I have to admit it: Sloppy Firsts was better. Yet, that doesn’t mean that Second Helpings wasn’t a brilliant follow-up novel, because it was! Jessica Darling is back and this time, she’s about to start her senior year of high school. Hope, her best friend, is still miles away from her, her mother still wants her to find a boyfriend, her sister is now expecting a baby, her relationship with her father continues to get worse, and to make matters worse, it’s time to apply for college. If that wasn’t enough on her plate, Jessica wants to can’t think of Marcus Flutie…not after what happened before. Thus, Jessica’s last year of high school starts and if you thought Jessica had things figured out after Sloppy Firsts, think again! So, why was Second Helpings not as good as Sloppy Firsts? It has the same quirky and hilarious narration, the same unforgettable characters, the same high school problems…so what changed? Well, I guess in one word, it would be…Jessica. I still love Jessica Darling to death and she seriously is my literary-soul-sister, but Jessica’s thoughts begin to change in this one. For one, she begins to think about sex way too much. Nope, she isn’t having sex, she’s just thinking about it on practically every other page, which is not only vastly unrealistic, but became rather annoying too. I felt as if some of the discussions she had about sex were even repeated from time-to-time and was rather confused about this new direction of thought. Furthermore, there was one rather predictable mystery in this story that Jessica took awhile to pick up on, so while it didn’t ruin the story in the least, it was a little disappointing to see such an intelligent character fail to see something this obvious. Nevertheless, those petty qualms aside, I devoured Second Helpings in a matter of hours. Jessica is still struggling between being who she is and fitting in at high school – a conflict I found equally as compelling in this sequel. I really liked that despite her growth, Jessica still had so much more to learn, not only in school, but from her family at home too. McCafferty shows us this so perfectly that we can’t help but love Jessica, even for all her flaws and mistakes in this book. Marcus Flutie (*cue swoons*) also plays a larger role in this novel, but perhaps not as large as some readers would have liked. Yet, I loved this aspect of the book. Once again, the most influential people in Jessica’s life are absent, so whenever Marcus did make an appearance in this book, it was like a wonderful treat. I’ve never been a big fan of sexual tension or cheesiness, but I ate up the sexual tension in this one and grinned like an idiot at the eventual cheesiness at the end of this. I know, I know, Marcus Flutie has made me into a pile of gush, but I can’t even bring myself to care. I love the guy and even more than that, I love how McCafferty makes you see just how right these two are for each other. Second Helpings has so much going on in it, but it’s a wonderful follow-up to Sloppy Firsts. It also has a conclusion that wraps everything up beautifully and leaves the reader utterly satisfied, so it will definitely be awhile before I pick up the next Jessica Darling book, Charmed Thirds. Still, I know that when I do read it, it’ll be like meeting an old friend all over again. McCafferty’s book are absolutely wonderful and I think part of the reason why I love them so much is because my best friend and I attend different schools as well, yet, she is still the most influential person in my life and I can connect with and understand Jessica on a deeper level because of it. Don’t worry though – Jessica has a little bit of everyone in her and there is no way you cannot fall in love with this series. Marcus Flutie will ensure that, even if Jessica doesn’t! ;) I really can’t recommend these books enough as they are absolutely hilarious and wonderfully quick reads at the same time, so I know this is one series I will constantly re-visit, even as I grow old. Yup, it’s just that good. You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
Most of my Goodreads friends have loved this book/series (lots of 4 and 5 star reviews!) so I'm disappointed at giving this book 1 star. I wanted to love it, I really did, and the writing was definitely catchy. The main problem was that Jessica was such an unlikeable character in so many ways. I didn't like her in the first book and was hoping there would be some improvement, but nope. She's so negative towards women: Other than her best friend Hope, who seems to be about the only woman she's positive about. Some others it goes up and down, while others are just insulted constantly. "Bitches and skanks are everywhere. They're at school. They're at camp. And they'll surely be in college. I might as well get used to it." (12%)Towards a girl with anorexia who questioned if she was a lesbian: "I'm so happy to see you eating...You're obviously comfortable enough with your body not to worry about putting the weight back on. Good for you." (23%) And then she was happy because the girl stopped what she was eating and gave the rest to Jessica. She's homophobic: She has a major crush on Paul, who is gay, a fact that she mentions constantly. This starts when he cleans off sugar on a table at a coffee shop before sitting down, done so delicately because he's gay. It continues:"PAUL PARLIPIANO IS A HOMOSEXUAL. This was easy for me to forget because he looked the same as he always did. He hadn't gayed himself up since coming out: No platinum highlights in his dirty blond curls. No pink triangle pins. No I'M HERE. I'M QUEER. GET USED TO IT! tattoo." (14%) She's racist Lots of talk of how ghetto some college spots are. Then there's her friendship with Pepe: "'What up, my white soul sista?' 'Why, if it isn't my token black friend!' Pepe and I bumped fists...This ongoing joke about his 'blackness' and my 'whiteness' never gets old. I don't find it annoying or offensive when Pepe acts ghetto because (unlike Miss Hyacinth Anastasia Wallace and countless Wiggaz at Pineville High) he's doing it to be funny, not to keep it real. (Also, unlike Hy and the PHS Wiggaz, Pepe benefits from actually being black.) There is much fun to be had upsetting too uptight, politically correct people." (23%) There's also 29% through when she and her grandmother are talking about 9/11, and she's comforted when her grandmother tells her that she's letting those towel-head lunatics get her down, and to not let her future be ruined by a bunch of looney sand monkeys. Some other annoyances: -Her nemesis for top student is Len, a geeky boy who had always been unattractive until he suddenly comes back to school after summer vacation and is hot. Jessica is quick to point out that even though he has a makeover, he is still "socially retarded". He also has a crush on her. I HATED her relationship with Len, and I hated how in her diary she wrote Uhn and Um every few words when he spoke to her. It got annoying so fast. -She's also desperate to lose her virginity and brings it up constantly.
