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31st out of 857 books
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Sloppy Firsts (Jessica Darling #1)
by
Megan McCafferty (Goodreads Author)
“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
When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Dar...more
Paperback, 298 pages
Published
March 5th 2002
by Three Rivers Press
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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
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,...more
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,...more
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 g...more
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 g...more
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 t...more
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 t...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 reall...more
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
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...more
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...more
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 vario...more
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 vario...more
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.
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.
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
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-...more
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-...more
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 flat...more
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 flat...more
Morgan F
rated it
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 ...more
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 ...more
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 rea...more
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 rea...more
Molly Back
added it
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Lori
rated it
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 scho...more
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 scho...more
Young adult fiction is my secret vice. I admit it! Every now and then there's nothing better than a re-read of a childhood favorite, or, as in the case of Sloppy Firsts, the discovery of something new and wonderful. Quite truthfully, I expected Sloppy Firsts to be nothing more than a pleasant romp. I was surprised to find that though the book was immensely easy to read, it was also thoughtful and substantive. Ms. McCafferty manages to touch on so many of the universal strains and pains of adoles...more
Thank god I didn't take out book 2 at the same time. I would have started reading it right after finishing Sloppy Firsts... and I have to work in the morning.
Jess definitely is notso Darling, and I appreciated that. She's an idiot (Calm. The Fuck. Down. Girl.), and a fairly faithful representation as far as written teenagers go. No real life trauma, which is a nice change. Her sister's an entitled bitch (which hurts me, since my sis is 10-years older than me, and awesome), her mom is...more
Jess definitely is notso Darling, and I appreciated that. She's an idiot (Calm. The Fuck. Down. Girl.), and a fairly faithful representation as far as written teenagers go. No real life trauma, which is a nice change. Her sister's an entitled bitch (which hurts me, since my sis is 10-years older than me, and awesome), her mom is...more
If you have ever been a teenage girl, this book is all but guaranteed to resonate with you. You either were Jessica when you were sixteen, or at least knew her. She's a damaged soul beneath a shield of sarcasm, wit, and vaguely misanthropic tendencies which makes her a surprisingly endearing character and fascinating guide through the jungle of high school.
This is to say nothing of the 'romance' here. There's little else to say outside of how believable it is. It's not rainbows, sta...more
This is to say nothing of the 'romance' here. There's little else to say outside of how believable it is. It's not rainbows, sta...more
If you like the comedy and style of the new hit television series New Girl on Fox, you would be more than in love with this hilarious and intriguing book. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty is an eye catching book and keeps you hooked until the end. Jessica Not-so Darling, the protagonist of the book, has just lost her best friend Hope when she moves to another state. Now Jessica, left to survive, has to deal with boys, “friends”, her dad’s obsession with her track meets and her mom’s obsession ...more
Oh, I loved this book. It struck all the right chords. Jessica Darling is entirely relatable, entirely intelligent, entirely hilarious as a narrator- she's the best kind of teenager. The kind that makes one hope for the future instead of despair. She's casually feminist, in the way that humans that are fully evolved can't help but be, and she sees the sludge of high school society for what it is. When she makes disparaging remarks about other people, it's easy to see that she'll grow out of it, ...more
The Positives: Sloppy Firsts is a great young adult novel. The writing is great, and instantly draws the reader in to the plot characters, especially Jessica Darling. Jessica is witty, entertaining and relatable. The book has an even pace throughout; it follows Jessica through a few years in high school, and is written on a personal level in diary format. It is so easy to read, from the content to the formatting. Jessica's supporting characters are hysterical and fill the roles of typical overpr...more
This book took entirely too long to get to any type of point. At page 88 I wondered why I was still reading it...then at page 108 I wondered how a writer could write such a pointless book. I believe she may just like the idea that she is a writer and not really grasp the concept of what writing is supposed to be about.
With lines like "...Last night was catastrophic. Cataclysmically catastrophic...." and "Apparently the staff at Middlebury were flummoxed by Marcus'...more
With lines like "...Last night was catastrophic. Cataclysmically catastrophic...." and "Apparently the staff at Middlebury were flummoxed by Marcus'...more
Karla was sitting next to me in Physics class reading this book. She finished it, handed it to me and said, "You have to read this." I finished it in 2 days. I had NEVER finished a book in 2 days. This book got me back into reading during high school. It showed me that the adult world was not doomed by its limits to "classic" literature. (I couldn't even get through the SparkNotes for the Heart of Darkness. We had to look too deep into the symbolism of everything to the point...more
I first read Sloppy Firsts when I was barely thirteen. Nine years later, I continue to read and re-read the triumphs, ordeals, and the saga that is Jessica Darling's life.
