I never read this the first time around, so I was excited to get on the Jessica Darling bandwagon.. Jessica is a girl with all of the same insecurities that so many her age face. Add to that, her best friend moving away and her dysfunctional (to her) family and she is living a teenage nightmare. Jessica is written so "darlingly" that it makes her easy to relate to and to root for.

It is easy to understand why "Sloppy Firsts" was such a popular novel when first released and why the author and new publisher decided to re-release it. Jessica Darling's worries, fears, hopes, and confusion are something that many readers can identify with it. Many of us want to fit in, especially in high school, and suppress parts of ourselves or put on a false front to conform to the expectations others have us (or what we believe others expect of us), and it is not easy to gather the courage to be ourselves.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I love these books! The adjustments they've made to bring them up to date are just great. Such a fun reread.

I never read the book when it was originally released in the early 2000's so I don't know how much of the book was changed in this release. That being said there are a few problematic sections and stereotypes in this book that maybe shouldn't have made the cut in 2021. Overall, it was an easy read and Jessica is a mildly entertaining narrator. Maybe it's the lover of toxic men in me, but I enjoyed her relationship with Marcus Flutie. I don't honestly know if I'd continue the series intentionally, but I might listen to the other books on audio from the library if I'm in a reading slump.

*Arc provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review."*

I had never read the Jessica Darling series when I was a kid so honestly I was shocked to read that it was the 20th anniversary edition. It is very cool that Jessica can now resonate with a new generation though- teenagers still struggle with the same feelings but I think now all of this feelings are also amplified by things that Jessica didn’t have such as Twitter, tik tok and Instagram.

This definitely felt like Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging to me. I was a huge lover(and still am) of Georgie Nicholson and I think Jessica Darling is very much in the same realm with her telling the story from a journal perspective and her age. I think she had some cute quips but was definitely not as much of a outright comedy of errors and from early on Jessica is faced with extraordinary situations in her life.

I think this book was sweet and definitely made me reminisce about my trials and times in middle and high school and the associated feelings with life’s changes and first loves. Very cute- would recommend for the younger generation. 3.5 stars.

TW: drug use and overdose

Needing some 2000’s nostalgic vibes? Sloppy Firsts is the first book in the Jessica Darling series and was rereleased earlier this year with a new cover, an updated author’s note, and a new foreword by Rebecca Serle. It is an adorable, journal-style YA following a high school teenager as she comes of age in the new millennium and in a pre-9/11 world.

Jessica Darling is simply that…darling! She reminded me so much of myself as a teenager in feeling her emotions so deeply and not being super popular or having a large friend group. She’s just trying to figure everything out. The book covers Jessica’s daily life throughout an entire school while she deals with typical teenage hurdles and the searing absence of her best friend. I loved the nostalgic vibes it gave me and I seriously felt like I was back in high school and the world was a simpler place.

While I feel like this is a good YA especially for a millennial like me to relive our own coming-of-age, it did feel redundant at times and I found myself annoyed with Jessica so many times. I don’t know if it is because I am now an adult and some of the thoughts and actions of a hormonal teenager are not common to me anymore, but I found myself rolling my eyes often. I’m honestly not sure how present day teenagers would feel about it because it did feel different than modern YA books I’ve read. I did like it and it was a quick listen. I would be interested to continue reading the series to see more of Jessica’s story, but they are not at the top of my TBR.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books, Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for my gifted copies! All opinions are my own.

Sloppy Firsts was a book that had actually been on my TBR probably since I joined Goodreads but much like everything else that is out of sight/out of mind I didn’t ever actually try to obtain a copy. Then it got a new look for it’s 20th(????? – I think 20th) anniversary and a freebie was available to me for review so obviously I was all over it.

You’re probably getting sick of hearing me say that I have no ability to read anything “deep” of late, but it is what it is and that’s what ended up being the driving force behind me finally getting to this one. My qualifier for a good YA selection always seems to be “would it translate well to the screen.” I’m happy to report that is the case with this option. I could easily see this series becoming a Netflix bang bang bang release. I'm also always a sucker for a coming of age tale. Good things about this one were the leading lady was pretty hilarious/relatable/likeable, the diary type writing style leads its hand easily to a voiceover/narrator to fill you in on all the goings on inside Jessica’s head, the leading male is every girl’s bad boy swoony selection.

