Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Sloppy Firsts (Jessica Darling #1)

by Megan McCafferty (Goodreads Author)

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 19,171 ratings · 1,293 reviews

“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? . . . I don’t see how things could get any worse.”

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Dar...more

Paperback, 298 pages

Published August 28th 2001 by Broadway Books

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Favorite Chick-Lit

31st out of 1,229 books — 3,052 voters

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Best Young Adult Books

287th out of 8,282 books — 40,709 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 24, 2011 Janina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, contemporary, read-in-2011, unputdownable, favourite-characters, best-of-2011, just-hilarious, series-in-progress

Absolutely loved it. Jessica Darling has earned herself a spot on my list of favourite heroines. She is smart and clever, witty and sarcastic, thinks too much about everything and anything (I can relate to that pretty well) and despite her pessimistic attitude and her quick judgement of others, I couldn’t help but like her. I feel like basically everything has been said about this series already, you either like it or you don’t. Despite having heard not so good things about the later instalments...more

14 likes · like · see review

Oct 29, 2012 Keertana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: swoooon, rainy-day-re-reads, favorites, teary-eyed-reads, books-that-linger

If you haven’t heard of the Jessica Darling Series before then…well, you’ve been living under a rock, that’s what. If, however, you’re like me and have seen the gushing reviews for this all over the place and somehow never picked it up…well, don’t make the same mistake I did of waiting for months before reading this: pick it up now. Seriously, this series is just that good. It’s funny, it’s quirky, and it’s hilarious, but it is also deep, provocative, compelling, and is most certain to stri...more

13 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2013 Natalie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, laugh-out-loud, swoon-worthy-boys, warm-fuzzies, reviewed

I've had a hard time writing this review--starting it even--because it's always so difficult for me to put into words why I loved a book. For the entire last half of this book, I had a stupid, goofy, uncontrollable grin on my face. Seriously, I could not stop smiling. I put gifs in my initial review on Goodreads. I bounced around the house like an idiot and then when I calmed down enough I started the sequel even thought it was one in the morning and I probably should have just gone to bed. I tr...more

7 likes · like · see review

Dec 30, 2010 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 16-chick-lit

Well now, this was refreshing!

My namesake Jessica is a very likable protagonist, whom I could easily relate to. She’s witty, sarcastic, smart and I just love her snarky attitude. People tell me that most of the time it seems like I have "piss off" tattooed on my forehead, so when I learned that Jessica’s dad’s nickname for her was "Notso" as in Jessica Not-So-Darling I knew that we would be getting along just fine - because despite her last name, which is Darling, she is anything but sweet and d...more

11 likes · like · see review

Feb 15, 2010 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Georgia Nicholson and such

Shelves: 2010, ya

Update 4/21/2010 After reading the sequel and thinking about Jessica for a while, I don't think I like her that much any more. A little too much negativity and snobbishness. So take this review with a grain of salt.

I have no idea why I haven't read this book before, because I certainly heard about it a lot*. The synopsis just didn't sound that special I suppose, because on the surface, "Sloppy Firsts" is just your regular run-of-the-mill YA story about a smart 16-year old girl (Jessica Darling),...more

12 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2009 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit

oh lord, i really wanted to give this book 5 stars. something is holding me back, maybe because it feels weird to give a new YA lit book that much praise? considering i'm 27? 4 1/2 stars, 4 1/2 dammit! okay, i'm done.

i LOVED this book. LOVED IT. Jessica Darling was such an interesting, complex and yet normal teenage girl that i couldn't help completely relating to her. it's just really refreshing to read a book about a typical teenage girl who has regular problems like a best friend that moves...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jun 01, 2011 oliviasbooks rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-contemporary, love-story-romance, swapped-or-given-away, read-2011, high-expectations, sequel-no-thank-you

