Jessica, Darling!

I am in the process of reading the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty. Have you heard of this series? I went into this reading experience off my recent The Princess Diaries high and expecting something similar. Kind of childish but still, there's nothing quite like Meg Cabot's ample, swoonworthy (haven't used that word in a while) descriptions of Michael Moscovitz's forearms. Word, Meg. Word.

Well, let me say that Sloppy Firsts, the first book in the series, is nothing like what I imagined. It might even be better. It's kind of hard to say. For one thing, there is a satisfying amount of profanity, references to masturbation, sex, statutory rape, shitty parents, drug overdoses. But it's all wrapped up in a package that has been delivered across the street from the usual The Princess Diaries-type tween scene books.

While it has plenty of darker tones, it's still injected with enough humour and teenage romanticism to please both sides of me. The side that loves reading about the dark, dreary and depressing and the side that will sit in a dark corner and read about Michael Moscovitz's forearms for eight hours in a row.

Then there is Marcus Flutie. Marcus Flutie is the main romantic interest (as far as I can tell). What can I say about Marcus Flutie? Well, he's no Michael Moscovitz (there have been no remarks on the appearance of his forearms so I can't comment in that regard. But he has not invented any robotic arms for cardiac surgery yet so I think my judgment is fair). He's a little Jess Mariano meets Rob from 1800-Missing-You (another classic Cabot series) meets Macon from How to Deal (the movie adaptation starring the Benjamin Button-esque Mandy Moore) meets someone from Dawson's Creek I'm sure (I have only watched a handful of Dawson's Creek episodes but he feels like he would fit in that creek).

I will tell you how the rest goes. So far, I am enjoying it.

J