Reminiscent Reads is a feature that Cait at A Life Like Mine and I started recently to showcase the books we have read before starting our blogs. From time to time we will choose a few, good/bad, related/not, and do a mini-review explaining a little bit about the plot and our overall opinions.
This is the second post of the feature, done by me, and will be featuring the related novels of Megan McCafferty in honour of her new book coming out today, Bumped. I am so excited to get my hands on this one, but hopefully this post will sate mine and your thirst until that time comes!
P.S. This is NOT a Spoiler Free Review! I didn't give everything away, but like most series, it is really hard to talk about them all without giving away some important tidbits.
I guess first I should start out with a little bit of background about the series, as I usually do with my book reviews. These books were not actually originally acquired by me. They were chosen and purchased by my mother (the first three books in the series actually) based solely on the fact that she liked the covers (stay tuned for an accompanying Covergasms♥ post!). So about three pages into Sloppy Firsts, she decided the series wasn't for her, and I inherited it. At first it didn't seem like my cup of tea either, but I continued on, and well, the rest is history...
SLOPPY FIRSTS by MEGAN MCCAFFERTY
As I said earlier, I originally didn’t like the book, but it definitely grew on me, and is one of my all-time favourites. Jessica Darling’s best friend moves away, commencing obvious turmoil, but also giving her a chance to delve into all of the things that make this series golden.
She encounters Marcus Flutie, the underappreciated softie who captures her attention (and ours!) At first, he doesn’t seem like romance material, but he eventually grows into someone worthy of the warm place I hold for him in my heart. In McCafferty’s debut novel, we see the spunky and hilarious Jessica Darling dive into what is only the beginning of this amazing series.
SECOND HELPINGS by MEGAN MCCAFFERTY
In the second book of the series, I only get more and more fond of Jessica and her crazy life and antics. Jessica’s sister is now pregnant and Jessica is a senior at her school which brings a whole new slew of comedy and diversity to the series.
Loveable and mysterious Marcus Flutie is present again, and kept me wanting more. The incorporation of this dynamic romance is epic, and one of the best ones I have ever seen! McCafferty wrote everything to perfection, and kept me on the hook for more of Jessica and her hilariously narrated goings-on.
CHARMED THIRDS by MEGAN MCCAFFERTY
Probably one of my favourites of the series, Charmed Thirds did not disappoint! Jessica is now in college, but didn’t lose my interest, despite the fact that she left me behind in High School! Jessica adapts to her college life like a pro, never losing her hysterical wit and charm. Marcus is not as present in this novel, which is okay. As I said before, the Marcus/Jessica relationship is far from perfect, but that just adds to my absolute adoration for it!
My favourite part of this novel, and probably the whole series, are the post cards. I won’t say anything more, just so that I don’t spoil EVERYTHING, but it almost brings tears to my eyes, just reveling in the memories of me reading the book and remembering Marcus in all his amazing awesomeness :)
FOURTH COMINGS by MEGAN MCCAFFERTY
The fourth book in the series marked the point when I had to wait for the remaining books’ releases. If you remember, I had the first three books in my possession from the get-go (which I devoured in like a week!) and I was devastated when I couldn’t read Fourth Comings until it was released.
Let’s just say, rather predictably, that I was once again amazed by the versatility that McCafferty shows in this chapter of the series. Jessica, now living in New York and still dealing with Marcus, is now an adult and has a psychology degree to back her up! Even though the series spans Jessica’s life so immensely, and I was still much younger, the book never seemed too old, like a lot of other books I have read. I never lost the sense of camaraderie with Jessica, and I feel as if I lived through all of her ups and downs with her. Truly fantastic!
PERFECT FIFTHS by MEGAN MCCAFFERTY
Ahhhh... That’s what I do everytime I remember this artistic gold in book form. I loved this book. I devoured it! It completes me... It was the absolute perfect conclusion for Jessica and Marcus, and was so very mature. I can’t help but think that this series was so tailored for me, but I also get the feeling that every reader would get this vibe! This series is just remarkable.
I don’t want to give too much of this masterpiece away, but I will mention that Jessica and Marcus are both in it, but it is also very different from the rest of the books in the series. McCafferty once again delivers this amazing narrative that brings Jessica back, very different from the last book, and serves us a heaping plate of impeccable ending, with a delectable cherry on top!
These books all get an A+ from me, and I loved re-visiting the amazingness of the series, and hope you did too, or will read them soon! You should definitely pick them up, they are all available in Paperback, and have recently been re-released with a little bit of a different cover, but still amazing. Also don't forget to pick up Bumped, available now, because I'm sure this one will be amazing as well!
Read them all!--Cheers & Enjoy♥
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