Customer Reviews

Perfect Fifths: A Novel (Jessica Darling)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

It boggles me that this book is getting five stars. While I would love to put five stars, I honestly can't. The Jessica Darling series is my favorite book series, and I love the first four books dearly. When I heard the fifth and final book was being released, I was excited, because as I trusted McCafferty in past novels, I felt she would do Jessica and Marcus justice, as well as give us some sort of closure for the many curveballs that have been thrown our way throughout the series.

Instead however, what I got was essentially a blank canvas where McCafferty felt it was her time to test out all these different creative ideas. Endless pages of solely dialogue and random stage inserts like [Pause.] seem careless and lazy, and unnecessary chapters filled with nonsensical haikus and poetry is unneeded and sloppy. Readers flock to these books to get in depth insight on what the characters think and feel, not to get out-there word combinations set up in stanzas for the reader to interpret.

Also, too much time was spent dealing with character introduced in this novel, and who we have no care about. I read from page 91 to 202 in one sitting, and literally felt like I had gotten nothing out of the chapters. All of it was nonsense, and did not seem like in character conversations for Jessica and Marcus. It was too much name dropping and not enough character development for the characters who matter the most (Jessica and Marcus). The end was bland, and while for a moment I had a glimmer of hope in the writing to where I felt like I was reading Jessica and Marcus as they had been portrayed in other hopes, it suddenly ends because well the novel ends. Too much time was spent not building up to anything, and dealing with characters that are not worth the time that was given to them. Honestly, read the first 20 pages, then skip to the last 50 and you will somewhat have the story you want to hear.

It pains me that I had to write such a negative review, nor have I ever even left a review on Amazon, but I was truly disappointed with Perfect Fifths to the point where I needed this to be heard. In all honestly, I wish McCafferty had just left us hanging with the fourth novel, because this fifth novel seems like a carelessly put together writing experiment that does not give the characters of Marcus and Jessica the attention, attraction, and closure they deserve, as well as leaves readers with no closure for themselves. In fact, with all the new information in this novel (which was unnecessary unless she was continuing the series), there is enough material for another book that would do the characters and the readers justice. Unfortunately, instead of finding closure, this novel will have you wanting more - not in a good way - just to actually see Jessica and Marcus deal with their problems and past, and get the proper reconnection that readers were expecting; not just a slightly static story that spent too much time on nonsense, and not enough time on the heart of the story.

I'm sorry Megan McCafferty, and I love all your other books, but unfortunately, I have to give you one star for this. I apologize for saying this, but you have let me down.

Rarely do I ever feel strongly enough to post a review on Amazon - in fact, this is the first I've ever written. That's how disappointed I was in this book. I have been an avid Megan Mccafferty fan since I stumbled upon Sloppy Firsts in my freshman year of high school. I've grown up with Jessica Darling, so natually I was super excited for the new book. I was super disappointed. The entire book is just a conversation, an afternoon between Jessica and Marcus. It completely breaks with the tradition from the first four books, written in journal form.

It was nice to hear about side characters and how they're doing, but mostly, readers want hardcore Jessica and Marcus info. And we got it, I guess. I mean, I read the book in one sitting and basically sat it down and felt like "that's it?"

Honestly, looking back through the series, the books just get
progressively worse. And this is by far the worst yet. If you're a fan of the series, I'd recommend checking it out from the library for a quick read. But this is definitely not a book you'd want to reread, so don't bother buying it.

**SPOILER ALERT** I see all of the five (5) star reviews of this book and I have to wonder if the people who wrote them are related to the author or read a different book than I read. I have read all of the other books in this series, and I was psyched to get this one. What a disappointment. It took me a week and a half to get through it because it was insufferable. There was way too much dialogue (perhaps 70+ straight pages of dialogue), and it was so stilted. It was just a little too witty and not how you would imagine such a conversation would take place. Further, even though it gave us info on all of the other characters introduced in the other books, it wasn't a good method. Reading about people talking about what other characters are doing just feels lazy. Jessica and Marcus ending up together is not a good enough reason to determine this book was good. It was artificial and painful to get through. I only finished it so that I could write a review having actually read the book. If you've read the series, you probably won't be able to stop yourself from reading this, but don't be surprised by how bad it is. Here's hoping that the author's next endeavor is more like the first few books in this series.

