana's avatar

What a joy to hang with you and be your conversation partner!! Thanks again for a wonderful evening! So glad you and the fam had a great trip to Chicago. May the rest of your summer be as lovely as you!! 💜

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

and yours too, my friend!!

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Terese's avatar

shameless flirting and baseball hats are giving me heart palpitations (complimentary)

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

honestly same

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Julie Crawford's avatar

Loving all the vibes you’re putting down in your writing , shameless flirting? Yes please! So happy to hear from you! 🤍

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

the more shameless the better imo!!

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Payton Himes's avatar

1) that picture of The Bean gave me goosebumps - thought you should know

2) they couldn’t even pry the em-dash out of my cold dead hands !!!!

3) you can handle the winters if you get a really big down (or down alternative) coat with a good hood. Especially if there’s an attachable windbreaker exterior. *very midwestern accent* there’s no such thing as bad weather just ill-suited clothing

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

i was kind of in my Noelle Shepard era with that Bean pic!!

tucking that midwestern credo into my california-lite pocket just in case we relocate!

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Liesl's avatar

I also took a family trip to Chicago this summer, and we visited the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (the coal mining tour is indeed excellent) and Millennium Park and took the water taxi to Chinatown, too! What a city; I could go there a dozen times and there still would be many more fun, exciting places left to discover.

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

wow, we were literally walking in each other's footsteps! and truly, it is the best city. we had a million more things on our list, but we'll have to save them for next time!

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Ellie Serrano's avatar

oh the joy of reading your newsletter!!!!!!! 🥹😭 love this sitting at a cafe vibe and catching up with you! ALSO GLITCH X EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED?!?!?! I fear I will not survive

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

truly the most deadly mashup?!?!

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Ellie Palmer's avatar

Nothing better (and more terrifying) than getting to know new characters! 🩷🩷

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

it's the best and the worst!

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maddie | thenmaddieread's avatar

the good people of Bolingbrook are thrilled to have a Jessica Joyce shoutout as the second thing on the list of “things going for Bolingbrook” (number one is the IKEA) (i am from La Grange)

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

HAHA NOT THE IKEA

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maddie | thenmaddieread's avatar

it changed the lives of many western suburbians to not have to get to 294 (gag) to get out to the one in schaumburg. bolingbrook, we thank thee.

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Jessica Joyce's avatar

as a Californian, i feel the level of 294 depair heavily, even if i’ve never been on it. there are freeways i will take 30 mins of my time to avoid!

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