Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
Series: Jessica Darling #1
Published by Broadway Books on August 28, 2001
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 298
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
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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.

All the Jessica Darling fans were right. This book is everything I heard it was: funny, cute, sweet, heartbreaking, and so dang true! I have never read a more realistic story about love and life in high school. Megan McCafferty clearly knows the mind of a teenager.

Jessica Darling has no filter from her brain to her journal. Everything she thinks gets written in it’s pages. It makes for one hilarious read. I was caught laughing out loud many times. She is brutally honest but she is also very nice. She is just lonely and confused and has a lot going on in her life. Namely the Clueless Crew; Bridget, Sara, and Manda. Wow are those girls whacked. They are the true clueless, boy obsessed cheerleaders that most schools have. The only one I really cared for was Bridget but the other two did add some laughs. As for Marcus Flutie, everyone was, once again, right. He is totally swoon-worthy in a messed-up real kind of guy way. I have finally found a love interest who is not perfect but you can still fall in love with.

The story is told through short journal entries. Sometimes I did wish it was told a different way because it seemed choppy at times but the story just wouldn’t have come across the same way. It makes for a quick read that is very honest and fun. It may be one of the best contemporary novels I have ever read just because the story was so dang realistic: the high school, the people, the sex, the drugs, the alcohol. Everything was 100% authentically high school.

Overall, Sloppy Firsts is my first Megan McCafferty novel but definitely not my last. I can’t wait to find time to dive into the next book. If you haven’t started this series yet, now is the perfect time!