I liked it, but I have to say it was completely different from what I had expected - but not in a bad way, not at all. The titles of this series, combined with the heroine's name and the leg-stressed covers said light, funny and fluffy - but bold on the sex-side - teen-chick-lit. I had expected a cross between - let's say ... Sophie Kinsella, Louise Rennison and Meg Cabot. To be completely honest, apart from being open to surprises because of my Goodreads friends' loving reviews, I did not reall...more I liked it, but I have to say it was completely different from what I had expected - but not in a bad way, not at all. The titles of this series, combined with the heroine's name and the leg-stressed covers said light, funny and fluffy - but bold on the sex-side - teen-chick-lit. I had expected a cross between - let's say ... Sophie Kinsella, Louise Rennison and Meg Cabot. To be completely honest, apart from being open to surprises because of my Goodreads friends' loving reviews, I did not really expect many bubbles beneath the pink and frothy surface of the usual high-school drama.

Thus I was rather hit in the chest by the depths of the story and its constantly emanating sadness. We follow our likable, but utterly lonely, insomniac, super-brainy heroine through a year of high-school, feel her miss her moved-away best - or rather only - friend like the permanent hurt of an infested wound, which is enhanced by the the author's withholding said friend's responses to the heroine's monthly letters, and experience to be at loss: We would like to help Jess to crawl out of that lack-of-persons-to-speak-to dump, her thinking-too-much-and-too-pointlessly-about-life hamster's wheel, her underdog position as the second-best daughter, whose success at acing important subjects and the track-team are taken for granted and rated as being inferior to being a boy-magnet and Miss Popular at home.

On top of that we had the heroine contemplating whether to give in to the temptation of acquiring a popular boyfriend out of pure convenience or whether to decide to get to know the multi-layered former druggie Markus Flutie better in spite of her far-away best friend Hope hating him whole-heartedly, since he was friends with her brother Heath when he overdosed on heroin and died.

This has once more proved to be a lesson in "Don't-be-fooled-by-cover-and-title". I would rather group "Sloppy First" with Sweethearts and Prom than with Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, Can You Keep a Secret? and The Princess Diaries. Thinking deeply about it, I think it turned out to be good that way. But I would have decided on a different title-and-cover-combo, if it would have been my call at the publisher's table eleven years ago.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Apr 09, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty was a quick read and for the most part enjoyable but there are much better books out there in this genre. The story is unfolded through the diary entries of Jessica Darling, a sophomore in high school, whose best friend, Hope, has moved away in the middle of the school year. Despite being a great student, being involved in many extracurricular activities, having tons of friends, and being liked by one of the popular jocks, Jessica feels alone, depressed, and mis...more

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 10, 2011 Emily May rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-na, chick-lit, 2011

This was a really funny, feel-good novel reminiscent of novels like Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and other such hilariosity. I'd heard comparisons made between the two before but, I admit, I was reluctant to check it out, being sure that it would be unlikely to entertain me as much as Georgia Nicholson's journals. However, I'd say it's pretty fair to make positive comparisons between the two, it's just unfortunate that I keep reading how most people didn't enjoy the rest of the series...more

13 likes · like · see review

Aug 07, 2007 Jennie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonrequired-work-reading

Jessica Darling is anything but darling–so much so that her father calls her Notso. Jessica Notso Darling. She hates her friends, except for Hope, who just moved from New Jersey to Tennessee. But she’s halfway through her sophomore year of high school without anyone to talk to except the Clueless Crew and maybe the new girl, Hy.

She hates her family–her sister and mother are completely wrapped up in Bethany’s upcoming wedding and expect Jessica to be as well. They don’t understand why she wouldn’...more Jessica Darling is anything but darling–so much so that her father calls her Notso. Jessica Notso Darling. She hates her friends, except for Hope, who just moved from New Jersey to Tennessee. But she’s halfway through her sophomore year of high school without anyone to talk to except the Clueless Crew and maybe the new girl, Hy.

She hates her family–her sister and mother are completely wrapped up in Bethany’s upcoming wedding and expect Jessica to be as well. They don’t understand why she wouldn’t want to take Scott as her date, he’s so cute! Never mind that they shared an awful first kiss two years ago and Scott is still pining after her and she just doesn’t like him that way. Jessica’s father is obsessed with her running career, follows her on his bike when she runs and makes video montages of all the races she’s lost so they can analyze what she did wrong. He takes it as a personal insult when she breaks her leg one night and is out for the rest of the season.

