Review: Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty

Title: Perfect Fifths
Author: Megan McCafferty
Published: April 14, 2009
Publisher: Crown
Series: Jessica Darling #5
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Pages: 258
Source: Library
Rating: 2.5 stars
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*Warning: This book review contains spoilers for Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds and Fourth Comings*

“We just want to be where we're supposed to be. We just want to be with the people we want to be with. I don't think that's asking for too much, ya know what I'm saying?”
― Megan McCafferty, Perfect Fifths

Synopsis
Captivated readers have followed Jessica through every step and misstep: from her life as a tormented, tart-tongued teenager to her years as a college grad stumbling toward adulthood. Now a young professional in her mid-twenties, Jess is off to a Caribbean wedding. As she rushes to her gate at the airport, she literally runs into her former boyfriend, Marcus Flutie. It’s the first time she's seen him since she reluctantly turned down his marriage proposal three years earlier–and emotions run high.

Marcus and Jessica have both changed dramatically, yet their connection feels as familiar as ever. Is their reunion just a fluke or has fate orchestrated this collision of their lives once again?

Told partly from Marcus’s point of view, Perfect Fifths finally lets readers inside the mind of the one person who’s both troubled and titillated Jessica Darling for years. Expect nothing less than the satisfying conclusion fans have been waiting for, one perfect in its imperfection. . . (Goodreads)

My Thoughts
The Jessica Darling series has taken us on a long and eventful journey, detailing the young adult years of one Jessica Darling who we cannot help but love even with all her imperfections. From teen angst and first love to broken hearts and college graduate woes, we have witnessed all of Jessica's mistakes and triumphs, trials and comforts. Alongside Jessica, we have experienced the thrill of accomplishment, the sting of betrayal, and the unconditional love of true friends and family. Everything that has happened in the last four books has led to a single outcome, the strange but true reunion of Marcus and Jessica. Three years have passed since they parted ways, but have their feelings really changed? While Perfect Fifths gives readers some much-needed closure and a few touching scenes, it fell far short of my expectations.

Review: Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty

Title: Fourth Comings
Author: Megan McCafferty
Published: August 7, 2007
Publisher: Broadway Books
Series: Jessica Darling #4
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Pages: 307
Source: Library
Rating: 5 stars
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*Warning: This book review contains spoilers for Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings and Charmed Thirds*

“I wish our love was right now.”
―Megan McCafferty, Fourth Comings

Synopsis
Is the real world ready for Jessica Darling?

At first it seems she's living the New York City dream. She's subletting an apartment with her best friend, working for a magazine that actually cares about her psychology degree, and still deeply in love with the charismatic Marcus Flutie.

But reality is more complicated than dreamy clichés.

When Marcus proposes, giving her only one week to answer, Jessica must decide if she's ready to give up a world of late-night literary soirees, art openings, and downtown drunken karaoke to move back to New Jersey and be with the one man who's gripped her heart for years. Jessica ponders this and other life choices with her signature snark and hyper-intense insight, making it the most tumultuous and memorable week of her twenty-something life. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts
In Fourth Comings, Jessica Darling has graduated from college and is officially in "the real world." She lives in an apartment in New York City with not only her best friend Hope, but also her "friend" Manda and Manda's girlfriend Shea. She's struggling to pay off her college loans while also trying to have enough money for real food, not a ramen only kind of diet. She works as an editor at a pop psychology online magazine/journal called Think and babysits her niece Marin 10 hours a week, but even two jobs isn't enough when she's living in New York City, which isn't exactly cheap. On top of all this, she has only a week to decide if she wants to marry her boyfriend Marcus or leave him instead. If I were her, I would have exploded from all this stress a long time ago.

Review: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

Title: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
Author: Allie Brosh
Published: October 29, 2013
Publisher: Touchstone
Genre: Non-Fiction, Humor
Pages: 371
Source: Gift
Rating: 5 stars
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“No one could tell me not to eat an entire cake—not my mom, not Santa, not God—no one. It was my cake and everyone else could go fuck themselves.”
―Allie Brosh, Hyperbole and a Half

Synopsis 
This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative--like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it--but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly. So I decided to just make a list of things that are in the book:

Pictures
Words
Stories about things that happened to me
Stories about things that happened to other people because of me
Eight billion dollars*
Stories about dogs
The secret to eternal happiness*

*These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated my sneakiness! (Goodreads)

My Thoughts
Every once and awhile, I like to mix it up and read something funny instead of the darker reads I usually pick up, and Hyperbole and a Half was just what I needed to tickle my funny bone. Hyperbole and a Half was such a delightful read, and I'm still recovering from the uncontrollable fits of laughter it caused. I don't know how Brosh does it, but she takes everyday situations and just makes them hysterically funny with a few simple drawings and spot-on word choice. I've been a fan of her blog, Hyperbole and a Half, for years so I was ecstatic when I heard she had a book coming out. This book is a mix of new chapters and some posts from her blog, and each chapter is a whirlwind of emotion, equal parts touching and hilarious.

