Sloppy Firsts Review

Goodreads Summary: When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant 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 big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, 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. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.


Okay, so I tried to write my own plot summary, but I failed to really capture the essence of the novel without making it sound very, very cliche. And while it is in fact cliche at times, I still liked this book. 


As stated above, Jessica Darling is devastated when her best friend moves away. And while the first of the book is really just her moping about her life and missing her best friend, it really get better in the second half. The first half did annoy me- the only really winning part was that Jessica and I share a similar sense of humor and an anxiety- prone behavior. When I thought back to the end of my sophomore year though, I was able to see where she was coming from. I actually think I would have enjoyed this book more had I read it then, rather than now. Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Also, the second half was wonderful, since it became more than Jessica sitting around- she actually started taking action and stuff. Overall, a very light read. I will be reading the next one.