Author: Megan McCafferty
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Crown
Publish Date: April 22, 2003
Source: Library
Why You're Reading This Book:
- You're a young adult fiction fan.
- You like snark.
From Goodreads.com: "Jessica Darling is up in arms again in this much-anticipated, hilarious sequel to Sloppy Firsts. This time, the hyperobservant, angst-ridden teenager is going through the social and emotional ordeal of her senior year at Pineville High. Not only does the mysterious and oh-so-compelling Marcus Flutie continue to distract Jessica, but her best friend, Hope, still lives in another state, and she can’t seem to escape the clutches of the Clueless Crew, her annoying so-called friends. To top it off, Jessica’s parents won’t get off her butt about choosing a college, and her sister Bethany’s pregnancy is causing a big stir in the Darling household.
With keen intelligence, sardonic wit, and ingenious comedic timing, Megan McCafferty again re-creates the tumultuous world of today’s fast-moving and sophisticated teens. Fans of Sloppy Firsts will be reunited with their favorite characters and also introduced to the fresh new faces that have entered Jess’s life, including the hot creative writing teacher at her summer college prep program and her feisty, tell-it-like-it-is grandmother Gladdie. But most of all, readers will finally have the answers to all of their burgeoning questions, and then some: Will Jessica crack under the pressure of senioritis? Will her unresolved feelings for Marcus wreak havoc on her love life? Will Hope ever come back to Pineville? Fall in love with saucy, irreverent Jessica all over again in this wonderful sequel to a book that critics and readers alike hailed as the best high school novel in years."
My Two Cents:
Oh, a second helping of Jessica Darling? Yes, please. Like the first book in this series, this book was another walk down memory lane of my high school years. Oh, and you definitely should read the first book in this series before moving on to this one. Jessica is hilarious again. Again, each chapter opens with a letter from Jessica to her best friend, Hope. There were a lot of these letters that made me laugh a lot. Jessica is still very sarcastic, which I find very funny. I really, really love the snark and it's definitely something that I relate too.
This book had a lot more Marcus Flutie, which made it good. Jessica is still hopelessly crazy for Marcus and I can see why. He's the type of guy that you're attracted to in high school. He's the ideal and he's sort of unattainable simply because Jessica isn't willing to put herself out there. Eh, sounds like a high school story to relate to.
Admittedly, Jessica definitely seemed to have a lot more issues in this book. She seemed to be a little depressed and not really getting the help she needed. I also didn't care for how fixated she becomes on losing her virginity. She seemed to be under the impression that it was something that she needed to do in order to feel better about herself. It just wasn't healthy. I really wanted her to snap out of it and realize that she didn't need to worry about it so much. Anyhow, I'm really hoping that things get better on this end in the next book.
So yes, I will definitely be reading the third book in this series!!!
You're right about the fixation on virginity -- I'd forgotten about that. But I also related to much of what Jessica says/experiences circa my high school years, and Marcus completely won me over in this book! SIGH. "You, yes, you"... I really need to re-read this series.
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for my hold on the third one to come in at the library. I can't wait!!!
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