Customer Reviews

Sloppy Firsts (Jessica Darling, Book 1)

5 star:		(340)
4 star:		(71)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I came across this jem at a local thrift store for only two dollars. I didn't even bother to read the summary because I was in love with the bright colors and the way the 'mouth shaped origami note' seemed to pop out from the very typical young-adult girl book cover that I loved to indulge myself in, so I bought it. The book sat on my shelf for months until finally deciding to attempt to read it. In the beginning I couldn't seem to get into the book, reading maybe two pages into it before giving up and re-reading something else I already knew that I loved.

However, when I started to read it, I could not stop. This story about a straight 'A' brainiac teenage girl was like an obsession. Her "diary" consisted of everything possible, including: a best friend who moves away and leaves her with a group of snobby and fake girls that she's grown up with but just can't stand, the boy who has grown up liking her that she sees as just a friend, her beautiful crush who doesn't know she exists, and the mysterious "krispy kreme" aka Marcus Flutie who keeps getting her into trouble.


The sarcastic comments are utterly hilarious and hit so close to home I for one knew I had thought freakishly similar things in my own daily life.

The angst and originality of the main character, Jessica "Not-So"Darling is one that I feel every girl can connect with and learn to love.


Without a doubt my favorite book in it's category.

"Sloppy Firsts" is a novel that was a lot of firsts for me. As a seventeen year old, I have found in the past that I have had to read books like "The Fountainhead" and "Catcher in the Rye" in order to relate to a character in a book these days-because modern day writers have a tendancy to magnify what is either rare but interesting about teens that make the lead characters seem fake, OR they have teens worrying about things that real teens really don't have to worry about in the first place. But "Sloppy Firsts" is different. In it, the main character Jessica Darling is a human being; she's not perfect, she makes mistakes, and she's not a fake hug-you-every-time-she-sees-you type of girly-girl. She sees the world as it is, taking the good with the bad. It only took me about four hours to finish this novel. I won't call it a page-turner, because that doesn't do it any justice; it was more of a (I know this is going to sound cheesy)"self-discovery" thing for me. I mean, when I read it, (the day before yesterday) all I was looking for was SOMETHING to give me some comfort; I had no idea I would get so attached to the people in this book, and find myself relating to Jessica in almost every way. READ THIS BOOK. There is no way, no matter how young or old you are, that you will be dissappointed.

SLOPPY FIRSTS is a great novel which I enjoyed reading very much. The narrator is Jessica Darling, a high schooler, who goes through many experiences and learns a lot along the way. What is Jessica to do when her best friend has just moved away, her dad obsesses over her high school track career, and her mom is too involved with her older sister's wedding to help her other daughter? Jessica must learn how to deal with all these things while tackling other problems which come her way, including her shallow friends, her relationship with one of her guy friends, and bad boy Marcus.

I found that SLOPPY FIRSTS told everything like it is. It reminded me of all of the problems that normal teens go through everyday. Jessica's experiences with friends, boys, and parents really sounded like an account of any teenage girl living in America today. It also dealt with many different issues at once, so that every part of the book was interesting. I couldn't stop reading it. There were so many situations where you wished something would happen and you had to keep reading to see what actually WOULD happen. In fact, I tried to put a limit on what I could read every day (needless to say, it didn't work because I finished the book in 2 days). I just found the whole book very interesting, and thought that the way it was told was very funny. I loved how Jessica was so sarcastic and comical with the way she described everything. This is a great book! I also agree with another reviewer who recommended THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez. These last two books are my favorite Amazon.com purchases for the year. Highly recommended!

