Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (August 28th, 2001) Reading Level: Young Adult Paperback: 298 pages Series: Jessica Darling #1 Rating: 3 of 5 stars “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?
Review:
I really wanted to like this book. I had heard it was great and I had high hopes it would be. I just couldn't get into it. I kept waiting for it to really grab me but that just didn't happen. Sloppy Firsts is from Jessica's POV. She is a 16-year-old girl who just had to deal with her best friend moving. She doesn't know how to be happy anymore, or how to deal with her other friends at school.
The idea of this book was a good one. I usually enjoy stories where young girls are faced with new obstacles, especially when a lot of humor is involved. While this book is funny at times, it wasn't enough to really make me all that interested. I guess mainly I didn't understand why Jessica surrounded herself with people who she really didn't like. But Jessica was a really funny character.
She had a lot of great qualities and I completely believed how devastated she was after Hope moved. I also really liked her interactions with Marcus. Marcus may have had issues but he did seem very realistic. Their slight friendship seemed to really make Jessica question a lot of what was going on around her. I loved that. The situations were also true to what many teenagers go through: friends leaving, crushes that lead to heartbreak, questioning what you really want.
I think that if the story wasn't portrayed as journal entries I would have definitely been more invested in the book. But I just mainly felt like it was being told to me instead of really seeing the story from the character's point-of-view. I'm very visual and I just didn't get enough of that in this book. Megan McCafferty did do a great job portraying the obstacles a typical teenage girl goes through, and I could really see the differences in Jessica's personality by the end of the book.
I know a ton of other people who enjoyed this more than I did so don't count it out! It does have a lot of perks.
Recommended: Contemporary fans looking for a cute, coming-of-age story.
"When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food. Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common." I was very excited for this new dystopian novel centered around the concept of teen pregnancy. I loved the insight and the satire that McCafferty expressed in "Bumped." This exaggerated society wasn't exactly inconceivable. While exaggerated and frightening, I can definitely see something like this happening in the distant (or not so distant) future. I went into this novel with the synopsis and a bit of an expectation. To not sugar coat it — this book wasn't for me. I found the futuristic terminology confusing and never really understood what they were talking about and where the words were coming from (why add Mi to everything?). From what I gather other reviewers had the same problem but eventually understood what was going on so maybe I'm just a bit more dense or structured. Obviously I understood some of the terminology, but a lot of the technology was lost on me. The MiNet completely confused me; is this something in their heads or is it a device? I found the characters to be a bit lacking in depth. The two protagonists (Melody and Harmony — talk about confusing) alternated perspectives by chapter. So many times I would forget whose perspective I was reading which would only add to my confusion. This tends to happen to me when I'm reading a novel with alternating perspectives. I also never really got to know either character very well and as a result my relationship with either character never really developed. I did really enjoy the society that was built and the classifications of people (Amateurs versus Pros, Worms, etc) and felt that it accurately described much of how our world actually works today (without the societal stigmas that accompany it). To clarify, Zen (the best friend) is classified as a Worm because he is vertically challenged and therefore isn't "paid" to mate. While I think few of us today would admit, the truth of the matter is there is generally some judgement made on looks. Many females refuse to date or mate with someone younger or shorter than them — it's a societal expectation or norm that the male be taller and older. Now, of course this isn't written in stone but I think that we can all agree that's the norm. I found these classifications to be understandable and eye opening. Jondoe — I'm not really sure how I feel about him. At the end there it was back and forth too much and I'm not really sure what the truth is and what the act is. Overall, this book wasn't for me. It had a great premise but I was unable to connect to the characters or the plot. I'm not sure if I'll be reading the sequel. Again, this is just me and for the most part I've only read great reviews. For more opinions check out — The Compulsive Reader, Good Books and Good Wine, Pure Imagination, and Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books. Originality: 10/10 Ending: 7/10 Characters: 7/10 Plot: 8/10 My reaction/enjoyment: 7/10 Cover: 10/10 Overall: 49/60 B
-Visit Megan around the web here: Website | Goodreads | Twitter -BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook
To the FTC, with love: Review eGalley from NetGalley
BBAW is finally here and I am so excited to welcome Chachic from Chachic Book's Nook.
You're from the Philippines! That is so cool! Are there other book bloggers in your area? If so, what are they! I'd love to visit their blogs! I'm so glad you think it's cool that I'm from the Philippines! There are actually a number of book bloggers here. I only started blogging this year but I noticed that there have been Filipino book bloggers for several years and more and more are popping out lately. I noticed that we didn't have a site that brings together all Filipino book bloggers so I decided to create Filipino Book Bloggers (http://filipinobookbloggers.wordpress.com/) . I know the name isn't that creative but I'm happy to get to know some of the book bloggers out there. We're having our first meet up soon and I'm really excited for that.
