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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So fun, pretty smart and much more adult than your average chick-lit, forget that meant for high schoolers. I can't wait to read the second.
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
This book is what I would call an average summer bum book. Not exactly riveting, but the high school drama normally keeps my attention.
Having heard such great things about the Jessica Darling books, but not really knowing anything about them, I had high expectations but equally high levels of skepticism because I wasn't sure what I was getting into. But let me tell you, my worries were unfounded because I loved Sloppy Firsts.
I think the key thing is that Jessica Darling's voice felt so real to me, both hilariously cynical and achingly earnest. I related to and identified with Jessica, and felt that a teenaged me would have as well. Her struggle to find a place at school after her best friend moved away reminded me of every time I would go back from summer camp and would have to work at re-assimilating myself into school because I missed my other friends so much. And as an adult who has lived in 7 different places in the past 8 years, I STILL identified with that struggle, although my privileged position as a reader often made me want to grab her by the shoulders, give her a good shake, and ask her what the heck she was doing still hanging out with her clueless so-called friends.
But I never grew annoyed or frustrated with her as a character; I understood where she was coming from and why she did and said the things she did. The same goes with her handling of her home life, high school career, and love life. Everything she did and said felt real, from the laugh-out-loud funny to the heartbreakingly ill-advised.
This slice-of-life depiction of an at once typical and not-so-typical high school girl rang really true for me because I saw a lot of myself in Jessica, and I feel many other girls and women would feel the same way. It balanced realistic (not overwrought) teenaged angst with earnestness and tender moments. It handled upsetting situations with the attention and weight they deserved, but with a healthy dose of sarcasm that assured both the narrator and the reader that everything would be alright somehow. In sum, Sloppy Firsts is a quick read that leaves you wishing it were less so because, when it comes to an end, you'll feel as though your own new best friend just moved away.
That is, until you pick up Second Helpings, of course.
I think the key thing is that Jessica Darling's voice felt so real to me, both hilariously cynical and achingly earnest. I related to and identified with Jessica, and felt that a teenaged me would have as well. Her struggle to find a place at school after her best friend moved away reminded me of every time I would go back from summer camp and would have to work at re-assimilating myself into school because I missed my other friends so much. And as an adult who has lived in 7 different places in the past 8 years, I STILL identified with that struggle, although my privileged position as a reader often made me want to grab her by the shoulders, give her a good shake, and ask her what the heck she was doing still hanging out with her clueless so-called friends.
But I never grew annoyed or frustrated with her as a character; I understood where she was coming from and why she did and said the things she did. The same goes with her handling of her home life, high school career, and love life. Everything she did and said felt real, from the laugh-out-loud funny to the heartbreakingly ill-advised.
This slice-of-life depiction of an at once typical and not-so-typical high school girl rang really true for me because I saw a lot of myself in Jessica, and I feel many other girls and women would feel the same way. It balanced realistic (not overwrought) teenaged angst with earnestness and tender moments. It handled upsetting situations with the attention and weight they deserved, but with a healthy dose of sarcasm that assured both the narrator and the reader that everything would be alright somehow. In sum, Sloppy Firsts is a quick read that leaves you wishing it were less so because, when it comes to an end, you'll feel as though your own new best friend just moved away.
That is, until you pick up Second Helpings, of course.
A solid four stars, not the typical begrudging fourth star simply because I think it should get 3.5. This was a cute book, a quick read, and McCafferty nailed teen-nobody angst pretty well. Not to mention it was laugh out loud funny in places. I jumped right into number two.
3.5 stars... I couldn't quite decide if I liked it or really liked it... so I'm in-between.
Once I got used to how the narrator talked, I really liked this book!
I don't know if I missed something obvious or what, but I didn't realize until nearly the end of the book that the year was 2000. So, Jessica Darling is a grade ahead of where I was in high school.
I did find myself reminiscing high school a little, but the clique language was far different from my experience, growing up in podunk Tennessee.
I was confused by the love interest for most of the book and the actual love interest was a typical but not necessarily in a way I would have liked if it weren't for some major character growth.
This was a quick and fun read and I'm gladly going to finish out the series.
Once I got used to how the narrator talked, I really liked this book!
I don't know if I missed something obvious or what, but I didn't realize until nearly the end of the book that the year was 2000. So, Jessica Darling is a grade ahead of where I was in high school.
I did find myself reminiscing high school a little, but the clique language was far different from my experience, growing up in podunk Tennessee.
I was confused by the love interest for most of the book and the actual love interest was a typical but not necessarily in a way I would have liked if it weren't for some major character growth.
This was a quick and fun read and I'm gladly going to finish out the series.
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes