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Jessica Darling #4
Fourth Comings
Is the real world ready for Jessica Darling?
At first it seems that she’s living the elusive New York City dream. She’s subletting an apartment with her best friend, Hope, working for a magazine that actually utilizes her psychology degree, and still deeply in love with Marcus Flutie, the charismatic addict-turned-Buddhist who first captivated her at sixteen.
Of course, reality is more complicated than dreamy clichés. She and Hope share bunk beds in the “Cupcake”—the girlie pastel bedroom normally occupied by twelve-year-old twins. Their Brooklyn neighborhood is better suited to “breeders,” and she and Hope split the rent with their promiscuous high school pal, Manda, and her “genderqueer boifriend.” Freelancing for an obscure journal can’t put a dent in Jessica’s student loans, so she’s eking out a living by babysitting her young niece and lamenting that she, unlike most of her friends, can’t postpone adulthood by going back to school.
Yet it’s the ever-changing relationship with Marcus that leaves her most unsettled. At the ripe age of twenty-three, he’s just starting his freshman year at Princeton University. Is she ready to give up her imperfect yet invigorating post-college life just because her on-again/off-again soul mate asks her to…marry him?
Jessica has one week to respond to Marcus’s perplexing marriage proposal. During this time, she gains surprising wisdom from unexpected sources, including a popular talk show shrink, a drag queen named Royalle G. Biv, and yes, even her parents. But the most shocking confession concerns two people she thought had nothing to hide: Hope and Marcus.
Will this knowledge inspire Jessica to give up a world of late-night literary soirees, art openings, and downtown drunken karaoke to move back to New Jersey and be with the one man who’s gripped her heart for years? Jessica ponders this and other life choices with her signature snark and hyper-intense insight, making it the most tumultuous and memorable week of her twenty-something life.
At first it seems that she’s living the elusive New York City dream. She’s subletting an apartment with her best friend, Hope, working for a magazine that actually utilizes her psychology degree, and still deeply in love with Marcus Flutie, the charismatic addict-turned-Buddhist who first captivated her at sixteen.
Of course, reality is more complicated than dreamy clichés. She and Hope share bunk beds in the “Cupcake”—the girlie pastel bedroom normally occupied by twelve-year-old twins. Their Brooklyn neighborhood is better suited to “breeders,” and she and Hope split the rent with their promiscuous high school pal, Manda, and her “genderqueer boifriend.” Freelancing for an obscure journal can’t put a dent in Jessica’s student loans, so she’s eking out a living by babysitting her young niece and lamenting that she, unlike most of her friends, can’t postpone adulthood by going back to school.
Yet it’s the ever-changing relationship with Marcus that leaves her most unsettled. At the ripe age of twenty-three, he’s just starting his freshman year at Princeton University. Is she ready to give up her imperfect yet invigorating post-college life just because her on-again/off-again soul mate asks her to…marry him?
Jessica has one week to respond to Marcus’s perplexing marriage proposal. During this time, she gains surprising wisdom from unexpected sources, including a popular talk show shrink, a drag queen named Royalle G. Biv, and yes, even her parents. But the most shocking confession concerns two people she thought had nothing to hide: Hope and Marcus.
Will this knowledge inspire Jessica to give up a world of late-night literary soirees, art openings, and downtown drunken karaoke to move back to New Jersey and be with the one man who’s gripped her heart for years? Jessica ponders this and other life choices with her signature snark and hyper-intense insight, making it the most tumultuous and memorable week of her twenty-something life.
Audio CD
First published August 7, 2007
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About the author
Megan McCafferty
27 books2,536 followersMegan McCafferty writes fiction for tweens, teens and teens-at-heart of all ages. The author of twelve novels, she’s best known for SLOPPY FIRSTS and four more sequels in the New York Times bestselling Jessica Darling series--available throughout 2021 in updated 20th anniversary editions. She published two new books in 2020: TRUE TO YOUR SELFIE (MG, Scholastic) and THE MALL (YA, Wednesday Books). Described in her first review as “Judy Blume meets Dorothy Parker” (Wall Street Journal), she’s been trying to live up to that high standard ever since.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 599 reviews
November 13, 2021
Jessica Darling ist 22 Jahre alt und hat gerade ihr Studium beendet. Ihr Freund Marcus ist ein Jahr älter und beginnt gerade erst mit seinem Studium. Jessica kann aber nicht mit einem Erstsemester zusammen sein, und so beschließt sie, mit Marcus Schluss zu machen. Er kommt ihr jedoch zuvor und macht ihr einen Heiratsantrag. Nun hat Jessica eine Woche Zeit, sich zu überlegen, was sie eigentlich will...
* Meine Meinung *
Ich hatte mich so auf dieses Buch gefreut! Die Inhaltsangabe klang sehr vielversprechend, und auch die Kritiken waren zumeist positiv! Leider war dieses Buch für mich dann aber nur eine reine Enttäuschung! Die Erzählung springt hin und her durch die Vergangenheit, ist total langweilig und auf die eigentliche Frage - will Jessica Marcus heiraten - wird kaum eingegangen.
Dazu ist der Schreibstil überhaupt nicht mein Fall.
* Meine Meinung *
Ich hatte mich so auf dieses Buch gefreut! Die Inhaltsangabe klang sehr vielversprechend, und auch die Kritiken waren zumeist positiv! Leider war dieses Buch für mich dann aber nur eine reine Enttäuschung! Die Erzählung springt hin und her durch die Vergangenheit, ist total langweilig und auf die eigentliche Frage - will Jessica Marcus heiraten - wird kaum eingegangen.
Dazu ist der Schreibstil überhaupt nicht mein Fall.
September 13, 2007
I really wish this series had stopped at Second Helpings. This story, and everything the main character thinks, feels and experiences is such a high school experience. It’s a classic story, but done so perfectly it feels fresh and new. We can sympathize with the teenage Jessica’s angst because we’ve all had similar experiences. This does not translate to college, and it’s even more out of place in the real world. Jessica’s whininess and general disdain for everyone makes sense when she’s stuck in Pineville, surrounded by meatheads, but when she finally escapes, she’s still the same person. She hates everyone, even her own friends. Even as a hipster 20 year old, it’s not realistic and it’s annoying. Second Helpings was a great ending, and the character showed some real growth in it, so I have to wonder what was the point of the last two books?
October 6, 2016
I've been really willing to forgive the first 3 books for being so politically incorrect about literally everything because they were written and set in the early 2000s and were about a teenager. I remember being a teenager in high school during those years and having the same attitudes and snarky ignorance that Jessica did. It truly was a different time. I was not connected with the world, I was young. In that respect, this series has always been such a TRUE portrayal of the late 90s - early 2000s teen.
This fourth book, however, is now set in 2006 and was written in 2007. I graduated college in 2007 and I distinctly remember that by the end of college my attitudes had shifted. I know that I definitely wasn't as aware of things like slurs as I am today, but the terms that Jessica used all throughout this book to describe other women or LGBTQIA+ characters were huge red flags for me.
I don't know. I feel like I remember that around this time there were commercials on TV advocating to stop using the 'r' word, or the word gay as insults. I just looked it up, these seem to have started in 2008 - so maybe Jessica really is an accurate portrayal of someone her age who hasn't had her bubble popped yet, but she lives in one of the most progressive cities in the US, she studied psychology, and she has diverse friends. Why is she still using the 'r' word, calling girls sluts, and mocking sexualities and gender identities? I could chalk this up to being a product of its time, but I feel like its time was already moving past certain slurs and attitudes.
The other thing that didn't work for me in this book was the new format. Previously, Jessica's journals (each book) have spanned months or even years. But this one spans only 1 week. It dragged a lot.
What I did love about this book is that Jessica is now out of college and is job hunting. She and I were both Psychology majors who had a hard time finding employment in our field during the 2007/2008 recession, so this hit home for me so much. I felt like finally someone GOT me, what I had gone through. She makes a lot of comments about post grad life and the new challenges that Millennials face in many facets of life.
The word I would use to sum up this series is: REAL. The flaws may make it uncomfortable to read now, but even they were real parts of our culture at one time. Jessica gets a lot of things wrong, but they can be learning points if the reader is discerning. What she gets right, she gets oh-so right.
This fourth book, however, is now set in 2006 and was written in 2007. I graduated college in 2007 and I distinctly remember that by the end of college my attitudes had shifted. I know that I definitely wasn't as aware of things like slurs as I am today, but the terms that Jessica used all throughout this book to describe other women or LGBTQIA+ characters were huge red flags for me.
I don't know. I feel like I remember that around this time there were commercials on TV advocating to stop using the 'r' word, or the word gay as insults. I just looked it up, these seem to have started in 2008 - so maybe Jessica really is an accurate portrayal of someone her age who hasn't had her bubble popped yet, but she lives in one of the most progressive cities in the US, she studied psychology, and she has diverse friends. Why is she still using the 'r' word, calling girls sluts, and mocking sexualities and gender identities? I could chalk this up to being a product of its time, but I feel like its time was already moving past certain slurs and attitudes.
The other thing that didn't work for me in this book was the new format. Previously, Jessica's journals (each book) have spanned months or even years. But this one spans only 1 week. It dragged a lot.
What I did love about this book is that Jessica is now out of college and is job hunting. She and I were both Psychology majors who had a hard time finding employment in our field during the 2007/2008 recession, so this hit home for me so much. I felt like finally someone GOT me, what I had gone through. She makes a lot of comments about post grad life and the new challenges that Millennials face in many facets of life.
The word I would use to sum up this series is: REAL. The flaws may make it uncomfortable to read now, but even they were real parts of our culture at one time. Jessica gets a lot of things wrong, but they can be learning points if the reader is discerning. What she gets right, she gets oh-so right.
May 18, 2013
I honestly did not expect to like Fourth Comings as much as I did. If anything, I opened this book with trepidation, fully planning to give it four stars at best, but it wound up just blowing me away. While Sloppy Firsts and Charmed Thirds remain the most life-changing of all the Jessica Darling books for me so far, I think Fourth Comings is easily the most brilliant. It isn't the one I'll re-read the most or even return to too many times, but the clues scattered throughout this book, the intelligent conversations, the maturity of Jessica...and the manner in which it all comes together and ties up with that second-to-last word? Incredible.
Fourth Comings stands out as the most mature of the Jessica Darling books. In this, Jessica fully acknowledges her selfishness, her nuttiness, her insecurities, the TRUTH about her relationship with Marcus... And as someone who thrives on drawn-out drama and realistic, ambiguous endings, this was kind of perfect. It's so easy to get caught up in that magic of Jessica and Marcus but this book puts their relationship in an entirely new light - one that scrutinizes their flaws, destroying the idealistic image of these two we may have harbored before.
Fourth Comings starts out with Jessica prepared to break up with Marcus, but before she can quite do so, Marcus abruptly proposes, leaving on a trip for a week and giving her those seven Marcus-free days to decide whether or not she wants to be with Marcus till death do them apart. As an individual who doesn't believe in the institution of marriage - and who was prepared to break up with her boyfriend - a marriage proposal is outrageous to Jessica. And yet, she cannot bring herself to give an outright rejection either. As Jessica embarks on her achingly normal day-to-day activities, though, she slowly comes to realize what she really wants from life - and whether Marcus really factors into that picture at all.
For me, what makes Fourth Comings so phenomenal is the mere fact that by the end, everything comes together. Although dispersed with small meetings and intimate stories, all these separate journeys make a full circle, helping Jessica to become the self-assured person she is by the end of the novel. Fourth Comings continues to build upon the familial relationships Jessica sustains, both with her sister - who isn't the complete blonde airhead she once though - and her parents. I particularly loved this latter plot line as it was such a different, yet inevitable, type of relationship bred out of the follies of youth. Its contrast with the other romantic relationships in this novel, from Jessica and Marcus, Bethany and G-Money, or even Bridget and Percy, was stunning in its depth and subtlety.
One of my favorite aspects of this novel, however, is the fact that we finally meet the elusive Hope Weaver. Although we don't know Hope intimately, mostly because her interactions with Jessica, though important, have been few-and-far-between, we have come to love and cherish her in our hearts. Quite simply, the ambiguity of Hope's character allows us, as the reader, to project our own ideals of the perfect best friend onto Hope - or even qualities our own best friends possess - which is what makes the interactions between Hope and Jessica in this novel so bittersweet. Not only does Jessica begin to realize that she has other friends besides Hope - that their lives don't revolve around each other anymore, but rather other subjects - but she also comes to recognize that there is still so much she doesn't know about her best friend. And although the scenes between these two could be laced with awkwardness and made me want to cry out for Jessica, I love the realistic path it took and its solid resolution as well.
All in all, Fourth Comings is yet another unflinchingly honest installment from Megan McCafferty. Jessica, struggling to find a job, pay her rent, and find her place in the mesh that is NYC, is still the endearing character we first met. Although she has come a long way, she will always have so much more to go and it pains me to be so close to saying goodbye to her forever.
But.
However.
Unfortunately...
As they say, all good things must eventually come to an end. While I wish there could be permanent AND postcard when it comes to this series, I am both excited and nervous to find out what finally happens to Marcus and Jessica.
It could be FOREVER.
Or, you know, just WHATEVER.
You can read this review" and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
Fourth Comings stands out as the most mature of the Jessica Darling books. In this, Jessica fully acknowledges her selfishness, her nuttiness, her insecurities, the TRUTH about her relationship with Marcus... And as someone who thrives on drawn-out drama and realistic, ambiguous endings, this was kind of perfect. It's so easy to get caught up in that magic of Jessica and Marcus but this book puts their relationship in an entirely new light - one that scrutinizes their flaws, destroying the idealistic image of these two we may have harbored before.
Fourth Comings starts out with Jessica prepared to break up with Marcus, but before she can quite do so, Marcus abruptly proposes, leaving on a trip for a week and giving her those seven Marcus-free days to decide whether or not she wants to be with Marcus till death do them apart. As an individual who doesn't believe in the institution of marriage - and who was prepared to break up with her boyfriend - a marriage proposal is outrageous to Jessica. And yet, she cannot bring herself to give an outright rejection either. As Jessica embarks on her achingly normal day-to-day activities, though, she slowly comes to realize what she really wants from life - and whether Marcus really factors into that picture at all.
For me, what makes Fourth Comings so phenomenal is the mere fact that by the end, everything comes together. Although dispersed with small meetings and intimate stories, all these separate journeys make a full circle, helping Jessica to become the self-assured person she is by the end of the novel. Fourth Comings continues to build upon the familial relationships Jessica sustains, both with her sister - who isn't the complete blonde airhead she once though - and her parents. I particularly loved this latter plot line as it was such a different, yet inevitable, type of relationship bred out of the follies of youth. Its contrast with the other romantic relationships in this novel, from Jessica and Marcus, Bethany and G-Money, or even Bridget and Percy, was stunning in its depth and subtlety.
One of my favorite aspects of this novel, however, is the fact that we finally meet the elusive Hope Weaver. Although we don't know Hope intimately, mostly because her interactions with Jessica, though important, have been few-and-far-between, we have come to love and cherish her in our hearts. Quite simply, the ambiguity of Hope's character allows us, as the reader, to project our own ideals of the perfect best friend onto Hope - or even qualities our own best friends possess - which is what makes the interactions between Hope and Jessica in this novel so bittersweet. Not only does Jessica begin to realize that she has other friends besides Hope - that their lives don't revolve around each other anymore, but rather other subjects - but she also comes to recognize that there is still so much she doesn't know about her best friend. And although the scenes between these two could be laced with awkwardness and made me want to cry out for Jessica, I love the realistic path it took and its solid resolution as well.
All in all, Fourth Comings is yet another unflinchingly honest installment from Megan McCafferty. Jessica, struggling to find a job, pay her rent, and find her place in the mesh that is NYC, is still the endearing character we first met. Although she has come a long way, she will always have so much more to go and it pains me to be so close to saying goodbye to her forever.
But.
However.
Unfortunately...
As they say, all good things must eventually come to an end. While I wish there could be permanent AND postcard when it comes to this series, I am both excited and nervous to find out what finally happens to Marcus and Jessica.
It could be FOREVER.
Or, you know, just WHATEVER.
You can read this review" and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
April 16, 2011
because one can never get enough marcus flutie.
September 2, 2011
Although I don't care about these series anymore, I feel compelled to express my opinion once again. Can you really blame me? I LOVED the first two books and then the next installments crushed my heart.
I just can't believe what an enourmous downfall this series has taken.
Don't get me wrong, I've been disappointed in books before but not to such an extent. These books have abruptly turned from fresh young-adult novels to good old chicklit. What I don't get is the author's point. If she wanted to indulge in the chicklit genre why not leave Marcus and Jessica to their happy ending in book two and start a new series with her great ideas?
I feel so cheated. This series was supposed to be about the crazy experiences of snarky but cute Jessica Darling who we all couldn't help but love despite her somewhat f*cked-up view of the world around her. Yeah, like that happened. Gradually the focus of this series became the relationship between Jessica and Marcus. Normally, I am a sucker for romance especially a complicated one but this time all the drama left a bitter taste in my mouth. Book three began with Jessica and Marcus's break-up, followed by all the author could think of, finishing with guess what - the inevitable reunion.
And just when you think things my turn up all right with the next one -you get a bang on the head with the first pages of book four. Jessica is thinking how to dump Marcus. My answer: ??? Yes, when faced with the facts Marcus does the most natural thing in the world - he proposes. And here we are presented with this new twist in the book and the only purpose of it is to get us to the end where out of nowhere Marcus and Jessica will make up again.
I guess I might have learned to deal with it if Jessica had finally confronted Marcus and the had talked face-to-face about their past and present, how it affected their relationship and about their future together or not. Yeah, Jessica wrote these notebooks to Marcus expaining why she couldn't be with him although she loved him but there was never dialogue between the two of them. He wrote things she wrote back but they never seemed to communicate. It was like they talked at each other never paying attention to the other one's feelings or thoughts on the matter. It all probably happens in book five (because: . I just can't bring myself to care anymore.
Admitedly, I liked some parts of the book. Actually only one part - Hope. We finally get to know her and I can't help asking myself why the series wasn't about her? She is so much more intersting than all the MarcusXJessica drama.
All in all, I didn't have much hopes for this book but I ended suprised anyway. I won't jump to extremes and say this one is the worst in the series because there is Perfect Fifths which promises to be the most perfect (the worst) of them all.
And to conclude I would advise all of you who are thinking of taking up these series. Listen to all the reviewers here who repeated over and over to stop after the second one because they were right. I should know best, I didn't listen and here I am bitter and cheated and I don't like it very much, I don't like it at all.
I just can't believe what an enourmous downfall this series has taken.
Don't get me wrong, I've been disappointed in books before but not to such an extent. These books have abruptly turned from fresh young-adult novels to good old chicklit. What I don't get is the author's point. If she wanted to indulge in the chicklit genre why not leave Marcus and Jessica to their happy ending in book two and start a new series with her great ideas?
I feel so cheated. This series was supposed to be about the crazy experiences of snarky but cute Jessica Darling who we all couldn't help but love despite her somewhat f*cked-up view of the world around her. Yeah, like that happened. Gradually the focus of this series became the relationship between Jessica and Marcus. Normally, I am a sucker for romance especially a complicated one but this time all the drama left a bitter taste in my mouth. Book three began with Jessica and Marcus's break-up, followed by all the author could think of, finishing with guess what - the inevitable reunion.
And just when you think things my turn up all right with the next one -you get a bang on the head with the first pages of book four. Jessica is thinking how to dump Marcus. My answer: ??? Yes, when faced with the facts Marcus does the most natural thing in the world - he proposes. And here we are presented with this new twist in the book and the only purpose of it is to get us to the end where out of nowhere Marcus and Jessica will make up again.
I guess I might have learned to deal with it if Jessica had finally confronted Marcus and the had talked face-to-face about their past and present, how it affected their relationship and about their future together or not. Yeah, Jessica wrote these notebooks to Marcus expaining why she couldn't be with him although she loved him but there was never dialogue between the two of them. He wrote things she wrote back but they never seemed to communicate. It was like they talked at each other never paying attention to the other one's feelings or thoughts on the matter. It all probably happens in book five (because: . I just can't bring myself to care anymore.
Admitedly, I liked some parts of the book. Actually only one part - Hope. We finally get to know her and I can't help asking myself why the series wasn't about her? She is so much more intersting than all the MarcusXJessica drama.
All in all, I didn't have much hopes for this book but I ended suprised anyway. I won't jump to extremes and say this one is the worst in the series because there is Perfect Fifths which promises to be the most perfect (the worst) of them all.
And to conclude I would advise all of you who are thinking of taking up these series. Listen to all the reviewers here who repeated over and over to stop after the second one because they were right. I should know best, I didn't listen and here I am bitter and cheated and I don't like it very much, I don't like it at all.
