Sloppy Firsts

Read me, bitches! You'll learn all about The Real World

Here’s the deal, if you have not read this book you need to. Now. Go to the library, go to the bookstore and read it sitting in the floor. I don’t care how you have to get this book but do it. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty is the greatest book of all time ever. If you were born before the year 1995 then you will love this book. Hell, if you were born after the year 1995 you’ll love it. Basically, if you are on a 6^th grade reading level this book is for you. I’m gonna break it down.

Jessica Darling is a sophomore in high school, it’s the second semester and she has just found out her best friend Hope is moving away and she will be left all alone. The book follows the diary she keeps, along with letters she writes to Hope. This book is hilarious. Jessica is very intelligent, but also very self-deprecating. She often thinks she will never have sex and talks about how she is the oldest living virgin. It’s very funny.

Along the way she meets Marcus Flutie, a bad boy drug addict gone good who she develops a crush on. He is also very intelligent but he plays games with her heart (he also wears Backstreet Boys shirts). This book is full of pop culture references from the early 2000’s. This is why I personally think those of us who are 20-something will benefit most from the humor. Also they wear some really hot clothes (at one point Jessica goes to Delia’s and buys a corduroy dress that zips all the way up the front).

There are also some lovely characters dubbed the Clueless Crew. Manda, Sara and Bridget. Jessica’s so-called friends from her honors classes who seem to be more interested in boys and clothes than anything to do with school. Bridget is the only one that comes out with any redeeming qualities, though Jessica hates this since Bridget is so pretty. These three come up with some of the best lines and I sort of wish McCafferty had written a book about the three of them when they weren’t around Jessica, because we get some great stories out of them.

I must warn that this is a five book series called the Jessica Darling Series (inventive I know). All five books are worth the read but my favorites are Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings. These are the two books about high school and in my opinion they are the funniest. Also, McCafferty announced there is definitely 100% going to be a movie!!!!! All the more reason to read, right?