Like many others, I loved the Jessica Darling series and hate to give the final installment such a low rating. This book was honestly one of the worst that I have ever read. I'm sure the author didn't want a predictable end to the series (i.e. M & J reunite, fall back in love, get married, etc..), but this was equally as unsatisfying. With that said, I look forward to reading Megan McCafferty's next book and being introduced to the witty, relatable characters for which she is known.

i have been a fan of jessica darling from the first book, but i was extremely disappointed with fourth comings. for some reason i thought that was the last book in the series, so when i found out about perfect fifths i was very excited. however, my excitement was unnecessary, because perfect fifths was just as big a disappointment as fourth comings, and maybe even a bigger one.

i loved the first three books because of the humor and references and romance. for me, the humor was barely present in the fourth or the fifth book. jessica wasn't funny anymore. i did not laugh in this book like i did in the others. which may be in part due to the fact that THE ONLY characters in this book are marcus and jessica. there were brief mentions of the other characters, but they don't really have significant roles in the book. plus, it seems extremely rushed. they reconcile their relationship in the space of less than 12 hours (something like that). i agree with another reviewer who said the conversations weren't realistic, and the characters didn't even seem to be the same people they were in the other books. WHERE WAS JESSICA'S WIT? WHERE WAS MARCUS'S CHARM? i must've missed it amongst all the haikus.

which brings me to the last problem i had with the book: i didn't like how it was set up. it wasn't a diary like the others were, it was just a weird third-person thing spaced apart with extremely long sections of dialogue and poetry. IF IT'S NOT BROKEN, DON'T FIX IT! i missed being able to see things in jessica's own words.

overall, i was just extremely disappointed with this book and wish i hadn't even wasted my money on it. i want to just erase the fourth and fifth books from my memory and be left with only the first three.

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Though I did not totally relate to the snarkiness of Jessica Darling in the first novel, I fell instantly in love with her character and even more so with the mysterious Marcus Flutie.

I loved Sloppy Seconds just as much the first book and I bought the other novels because the story lined developed, the subplots were entertaining and the diary-form-writing was unique to me at the time. In fact, the sarcastic undertones in the writing is probably what appealed to me most - the Random Naming of Things, over-hyphenating, the clear-cut delivery and so it came as somewhat of a surprise when the last book - the book to end all the fretting about Marcus and Jess's relationship woes - is partly told from a present tense third-person point of view (which just seems so unnatural!)

Aside from this annoying style, at one point the author changes speeds and uses pages and pages of uninterupted dialogue. To me this just seems lazy and takes away from the story and the mood/setting she ought to be creating, instead of haphazardly throwing semi-witty remarks about their past on the pages. Now, as a reader, you were left to guess whether Jessica's comment was being made in jest, or serioulsy.

Oh, and Megan McCafferty decided to throw in a few haikus' for good measure. I get it. Symbollism, references to the poems and songs Marcus wrote about her; Jess is a writer by nature, always thinking and toying with words. I get it, get it, get it. But still...Staying true to Flutie's tattoo - whatever.

McCafferty did, however, offer a lot of information as to what happend in Jess' (and Marcus') life during their time apart and really showed that they had grown up and learned from the past.

Now, having read all the novels, I understand the symbollolism and the 'full-circle-feel' the author is attempting to portray, but it just seems a little too forced (the introduction of a new character with an uncanny resemblance to Jessica) and a little to clever (Marcus realizes that all his other conquests are meaningless; just unfortunate that another women needed to show him that) to be taken seriously in this last installment.

Besides, the novel only spans the first 18 hours of Jessica and Marcus' newfound relationship and it seems a little unfair to the reader; they just get back on track and we are left to imagine them riding off into the sunset. I guess I hoped for more. This ending makes the whole work feel a little unfinished.

I enjoyed reading the final book, though, and I'm glad Marcus and Jess' got closure (or a new beginning, whatever). I just hoped we would be granted more than eighteen hours in their world and that Megan McCafferty stuck with the trusted journal-form.

All in all, a good purchase for someone who has read the other books - just don't expect to be blown away.