April 25, 2010
you know what's worse than getting a really long break up letter? reading a break up journal.
do y'all feel a rant coming???
first off, make no mistake, i get it. jessica has a 23-year-old college freshman boyfriend who sports dreads AND a shitbeard. i'd be embarrassed too. but despite that fact, he still (apparently) oozes sex appeal and badboy-attractiveness, the college is princeton not some unaccredited hippie school in the desert, and, she LOVES him. so suck it up and figure out a solution. instead, the seemingly star-crossed characters can't seem to figure out that communication is essential in relationships. even fictional ones. they "talk" via letters, one word postcards, and now, journals. puh-leeze. get over yourselves and have a frickin' conversation.
how it breaks down:
the best of times:
1. still snarky, still cynical - while jessica is far more unlikeable in this journal, at least she hasn't marypoppined out on us.
2. hope is a real person, so, even though mccafferty abuses her character horribly, we at least know for sure that "the letters to hope" weren't some sort of romantic allegorical bullshit.
3. len grows a set. sort of.
4. manda, sara, and scotty all get what they deserve. some literary justice is better than no literary justice.
5.jessica's dad becomes one of the most sympathetic characters in the book. seriously.
the worst of times:
1. the week long "why i won't marry you" journal is just cruel. it is. listen, if someone proposes, and your gut doesn't go, "sure, that seems swell" then say no. it's that easy. "no, thanks, smell ya later" - and considering marcus's buddhist philosophies on hygiene, i'm guessing she'll smell him before she sees him.
2. "the hope-marcus betrayal" - jessica, jessica, jessica - get over yourself. no, seriously, girlfriend. things that happened when you were five cannot be held against you when you're 22. it's in the rule book.
3. what the heck is up with mrs. darling???
4. the contrived "you went to buddhist gay cowboy death valley camp because your dad has stage III prostate cancer so i understand why you were so WEIRD last book" explanation for marcus's behavior. dumb and underdeveloped.
5. the return of hy. again, some more. only this time, she's got her inheritance and a job offer for jessica. finally! something worthwhile...oh, wait, no. it's hy.
6. no pepe. well, barely any pepe.
i've agonized about this (okay, i've thought about this briefly in those few ephemeral moments before sleep): diary-as-novel fiction needs to ring true to be successful. while the first two are incredibly good at maintaining that fine line between art and artifice, the third and fourth books are not. mccafferty is losing her grasp not only on who jessica was but also who marcus was, and they're both becoming truly unlikeable people in the process (unless her idea is that we're all assholes at 22/23, because i might agree with that assessment). here's the conclusion i've come to: jessica darling should never have agreed to date marcus because she's never been ready for it. think about it, the girl can't even talk about sex in her journals (JOURNALS! if you can't talk about sex in your diary, where can you talk about it???) - she's not ready. and that's obnoxious, to be four books in and feel like the couple you were rooting for are nothing but a sham.
do y'all feel a rant coming???
first off, make no mistake, i get it. jessica has a 23-year-old college freshman boyfriend who sports dreads AND a shitbeard. i'd be embarrassed too. but despite that fact, he still (apparently) oozes sex appeal and badboy-attractiveness, the college is princeton not some unaccredited hippie school in the desert, and, she LOVES him. so suck it up and figure out a solution. instead, the seemingly star-crossed characters can't seem to figure out that communication is essential in relationships. even fictional ones. they "talk" via letters, one word postcards, and now, journals. puh-leeze. get over yourselves and have a frickin' conversation.
how it breaks down:
the best of times:
1. still snarky, still cynical - while jessica is far more unlikeable in this journal, at least she hasn't marypoppined out on us.
2. hope is a real person, so, even though mccafferty abuses her character horribly, we at least know for sure that "the letters to hope" weren't some sort of romantic allegorical bullshit.
3. len grows a set. sort of.
4. manda, sara, and scotty all get what they deserve. some literary justice is better than no literary justice.
5.jessica's dad becomes one of the most sympathetic characters in the book. seriously.
the worst of times:
1. the week long "why i won't marry you" journal is just cruel. it is. listen, if someone proposes, and your gut doesn't go, "sure, that seems swell" then say no. it's that easy. "no, thanks, smell ya later" - and considering marcus's buddhist philosophies on hygiene, i'm guessing she'll smell him before she sees him.
2. "the hope-marcus betrayal" - jessica, jessica, jessica - get over yourself. no, seriously, girlfriend. things that happened when you were five cannot be held against you when you're 22. it's in the rule book.
3. what the heck is up with mrs. darling???
4. the contrived "you went to buddhist gay cowboy death valley camp because your dad has stage III prostate cancer so i understand why you were so WEIRD last book" explanation for marcus's behavior. dumb and underdeveloped.
5. the return of hy. again, some more. only this time, she's got her inheritance and a job offer for jessica. finally! something worthwhile...oh, wait, no. it's hy.
6. no pepe. well, barely any pepe.
i've agonized about this (okay, i've thought about this briefly in those few ephemeral moments before sleep): diary-as-novel fiction needs to ring true to be successful. while the first two are incredibly good at maintaining that fine line between art and artifice, the third and fourth books are not. mccafferty is losing her grasp not only on who jessica was but also who marcus was, and they're both becoming truly unlikeable people in the process (unless her idea is that we're all assholes at 22/23, because i might agree with that assessment). here's the conclusion i've come to: jessica darling should never have agreed to date marcus because she's never been ready for it. think about it, the girl can't even talk about sex in her journals (JOURNALS! if you can't talk about sex in your diary, where can you talk about it???) - she's not ready. and that's obnoxious, to be four books in and feel like the couple you were rooting for are nothing but a sham.
March 23, 2014
I really enjoyed this book when I read it a few months ago, although my good impression may have been influenced by the fact that I read the underwhelming Charmed Thirds right before and my expectations were pretty low.
This whole book is supposed to be a letter to Marcus detailing the week in which Jessica is deciding whether to accept his proposal or not. By now the whole Marcus saga has gotten to be like something out of a soap opera and the character has become a caricature, so I don't care about them being together anymore. I didn't care much about the big ending where we find out Jessica's decision, but still enjoyed her journey getting there.
The strong points of Fourth Comings for me were the various relationships between Jessica and her family. Her older sister Bethany has been fleshed out substantially to the point where she is actually pretty sympathetic, and the way in which her dynamic with Jessica has evolved since the first book is touching without being saccharine sweet and unrealistic. The conflict between Jessica's parents was also well done, and I enjoyed her scenes with both of them.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone right out of college, because it articulates that restless feeling of not knowing where to go or what to do with yourself now that you don't have the set structure of school in your life, and you're actually missing things like classes and writing papers. As long as you're not expecting it to be the best book ever, Fourth Comings is a fun, entertaining read.
This whole book is supposed to be a letter to Marcus detailing the week in which Jessica is deciding whether to accept his proposal or not. By now the whole Marcus saga has gotten to be like something out of a soap opera and the character has become a caricature, so I don't care about them being together anymore. I didn't care much about the big ending where we find out Jessica's decision, but still enjoyed her journey getting there.