That's so awesome about the meet up! I hope it goes awesome! Because English is your second language, is it hard to read YA novels written in English? What about writing the reviews? Here in the Philippines, we actually use English as the medium of instruction. The Philippines was colonized by the United States and it was Americans who established education in the Philippines. All of our subjects, starting from nursery up to college, are taught in English except for Filipino and a couple of other History subjects. That's why English books aren't translated to Filipino over here and I'm comfortable with reading books and writing reviews in English. Also, I've never mentioned this on my blog but I actually work with Americans. I'm a research analyst for a Business Process Outsourcing company and I report directly to people in the US.
As an international book blogger, what differences in book blogging have your noticed between international and US book blogging? One of the main differences is we don't get review copies. International shipping is really expensive so I understand that publishers would have a hard time sending review copies and it also takes a couple of weeks for the books to get here. I've never received a copy for review and most of the other Filipino book bloggers that I've talked to also haven't received any review copies. The books that I review on the blog are given as gifts, bought, or borrowed.
On a positive note, I love it when US book bloggers are amazed with some of the things that I mention in reviews like how I've never seen snow or how we don't have public libraries over here. You don't have public libraries! Wow, that really makes me appreciate my library. You host a meme called "Want Books?" where readers can highlight books that they want but can't have either to it not being released in their country yet, not having the money for it, a far-out release date, etc. Where did you come with the idea? When is your weekly post up? How many bloggers generally participate? I love the photo too! Are you familiar with the meme Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), which is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine (http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/) ? In WoW, you can feature upcoming releases that you're eagerly waiting for. I used to use that meme but then I realized that it would be better if there's a meme that lets you feature books that have already come out that you can't get for some reason. Instead of complaining about books not being available here, I thought it would be better if I could create a meme to highlight them. So that's how I came up with Want Books. I put up a post every Saturday and anyone can participate. It isn't a popular meme though and only a handful of book blogger friends have participated. I don't mind because I don't think I'll ever run out of material for the meme, there will always be books in my wishlist.:)
I see that you have a giveaway ending TOMORROW! What is it and who is eligible? Yes! I have a Mortal Instruments giveaway but sadly, it's only for residents of the Philippines. All you need to do to enter is tell me what review of mine is your favorite and why. Learn more about it here. We both read a lot of YA, what books would you recommend to struggling young adult readers? Oh gosh, I have so many recommendations! Here you go:
Fantasy The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith Sasharia En Garde duology by Sherwood Smith The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud The Changeover by Margaret Mahy
Fairy Tale Retellings Beauty by Robin McKinley The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
YA Contemporary Fiction Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols Jessica Darling books by Megan McCafferty
Historical Fiction Sunbird, The Lion Hunters, The Empty Kingdom by Elizabeth Wein A Countess Below Stairs, The Reluctant Heiress and A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson Thanks for all the great recommendations! Wow! I'm going to steal one of your questions because it was so good! What is your "good read" preference — contemporary YA, epic fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction or dystopian? I read read books from all of those genres but I have a special place in my heart for epic fantasy.
What are your comfort reads? Books that you go to on a rainy day for a reread when nothing seems to be going your way. The books that I listed in the recommendations section are my favorites so they're really my comfort reads. I've reread most of those several times already.
What book are you pinning for — that you can't wait to get your hands on? Oh so many! Check out my Want Books meme because I have weekly posts on books that I'm pining for. Although if you're asking for books that are yet to be released, I can't wait to get Bayou Moon and Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews, Pegasus by Robin McKinley and Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier.
Chachic, thank you so much for stopping by! It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you and discovering your blog. Readers, please remember to stop by and visit Chachic at Chachic Book's Nook.
It's that time again! I'm really excited to get an earlier start on next year's debut challenge. There are so many amazing books coming out and I can't wait to start reading them all! For 2010 I'll probably hit around 20 debut books read. That isn't too bad considering I signed up in June: ) My 2011 Debut Author Challenge Goal: 40 books!
The objective of the DAC is to read at least twelve novels from Young Adult or Middle Grade Authors. While twelve is the minimum there is no maximum limit! I encourage readers who can read more than twelve to do so!
Anyone can join. You don't have to be a blogger, and you don't have to live in the United States.
You do not have to have an blog written in English to participate.
You can join at anytime. The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.
Qualifying books:
Books must be a Young Adult or Middle Grade novel.
DO NOTE: Just because a book has a teen character or is about a teen, does not mean that it is necessarily a Young Adult novel.
