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leannecoppola's review
3.0
Well, I'm sad to write this....because I am a HUGE fan of this series. But I was disappointed with this one. I don't know if it's the last...I sure hope not! I still need Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie in my life. Not the best...still love the first the best.
stephxsu's review
5.0
It’s been three years since Jessica refused Marcus’ marriage proposal, and both of them have moved on with their lives. Jessica now works for the Do Better High School Storytellers Project, traveling across the country to work for ten weeks with groups of girls on finding a voice through writing. She has even found a mini-me in the dregs of Pineville, a cynical teenager with the unfortunate name of Sunny Dae, who gives Jessica meaning to her work. Meanwhile, Marcus has embraced college life, immersing himself in academia and humanitarian projects—and even an affair with an older woman—while elevating his campus reputation as the Sexy Enigmatic Older Man (for lack of a better term) to a sky-high level.
But have they really, truly moved on from each other? A literal collision at the airport as Jessica is latelatelate for a flight to a Caribbean wedding (guess whose!), and Jessica has run Marcus over, barreled straight back into his life as though she never left it. As IF she ever left his life, mind, or heart.
Now, stuck in one another’s company at the airport, Marcus and Jessica are forced to come face to face with their past and everything that they have been imperfect in for the last ten years of their lives. Now comes a resolution to a spellbinding series that is “perfect in its imperfection.”
It’s unlikely that ardent Jessica Darling fans will be disappointed in this last book in the series, not after they have gone with Jessica through her periods of mistakes, growth, regressions, and maturing. PERFECT FIFTHS may start out a little slow, but through a clever and definitely spellbinding use of not-so-very-usual narrative tactics, we readers are taken through an ever deeper discussion and reflection on Marcus and Jessica’s bumpy decade-long relationship. We get to relive our favorite moments from the series. Barry Manilow gets extensive “play.” All of the characters that we have grown to love in their complex imperfection (even the truly wince-worthy ones, such as Sara) come back, in one form or another, like this is the fantastical finale to a colorful and dramatic musical.
But it is, of course, the characters of Marcus and Jessica that steal the show. Here is where we cut away all the adolescent and young adult B.S. they’ve been working through in the previous four books. Here is where they—and we readers—discover their true, eternal natures, the ones that their previous behaviors and thoughts were leading up to. This is why the phrase “perfect in their imperfection” is, well, perfect in this situation: what we learn of Marcus and Jessica in PERFECT FIFTHS complements yet improves our previous knowledge of them, and if you didn’t love them before, you’ll loooove them now. I’ve never been one to fangirl on male characters, but if you don’t fall in loooove with the Marcus Flutie that he becomes in this book, then there is no hope for you at all.
It’s always difficult to introduce new characters into a well-established group of characters, but—I don’t want to make assumptions here, because I know nothing, but it just seems this way—there seems to be the possibility of Sunny reappearing in Megan’s future books. Just saying. That’s what it seems like, a little. Just a random (hopeful?) hypothesis.
Also, some readers may be uncomfortable with some extended descriptions of sex and related body parts. While it did not bother me and I actually felt it lent itself wonderfully to the purpose of the book, I can understand why you might not want to let, say, your younger sister or daughter read it. Just wanted to let that be known; it shouldn’t bother most readers, nor should it detract from the reading experience.
Long story short (and without giving too much away; we can discuss the details of our reactions to the book at a later date), PERFECT FIFTHS is un-miss-able, a wonderfully cohesive montage of the previous books in the series, a brilliant ending to a towering achievement. I look forward impatiently to reading Megan’s future works outside of this series, as I think you all will too.
But have they really, truly moved on from each other? A literal collision at the airport as Jessica is latelatelate for a flight to a Caribbean wedding (guess whose!), and Jessica has run Marcus over, barreled straight back into his life as though she never left it. As IF she ever left his life, mind, or heart.
Now, stuck in one another’s company at the airport, Marcus and Jessica are forced to come face to face with their past and everything that they have been imperfect in for the last ten years of their lives. Now comes a resolution to a spellbinding series that is “perfect in its imperfection.”