The strong points of Fourth Comings for me were the various relationships between Jessica and her family. Her older sister Bethany has been fleshed out substantially to the point where she is actually pretty sympathetic, and the way in which her dynamic with Jessica has evolved since the first book is touching without being saccharine sweet and unrealistic. The conflict between Jessica's parents was also well done, and I enjoyed her scenes with both of them.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone right out of college, because it articulates that restless feeling of not knowing where to go or what to do with yourself now that you don't have the set structure of school in your life, and you're actually missing things like classes and writing papers. As long as you're not expecting it to be the best book ever, Fourth Comings is a fun, entertaining read.
April 22, 2013
After inadvertently rereading the entire Jessica Darling series every year like clockwork without fail since Books 3-4 were published, I think I can safely say that FOURTH COMINGS is my favorite of the five books.
Are you surprised? Is this an unconventional choice? Sloppy Firsts had that sparkling magic of the first in a series you know will be good; Second Helpings was the fulfillment of a happy ending; Charmed Thirds allowed Jessica to develop more insight and maturity than before, plus did even more wonderful things with all the secondary characters; and Perfect Fifths—well, just read the title. Compared to the other books (with the possible exception of Charmed Thirds), FOURTH COMINGS is the saddest. (With the possible exception of Perfect Fifths) It’s the installment where the narrative form gets most in the way of Jessica’s typically candid journals—because here she’s addressing Marcus Flutie and, like she says, the moment there’s an audience, the honesty of the writing is inevitably affected.
But…
Still…
Despite all that.
Full disclosure: I have been in a similar state of emotions and mind as 22-year-old Jessica Darling for what feels like the past several years. It’s the stomach-flipping, giddy-with-terror feeling of not knowing what the hell you want to do an hour from now, let alone in ten years, and yet feeling all the societal pressure to make decisions about your CAREER and your BABYDADDY/BABYMAMA and your CHILDBIRTHING METHODS right now, now, now. It’s the fear of letting go that which we were certain of in our past but are not sure how it fits into our present and future.
It is because of this similarity in our mindsets that I think makes me able to understand Jessica a lot at this stage in her life. There may be little in the way of plot, to speak nothing of the pacing (the whole book takes place over the course of less than a week), but what does that matter to me when I hang on to Jessica’s every word because I can see fragments of myself in all of her entries?
I think Jessica Darling represents the worst in us, and that’s why her post-Book 2 tales make people suuuuper uncomfortable. In choosing the journal as her format of choice, McCafferty commits unapologetically to illustrating the parts of (female) human nature that most of us don’t like to see reflected in literature—our insecurity in the face of other, more accomplished, more beautiful, nicer women; our preoccupation with sex, relationships, and love, and how they are tied to our identities; our borderline-desperate search for the meaning and purpose that society demands from our lives. This is realism at its realest, and damn if it doesn’t hurt like a wake-up punch in the face.
The Jessica Darling books are not just novels. They are what we would write to ourselves if we were articulate and introspective and talented enough to put our deepest, darkest, most shameful thoughts to paper.
That’s why FOURTH COMINGS is my favorite.
Are you surprised? Is this an unconventional choice? Sloppy Firsts had that sparkling magic of the first in a series you know will be good; Second Helpings was the fulfillment of a happy ending; Charmed Thirds allowed Jessica to develop more insight and maturity than before, plus did even more wonderful things with all the secondary characters; and Perfect Fifths—well, just read the title. Compared to the other books (with the possible exception of Charmed Thirds), FOURTH COMINGS is the saddest. (With the possible exception of Perfect Fifths) It’s the installment where the narrative form gets most in the way of Jessica’s typically candid journals—because here she’s addressing Marcus Flutie and, like she says, the moment there’s an audience, the honesty of the writing is inevitably affected.
But…
Still…
Despite all that.
Full disclosure: I have been in a similar state of emotions and mind as 22-year-old Jessica Darling for what feels like the past several years. It’s the stomach-flipping, giddy-with-terror feeling of not knowing what the hell you want to do an hour from now, let alone in ten years, and yet feeling all the societal pressure to make decisions about your CAREER and your BABYDADDY/BABYMAMA and your CHILDBIRTHING METHODS right now, now, now. It’s the fear of letting go that which we were certain of in our past but are not sure how it fits into our present and future.
It is because of this similarity in our mindsets that I think makes me able to understand Jessica a lot at this stage in her life. There may be little in the way of plot, to speak nothing of the pacing (the whole book takes place over the course of less than a week), but what does that matter to me when I hang on to Jessica’s every word because I can see fragments of myself in all of her entries?
I think Jessica Darling represents the worst in us, and that’s why her post-Book 2 tales make people suuuuper uncomfortable. In choosing the journal as her format of choice, McCafferty commits unapologetically to illustrating the parts of (female) human nature that most of us don’t like to see reflected in literature—our insecurity in the face of other, more accomplished, more beautiful, nicer women; our preoccupation with sex, relationships, and love, and how they are tied to our identities; our borderline-desperate search for the meaning and purpose that society demands from our lives. This is realism at its realest, and damn if it doesn’t hurt like a wake-up punch in the face.
The Jessica Darling books are not just novels. They are what we would write to ourselves if we were articulate and introspective and talented enough to put our deepest, darkest, most shameful thoughts to paper.
That’s why FOURTH COMINGS is my favorite.
September 13, 2007
After Charmed Thirds, my expectations were not high for this one. I did like it more than Charmed Thirds, but it certainly did not appeal to me as much as the marvelous Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings. In those first two, Marcus was so attractive to me. But in the third, he wasn't even really in the book and in the fourth he was more annoying than appealing.
I don't know if the problem with these later books is Megan McCafferty or if the problem is me. I think I grew up a lot between reading the first two in college and now. I used to think the "bad boy" was so appealing. Now? Not so much. Jessica Darling changed too, and the fact that she ultimately realizes this about herself is what made this book worthwhile.
I don't know if the problem with these later books is Megan McCafferty or if the problem is me. I think I grew up a lot between reading the first two in college and now. I used to think the "bad boy" was so appealing. Now? Not so much. Jessica Darling changed too, and the fact that she ultimately realizes this about herself is what made this book worthwhile.
August 31, 2007
So. What do you do when you've graduated from college at a prestigious university (that put you in debt for thousands of dollars) and you've discovered that you did not major in something useful and employable, but instead majored in psychology and can't find a job? And what do you do when you live in a city that you can't afford and that your boyfriend hates? And what do you do when your sister suspects that your mom might leave your dad and it's making you question the entire institute of marriage, which is inconvenient considering that your boyfriend has just proposed to you?
If you're Jessica Darling, you write about it. And not only do you write about it, but you write about it with your signature snark and pop-culture-bashing pizzazz. And it's laugh-out-loud funny and angsty without being annoying and it's totally un-put-down-able.
The fourth book in the Jessica Darling series takes a slightly different format from her previous books. Instead of taking place over a year (or years), it takes place over one week in September. This is a very significant week for Jessica because at the beginning on the week, she went to Princeton intending to break up with her long-time boyfriend Marcus. Instead of breaking up, Marcus proposed to her and now Jessica has one week to mull it over and come to a decision. It's a decision that she never really thought she'd have to make, especially when she's 22 years old, essentially unemployed, and sharing a small basement apartment with her best friend and a lesbian couple.