SLOPPY FIRSTS is a great novel which I truly enjoyed reading. The narrator is Jessica Darling, a high schooler, who goes through many experiences and learns a lot along the way. What is Jessica to do when her best friend has just moved away, her dad obsesses over her high school track career, and her mom is too involved with her older sister's wedding to help her other daughter? Jessica must learn how to deal with all these things while tackling other problems which come her way, including her shallow friends, her relationship with one of her guy friends, and bad boy Marcus. This book is just great FUN -- you should definitely read it! Also recommended: THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez

I enjoyed reading this book very much, after reading it I emailed Megan Mccafferty and she e-mailed me back, I thought it was really great of her. Anyway, back to the book, in my own words this book portrays the life of a "normal" teenage girl so accurately you almost have to wonder whether or not it wasn't written by a really 16 year old girl.Jessica's world is decribed wonderfully down to very littlest detail. As an avid reader, I have read most of the teen favorites, but I wouldn't consider this book a run of the mill diary format book about teen angst. This is because Jessica is intelligent yet not perfect, she has all of the traits that human being should have. For instance, she is blantantly honest with us in her"diary", yet she is very skilled at lying. Though she says she hates her body she is not vain, she is just dealing with normal everyday teen life. Yet, Jessica is purely fictional, I applaude Megan Mccafferty for her painfully honest portrayal of any real girl's life. I assure you that when you read this book, no matter what age you will feel like she could be your best friend, who knows?, maybe you'll see a litte of yourself in her.

Sick of chick lit about women with glamorous jobs in fashion, journalism, or TV media and their endless serial-dating in the pursuit of love? Ugh...Me too. Thank you Megan McCafferty for writing about somewhere we've all been - (Cue scary music) HIGH SCHOOL.

I didn't buy this book in the "teen" section. I was surprised that many considered this a teen book. But who cares?

I LOVED IT!!!!

This book is SO funny. It completely transports you back in time to those high school years and all the things that you THOUGHT were SO important, back then...You know, the things that you look back on 15 years later and laugh about?

Teens will read it and say, "Wow...that's how I feel!" and will love the book because they can relate with the angst. Adults will read it and thank GOD that time in their lives is OVER and laugh at the things they once thought were matters of life or death back then.

Immature teenage boys, teenage social classes, long lost best friends, high school dramas, everything-but virgins, overbearing parents, older-guy crushes, unlikely first loves, bad summer jobs, evil older sisters, yearbook cliches, the pain of exclusion, friends who don't understand you...it's all in this book and dealt with through the eyes of a sarcastic young woman feeling lost in a world she can't control.

It's like getting inside on the juicy gossip that only flourishes unabandoned in a setting like today's high schools. Step into the life of Jessica Darling - whose name suits her like a pit bull tied in a pink ribbon - and remember the soap opera called high school.

High school can be a drag, we all know that. And for those of you who aren't swimming with the "upper-crusts," you can totally relate. This novel is a look into a not-so typical teen's world and her crazy stories about her unusual life.

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty is a first hand look into a high school student's life. Jessica Darling is not your typical, happy-go-lucky teenage girl though. She's a top of the line brain, who's also a track star in the making... sounds like all the other teen novels? You just wait. Her best friend Hope recently moved away from their little town of Newberry, New Jersey. She left her with a group of friends she has dubbed "the clueless crew" (she really only hangs with those wanna-be-bimbos because, according to her, without them she'd have no friends).

Jess has to deal with her best friend moving, keeping her 99.66 GPA, track, her sister's marriage (which goes hand in hand with her mother's crazy behavior) , Scotty, the only guy who's actually interested in her, an unhealthy crush on Paul Parlipiano, her PMSing because of her MIA period (she's told it's from stress... THAT I can believe) and tons more of crazy problems she finds thrown in her face. Oh, and her biggest problem, Marcus Flutie.

