Goodreads Summary: “Knowing that I’ve just done something that will take decades off my parents’ lives with worry, you’ll excuse me for not getting into the fa-la-la-la-la Yuletide spirit this year... The only difference between Christmas 2001 and Christmas 2000 is that I don’t have a visit from Hope to look forward to. And Bethany has already packed on some major fetal flab. Oh, and now Gladdie doesn’t need to ask a bizillion questions about my boyfriend, because she’s already gotten the dirt from you know who.”
Jessica Darling is up in arms again in this much-anticipated, hilarious sequel to Sloppy Firsts. This time, the hyperobservant, angst-ridden teenager is going through the social and emotional ordeal of her senior year at Pineville High. Not only does the mysterious and oh-so-compelling Marcus Flutie continue to distract Jessica, but her best friend, Hope, still lives in another state, and she can’t seem to escape the clutches of the Clueless Crew, her annoying so-called friends. To top it off, Jessica’s parents won’t get off her butt about choosing a college, and her sister Bethany’s pregnancy is causing a big stir in the Darling household.
Why I Read This Book: Its a sequel to the first Jessica Darling book, Sloppy Firsts, which I thought was great!
Review: I liked Second Helpings even better than Sloppy Firsts. I thought Jessica grew a lot in this book, much like I think a lot of seniors in high school do. I thought she made keen observations in this book, which she definitely lacked in the first one. Jessica is a great character, and I sort of see myself at that age in her a little bit. Some of the best parts of this book was when Jessica finds her voice without hiding behind the school paper. There is many times she manages to stand up and say what she feels or thinks, where the Jessica from Book 1 definitely wouldn't have been able to. The book kind of makes Jessica seem a bit self centered, however that doesn't bother me because it's written as her journal, so really it should be all about her. It would be different if it was written in another style, but I'm okay with it like that. Also, as much as some of Jessica's choices made her seem like she was growing up, other were just plain dumb. But, I thought that made the book pretty funny, because realistically, she's 17, of course she is going to make ridiculously stupid choices sometimes! The only part of the book that really made me think 'WTF?!' was that everyone was so OBSESSED with sex. Even people who had never had it. (Which obsessing over being a virgin - normal. Obsessing over how horny you are when you have almost no sexual experience - not normal). I thought it was a bit odd that Jessica claimed to be so freakin' horny all the time. Maybe that is normal and I was just an asexual teenage though... who knows.
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