McCafferty is at the top of her game with this novel that perfectly captures the problem of a recent college grad that has way too many options. It's so hard to decide what to do because making a choice to do something means choosing NOT to do so many other things...
I highly recommend this series for 20-somethings everywhere (and also everyone else... because it is awesome).
If you're Jessica Darling, you write about it. And not only do you write about it, but you write about it with your signature snark and pop-culture-bashing pizzazz. And it's laugh-out-loud funny and angsty without being annoying and it's totally un-put-down-able.
The fourth book in the Jessica Darling series takes a slightly different format from her previous books. Instead of taking place over a year (or years), it takes place over one week in September. This is a very significant week for Jessica because at the beginning on the week, she went to Princeton intending to break up with her long-time boyfriend Marcus. Instead of breaking up, Marcus proposed to her and now Jessica has one week to mull it over and come to a decision. It's a decision that she never really thought she'd have to make, especially when she's 22 years old, essentially unemployed, and sharing a small basement apartment with her best friend and a lesbian couple.
McCafferty is at the top of her game with this novel that perfectly captures the problem of a recent college grad that has way too many options. It's so hard to decide what to do because making a choice to do something means choosing NOT to do so many other things...
I highly recommend this series for 20-somethings everywhere (and also everyone else... because it is awesome).
August 9, 2011
The Jessica Darling series is getting worse. Fourth Comings has been the worst of the lot so far. An entire book devoted to Jessica Darling telling Marcus why she can't be with him. I wasn't enjoying it at all and it was taking so long to finish, that I just skimmed the end.
The only nice thing I have to say is that I'm glad Jessica stopped being such a bitch to her sister.
The rest of the book was filled with uninteresting characters whom I didn't give a toss what happened to them.
While I didn't care for the first three books, the character of Jessica irritated me so much, that I liked the fact that a fictional character could be written so well she was so detestable. Jessica no longer has that annoying spark. She's just boring.
I'm going to skim the fifth and final book. If it's as big a drag as Fourth Comings, it's going back to the library. There are too many good books out there and life is too short to waste it on this crap.
The only nice thing I have to say is that I'm glad Jessica stopped being such a bitch to her sister.
The rest of the book was filled with uninteresting characters whom I didn't give a toss what happened to them.
While I didn't care for the first three books, the character of Jessica irritated me so much, that I liked the fact that a fictional character could be written so well she was so detestable. Jessica no longer has that annoying spark. She's just boring.
I'm going to skim the fifth and final book. If it's as big a drag as Fourth Comings, it's going back to the library. There are too many good books out there and life is too short to waste it on this crap.
June 11, 2012
(reread)
Ugh. Some books don't do well on a reread. Shut up, Marcus Flutie. And Jessica Darling.
Ugh. Some books don't do well on a reread. Shut up, Marcus Flutie. And Jessica Darling.
Read
May 12, 2020I only just finished reading Fourth Comings, but I've followed Jessica Darling on her journey from high school and beyond. When I first met her, she was voiced by Megan McCafferty who made a guest appearance at one of my high school classes as a favor to our teacher. Talking about Len Levy's version of premature ejaculation at the high school talent show, she got my class laughing and my interest piqued.
In high school, the snarkiness and the frustration with the cookie cutter lifestyle of the Jersey shore school was one I knew well, having grown up in close proximity of the fictional Jessica. Her second appearance left me laughing as well, though I could have done without the whole writing program over the summer, because ultimately, I wanted more of her trashy pseduo friends and Marcus. It was a presence I knew well, and tolerated, bating my breath till I was able to go off to college, just like Jessica.
As a college graduate, floundering to find her way in the world of too many choices, I didn't sense the same snarkiness and acidic attitude that she displayed in the first two books, and to some degree, in the third. Instead, I found myself understanding her, perhaps even better than I did in college. It translates the post-graduate phenomenon that leaves many of us hoping the answers will be given to us, rather than seeking out the answers on our own.
When Marcus poses a question that we ultimately all know what the answer has to be, there's still a sense of wanting signs to indicate what her answer should be. Fourth Comings displays a less assured Jessica Darling, one who thought she had all the answers and realizes that her thoughts and actions aren't quite linking up anymore. Mixed in with the complications of discovering something new about Hope and Marcus and other friends left behind in this installment, she seems to finally realize that there's much more to her life than just Marcus. Yet at the heart of everything, Marcus is still what her life seems to reaching for. We find her looking for answers in unexpected places, which surprised me because I had wanted to see her forge those connections in the past few books.
While I wouldn't say it's McCafferty's best work, it's certainly her most mature. And a must to follow along on the path that Jessica Darling continues down.
In high school, the snarkiness and the frustration with the cookie cutter lifestyle of the Jersey shore school was one I knew well, having grown up in close proximity of the fictional Jessica. Her second appearance left me laughing as well, though I could have done without the whole writing program over the summer, because ultimately, I wanted more of her trashy pseduo friends and Marcus. It was a presence I knew well, and tolerated, bating my breath till I was able to go off to college, just like Jessica.
As a college graduate, floundering to find her way in the world of too many choices, I didn't sense the same snarkiness and acidic attitude that she displayed in the first two books, and to some degree, in the third. Instead, I found myself understanding her, perhaps even better than I did in college. It translates the post-graduate phenomenon that leaves many of us hoping the answers will be given to us, rather than seeking out the answers on our own.
When Marcus poses a question that we ultimately all know what the answer has to be, there's still a sense of wanting signs to indicate what her answer should be. Fourth Comings displays a less assured Jessica Darling, one who thought she had all the answers and realizes that her thoughts and actions aren't quite linking up anymore. Mixed in with the complications of discovering something new about Hope and Marcus and other friends left behind in this installment, she seems to finally realize that there's much more to her life than just Marcus. Yet at the heart of everything, Marcus is still what her life seems to reaching for. We find her looking for answers in unexpected places, which surprised me because I had wanted to see her forge those connections in the past few books.
While I wouldn't say it's McCafferty's best work, it's certainly her most mature. And a must to follow along on the path that Jessica Darling continues down.
December 20, 2010
Sigh.
What did I just read? And can I have those hours of my life back again?
The sad part? I knew it was going to be bad. Trusted friends warned me that it would be bad. But never, in my wildest imaginings, could I have dreamed that it would be this bad.
There is so much to write about here. I'm overwhelmed. Let's just leave it at this: McCafferty does a great job writing about high school drama. She's nailed the teen angst thing. But seriously, her characters are in their 20s now, and not ONE of them has grown in any kind of way. They are still the same people they were in high school. No, that's a lie. In the first two books, they were at least three dimensional. Now, they are merely caricatures of who they used to be. Example: Manda. Not that I ever cared much for her, but seriously, she's like a cracked out version of herself in this book. And what's worse--McCafferty has run out of material. So we're subjected to "chance run-ins" and awkward author manipulated plot twists.
Jessica Darling, I'm over you and your snark. One more to go. I will muscle through, complain to my friends, and then never think of you again.