That’s another good thing I should mention. Since this is a revamped oldie my geriatric heart found so much fondness in reminiscing about the olde days of yore when The Real World was fresh and Amaya was boiling bunnies over Colin, the Smiths weren’t just for poseurs and youngsters weren’t offended by John Hughes movies. Ahhhhhh, good times.

The bad news????? This was one hundred percent open ended. Now I am well aware that this is #1 in a series, but generally books like these work just fine as standalones. For someone like me who is nearly always allergic to reading past book one, my reaction upon turning the last page and seeing the Acknowledgments was . . . . . not great haha. And I know I tend to go on and on about cartoon covers and my inability to stop myself from requesting them either in ARC form or from the library, but I actually like the original leg cover of this one so call me fickle.

So 3.5 Stars and rounding down rather than up it shall be.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Ahhhh Jessica Darling is back and here for a new generation! The things she goes through are common no matter what era and I love her awkwardness and her angst.

20th Anniversary Edition!

Yes, this book has been around for 20 years and it is my first time reading it. Originally published in 2001 and set at about the same time, Sloppy Firsts tells the story of 16 year old Jessica Darling. She is smart, sassy, observant and feels lost and alone. Her best friend Hope has just moved away from their New Jersey hometown and Jessica feels set adrift without a paddle amongst kids she has nothing in common with, like the Clueless Crew. She just wants to feel a connection and dreams of finding a boyfriend and has her crushes but is not too hopeful.

This is a funny read that I am sad I missed when it originally came out, but HEY I've finally read it, so go me! Jessica was a relatable protagonist. She is adrift in the muck and mire of a suburban high school. Her observations about high school life are spot on and her confusion and loneliness are all too real. I am hoping to pick up the follow up books sometime soon (hopefully way sooner than 20 years. :) )

<i>What to listen to while reading...</i>
The Way We Get By by Spoon
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths
Sick of Myself by Matthew Sweet
I Want it That Way by Backstreet Boys
Weekend in in New England by Barry Manilow
Only You by Yaz

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

I somehow never read this classic in my own youth, so it didn’t hold the same nostalgic appeal for me as it probably does for others. However, I do admit that I was intrigued by Jessica’s observations on high school life after a while. I was also interested to read about what the author had changed and why. Even with these revisions, there is certainly an element of internalized misogyny and slut-shaming that will hopefully develop into a learning opportunity in future books.

I read this series when it first came out, years ago. It's still a great read, but I'm NOT a fan of the new cover design. It's a series that's best for older teen readers, and this cover just feels juvenile.

I remember kids reading this when we were younger so I was excited to see it pop up on Netgalley. Its a laugh out loud coming of age story. Some aspects don't necessarily hold up in 2021 but I appreciate it for what it was - a witty, funny teenage story. I liken it to a Bridget Jones for the high school era. Messy and relatable.

This was hilarious, and adorable, and endearing. It made me bust out laughing, and occasionally want to cry. I didn't want it to end. I'll most definitely be reading the rest of this series, no doubt about that! Glad I got to see this re-introduction to a series originally released in 2001, 20 years later!

Friends. I am devastated.

I read this book probably ten years ago for the first time and I remember right away falling for Jessica Darling and loving her relationship with Marcus. So, when I got the opportunity to get an e-arc of the 20th anniversary edition I was SO EXCITED. I was ready to fall back in love with this series and get to share with all of my friends and younger followers how great this series is.

That being said, I can’t lie and not mention how problematic and how just boring this book is in 2021.

The book follows Jessica Darling as she navigates high school after her best friend, Hope leaves to a new state/school. She’s faced with a reality that her only other friends aren’t that great, that her passion for running isn’t really her passion anymore, and that her family is really dysfunctional. Then she starts talking to bad boy Marcus.

The book spends a lot of time telling us how different Jessica is. She isn’t like *most* girls. She doesn’t like dresses, she’s not a slut like the rest of her school, she’s really into running, and she’s really smart. And this attitude makes her seem like she thinks she’s better than everyone and makes her pretty unlikable as a character.

In addition, the book has a lot of girl-on-girl bashing, and slut shaming. There were also several questionable sentences that weren’t very LGBTQ+ friendly. And the cast of characters seemed to be very white…except for that one kid who while the main character admired he didn’t seem to have a very big role in the story.