And then there’s Marcus, the class junkie, who keeps showing up wherever Jessica is and knows way too much about her. Marcus, whom she can’t tell Hope about, knowing Hope would disapprove. Marcus, who got her to pee in a cup to fake a drug test. Marcus, who shouldn’t effect her they way he does. Marcus, who might be the best thing since Hope left...

Biting, funny and well written, this is not standard chick-lit fare. Jessica’s journal entries and monthly letters to Hope tell a story that rings true and entertains without being sappy or melodramatic. I also liked this book because it gets lumped in the YA chick-lit section but really isn't... I know my library actually originally cataloged it as an adult title, and it really is. This is a great book for teens who read the teen lit stuff and want to bridge to more serious stuff (and contains lots of good vocab words). This is also a great book for adults... now I'm just babbling. It's been a long night.

see all reviews at http://www.tushuguan.blogspot.com (less)

6 likes · like · see review

Nov 28, 2011 Lisa O. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit, favorites, need-to-re-read

This book is much more than i expected. What I expected was a chick lit, a cheesy story of a teenager and her ramblings about boys.
But this is a coming of age story.
Jess is a stressed teenager whose best friend has just moved away and whose parents try to make her be something she is not. She tries to mold herself into being what everybody expects from her in order to fit in until a junkie guy, Marcus Flutie, makes her realize her priorities in life.
I liked this book for various reasons: first,...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 15, 2010 J rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, 2010

I knew I would love this book when I saw that the narrator had a name so eerily similar to mine. Then as I read, I realized how much I had in common with Jessica Darling that it kinda creeped me out a little bit.

I loved this book. I loved Jessica's cynicism. I loved the sexual tension with Marcus and I am dying to read the next book to see what happens there. This book was witty and smart and I really, really loved it.

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2008 Jen B rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought about this book out of the blue today. This was the book I was reading seven years ago when I decided it was time to become a grownup and move out on my own for the very first time. Kinda funny considering that it's a teen-centered story, but maybe it evoked a certain nostalgia for my high school years. This one kept me laughing and reading late into the night, when I was so terrified of being alone in my very first apartment that I couldn't sleep. I didn't know that there are three se...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2010 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

First of all, the character of Jessica is what makes this book. Her observations, thoughts, sexual fantasies, philosophies are all identifiable and hilarious, and... deep.
I also felt the same way as Jessica did, a lot. She felt like an outcast, a freak, like no one understood her but her irreplaceable BFF Hope, the awesome, talented friend who moved to Tennessee. She felt like she, herself, chose to be that way because she couldn't make herself feel carefree like everyone else, and her so-called...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 24, 2013 Delee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, ya, reviewed, friendship, coming-of-age, school, romance

Some men go through their mid-life crisis by buying a nice red sports car, and marrying their 25 year old secretaries. I go through my mid-life crisis by doing Yoga, eating coffee Häagen-Dazs ice cream, watching John Hughes films, and lately...reading YA novels.

SLOPPY FIRSTS is wonderful! It took me back to my youth, and if I could I could jump into this book, yank Marcus Flutie out and call him my own (when he is much older of course so he is age appropriate), I would. Shhhh don't tell my boyfr...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 20, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult

I wasn't sure about this at first-seemed like the standard too-clever-by-half teen making snarky judgements on everyone around her. I was glad I stayed with it to see that this character has more to her than that, and that this wasn't just the fluffy read I expected it to be. The realizations Jessica reaches don't come easily and there's no triteness to her growth and the promise of more growth in future volumes. The transformations come across very naturally and realistically, from her relation...more

1 like · like · see review

May 07, 2012 Mery St. Clair rated it 5 of 5 stars

Releyendo!!!

Marcus Flutie <3

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2013 Kailia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: wishlist, favorite-authors, favorite-heroines, read-in-2013, young-adult, swooon

Originally reviewed on my blog Reading the Best of the Best.