What did I just read? And can I have those hours of my life back again?
The sad part? I knew it was going to be bad. Trusted friends warned me that it would be bad. But never, in my wildest imaginings, could I have dreamed that it would be this bad.
There is so much to write about here. I'm overwhelmed. Let's just leave it at this: McCafferty does a great job writing about high school drama. She's nailed the teen angst thing. But seriously, her characters are in their 20s now, and not ONE of them has grown in any kind of way. They are still the same people they were in high school. No, that's a lie. In the first two books, they were at least three dimensional. Now, they are merely caricatures of who they used to be. Example: Manda. Not that I ever cared much for her, but seriously, she's like a cracked out version of herself in this book. And what's worse--McCafferty has run out of material. So we're subjected to "chance run-ins" and awkward author manipulated plot twists.
Jessica Darling, I'm over you and your snark. One more to go. I will muscle through, complain to my friends, and then never think of you again.
December 24, 2007
Jessica Darling is back!!! After a not-so-darling Charmed Thirds, Jessica Darling is kicking ass again in Fourth Comings. She's now a post-college 22 years old, working full-time-ish, and debating a marriage proposal from long-time not-so-emotionally-stable boyfriend Marcus.
I have to admit, it wasn't until about page 50 or so that I really got into the book, but once I was into it, I really enjoyed reading it. Jessica is much more adult in this book and it reads differently as a result. She's dealing with issues I could relate to (missing college and her parents' marriage problems, for example) and sees things from a much more adult perspective. Her relationship with her older sister finally gains some depth and maturity and even though she's kind of annoying at times, I could relate to what she was going through.
McCafferty really hit a rough patch with Charmed Thirds, which just didn't flow for me, but she seems to have found her strength again in this book. I definitely recommend it.
I have to admit, it wasn't until about page 50 or so that I really got into the book, but once I was into it, I really enjoyed reading it. Jessica is much more adult in this book and it reads differently as a result. She's dealing with issues I could relate to (missing college and her parents' marriage problems, for example) and sees things from a much more adult perspective. Her relationship with her older sister finally gains some depth and maturity and even though she's kind of annoying at times, I could relate to what she was going through.
McCafferty really hit a rough patch with Charmed Thirds, which just didn't flow for me, but she seems to have found her strength again in this book. I definitely recommend it.
October 8, 2007
The shine on the Jessica Darling books is starting to wear off for me. I think the problem is that in the high school realm, Jessica Darling is a rebel, an amusing foil to her stereotypical high school counterparts. But in the real world, she comes across as whiney. Aww, you don't have enough to pay your rent? You have bad roomates? Your boyfriend is a college freshman and that's inconvenient for you? You got an impractical degree in a field you'll never make money in? Welcome to the real world Jessica Darling! That being said, if there's another book in the series, there's a good chance I'll buy it.
July 2, 2019
So after the third book covered four years, the fourth book takes place over...a single week?!? Granted, it was an important week in Jessica Darling's life (thinking over a marriage proposal), but it was a strange choice to slow the plot down so much.
I might be too old to be reading this series for the first time. Early-20s me would probably have loved Marcus Flutie's brand of soulful depth, but current me just kept rolling my eyes as Jessica dithered and Marcus brooded.
I might be too old to be reading this series for the first time. Early-20s me would probably have loved Marcus Flutie's brand of soulful depth, but current me just kept rolling my eyes as Jessica dithered and Marcus brooded.
July 27, 2018
I'm pretty sure this is the greatest Jessica Darling novel. This is what this entire series has been leading up to and I loved every word of it. At first I thought it was weird that Jessica changed the voice of the novel to direct it towards Marcus rather than her own cynical introspection, but now I know it's nothing short of genius. The ending to this book was pure poetry. I, for one, am thankful there's no fifth book that could possibly ruin or tarnish such a formidable conclusion to a tremendous series.
October 18, 2025
solid 2.5 stars. i didn’t care for this book at all. it wasn’t mindless, it was more political and “religious” and i was hoping for a funny and easy read. there were some good parts about it but otherwise i thoughts the first 3 books were better.
there’s one more book in this series that im going to read (bc i have fomo lol)
there’s one more book in this series that im going to read (bc i have fomo lol)
December 28, 2020
Jessica has some controversial opinions. If this was published within 2018 until now then this will not work such as her views with the LGBTQ community. It is very feminist but a bit on the JK Rowling side I guess. Meanwhile, I am relieved that she's moving on from Marcus Flutie. She needs to be single for a change.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2023
Hey, remember at the end of Charmed Thirds when Jessica and Marcus meet up, these co-dependent hipsters turned to the audience together and acted out this totally natural, not at all stilted performance:
Third, and most important for me… Jessica, the idiot, lost the journals. Well, to be fair - they were stolen from her by tweakers who carjacked Hope’s car 12 hours into their cross-country trip.
What a waste of potential. This is fiction - M.M. could have done whatever she wanted with Jessica - make her a popular blogger, make her podcaster, have her work in politics, have her work in radio, have her work in TV, have her work in the movies (indie or mainstream), have her work in publishing, have her declare her love for Hope, have her become a ghostwriter (a la Charlize Theron in Young Adult), have her score a job in journalism working for a local paper or for a series of papers, have her become an investigative reporter - anything other than this boring, moping drudgery.
Hell, why not have her stick around in Columbia as a grad student?! This dumb fucking brat was obsessed with getting into Columbia, it had to be Columbia, no other place would do and and she chose to major in Psychology (!?) and then we get this?! Whyyyyyyy-uuhhh? Everyone knows (or should know) a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (alone) ain’t worth shit. You need a Masters to get anywhere (I would know, as the proud holder of a Bachelor’s and Masters of Science in Psychology and the student loan debt to prove it) and Jessica Darling is supposed to be pretty smart - so why is M.M. making her act so dumb?
Oh yeah, the plot. What little there is.
Anyhoodle. In my personal headcanon, Jessica Darling "grew up" to become either (a) Gayle Waters-Waters, (b) the straight version of Bari Weiss, and or (c) Liz Lemon. But unlike this book and series, Liz Lemon was a multi-dimensional, funny, snarky feminist who managed to achieve an arc across the show. Bari Weiss is reactionary trash who whines all the time (Jessica is a T), simply put. Gayle Waters-Waters actually enjoys life and knows (deep down) she is a twat. Whereas Jessica just walks in circles (metaphorically speaking), complains, and moons over that sexy, enigmatic 6-foot ginger.
Jessica and the GOPunk, William (aka Mini Dubya), should have ended up together. They could have snipped at each for eternity and they would have been oh so happy. William would have worshiped at her feet while belittling her (Jessica is a power bottom who gets off on verbal abuse, I choose to believe) and Jessica would have had her miserly little heart content with this dude who constantly dunks and picks on her. And unlike Marcus, William can hold an actual conversation with her. Furthermore, Jessica comes across as one of those liberal white woman who would definitely post one of *those* signs in her window (In this house, we believe: Black Lives Matter, Women’s Rights are Human Rights, No Human is Illegal, Science is Real, Love is Love) not because she believes in it per se, but because she doesn’t want to be the only person on her block or floor that doesn’t have one. She loves getting to feel superior without having to do the dirty work.
