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4saradouglas's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was really cute and I know my middle school girls will enjoy it. I really need to re-read the other 5 Jessica Darling books now because I know I missed a lot in this prequel! Of course new readers need not know who Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie are to enjoy this book. I laughed out loud in several sections and flew through it!
doublearegee's review against another edition
4.0
I am a die hard Jessica Darling fan and seeing this in the bookstore was a big moment of WTF. How the hell do you present her as an awkward middle schooler? On the one hand, you know she's going to be a giant ball of awkward angst. On the other hand, how is her cynical, very adult voice going to translate? It seems in the beginning McCafferty has trouble with the second half of that question, but, like Jessica, she manages to work things out as the story goes along. Silly as it sounds, once I realized this meant we got to meet Hope and watch that relationship, one mainly just hinted at in the early books, develop I got really excited. To be honest, the story is more of a watered down vignette, but the intended audience is Tweens, so maybe this is a good introduction for them? Whatever its faults, I enjoyed it for the insight into the relationships I know and love and I couldn't help but squee the moment I knew "a skinny redhead who looked as though he'd used a rabid squirrel for a hairbrush that morning" entered her woodshop class because, you know. Him. Yes, him.
kkdemarco's review against another edition
4.0
As a (HUGE) fan of the Jessica Darling books, I was beyond excited when I heard that Megan McCafferty was going to write a few prequels to the Sloppy Firsts series. After finishing the first one (Jessica Darling's IT List), I am so happy that she did! This book was hilarious - it definitely had me laughing out loud! I also appreciated Jessica's self-discovery throughout the book - overall, a great middle-grade read. I'm so excited I can share JD with my sixth graders!
rdyourbookcase's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so much fun. Loved it! Didn't disappoint. Can't wait for the next one. The End.
I feel like I should seriously have a longer review, but it was SO GOOD! Sometimes too many words ruin it. It had me laughing out loud. I NEVER laugh out loud. Ever. Enjoy!
I feel like I should seriously have a longer review, but it was SO GOOD! Sometimes too many words ruin it. It had me laughing out loud. I NEVER laugh out loud. Ever. Enjoy!
ashleyholstrom's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful prequel for the beloved Jessica Darling series.
Physical reactions:
1. Giggling uncontrollably for most of the book
2. Hyperventilating when Marcus Flutie appears
3. Sighing when the book ends
Full review at Crooked Prose.
Physical reactions:
1. Giggling uncontrollably for most of the book
2. Hyperventilating when Marcus Flutie appears
3. Sighing when the book ends
Full review at Crooked Prose.
barbarianlibarian's review
4.0
pretty adorable. not sure what the middle grade readers will think, but the adults that read her teen/adult series will appreciate it!
kaitrosereads's review
4.0
The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection is a fabulous start to Jessica Darling's It List series. Fans of the original Jessica Darling series will love this glimpse into pre-teen Jessica's life and mind!
Jessica Darling's It List series is very much middle grade. The writing is simple, the humor is aimed for younger readers, and the characters are not very mature. However, it totally works in this case. It's set in junior high and Jessica Darling and her friends are exactly how you would expect them to be. Megan McCafferty really captured the feel of junior high with this book.
Jessica Darling is probably one of the most awkward characters I've ever read about. It's probably what makes me love her so much. She recognizes her awkwardness and while it does bother her sometimes, she embraces it most of the time. She's remarkably self-assured for a pre-teen girl. She cares very little about what everyone else thinks and worries only about what she thinks. She's a great heroine for young readers to look up to.
Her friends aren't so awesome. Bridget, Manda, Sara, and Hope are quite a crew. Bridget starts off as a nice girl but that quickly changes once she realizes how pretty she is and how she can use it to her advantage. I didn't like her at all. Manda and Sara were even worse. They considered each other friends but they were terrible to each other. And everyone else. Hope was the only one I liked and I felt like there was very little of her in the book. I look forward to learning more about her throughout the rest of the series.
The story is nothing special. It's Jessica's first year in junior high and let me tell you, she goes through some crazy stuff. There's friend troubles, boy troubles, cheer team, woodshop, and so much more. I'll just put it this way; everything that could go wrong, did. It's a quick read that definitely made me think of my own days in junior high.
Overall, The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection is perfect for fans of the original Jessica Darling series or for readers looking to start it. Middle grade readers should greatly enjoy this one and I definitely recommend checking it out!
Jessica Darling's It List series is very much middle grade. The writing is simple, the humor is aimed for younger readers, and the characters are not very mature. However, it totally works in this case. It's set in junior high and Jessica Darling and her friends are exactly how you would expect them to be. Megan McCafferty really captured the feel of junior high with this book.
Jessica Darling is probably one of the most awkward characters I've ever read about. It's probably what makes me love her so much. She recognizes her awkwardness and while it does bother her sometimes, she embraces it most of the time. She's remarkably self-assured for a pre-teen girl. She cares very little about what everyone else thinks and worries only about what she thinks. She's a great heroine for young readers to look up to.
Her friends aren't so awesome. Bridget, Manda, Sara, and Hope are quite a crew. Bridget starts off as a nice girl but that quickly changes once she realizes how pretty she is and how she can use it to her advantage. I didn't like her at all. Manda and Sara were even worse. They considered each other friends but they were terrible to each other. And everyone else. Hope was the only one I liked and I felt like there was very little of her in the book. I look forward to learning more about her throughout the rest of the series.
The story is nothing special. It's Jessica's first year in junior high and let me tell you, she goes through some crazy stuff. There's friend troubles, boy troubles, cheer team, woodshop, and so much more. I'll just put it this way; everything that could go wrong, did. It's a quick read that definitely made me think of my own days in junior high.
Overall, The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, Prettiness & Perfection is perfect for fans of the original Jessica Darling series or for readers looking to start it. Middle grade readers should greatly enjoy this one and I definitely recommend checking it out!
booksforlosers's review
4.0
"Shug" meets "One for the Murphys". Over all this book was sweet and funny about friendships and growing up :)
autumnleeves's review
3.0
Like many others, I already knew and loved Jessica Darling from the Sloppy Firsts books. Most of my enjoyment in reading this one was in seeing the kid-versions of all the characters I met as teens & adults. It was a fun and quick read, and I did like seeing how Jessica & Hope met and started to become friends (though Hope still only plays a minor role). However, it was a LOT of middle school drama, which was the point I know, but it's not my favorite thing to read. It was interesting to see Jessica start to discover herself though, and I will read the next one.