Sloppy Firsts

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Sloppy Firsts is the beginning of the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty which I have read great things about. The fifth book, Perfect Fifths, will be released April 14.

Jessica "Notso" Darling is a typical angsty teenager who drops in to a full on depression when her best friend Hope leaves Pineville, New Jersey and moves to Tennessee. She is forced to pretend to be friends with Clueless Crew, boy and shopping-crazy bimbos, and spend time with her parents who just don't get her. Everyone wonders why she doesn't date Scotty, the superstar athlete who has a crush on her but has been her best friend for years and why she doesn't want to spend her time shopping with the Clueless Crew or her Mom and sister.

Her life is further complicated when Marcus, a "dreg," or druggy suddenly starts imposing on her life. She can't sleep, she is bored at school and she is positively miserable.

Overall this was a good book. Jessica is a captivating narrator who any girl can relate to. Her parents don't understand her and she feels like she doesn't fit in at school. She is sarcastic and a little bitchy and I like that in a protagonist.

Sometimes I felt like she was a little over dramatic and way more sex-crazed than I remember anyone being in high school but her moments of insecurity and vulnerability made up for it. I also didn't like that we never heard from Hope. We heard so much about how much Jessica missed her but I think it would have lent some validity to hear just one conversation between them. It would have made Jessica's sadness more real if I also knew Hope was missing her as much.

I very much enjoyed this, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series before Perfect Fifths comes out in April.

This book counts toward my Library Challenge and First in a Series