The first time I met Jessica Darling, it was April 2003, and Second Helpings had just been released. My junior year of high school was wrapping up. I had just celebrated my sixteenth birthday and unwrapped both of Megan McCafferty's books as belated gifts. It was with great glee that I finished both books in as many days. In my angst-filled high school days, I related to Jessica and all her snarkiness, and read both Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings several times over my senior year, letting friends borrow it with rave reviews.

Six years and three books later, there is finally an end to the Jessica Darling series. Charmed Thirds was a much less stellar installment, and Fourth Comings even more imperfect, an obvious setup for a future book. It was more out of obligation than desire that I pre-ordered Perfect Fifths. Although Jessica become a much less lovable character, and her high school counterparts (Manda, Sara, Scotty, Bridget) seemed to have never grown out of their labels and up past the "glory days", the thought of owning books 1-4 of a five book series was unthinkable. (This is also why I continued to purchase Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic books, but that's another review entirely.) I wished that McCafferty had left Jessica after Second Helpings, before she had lost her charm and wit, before she became another character entirely in the subsequent installments.

BUT. I am so glad that I bought this book. It exceeded my expectations, which I admit may have been lower because of my disappointment with books three and four. For the first time, we are reading things from a third person point of view, and hear not just Jessica's voice but also Marcus'. Yes, the book does fall short in some areas, most conspicuously in the physical absence of secondary characters we have known for so long (the Fluties, the Darlings, Len, Percy..). The second part of the book is composed entirely of (somewhat forced, somewhat unbelievable) dialogue between Marcus and Jessica, and part three is a series of senryus, all of which I'm not sure contributed much to the book. However, the book is a breeze to read, and reading the updates on the Upper Crusts' lives was like hearing gossip from an old friend about past high school classmates' lives. The text conveyed the awkwardness of Jessica and Marcus' run-in at the airport, and the different point of views conveyed the desire. Marcus and Jessica are finally adults (!!), and have grown into themselves, no longer confined by labels.

Ultimately, the book was a good read and wrapped up the series nicely. The incorporation of past quotes, jokes, and references to the other four novels worked seamlessly and really made this feel like an end, finally allowing me to contently close the book (literally and figuratively) on a series I have read for the past six years.

I loved this series. Until I read this book. It was -awful-. When I get into a book. I can read for hours at a time, easily finishing a book within one day. That was NOT the case for this book. I was bored. The dialog went on..and on...and on. Anyway, if you read the fourth one, just stick with that ending. It works. Fifth one was not needed. Or at the very least, it could have been presented a heck of a lot better.

I was quite anxious to read Perfect Fifths, mostly because I needed to find out how the series was going to end.

Perfect Fifths is written in a different style than the other books in the series. The story takes place within 2 days and yet this book is able back a lot of the past characters, which is completely awesome. Half the book is in Marcus' POV and it was great to finally get the chance to read what went on inside his head.

Jessica and Marcus literally run into each other at the Newark Airport after not having seen each other in 3 years. From that point on, the book is spent pretty much on them catching up. I found myself actually enjoying the dialogue. They talked and talked and some parts, I didn't even understand what they were talking about! Still, I found all of it interesting. I liked what Jessica was doing for a living, I thought it was perfect for her.

Parts of the book were really funny. Like, every scene where there was some sort of Barry Manilow reference or song, I laughed. Jessica's ramblings to herself were humorous as well.

I was a bit disappointed with how it ended. There were a lot of questions left unanswered and I wasn't sure exactly where Marcus and Jessica stood. However, the ending was nothing bad. If you've read the previous 4 books, be sure to read this last one!

This book had all of the right things-the right characters, the right ending...but not the right feeling that made the rest of the books so good. The decline began with Fourth Comings and continued with Perfect Fifths. The ending was too happy to be real and the snarky comedy and sarcasm that made the books so endearing to start with were completely missing. The conversations left something to be completely desired-they weren't even remotely realistic. The ending, the putting back together of a mortally damaged and dysfunctional relationship, was something that the Jessica Darling of the first three books would have mocked relentlessly, yet the character had changed so much from the original by the last book that it happened anyway. I was bitterly disappointed in this book.