This must be the authors debut with a release date in 2011. They cannot have a prior middle grade or young adult title released.
If an author has a previous novel published under adult fiction/nonfiction or children's fiction/nonfiction, they can still qualify for the challenge if they are releasing their YA or MG debut.
More challenge guidelines:
Novels must be read between January 1, 2011- December 31, 2011. That means, those of you that have read arc forms of the titles early will not be able to count those toward your challenge totals.
You can use debuts from other countries, but the novel cannot be previously released in your county. (I explain this a little bit more in the FAQ section, if you want to check that out!)
For more information the challenge is hosted by The Story Siren and you can USE GOOGLE for details.
Bolded entries mean I currently own the book. Striked entries mean I have read the book (reviews will be linked)
1. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal 2. Unearthy byCynthia Hand 3. XVI by Julia Karr 4. Across the Universe by Beth Revis 5. Vesper: A Deviants Novel by Jeff Sampsen 6. Choker by Elizabeth Woods 7. Angelfire byCourtney Allison Moulton 8. Rival by Sara Bennett-Wealer 9. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford 10. Haven by Kristi Cook 11. Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton 12. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney 13. Exposed by Kimberly Marcus 14. So Shelly by Ty Roth 15. Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach 16. Wither by Lauren DeStefano 17. Entwined by Heather Dixon 18. Clarity by Kim Harrington 19. Falling Under by Gwen Hayes 20. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard 21. Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter 22. The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher 23. The Year We Were Famous by Carole Estby Dagg 24. Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton 25. The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder 26. Bumped by Megan McCafferty 27. Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese 28. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini 29. Hourglass by Myra McEntire 30. Die For Me by Amy Plum 31. Divergent by Veronica Roth 32. Hereafter by Tara Hudson 33. Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris 34. A Beautiful Dark by Joceyln Davies 35. Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley 36. The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver 37. In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane 38. Through Her Eyes by Janenifer Archer 39. Flawless by Lara Chapman 40. Moonglass by Jessi Kirby 41. Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin 42. Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky 43. Possession by Elena Johnson 44. Wildefire by Karsten Knight 45. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab 46. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin 47. Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsay More will be added soon…
Hey everyone. I have a big pile of books from this past month. These include review books, Christmas gifts and purchased books too so there is a lot! Thanks to all the wonderful publishers (and Lisa from A Life Bound By Books!) for sending these fantastic books!
Review The File by Angelyn Stark Extraordinary by Adam Selzer Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger A Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan Blood Sun by David Gilman Don't Expect Magic by Kathy McCullough Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron Bloodrose by Andrea Cremer Pretty Little Liars: Pretty Little Secrets by Sara Shepard Girl Meets Boy by Various Authors Hallowed by Cynthia Hand Fracture (ARC) by Megan Miranda The Way We Fall (ARC) by Megan Crewe Slide (ARC) by Jill Hathaway (2nd copy) Immortal Beloved (ARC) by Cate Tiernan Switched by Amanda Hocking The Ivy: Rivals (ARC) by Lauren Kanuz Glimmer (ARC) by Phoebe Kitanidis The Last Echo (ARC) by Kimberly Derting Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James (2nd copy) Partials (ARC) by Dan Wells (2nd copy) The Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries #5: The Asylum by L.J. Smith Masque of the Red Death (ARC) by Bethany Griffin The Calling by Kelley Armstrong The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont Unraveling (ARC) by Elizabeth Norris The Invisible Sun (ARC) by David Macinnis Gill Social Suicide (ARC) by Gemma Halliday Thumped (ARC) by Mean McCafferty Temptation (ARC) by Alisa Valdes Dark Eden 2: Eve of Destruction (ARC) by Patrick Carman The Selection (ARC) by Kiera Cass Everneath by Brodi Ashton Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters (ARC) by Meredith Zeitlin The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay Cold Kiss by Amy Garvey
Purchased Crossed by Ally Condie Ruling Passion by Alyxandra Harvey Royally Crushed by Niki Burnham Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson How to Ruin My Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
Gifted Ashfall by Mike Mullin Eve by Anna Carey Crash Test Love (SIGNED) by Ted Michael Anew: The Archers of Avalon (SIGNED) by Chelsea Fine Unbreakable Love (SIGNED) by Angela Carling Dollhouse (SIGNED) by Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian
I got Dollhouse from the BookPerk website. If you haven't signed up yet, DO IT! They have a ton of great offers and signed books come up all the time. It's a great site: ) This is the 2nd signed copy of a book I've purchased. The first was a copy of I Am Number Four signed by the MOVIE CAST!: )
What did you get in your mailbox this week?
*IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and it was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.