You know when you read a really, really good book that’s been out for a while and after reading it you think, “gosh, why didn’t I read this book sooner?” Sloppy Firsts should have been that book for me but it wasn’t. I actually attempted to read this book in the 8th grade and got about 10 pages in before I quit it. Reading it this year, as a senior in high school, I loved and appreciated Sloppy Firsts so much more than in the 8th grade...more Originally reviewed on my blog Reading the Best of the Best.

You know when you read a really, really good book that’s been out for a while and after reading it you think, “gosh, why didn’t I read this book sooner?” Sloppy Firsts should have been that book for me but it wasn’t. I actually attempted to read this book in the 8th grade and got about 10 pages in before I quit it. Reading it this year, as a senior in high school, I loved and appreciated Sloppy Firsts so much more than in the 8th grade. Jessica Darling and I are really similar and I connected with her immensely and I know it’s because I’m more mature now and I’ve gone through four years of high school by now!

There isn’t anything I can say about Jessica Darling that hasn’t been said before. She’s snarky and funny and weird and she sees what she wants to. Sloppy Firsts and all of the other books are truly Jessica’s thoughts. I’ve read books in journal format where the writing is so formulaic but not with this book. I think that’s why so many people can connect with Jessica. She’s such a normal person that I often found myself wondering “is this me?”: she can be judgmental and mean but she can be strong and supportive, sad and insecure too. I loved reading about the ups and downs of life in this book: the rocky relationships with family and friends and relationships with boys and just about everything else.

I also loved that Jessica knew her faults and wanted to do better but admitted to making mistakes. Jessica would do something stupid or mean and admitting to them wasn’t always easy but some how, Jessica did. No matter how intelligent Jessica truly is, she could make dumb mistakes too. I utterly loved the perfectly imperfect Jessica! I especially liked Jessica’s rocky relationship with her older sister. I have an older sister (she’s 6 years older) so I knew Jessica’s frustration. As I’ve read the entire series already, I loved seeing their relationship develop and grow, which I found similar to my relationship with my sister (we don’t fight as much as we used to!)

I also want to take a moment to mention the high school life mentioned in this book. Often times, authors try to make high school in their books as accurate as possible but Megan McCafferty did an absolutely amazing job depicting the reality of high school. High school sucks sometimes (okay, most of the time) and it’s really about no one knowing how they are. They’re stuck between the child and adult phase and the basic question is, “who am I?” There were the mean girls and the jocks and the potheads of so many schools but they weren’t presented in a stereotypical way. Honestly, it was all very believable.

Having already read the entire series already, I want to take a moment to talk about Hope and Marcus because I was honestly surprised at what a big role both of them played in Jessica’s life. Hope, Jessica’s best friend has moved away and Jessica is not happy. Surprisingly, Hope is absent for pretty much the entirety of Sloppy Firsts yet her influence as Jessica’s best friend is incredibly strong. The relationship both Jessica and Hope share is one of real friendships: best friends aren’t always happy with one another but in the end, they love each other no matter what. Marcus, who I never called Marcus while I was reading this entire book (and I ignored than he has dreadlocks), was utterly fantastic and so swoonworhty. Like all of Megan McCaffery’s characters, Marcus was just as flawed as you’d expect and then some. But he was just what Jessica needed and just what she didn’t need and if you’ve read the book, I think it makes more sense to you.

Overall, I’m a fan girl now. I get what everyone is raving about this series. I’ll be buying all five books in the future and I’ll be re-reading for years to come. Sloppy Firsts is a book I’d recommend to anyone and everyone but I know some of you will not like it. There were things about Sloppy Firsts I wasn’t sure about but after reading it, I’ve come to appreciate the true gem the Jessica Darling series truly is.

Find this review on my blog Reading the Best of the Best.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 31, 2012 Isamlq rated it 4 of 5 stars

3.5/5

Notso Darling indeed.

