Editorial Reviews:
Book Description
“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? . . . I don’t see how things could get any worse.”
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. Download Description
When her best friend, Hope, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, 16-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. Jessica is a fish out of water at school, a stranger at home, and now -- with the only person with whom she could really communicate gone -- more lost than ever. How is she supposed to deal with the boy-and-shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad's obsession with her track meets, and her nonexistent love life? Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica's predicament, from the dark days following Hope's departure to her hopelessly mixed-up feelings about the intelligent and mysterious bad-boy who works his way into her life. Sloppy Firsts is right in line with some of the great teen crossover works of popular culture, like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and is sure to appeal to readers of all ages who appreciate the inherent humor of high school angst. |
Customer Reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 a real book, Sep 19, 2023
ok i'm a teenager and i haven't read a book so real and one that i could relate to so well in a long time, if ever. I could not put the book down and finished it in about 2 days it was so good. I sound like Jess a lot of the time and it's really refreshing to read a book which one can relate too so easily. thumbs up for teenagers or anyone for that matter!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Relatable and Light Hearted....(Teen Angst says it all), Sep 17, 2023
Lets face it...the teen novel genre isn't the best place to find fresh, humorous and invigorating fiction, Meg Cabot and the Gossip Girl novels aren't helping it out one bit.
So, it was natural that when a friend told me to read this, my first thought was to laugh in her face and hand her a Palhaniuk novel. I've never been so delighted that I gave a book a chance.
Sloppy Firsts is a bible of the teen years. There isn't an emotion that Jess, the heroine, is feeling that all of us at one time or another haven't felt: from feeling above all of the superficiality around her, to obsessing over her zit stricken face. The teenage years are full of highs and lows, and McCafferty does a great job of capturing them on paper with lots of humor, obscure pop culture plus a believable heroine and a dash of cute guy. This is one recipie you don't want to miss.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
This was the story of my dreams...., Sep 8, 2023
This book kept me sucked in it the entire time and i couldn't put it down. The romance and reality to it kept me thinking the entire time "this is the story of my life"....atleast it would be if life was really so great...but it's so real and it's not a perfect fairy tale. I loved it and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good romance.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
still reigns as my all-time favorite book after 2 years !, Sep 2, 2023
Are you sick of the usual young adult fiction books? Sick of those corny chick lit books? I was too... until I discovered this book.
Megan McCafferty said once in an interview that she hoped to have the book equivalence to "Sixteen Candles" or "The Breakfast Club." And she accomplished it (and that's saying something, since "The Breakfast Club" is one of my favorite movies).
Jessica Darling seems to be your typical teenage girl that has your typical one-faced problems-- her best friend moved away. There's a guy she can't stop thinking about. Her family doesn't understand her. She has a crappy excuse for friends at school. A guy she has absolutely no interest in is in love with her. She plays a sport that she hates. She is obsessed with her college application.
But this book is much, much different. Jessica is actually smart and makes witty comments. Her personality is 100% relatable. The characters are so well-described that I can imagine them perfectly in mind (but for some reason, I don't have a visual of the two main characters... maybe this is a sign of excellent writing?). This book encapsulates current pop culture-- it is identical to current high school life. Almost every teenage girl could relate to it regardless if you're
"popular" or "geeky" (I hate to use cliques for examples, but it works). It can be laugh-out-loud funny but serious at times. And who can resist the diary format? Jessica makes smart, ironic, & sarcastic comments about everything... which makes her even more relatable. I think the key thing about this book is the sheer relatability.
The characters practically make up the entire book. I adore Marcus and Pepe/Percy... each with their own quirks.
The only problems with the book? Not enough Marcus Flutie. Although the sequel, Second Helpings, definitely covers that. I also come to have not necessarily a hate, but a dislike for her best friend Hope. It seems like she caused everything to go haywire in Jessica's life. But it is definitely lovely being able to discuss lots of things from the books in the LiveJournal community (if you love this book, you should definitely join).
This book varies between the YA section and the chick lit section. It is considered a YA book for obvious reasons (it IS about a teenager), but tends to have cuss words or graphic portrayals at times (which does make it all the more real, but this is just a caution for those over-bearing parents out there).
I have read this book at least 50 times since when I purchased it approximately 2 years ago. I am a huge bookworm, and yet this book is STILL my favorite book. I honestly can never get enough of it.Buy your copy now-- you'll need it. Actually, buy the sequel too. Sloppy Firsts seems naked without Second Helpings. Plus, there is going to be a third book! But unfortunately it is going to be released in 2006.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 In spite of myself..., Aug 18, 2023
I've never pretended to be a War and Peace-reading, Emily Dickinson-analyzing type of literary expert, but at the same time felt little interest for this type of book. ("This type of book" meaning the paperback with the cutesy cover, pink lettering in Modern font with the light green background, and picture of a girl from the face down that I always witnessed people reading in high school.) However, I have started a crusade to read these popular teen books and see what all the fuss is about (and possibly write one of my own).
Here's what the fuss is about: Almost every American, suburban high school girl can relate to at least SOMETHING Jessica's going through, whether it be her cynical attitude about high school and its ridiculous rituals, friends she finds boring, her inability to fit in at home, the pressure to have sex, and so on and so forth. For the first few pages I was fully convinced that this book was going to be a 280-page whine fest by a self-pitying, over-privileged ingrate.
Well, it was. But unless you've lived in below the poverty line, had a near-death experience, or joined the peace corps, you have behaved the same way over trivial issues. That's my justification for enjoying this book.
However, I didn't give it all its stars because of those other things to which I could NOT relate, along with its at times over-the-top storyline. (Come on, a street-smart, undercover writer from NYC, a faked urine sample for a drug test, an origami poem from a "dreg"-turned-genius trying to lure her into bed?) Additionally, I will comment on the language and sexual references that some did not feel were "appropriate" for the age group to which this book is marketed. I'm sure if I were a mother living in the sexually-repressed 1950s, I would feel that this book was inappropriate for my children. However, I can assure that even the most sheltered and "innocent" of high school students have been exposed to sex talk to the point that I felt this book even held back at times. But don't worry; Sloppy Firsts DISCOURAGES pre-marital sex if anything, unlike many other teen novels.
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Based on 375 reviews.