It’s unlikely that ardent Jessica Darling fans will be disappointed in this last book in the series, not after they have gone with Jessica through her periods of mistakes, growth, regressions, and maturing. PERFECT FIFTHS may start out a little slow, but through a clever and definitely spellbinding use of not-so-very-usual narrative tactics, we readers are taken through an ever deeper discussion and reflection on Marcus and Jessica’s bumpy decade-long relationship. We get to relive our favorite moments from the series. Barry Manilow gets extensive “play.” All of the characters that we have grown to love in their complex imperfection (even the truly wince-worthy ones, such as Sara) come back, in one form or another, like this is the fantastical finale to a colorful and dramatic musical.
But it is, of course, the characters of Marcus and Jessica that steal the show. Here is where we cut away all the adolescent and young adult B.S. they’ve been working through in the previous four books. Here is where they—and we readers—discover their true, eternal natures, the ones that their previous behaviors and thoughts were leading up to. This is why the phrase “perfect in their imperfection” is, well, perfect in this situation: what we learn of Marcus and Jessica in PERFECT FIFTHS complements yet improves our previous knowledge of them, and if you didn’t love them before, you’ll loooove them now. I’ve never been one to fangirl on male characters, but if you don’t fall in loooove with the Marcus Flutie that he becomes in this book, then there is no hope for you at all.
It’s always difficult to introduce new characters into a well-established group of characters, but—I don’t want to make assumptions here, because I know nothing, but it just seems this way—there seems to be the possibility of Sunny reappearing in Megan’s future books. Just saying. That’s what it seems like, a little. Just a random (hopeful?) hypothesis.
Also, some readers may be uncomfortable with some extended descriptions of sex and related body parts. While it did not bother me and I actually felt it lent itself wonderfully to the purpose of the book, I can understand why you might not want to let, say, your younger sister or daughter read it. Just wanted to let that be known; it shouldn’t bother most readers, nor should it detract from the reading experience.
Long story short (and without giving too much away; we can discuss the details of our reactions to the book at a later date), PERFECT FIFTHS is un-miss-able, a wonderfully cohesive montage of the previous books in the series, a brilliant ending to a towering achievement. I look forward impatiently to reading Megan’s future works outside of this series, as I think you all will too.
kdepuy's review
4.0
I'm so sad to end my years-long relationship with Jessica Darling, which is mostly why I've given this last installment 4 stars. The book itself tied up the loose ends left at the end of the 4th book, and that's about it. It's a bit nostalgic, and does revisit some key moments in Jessica and Marcus' past but I would have liked a bit more out of the final book in the series. Overall I loved following Jessica through an entire decade of her life, and not many books/series can make you feel that way.
jmj697mn's review
4.0
I have been waiting for this book to come out for a while now, and I was kind of disappointed. The first 4 were REALLY good, and this one was just not up to the standard. I loved the ending, but everything leading up to it was really rushed, and the conversations between Jessica & Marcus were to hard to understand.
jeslyncat's review
2.0
If you love Jessica Darling as much as I love Jessica Darling, don't read this book.
Please.
So much of this series grew up along with me, and I cannot express how proud I was of the author at the end of "Fourth Comings". She made some choices and character-calls that many would not have made.
Now, not so much. All the bravery and courage that went into her choices in that book are ripped apart and...put in a cliche kind of Hell in "Perfect Fifths". I really wish I hadn't found it and even more so that I hadn't read it.
Please.
So much of this series grew up along with me, and I cannot express how proud I was of the author at the end of "Fourth Comings". She made some choices and character-calls that many would not have made.
Now, not so much. All the bravery and courage that went into her choices in that book are ripped apart and...put in a cliche kind of Hell in "Perfect Fifths". I really wish I hadn't found it and even more so that I hadn't read it.
sunshine608's review
3.0
After finishing this book I took a while to formulate a review because Initially I didn't like it. I was disappointed. After thinking about it for a few days my opinion landed somewhere in the middle. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either. Jessica's negativity which I enjoyed 16-25 got a little old for me. In addition the haiku's in the book got on my last nerve to the point I had to make myself read them. I felt they were unnecessary. Another unnecessary component was the hold Sunny theme, I just couldn't place the reason for it.
When I look back over the series, I think Fourth Comings was my favorite and while I enjoyed the overall ending the Jessica Darling, I can't help but feel a little annoyed at the final book.