Review: Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty

Title: Charmed Thirds
Author: Megan McCafferty
Published: April 11, 2006
Publisher: Broadway Books
Series: Jessica Darling #3
Genre: New Adult Contemporary
Pages: 359
Source: Library
Rating: 4 stars
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*Warning: This book review contains spoilers for Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings*

“That's what all love comes down to, doesn't it? We help others only as much as they let us.”
― Megan McCafferty, Charmed Thirds

Synopsis
Jessica Darling’s in college!

Things are looking up for Jessica Darling. She has finally left her New Jersey hometown/hellhole for Columbia University in New York City; she’s more into her boyfriend, Marcus Flutie, than ever (so what if he’s at a Buddhist college in California?); and she’s making new friends who just might qualify as stand-ins for her beloved best friend, Hope.

But Jessica soon realizes that her bliss might not last. She lands an internship at a snarky Brooklyn-based magazine, but will she fit in with the überhip staff (and will she even want to)? As she and Marcus hit the rocks, will she end up falling for her GOPunk, neoconservative RA . . . or the hot (and married!) Spanish grad student she’s assisting on a summer project . . . or the oh-so-sensitive emo boy down the hall? Will she even make it through college now that her parents have cut her off financially? And what do the cryptic one-word postcards from Marcus really mean?

With hilarious insight, the hyperobservant Jessica Darling struggles through her college years—and the summers in between—while maintaining her usual mix of wit, cynicism, and candor. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts
Not even a year ago, I had no idea who Jessica Darling was. That is unbelievable. After falling in love with this series, Jessica Darling has become such a solid fixture in my life. I think to myself regularly, what would JD do? The Jessica Darling series is witty and hilarious, emotional and thrilling, and I find myself continuing to love each book as I watch Jessica grow into herself.

Review: Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

Title: Second Helpings
Author: Megan McCafferty
Published: April 22, 2003
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Series: Jessica Darling #2
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Pages: 349
Source: Library
Rating: 5 stars
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*Warning: This book review contains spoilers for Sloppy Firsts*

“We are perfect in our imperfection.”
― Megan McCafferty, Second Helpings

Synopsis
Jessica Darling is up in arms again in this much-anticipated, hilarious sequel to Sloppy Firsts. This time, the hyperobservant, angst-ridden teenager is going through the social and emotional ordeal of her senior year at Pineville High. Not only does the mysterious and oh-so-compelling Marcus Flutie continue to distract Jessica, but her best friend, Hope, still lives in another state, and she can’t seem to escape the clutches of the Clueless Crew, her annoying so-called friends. To top it off, Jessica’s parents won’t get off her butt about choosing a college, and her sister Bethany’s pregnancy is causing a big stir in the Darling household.

With keen intelligence, sardonic wit, and ingenious comedic timing, Megan McCafferty again re-creates the tumultuous world of today’s fast-moving and sophisticated teens.(Goodreads)

My Thoughts
When I first heard about the enigma that is Jessica Darling, I was skeptical. I've never been one for high school drama or angst-ridden, hormonal teens obsessing over bodily image and the sexual activity of their classmates. Who wants to revisit the dreadful insecurities and stress of our high school years? So I was shocked when I finished Sloppy Firsts and realized that I was hooked. Second Helpings was no exception, and I actually found myself enjoying the sequel more. This book was jam-packed with exciting developments that had me frantically turning the pages to find out what happens next.

Review: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Title: Sloppy Firsts 
Author: Megan McCafferty
Published: August 28, 2001
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Series: Jessica Darling #1
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Pages: 280
Rating: 4 stars
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“I don't know anything about anything. The only difference between then and now is this: I may know more than I used to but my wisdom pales in comparison to that which I have yet to learn”
― Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts

Synopsis
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? (Goodreads)

My Thoughts
So Amanda and I decided to do our first read along, and the lucky winner was Sloppy Firsts. We've been trying to do a read along for the longest time, but we found it near to impossible since we read at different paces and are at busy at different times. But alas, it has finally happened. What a momentous moment of blogging history! Alright, I'll cut back on the dramatics. Don't forget to check out Amanda's review of Sloppy Firsts.