Sloppy Firsts: Review

Title: Sloppy Firsts
Author: Megan McCafferty
Release Date: August 28th, 2001
Published By: Three Rivers Press
Goodreads Rating: 4.03 stars
Amazon Rating: 4.57 stars

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?

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.

Review: Wow. Wow, wow, wow. That was pretty much all I could think after reading this. I never actually read the synopsis for this and only heard somewhere that it was good and about boys and girls and in a diary format, so I thought this was a chick-litty type book, the kind of thing you relax with. I was definitely wrong! This isn't depressing or super-dark or anything, but it's a serious book with funny moments rather than a funny book with serious moments.

Honestly, I really didn't expect to like this all that much. The cover's only okay and the synopsis didn't make it sound super-special or anything, but wow, this was an awesome book. Jessica was a great character, because she was snarky and sarcastic without being too arrogant or snotty (she could be just a little mean at times), and I could relate to her so much. A lot of the time when I was reading about her thoughts, I found myself thinking, "Me too! I feel like that too! I'm not the only one!", and that made the book so much better.

This story sounds like something that has been written a thousand times, and it probably has, but the narrator makes it all different. It was so refreshing to read a typical story turned original. The only thing I didn't like as much is ironically the same thing that made me like this book. Jessica was sometimes a little too mean and depressing, but I still enjoyed this book enough to want to read the sequel.

Grade: B