Jessica Darling made me laugh. Her keen observations and way with words had me holding a pillow over my face to keep from laughing too loudly. And while she might have hated the company she kept, I can’t but help feeling that she’d have fitted in with me and mine way back when... Oh, the sarcasm! Everything in this girl’s head (at least the rude/funny bits) passed through ours at one time or another. Take her making up songs or bestowing not so flattering names on othe...more

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 26, 2011 Morgan F rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, 2000s, series, realistic, read-2011, haha, surviving-school, goodreads-author

Oh boy. So its, uh, been a while since I've written a review. Sorry about that everyone. College and whatnot has kept me busy.

So what is it about Sloppy Firsts that inspired me to write? Well, I loved it, for one. Look at that rating! Five stars, baby! And that's not because its a groundbreaking work of literature, but because its funny, true, and smart.

This is one of these books I've always heard about, but not one I actually ever saw myself reading. First of all its old. Lizzie McGuire was s...more Oh boy. So its, uh, been a while since I've written a review. Sorry about that everyone. College and whatnot has kept me busy.

So what is it about Sloppy Firsts that inspired me to write? Well, I loved it, for one. Look at that rating! Five stars, baby! And that's not because its a groundbreaking work of literature, but because its funny, true, and smart.

This is one of these books I've always heard about, but not one I actually ever saw myself reading. First of all its old. Lizzie McGuire was still on when this came out (and I did tempt myself into imagining a few of the characters in Hilary Duff's more eccentric outfits). Secondly, I misinterpreted the title and tone of the summary. I thought it was going to be about a teenage girl's sex life. Which it was of course, but it was smarter than I would have originally gave it credit for. And thirdly, this is the sort of book that requires an explanation. I have a snooty, English major reputation to uphold. I can't let people see myself reading chick-lit! (le gasp!) I read this at my job, with the cover flat down on the desk. If someone walked up that I knew, I would sit on it. Alas, I really should be more secure with myself.....but I did recommend it to my friends! Does that cancel out my previous embarrassment?

Anyway, Jessica Darling would have been my friend. At least, I would like to think so. She's sassy, smart, funny, but not intimidatingly perfect. I have a feeling we would laugh about the same thing, get annoyed at the same things. Some reviewers found her annoying and to that I say, "Well, duh". She is a teenage girl. As a teenage girl myself, I can say that we pretty much are all annoying. For one thing, it is all too easy to forget that high school is pretty much a universal experience. It is easier to mope and whine about life, believing you are the only one in the world who is this lonely. It's too easy to forget that almost everything you've experienced, has already been experienced, and that almost everything you feel, has already been felt. This book reminded me that I wasn't the only confused, lonely girl in high school. I would be reading along, laughing and musing with Jessica, and stumble on a quote that pretty much sums up my exactly feelings. I would pause, briefly wonder if McCafferty is a mind-reading alien or some kind of genius or something, before finally deciding she was a perceptive woman who remembers what it is like to wander those locker-studded hallways and not have a flying-fuck of a clue.

Jessica seemed like she could have been an actual person. She was a fully fleshed-out characters, as was the majority of the cast. Even the "popular" girls had their quirks which distinguished themselves from each other. And Marcus Flutie.....hot damn. Plus the writing style, which mirrored journal entires focusing on Jessica's up and downs of the year, was extremely effective in conveying the story of Jessica's sixteenth year. I enjoyed the main characters, and the characters that seemed to come in, then back out. Because thats what life does. People enter our lives and others leave them.

Overall, I'm really glad I walked into Goodwill that day. I went in expecting to buy a five dollar sweater and left with a great series to follow. Thank you, Goodwill and your $1 paperbacks. (less)

16 likes · like · see review

Apr 20, 2009 Jessica (j*&p*) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-books

The last 30 or so pages of this book were good, but not good enough to make a big comeback for me.

