Review of Sloppy Firsts

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
Page Count: 280
Official Website: Click
Rating:
Quote: "Do genuine kisses exist in a world of plastic mistletoe?"
Description: "When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad's obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over her sister Bethany's lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica's predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment-from the dark days of Hope's departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious "Dreg" who works his way into her heart."

Review: Sloppy Firsts is the funniest book I have ever read in my entire life, probably until I read the sequel, Second Helpings. The first in a series of five books, I think, Tells the story of Jessica "Notso" Darling, who is dealing with the absence of her best friend, Hope, after she moves away. The story is told in diary entries from Jessica's point-of-view, and at the end of every month, shows an e-mail from Jess to Hope, chronicling that month's drama.  


Now that Hope is gone, Jessica is forced to be friends with the Clueless Crew, made up of Sara, Manda, and Brigit. The Clueless Crew, living up to their title, is a group of common senseless girls who cause drama and lie to each other in their small circle. So Jess is hating her time spent with them, until she starts spending time with Marcus Flutie.

Now, about the writing. Seeing things from Jessica's perspective was incredible. She was insanely sarcastic and hilarious. This is an example of her tone of voice when Marcus comes to pick her up for a date:

 "I went to the top of the landing and saw Marcus shaking hands with my dad. I felt like I was wearing a cast again - on both legs this time. I couldn't move. My mother nudged me from behind and I almost tumbled head-over-ass down the staircase. As I gripped the railing, and gingerly took each step, I prayed Marcus wouldn't ask one of his bizarre questions before I got to the bottom: Mr. Darling, did you know that the Japanese have a word to describe the hysterical belief that one's penis is shrinking?

  "Jessica!" my dad exclaimed, as though the last time he'd seen me had been on the back of a milk carton. 

I dunno. You guys might not think it's funny, but I was reading it in this weird way, so when I got to the last line, I was peeing myself. And then the end. It was an e-mail from Jessica to Hope, (Hope was supposed to be visiting) and then it just ended! The sequel better pick up right from that e-mail!

I know this review is kinda blah but I can't really give away anything without messing up the whole story. So please, go out and read this phenomenon!  And then get the sequel :D