Customer Reviews
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Very Well Written, Apr 24, 2023
After mid-terms, my friend recommended Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings to me, and I took them home to check them out.
Let me say that I read both in under three days.
I was hooked from the start. As a teenager, I could relate to a lot of the feelings that Jessica Darling has. Progressing through her years in high school, she continues to turn her thoughts to Marcus Flutie who seems to show up in unexcepected places, and you'll find out the rest once you've read this book (unless other reviewers have inconsiderately ruined it for you).
I thought this was an excellent book, although I woudn't recommend it for kids not in high school. Its mature content might be a little too eye-opening for younger kids, but to anyone old enough, it's a must read! You'll be captivated by Marcus Flutie..I know I was!
(But back off..he's mine! :-P)
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
A Definite Must Read!, Apr 18, 2023
I recently read the book Sloppy Firsts. The novel was so well written, that I just had to read the sequel. The sequel, Second Helpings, was also very well written. It went right along with the first novel, picking up on details and bringing them back into the sequel. The series is very down to earth. Young adults, mainly girls, can relate to the books in many ways. Second Helpings brings back Jessica Darling for her senior year at Pineville High. You see the same characters in Second Helpings that were in Sloppy First. There are many unexpected twists between characters, gluing your eyes to the pages. If you are dying to know what happens between Marcus and Jessica, this is a must read!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A Winner All the Way!, Apr 7, 2023
SECOND HELPINGS picks up the story at the beginning of the following school year, at which point Jessica and Marcus haven't talked since New Year's Eve. Almost against her will, Marcus is slowly dragged back into her life. At first, Marcus tries to get his best friend to go out with Jessica and he succeeds in doing so. In truth, he's in love with Jessica, and only wants her to be happy. It takes Jessica most of the story to realize what Marcus feels, what she herself feels and the reality of things around her.
SECOND HELPINGS is a story of realization, friendship and growing up. Aided by a childhood friend (and onetime Clueless Crew member) and another friend, Jessica dusts herself off after a heartbreak and pushes forward. A scene where she's told how Marcus feels about her is one of the best in the book. Marcus might be the best character in the book, being that he's always highly intelligent yet not always in control. Megan McCafferty shows us two characters who are both head and shoulders above their peers intellectually, but also both in need of friendship (namely each other's). No matter how intelligent Marcus is, he's almost unable to make Jessica warm up to him. Regardless of how vulnerable Jessica feels, she won't let Marcus inside, possibly out of fear for his motivations, intentions and past.
Subplots in the story include Jessica's search for a college to attend, her struggles with the track team, the ongoing gossip trail of her friends (most of them from Sloppy Firsts), meeting up with her old crush, and her family. All roads lead to growing up, and each subplot is a part of that. It's a tightly woven story and while it's significantly longer than Sloppy Firsts, the two stories merge together well, and there's realistic character development. In short, it's a fine novel and improves upon SLOPPY FIRSTS. Recommended! I also agree with the other reviewer who recommended THE LOSERS' CLUB by Richard Perez, another book I loved!
0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
 AWESOME BOOK FOR TEENAGE GIRLS!, Apr 5, 2023
I am fourteen years old and I have read both Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings. I believe that both novels are written very well, and I'm happy to say that I could relate to Jessica Darling in some ways. I love both Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, however, there is only one thing that I don't like so much about both of these novels. In either one of the books Jessica experiments with the drug, Ecstasy, or X, and it seems like everything is la-de-dah okey-dokey. Nothing really happens to Jessica that makes her realize to never try drugs again except for the fact that she feels "ill" the next day. I believe the author could have taught, us readers, a lesson by showing that Jessica learned a lesson. I feel that Megan McCafferty did not do this. Girls reading these novels may feel its "okay" to try out drugs and experience sex and so forth.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Incredible!, Mar 31, 2023
Being a senior in high school, I relate extremely well to Jessica Darling. I bought these books Friday night and was done with them by Sunday evening. It inspired to me to keep a journal, and I have begun doing so.
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