What do You think about Second Helpings (2003)?
I will do my best to refrain my flailing and fangirling in this review, but it's going to be really difficult, because this series gives me so many feels. SO. MANY. FEELS. Seriously, if you like contemporaries at all and are not easily offended, then you really need to read the Jessica Darling series posthaste. Second Helpings follows Jessica through her senior year of high school, and had me even more on the edge of my seat than the first one.As I mentioned in my review for Sloppy Firsts, I love Jessica. She is so well-characterized that I feel like I know her up and down. I can tell you her strengths, her weaknesses, and how she fails to see herself properly, as most people do in high school. Jessica grows up a lot in this book, learning to go for what she really wants and to see herself more objectively. In Sloppy Firsts, Jessica did a lot of things to please others, but now she's focused on herself.One thing (out of many) that I love about this series is that it's so obvious that Jessica doesn't know what she wants. Though, from my perspective, I can tell the right choice from the wrong one, I know Jessica so well that I understand when she missteps. She works out her difficulties in her journal, rehashing them over and over again, trying to process her feelings, particularly about boys. Relationships are confusing, and it can be really difficult to tell how you actually feel about someone, especially if they're also your friend. McCafferty shows that all teen relationships don't last forever, and that romance isn't easy or found at first sight.In my previous review, I mentioned that I was still a bit unsure about Marcus Flutie. Let the record show that I am no longer unsure. Before I got too far into Second Helpings, I was shipping Jessica and Marcus something fierce. Basically, in book one, he didn't really overcome his sketchy past enough to be someone I could really endorse as a hero, but, by now, he's made good, now using his talents for good rather than substance abuse. He and Jessica have such a strong mental connection, and chemistry like whoa. Also, it's hilarious how, for two forthright, honest people, they have a huge amount of trouble admitting their feelings for one another.Though I've decided not to rate down for this because I just loved this book so much, this edition had a surprising number of typos. Also, that ending was mean. Just mean. I am very afraid that I will not like the next book, mostly because I have no idea what will happen and I have nerves just thinking about all the bad, but realistic, decisions I will need to watch Jessica make. MAKE GOOD CHOICES, JESSICA.To reiterate, you should probably be reading this series. Do it. So you can flail with me. Please?
—Christina (A Reader of Fictions)
Tak. Teď hlavně doufám, že je fakt sobota a já nemusím za hodinu vstávat. Ehm.Je tak trochu výstižné, že jsem zůstala vzhůru celou noc a četla knihu o dívce, která je mi kromě jiného podobná i svými problémy se spaním. Rozhodně je lepší celou noc číst než pár hodin zírat do stropu. A koneckonců, jak řekla Marylin Monroe, “Who said nights were for sleep?” I když upřímně pochybuju, že to ta ubohá žena myslela zrovna takhle. Jessica je úžasná hrdinka. Číst z její perspektivy je zábavné, a přece se člověk zamyslí. Kniha se odehrává v roce 2001/2002 v USA, ale myslím, že by se Jessičiny postřehy mohly aplikovat i na naši střední školu. Postavy v knize bych našla i ve svém okolí. A ráda bych se považovala za Jesiccu samu, ale faktem zůstává, že ona je mnohem odvážnější, chytřejší a vůbec všechno co mě v šest ráno nenapadá a já můžu jen doufat, že Jenn Sweet je moje alter-ego.Tak že bych konečně byla schopná usnout?P.S.: Tady prostě CHCI happy end. A jestli ho dostanu až na konci páté knihy, budiž. Ale jestli nebude, budu mít další důvod, proč si sarkasticky stěžovat v "deníčku", jak je život nefér.
—Freckles
As much as I loved "Sloppy Firsts," as much as I admired Jessica Darling and identified with her in that book, I just couldn't bring myself to give this sequel more than 2 stars, simply because I didn't like how this story unfolded.For one, I thought Jessica digressed in this installment. I no longer found her funny and spazzy, I found her immature, whiny, and, for all her school smarts, dumb. I didn't like her relationship with Len, I thoroughly hated her sudden obsession with losing her virginity to just about anyone. Where did her self-respect and idealism go?But even more, I disliked the direction Jessica's relationship with Marcus took. I couldn't believe that Marcus would do so little to win her back and she, in her turn, would be so dense. I didn't like that their relationship was almost non-existent for almost a year and a half and then escalated within hours and culminated in... fade into black.Having said all this, I have to note that "Second Helpings" was not a complete waste. There were some funny bits, some sweet moments and some sexy poetry. However, as of right now I am not as excited about this series as I was after reading "Sloppy First" and will have to take a long break before I attempt reading the next book (if it ever happens).
—Tatiana