I also disliked how the main character’s family was just so awful. Her mom eventually gets better, but it seemed like this crazy pity party to have her mom, dad, and sister to all be cruel to her. And then to go and add a dead family member too?? It was too much.

Jessica’s relationship with Marcus was definitely the standout of the whole book. But it was pretty brief. And the ending was definitely a good cliff-hanger that I think most readers will enjoy.

Something that felt odd was the time period. It felt like the book was never updated from when it was originally published which was a shame. There were some mentions of things that were popular in the early 2000s but not enough for it to feel nostalgic. I think mentioning a book or song and maybe some clothing items would have made it feel more in the era. The main character does have an obsession with Pretty In Pink and The Backstreet Boys, but since both are pretty well-known in 2021 it didn’t feel like enough to really make the time period feel solid on their own.

Overall, I don’t know who I would recommend this to. I think this was too mature for younger YA readers since it involves sex as a topic pretty heavily, with most of the main characters being sexually active. And since there’s also mentions of underage characters having sex with people much older than them, I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable giving this to a freshman or sophomore in high school. I think the fascination with sex in this book was a little too much as it definitely would have made me question if I was doing something wrong for not having sex in high school when I was younger (especially nowadays where it’s even more bombarded into teens’ brains thanks to the social media presence). In addition. I think older YA readers will find this too immature as the main character is constantly in her thoughts and most of the plot is just snapshots of her life with no real conflict.

For those of you that aren't aware, this book originally came out in 2001 and it was my ABSOLUTE favorite book all throughout middle school and high school. The Jessica Darling series was my first ever experience reading Young Adult and it truly is the series that I credit to me falling in love with reading. With that being said, the original version of the story is not without issues you would expect from a book written in 2001 (extremely dated language, slurs, slut/body shaming, etc). When I found out that Wednesday Books was republishing this series in 2021 with some changes and updates, I was absolutely thrilled. While I can't speak to how someone coming into this series for the first time in 2021 would feel, as a re-read I was extremely satisfied by the updates made to the story and I adored my time spent re-visiting Jessica (and Marcus!!!). This was an absolute blast to re-read and I cannot!!! wait!!!! for the rest of the series to be re-published and for me to finally have a complete matching set of all the books after 15 years of loving them. Hot dog!

CW: overdose, death of a loved one, sudden infant death syndrome, drug use, body/fat shaming, food shaming, slut shaming, statutory rape

Overall I thought this was a great book! I was surprised by the twists in the plot, and happy with the ending. JESSICA DARLING DOR PRESIDENT!!!!

'Sloppy Firsts' was a fun trip down memory lane! I loved reading YA books like this one during my teen years. Jess was so funny throughout the book! It was entertaining reading about these high school scenes with cliques and friendship troubles, since teens still face these dilemmas during this current age.

Thank you Netgalley for the gifted copy of Sloppy Firsts!

This book wasn't for me.

I couldn't get into the story and the writing, and I discovered that it was written originally in the 2000s, and after that, it helped me finish it, but I didn't enjoy it.
I know younger me would have eaten this up but unfortunately, not now.

I loved Jessica Darling the first time I read these books years ago, and I suspect if I didn't have the nostalgia factor, I wouldn't feel the same way reading this now. It's hard for me to imagine modern teens picking this up and loving it, knowing when it was set and what it is about. I also think if I was a teen today, I definitely wouldn't be able to look past a lot of Jessica's internalized misogyny nor would I understand why she likes Marcus.

I can understand why this book has been a hit for sooo many years. I hate that I am just coming around it. JESS IS HILARIOUS. She represents a typical teenager, challenged with trying to fit into society despite being quirky and very different from the other girls in her high school. This book was definitely very old school, with no cell phones and only landlines, but that is something I loved reading about. I love old-school vibes, so much more chill without all the tiktok distractions, and this book gave me exactly that. I WAS ROOTING FOR MARCUS FROM THE START. Scotty was just annoying with his whole jock persona and being the golden boy; really hated him. I also knew the other girls in the friend group were all toxic (except maybe Bridget, especially towards the end). I NEED TO SEE MORE OF THE AMAZING HOPE! She seems like a really good best friend, and definitely someone Jess needs in her life. A wonderful novel touching on mental health, menstruation issues (MAN, MENSTRUAL SSUES CAN BE ANNOYING, TRUSE ME), and friendships. Looking forward to reading more of this series!