Written in the style of journal entries and the occasional letters to Hope, McCafferty creates the girl we all aspire to be, as well as the girl we all are. Jessica Darling is angsty. She is moody and surly. But she is also honest, funny, and heartbreakingly real.
At sixteen, Jessica loses her best friend Hop...more
Written in the style of journal entries and the occasional letters to Hope, McCafferty creates the girl we all aspire to be, as well as the girl we all are. Jessica Darling is angsty. She is moody and surly. But she is also honest, funny, and heartbreakingly real.
At sixteen, Jessica loses her best friend Hop...more
Pikachu
rated it
THANK YOU, Megan McCafferty, for making a chick-lit heroine who isn't a total bimbo!! I loved Jessica Darling's character, because she's kind of anti-stereotype. You can totally picture her as being a real-life person, whether it's your bestie, or the girl you sit next to in bio lab. She's a total Brainiac, but she's not very street-smart. Even though she's social, a lot of nastiness goes over her head and she doesn't figure it out until later. She's straight-laced, but still takes risks. She's ...more
I picked this up, and stuck with it, because it was very highly recommended on the Forever Young Adult website, and I usually agree wholeheartedly with their reviews.
This one--not so much. I found Jessica whiny, self-centered, and oblivious. Added to that, several of the author's storytelling techniques seemed odd to me. Why, for example, have the narrator inform us repeatedly of her virginity AND year-long lack of a period AND decision to lie to her mother that her periods have started a...more
This one--not so much. I found Jessica whiny, self-centered, and oblivious. Added to that, several of the author's storytelling techniques seemed odd to me. Why, for example, have the narrator inform us repeatedly of her virginity AND year-long lack of a period AND decision to lie to her mother that her periods have started a...more
3.5 I hated Jessica at first, but found areas we share a sameness that made me appreciate someone telling the story.
In the beginning Jessica Darling really rubbed me the wrong way. Her wit seemed snobby and desperate. She reminds me of people that have their own lingo with each other and they use it to make everyone else feel excluded and dumb. I tired of her bestie Hope in 2 seconds.
Once the story got rolling and Hope was less of a focus, I could relate to Jessica ...more
In the beginning Jessica Darling really rubbed me the wrong way. Her wit seemed snobby and desperate. She reminds me of people that have their own lingo with each other and they use it to make everyone else feel excluded and dumb. I tired of her bestie Hope in 2 seconds.
Once the story got rolling and Hope was less of a focus, I could relate to Jessica ...more
This was just great! I really liked this. I didn't realize at first, however, that this was written in the form of diary entries and letters. But it well written so it conveyed the story and wasn't written in shorthand (which I hate). Mostly, I found this hilarious. Since it is written in a diary, I think we get the more snarky side of Jessica, while getting the dialogue as well.
Jessica was a fun character. I really enjoyed her story. Man, she seems to have some horrible luck! A...more
Jessica was a fun character. I really enjoyed her story. Man, she seems to have some horrible luck! A...more
I didn’t like it. I was going to give it a two stars. But then thought, wait a minute, there WAS no saving factor of this book. It was just plain bad.
I started out reading Sloppy Firsts very bored. But then I began paying attention and found in Jessica someone that I recognized. I found it interesting how the author could present Jessica as smart and athletic and yet totally alone. How the people around her were shallow and flighty. There’s a lot of teenager drama. Lots. Some parts o...more
I started out reading Sloppy Firsts very bored. But then I began paying attention and found in Jessica someone that I recognized. I found it interesting how the author could present Jessica as smart and athletic and yet totally alone. How the people around her were shallow and flighty. There’s a lot of teenager drama. Lots. Some parts o...more
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Megan McCafferty is the author of BUMPED, a satirical dystopian YA novel published by the Balzer + Bray imprint of HarperCollins. She also wrote the bestselling Jessica Darling series: SLOPPY FIRSTS, SECOND HELPINGS, CHARMED THIRDS, FOURTH COMINGS and PERFECT FIFTHS.
Megan edited a short story anthology called SIXTEEN: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday. She has contributed t...more
More about Megan McCafferty...
Megan edited a short story anthology called SIXTEEN: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday. She has contributed t...more
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“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.”
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346 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.”
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Great review Janina!
Jan 25, 2011 07:48pm
updated Jan 26, 2011 02:49am