I really wanted to like this book because it was so highly recommended by my nestie friends whose opinions are generally really in line with mine, but I just never fell in love with it. The journal and letter style of storytelling Megan McCafferty used was not my favorite. It made Jessica's story feel realistic, and it had that day in the life feeling, but it also made the pacing really drag. It wa...more

9 likes · like · see review

Nov 16, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews, trt-gold-star-award-winner

Reviewed by Amanda Dissinger for TeensReadToo.com

Ever get the feeling you're trapped in your current life, and won't be able to get out for, oh, all of eternity? Are you bored with your so-called "friends," bored with your so-called good grades, bored with your so-called life? Then you'll identify with SLOPPY FIRSTS, the witty, moving debut novel from author Megan McCafferty.

SLOPPY FIRSTS is the story of 16-year-old Jessica Darling, a girl who feels completely out of sync with everyone around h...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 28, 2008 Molly Back added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. General response/reaction: Great book for teens trying to find a place in the world! Each character is clearly represented and everyone can find something in this novel to relate to.

Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: Identity, high school, parent expectations, drug and crime culture, family relationships.

Characters:
-Jessica Darling, 16. Student who must deal with the recent relocation of her best friend, stress at home, classmates that she can not relate to, and a crush on the widely-known “bad bo...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 15, 2013 Zemira Warner rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen, romance, humor, sarcastic, book-to-movie

3.5 stars

I started reading this book a long time ago and the reason I didn't listed it as currently reading is that I was afraid I wouldn't like it. But it was funny and just what I need when I'm feeling down.

It's a story about Jessica Darling who's best friend moved away and she is left alone to deal with parent, school and boy problems on her own. But fear not! She has a new group of friends she isn't really fond of and a certain mysterious bad boy, Marcus, to make it all better worse.

What I...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 30, 2008 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lori by: teens, people who were teens, those who do not suffer fools glad

Shelves: young-adult-and-childrens

I hope I don't kill the love for this series by admitting that I am a middle aged woman who loves it. Although Jessica Darling is less than half my age, I would have loved to be friends with her in high school...or even now. How pathetic is that?

Not very, actually. Jessica is an acerbic, rapier witted narratrix. The picture she paints of a New Jersey high school soon after the millennium change is at turnes hilarious, depressing and ridiculous...just like my memories of high school.

I started th...more

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 17, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kick-ass-heroines, ladies-cant-fucking-swear-my-ass, mixed-emotions, screamed-at-it, strong-heroines, the-shelf-of-awesomness

Wow. Honestly, when I was reading this book I had no idea how i'd feel about it when I turned the last page. But now I know. It was completely amazing in the most bizarro-cynical way.

Jessica frustrated me all the time, but I think that's what made her real to me. She made mistakes, and it humanized her. She wasn't just a character in a book. She was Jessica Darling, social-outcast extraordinaire. God, sometimes I hated her. But I loved her so much at the same time.

There are so many things I lov...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 14, 2012 Amanda [Novel Addiction] rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-work, contemporary, series, teen

Every time I re-read this series, I love it a little more. Since I am re-reading this for our teen book club at the library, I took a slightly more critical look at the text, and.. well, I still love it, but I did realize how "adult" some of the themes could be. Perhaps I should use "mature" instead of adult - Jessica is sixteen, and she acts just like a normal sixteen year old - with worries about fitting in, if she will be a virgin forever, and more. Everything she is dealing with, the loss of...more

like · see review

Dec 05, 2012 Stacy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jessica Darling is facing a crisis of major proportion. Her best friend, Hope, has moved away and left her alone with the rest of their brainless clique. Jessica herself is the top student in her junior class and is known as a goody-goody. Jessica, can’t sleep or stop thinking of Marcus Flutie, the druggie she surprisingly kept from jail. Jessica is a mess, but aren’t most teens at some point?

I don’t read many young adult books even though so many of them look good. For the most part I usually f...more

like · see review

Oct 29, 2012 Ana rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am so surprised! I never cared much for the so-called chick lit. I usually stay well away from any book/author that even glances that way.
I prefer fiction, paranormal and/or urban fantasy. If it doesn't have any of the above it probably won't work for me. But a month ago or so a friend bought me a copy of "Can you keep a secret?" by Sophie Kinsella. I liked it a lot.
One thing about me: if I like something about a book/author I always try to find other similar books.
I found this book somewhere...more

like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Caro rated it 3 of 5 stars

I admit I read these awhile ago, and just remembered them after several years, That fact alone in and of itself means that this series is special(to me), becaused I remembered it over all the other young adults I've read.

