tiny pink books

Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty
Crown, 2009

Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie are back in this (seemingly?) final chapter of Megan McCafferty’s crossover ya/adult series.  McCafferty has ditched the standard journal format of the series in place of a present tense narrator that shifts focus between Jessica and Marcus throughout the book.  The result is a little awkward, but the charming reunion of this pair will please fans of the earlier books in the series.

One of the most interesting things about the Jessica Darling series has been the way in which McCafferty has aged the characters and the content from young adult to adult.  While Perfect Fifths is totally inappropriate the YA shelves (not just for language, but content and general tone as well), I’m impressed with the way the characters have developed over the course of the series.  Not only are Marcus and Jessica adults in Perfect Fifths, but they have been shaped and influenced by everything that has happened throughout the years.  A satisfying conclusion for most Jessica Darling fans, but newcomers to the series should start with the earlier books, which were the stronger of the series.

Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty
Crown, 2007

Megan McCafferty’s Jessica Darling is back, this facing life after college in New York City.  As usual, Jessica examines her life with the same sarcastic, witty voice.  The problem is that nothing really happens in Fourth Comings.  Long time boyfriend Marcus Flutie proposes to Jessica early on in the book, sending Jessica into an existential decision-making crisis.

The problem with Fourth Comings is really that Jessica’s snarky voice, which worked so well for her character through high school and college in the previous books, falls flat in this adult version.  There’s just something that doesn’t translate when taking this once YA character into the adult chicklit genre.  Another problem is that nothing much happens throughout the book, with almost no resolution found in any of the situations Jessica stumbles upon.  Overall, there’s not enough action and those witty observations that once seemed so humorous are tired and at times irritating.

Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
Three Rivers Press, 2007

The third book of the “Jessica Darling” series, Charmed Thirds takes off where Second Helpings left off–the likable, yet perpetually angsty and troubled, Jessica Darling is now attending college at Columbia University in New York City.  She’s got her loving, long-distance relationship with high school boyfriend Marcus Flutie, a dream internship at an ironically hip magazine, and, of course, enough wit and sarcasm to make this book as fulfilling a read as the previous two.

Charmed Thirds covers a lot of ground in Jessica’s life.  Starting her freshman year and continuing all the way until graduation, we see a lot of time and personal changes spanned in Charmed Thirds.  Jessica’s (mis)adventures in her relationships, her education, and her career choices are written in a tone that makes them so accessible and relatable that it’s hard to put this book down.  The tactic of taking on the coming of age, college experience story, with all the very low points that come along with such, with enough seriousness to make us care and enough humor to make us enjoy, is indicative of the entire series.  There’s something smart and enjoyable and real about the Jessica Darling books that always keeps me engaged.

Jessica has grown up in the series and though I see this book often places in the young adult section of the library, I would be hesitant to call it a YA book.  Sure, mature YA readers who enjoyed the previous books in the series, which are very much appropriate as YA, will be able to enjoy this one, but through each book, Jessica has become more frank (and experienced!) about sex, drugs, and drinking, which may not be appropriate for all YA readers.   I also think that Charmed Thirds deals with some fairly adult, at least college-aged adult, problems that might be more accessible to an older audience.

Second Helpings by Megan Mccafferty
Three Rivers Press, 2003.

A sequel to Sloppy Firsts, witty and sarcastic high school student Jessica Darling is back, this time in her senior year at Pineville High School. Jessica is older, wiser, and maybe even slightly happier in this chapter. She’s still full of the offbeat and inappropriate humor that made Sloppy Firsts so memorable and entertaining. There are more real life issues (ie–college applications decisions) in Second Helpings than there were in the first, but the mood remains light, bitterly funny, and entertaining enough to be a good bathtime or, dare I say it, vacation read. Appropriate for YA (be warned though–sex, drugs, and alcohol make their rounds in this book) through adulthood, this is an amusing chicklit read that manages to have that beautiful balance between endearing emotion and bitter sarcasm.

Sloppy Firsts
by Megan McCafferty
Three Rivers Press, 2001

As stated earlier at some point in this blog, chicklit is not my preferred genre.  Sloppy Firsts challenges this.  Sloppy Firsts is a light, bitterly sarcastic, and angsty tale of Jessica Darling, a 16 year old high school student whose best friend has recently moved away.  Left only with her clique of girls who she despises, Jessica must come to terms with the departure of her best friend and learn how to cope without her.  Jessica deals with a lot in this book, most of which will send readers down memory lane to their own teenage struggles.  It is her sharp wit and amusingly clear insight that make Jessica so enjoyable and readable as a character and a narrator.  I didn’t think I was going to like this book nearly as much as I did.  Upon reading, Sloppy Firsts quickly became one of those books that was hard to put down and caused me to laugh out loud.

With a reoccurring theme of the book centering on menstruation (or the lack thereof), it’s might be stating the obvious to state that this is a fairly girly book.  Women looking for a light and funny take on those awkward high school years will enjoy this book.  Young adults looking for something a little more substantial and, in my opinion, meaningful alternative (or addition!) to the Gossip Girl series will also find a gem in Sloppy Firsts.  Although it’s not apparent whether or not Sloppy Firsts is being marketed as a YA novel (in my library, I found it in the adult section), it is more than appropriate for the mature YA audience.  Although the casual references to sex and drugs may bother some of the more conservative readers (or conservative parents of readers), the overall treatment of these controversial topics is actually quite positive.  Even with her casual references, dirty jokes, and foul language, Jessica’s attitude and behavior towards these things is serious and thoughtful.