Marcus Flutie aka Krispy Kreme is the school's biggest dreg. He used to hang out with Hope's brother Heath, before Heath overdosed and died (which is the reason why Hope was flown out of New Jersey faster than you can say watermelon). Jessica would have never talked to the kid if it wasn't for her forgetting her locker combo (another result of way too much stress) and having to go to the office. When she trips over his legs in the office their interesting "connection" begins. In the nurses office a couple weeks later she helps him fake a drug test and everything begins to escalate from there. Marcus isn't her type, yes, but ever since that first encounter Jess isn't able to shake him from her mind. Could the class brainiac be falling for Krispy Kreme?
Sloppy Firsts is an easy read and is written in a fun diary format. Jessica's witty and down to earth honesty is what kept me up all night reading. The novel is full of surprise situations, funny stories, and tales of this poor girl's crazy depression. Check out this excerpt: "I was feeling so optimistic that I made a vow to myself then and there: I will be normal. I will accept that Hope is gone. I will not be afraid of being friends with Hy. I will face up to the fact that Paul Parlipiano will not devirginize me. I will stop thinking that Marcus Flutie is trying to corrupt me. I will be normal."
I'd say it's hard to put the book down once you start. It's just so funny and addictive. I think teen girls can best relate to this book, but it's honestly fun for all ages as well! I also loved this novel even more since it has a part two, Second Helpings (cause boy let me tell you, once you finish the first you'll be ecstatic that the story continues!) . So if you're looking for a great novel you can relate to or just a fun, easy read, read Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty. It has the perfect balance of drama, depression, and unpredictable situations to make you want more!

Wow! The person who said this book was inappropriate is way out of line. Like it or not sex, drugs, and alcohol happen in high schools everywhere and we should be glad to have a novel that kids can read and learn from. Readers of this book are lucky to have characters that have experimented with these vices and decided that they are not the answer and that they are not for everyone. The main character's best friend's older brother died from a drug overdose, sending his sister into a mind set that drugs are the worst thing in the world. The main character herself isn't into the "party scene" and she still manages to survive. Yes, the main character seems tortured and depressed at times, but honestly, isn't everyone in some way, especially in high school. Sex, drugs, and alcohol don't automatically make you "cool" like a lot of peer pressure in school today says, by reading this book kids become aware of that. If anything this book teaches readers that there are other ways than illegal activity to spend their time. The fact that the main character is guilted into participating in a sport that she hates by her father and her inability to get along with her mother are situations that millions of kids face themselves. Who honestly gets long with their parents in high school? Anyone who read this book can learn from these characters. I think this book is amazing and I think the sequel is even better

This book was great! It written in a way where it's not sugar-coated. The main character, is in no way, perfect. Neither is any other characters. The book shows the vices of people, and how replusive some can be. Jess is incredible relatable to me. The writing style that Megan McCafferty uses is unique. Jess' vices make her more human than some other people in other books, but how she tells them through her journal makes you find a way to love her. Many of the parts of the book are parts that you can laugh out loud or to yourself. The way events are described in the story, often had me agreeing with Jess. Her angst-ridden personality drives her to do many unexpected things and can cause her to blow-up at inopportune moments. Some moments in the book, I found myself nodding along or thinking, "wow, this seems so familar." Megan McCafferty's writing is relatable but no predictable. The only part I didn't like was the ending, but that is no reason for me to decrease to rating over just one part. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

This story is not unique. I can be Jessica Darling. You can be Jessica Darling. Any 16-year-old girl in an American high school can be Jessica Darling. In other words, this is relatable material, focusing on a year in the life of a young girl dealing with mostly typical teenage angst. Jessica Darling, a self-proclaimed brainiac, deals with her best friend moving away, and trying to fit in with a group of girls she dislikes. Meanwhile, she struggles with her mother, who is obsessively planning her older sister's wedding, with a sort-of boyfriend, and a head-game happy boy genius who stimulates her intellect and likes her "as a friend."

Jessica is wise beyond her years and that appeals to me since I've been out of high school for a VERY long time. It made me wish I were that smart when I was a confused high school girl. Overall I found her take on the world quite entertaining. The writing is fast-paced, crisp, and funny. I'm not sure I'd let my daughters read this, due to the frank outlay of sex and drugs in the plot; however, for more mature readers, it's a bit of a romp into a juvenile, chick-lit world that made me think, "been-there/done that."

Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.