It also is a really old young adult series. I also admit that I read all five in a fit of insanity and now I can't really differentiate between what happens in each.

Here is what I do remember. We are first introduced to Jessica Darling when the high school quarterback asks her...more I admit I read these awhile ago, and just remembered them after several years, That fact alone in and of itself means that this series is special(to me), becaused I remembered it over all the other young adults I've read.

It also is a really old young adult series. I also admit that I read all five in a fit of insanity and now I can't really differentiate between what happens in each.

Here is what I do remember. We are first introduced to Jessica Darling when the high school quarterback asks her out. They've been childhood friends. But she says no to him because Jessica Darling wants to go beyond just her high school life. She wants to get out of her small town. She is also feeling especially with the lost of her best friend, Hope. I want to take the time here to mention that Hope is pretty much mentioned only by name in the rest of the series, much like Princess Eilonwy in Taran Wanderer, and even when she is on screen, Jessica Darling just glosses over what they do. But anyway, coming off of this loss, she meets Marcus Flutie.
Marcus Flutie is an enigma, a genius or delinquent with the sole purpose of driving Jessica Darling insane.
In fact, that's pretty much all I remember of him.
They get together and then unget together. A lot of superficial reasons that could happen in any relationship. And then Marcus goes to Princeton to finish his degree about a billion years later. Jessica and Marcus end up together.

You know what I do remember? Kenneth, (if it isn't Kenneth, I'm sorry, I can't actually check not having these books near me) the old high school quarter back that used to like Jessica married a random cheerleader and didn't go to college because he got her pregnant. He stays in their hometown, leading a normal blue collar life with lots of children. It almost seems hicksville. He also gets fat after years of beer and not exercising. I think that's what was the most revealing to me about the Jessica Darling series. This series is about someone who actually goes through the stages of life. Jessica Darling was too ambitious to stay at home and be a mother. And I guess in someway, it does show her losses, always putting her career first above family and love. And she's successful, rich, happy. I mean she has Marcus Flutie after all.

Well, since I only really remember Kenneth's story, i can't say if I recommend this series or not! But about five years ago, Marcus Flutie was almost Edward Cullen status in lists of hot literary teens. (review written in 2012)(less)

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Aiossa's 14/15 Se...: Brittany Davis, Book Review 4	1	4	Dec 18, 2012 05:38pm
Wild Things: YA G...: The Jessica Darling Series by Megan McCafferty	13	148	Dec 29, 2010 03:06am

combine
Other Editions (11)

More editions...

Genres

Young Adult

675 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

301 users

Romance

138 users

Contemporary

128 users

Young Adult > Teen

77 users

Realistic Fiction

57 users

Humor

46 users

Young Adult > High School

34 users

Humor > Funny

27 users

Adult

25 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Megan McCafferty

Megan McCafferty is the New York Times bestselling author of the Jessica Darling series, Bumped and Thumped. Her work has received honors from the ALA and the NYPL and has been translated into eleven languages, including Chinese, German and Indonesian. Megan is a Princeton University Community Fellow for Mathey College.

Jessica Darling’s IT List: The (Totally Not) Guaranteed Guide to Popularity, P...more

More about Megan McCafferty...

Books by Megan McCafferty

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Sloppy Firsts

24 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Sloppy Firsts

“You can only be in a bad mood for so long before you have to face up to the fact that it isn't a bad mood at all; it's just your sucky personality.” — 533 people liked it

“Girls will get together just to get together. Guys need an activity as an excuse. Otherwise it’s too homo for them to handle.” — 281 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Sloppy Firsts
avg rating	preview: Sloppy Firsts Goodreads rating: 3.99 (19171 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/138202.Sloppy_Firsts?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320531275l/138202.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/138202.Sloppy_Firsts?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty[/url]

Sloppy Firsts (Jessica Darling #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website