When I look back over the series, I think Fourth Comings was my favorite and while I enjoyed the overall ending the Jessica Darling, I can't help but feel a little annoyed at the final book.
mbrandmaier's review
2.0
Not much info about the major "sidekick" characters from previous books, lots of superfluous information about random nothing characters that Jessica and Marcus encountered in the airport and the hotel.
ridgewaygirl's review
1.0
Years ago I read a fabulous YA coming of age novel called Sloppy Firsts. The protagonist, Jessica Darling, was a self conscious braniac growing up in a Jersey Shores world. Her best friend had moved, she didn't really like her other friends and she was strangely fascinated with the oddly pretentious and oft-suspended Marcus Flutie.
Perfect Fifths is the latest installment in Jessica's story, taking place eight years after she graduated high school. With this book, I have gone from fangirl-style excitement to a weary, inert hatred. I skimmed much of it, hoping that it would suddenly show a spark of life. It didn't.
Here is my problem. Why did a girl who felt like a misfit and who dreamed about getting the hell out of Pinesville make no new friends in eight friggin' years in New York? And why hasn't anyone else? This book featured a scene in which Marcus Flutie mentions that he ran into her high school crush on a building project in New Orleans. They recognized each other even though they had never actually met. And every character has either managed to become a multi-millionaire entrepreneur or to go to an Ivy League school, presumably on full scholarship, since none of them seem to work. That Marcus Flutie guy, otherwise known as the one who got away, even wandered around after high school, teaching himself meditation, until Princeton jumped at the chance to educate him. Does this actually happen? Can I spend my children's college education funds now because all they need to go to an Ivy League college is a wacky hobby or a year spent as a hobo?
Oh, the plot of the book? Jessica runs into Marcus (literally, of course) in the Newark airport as she misses her flight. Then they talk for hours, except when they decide to communicate by passing hand-written poems back and forth. It's pretty much a very, very bad rip-off of Before Sunset, except with over-written dialog and much less point to it.
Perfect Fifths is the latest installment in Jessica's story, taking place eight years after she graduated high school. With this book, I have gone from fangirl-style excitement to a weary, inert hatred. I skimmed much of it, hoping that it would suddenly show a spark of life. It didn't.
Here is my problem. Why did a girl who felt like a misfit and who dreamed about getting the hell out of Pinesville make no new friends in eight friggin' years in New York? And why hasn't anyone else? This book featured a scene in which Marcus Flutie mentions that he ran into her high school crush on a building project in New Orleans. They recognized each other even though they had never actually met. And every character has either managed to become a multi-millionaire entrepreneur or to go to an Ivy League school, presumably on full scholarship, since none of them seem to work. That Marcus Flutie guy, otherwise known as the one who got away, even wandered around after high school, teaching himself meditation, until Princeton jumped at the chance to educate him. Does this actually happen? Can I spend my children's college education funds now because all they need to go to an Ivy League college is a wacky hobby or a year spent as a hobo?
Oh, the plot of the book? Jessica runs into Marcus (literally, of course) in the Newark airport as she misses her flight. Then they talk for hours, except when they decide to communicate by passing hand-written poems back and forth. It's pretty much a very, very bad rip-off of Before Sunset, except with over-written dialog and much less point to it.
mellabella's review
3.0
I'm not sure why it took me forever to read the last installment of this series when I was borderline obsessed with the rest of them.
Jessica and Marcus bump (literally) into each other.
It didn't feel like a full reunion without the rest of the people I'd read about. But I guess, they really couldn't be in this one. It was about Jessica and Marcus.
I'm not sure how I felt about this one. I was entertained, I guess. But, it was very talky and for some reason made me think of The Gilmore Girls if the show was about exes as opposed to a mother and daughter.
The ending was happy though. I wasn't sure it would end up that way. 3.5 stars
Jessica and Marcus bump (literally) into each other.
It didn't feel like a full reunion without the rest of the people I'd read about. But I guess, they really couldn't be in this one. It was about Jessica and Marcus.
I'm not sure how I felt about this one. I was entertained, I guess. But, it was very talky and for some reason made me think of The Gilmore Girls if the show was about exes as opposed to a mother and daughter.
The ending was happy though. I wasn't sure it would end up that way. 3.5 stars
miladyofscott's review
5.0
Honestly, a perfect ending to this series. It tied a lot of loose ends together and made them complete.