Oh, and Hope is there too. Megan McCaffterty has been hyping up Hope for years, about how she is her bestest, amazingest friend in the whole entire world (Jessica really has a thing for tall gingers, doesn’t she?) and when she finally shows up, it’s such a letdown. I wanted to get that spark, that connection between Jessica and Hope. But it didn’t exist for me. Don’t get me wrong - I did like her, what little we got of her. But I wanted a lot more. And their relationship has always felt, on Jessica’s side, so clingy and co-dependent. Hope seems to have a life outside of Jessica and enjoys her work, whereas Jessica hangs onto her and seems to hate everything around her. And there are weird, creepy conditions to the living situation that ick me out. For example, Jessica has to sleep underneath her in the (bottom) bunk bed and would listen to Hope and her boyfriend have sex in the top bunk… what the actual fuuuuuck. That is dangerously close to Single White Female - (Jessica is Jennifer Jason Leigh and Hope is Bridget Fonda, obvi). To add to this, Jessica throws a total conniption fit (which is out of character, even for her) when she discovers, *le gasp* Hope and Marcus dated in grade school for like two days!?!?!?!? Hope, how could you?!!?!!?
The queer-bashing is pretty nauseating. Shea, this genderqueer character is only featured to be treated like a circus freak. Manda has identified herself as a lesbian and seems to be way ahead of the curve of sex-positive feminism and not giving a shit what other people think (even though M.M. keeps trotting her out to point and mock). It’s one thing to make characters who can be annoying or antagonistic or even oddballish because their gay or trans or queer or what have you. That is lazy writing. It is much harder to make an oddball or antagonistic character who happens to be gay. What characteristic comes first - either their queerness does or it does not. It can and has been done, but M.M. is simply not up to snuff. It is just so unnecessary and mean-spirited too. If these characters were supposed to be “funny” or “cringey” or whatever M.M. intended, she failed badly.
And since I refuse to re-read the “ending” of the series, Perfect Fifths, I will summarize it as best as I can remember: Jessica gets wine-drunk the night before she is supposed to leave for Bridget’s and Percy’s wedding and ends up missing the flight going there (good job, Jessica. And thanks, M.M., for robbing us of that little bit of joy. Whatever nice things there are in this story, more often than not they happen off the page). Marcus and Jessica meet up, and for some reason Marcus feels it’s totally aok to lie and manipulate Jessica so they can end up staying in the same hotel room. They spend some time together - who cares - and after watching Marcus brush his teeth with her toothbrush (ew) she realizes they were always in loooove. The end.
Please pardon me while I go hack up whatever love I had left for this series into the garbage.
He hands me a raw silk box meant for holding photos. It’s heavier than I expected. I don’t realize that I’m just standing there staring until he says, “Open it.”First of all, puuuuuuke. This stuff may have worked in high school, but post-college? This is so Lifetime, schmaltzy, and too saccharine. Second, it’s too fourth-wall breaking for me, with Marcus outright stating “I know how to keep you wrapped around my little finger” and Jessica just drools, mumbles, and nods in response.
I do what I’m told. Inside are at least a dozen black-and-white speckled composition notebooks exactly like the one I’m writing in right now.
At first, I think, How did you get my journals? But then I notice that the spaces reserved for Name, School, and Grade, have been left blank, where on my notebooks they have all been inscribed with the start and end dates of the contents within.
I open one. They aren’t my journals… They’re his.
This realization makes me sink to the curb with the box between my knees.
He sits down next to me and says “I was wrong the other night in the car, when I told you that I had said all I could say.”
I read the first page of the journal on top. There’s no date. But the first line is addressed in a very specific way: My dear Jessica…
And then pages and pages and pages of words, words, words… everything Marcus couldn’t say to me over the past two years, but wants me to know.
“You’re always going to pull stuff like this, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Even though it drives me insane.”
He shrugs. “That’s who I am, Jessica. It’s part of my charm. You wouldn’t want me in any other way.”
And I know he’s right.
Third, and most important for me… Jessica, the idiot, lost the journals. Well, to be fair - they were stolen from her by tweakers who carjacked Hope’s car 12 hours into their cross-country trip.
What bothers me most, the regret that keeps me up at night, is knowing that [his] words can’t be recovered. They’re lost forever.Translation: Megan McCafferty chickened out. Plain and simple. I remember picking up Fourth Comings for the first time, being so excited to read from Marcus Flutie’s perspective and getting to learn more about Hope (I honestly thought the book would be focused on Jessica’s and Hope’s trip and their time together across the country, kind of a coming-of-age (post-college) story while delving into Marcus’s journals). Instead, we got this whiny, strung-out bullshit instead. To quote TheReportoftheWeek guy: my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. I was salty then and I’m still salty now!
What a waste of potential. This is fiction - M.M. could have done whatever she wanted with Jessica - make her a popular blogger, make her podcaster, have her work in politics, have her work in radio, have her work in TV, have her work in the movies (indie or mainstream), have her work in publishing, have her declare her love for Hope, have her become a ghostwriter (a la Charlize Theron in Young Adult), have her score a job in journalism working for a local paper or for a series of papers, have her become an investigative reporter - anything other than this boring, moping drudgery.
Hell, why not have her stick around in Columbia as a grad student?! This dumb fucking brat was obsessed with getting into Columbia, it had to be Columbia, no other place would do and and she chose to major in Psychology (!?) and then we get this?! Whyyyyyyy-uuhhh? Everyone knows (or should know) a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (alone) ain’t worth shit. You need a Masters to get anywhere (I would know, as the proud holder of a Bachelor’s and Masters of Science in Psychology and the student loan debt to prove it) and Jessica Darling is supposed to be pretty smart - so why is M.M. making her act so dumb?
Oh yeah, the plot. What little there is.
Marcus proposed marriage and Jessica wrote enough to fill two notebooks about why she shouldn’t.The end.
Anyhoodle. In my personal headcanon, Jessica Darling "grew up" to become either (a) Gayle Waters-Waters, (b) the straight version of Bari Weiss, and or (c) Liz Lemon. But unlike this book and series, Liz Lemon was a multi-dimensional, funny, snarky feminist who managed to achieve an arc across the show. Bari Weiss is reactionary trash who whines all the time (Jessica is a T), simply put. Gayle Waters-Waters actually enjoys life and knows (deep down) she is a twat. Whereas Jessica just walks in circles (metaphorically speaking), complains, and moons over that sexy, enigmatic 6-foot ginger.
Jessica and the GOPunk, William (aka Mini Dubya), should have ended up together. They could have snipped at each for eternity and they would have been oh so happy. William would have worshiped at her feet while belittling her (Jessica is a power bottom who gets off on verbal abuse, I choose to believe) and Jessica would have had her miserly little heart content with this dude who constantly dunks and picks on her. And unlike Marcus, William can hold an actual conversation with her. Furthermore, Jessica comes across as one of those liberal white woman who would definitely post one of *those* signs in her window (In this house, we believe: Black Lives Matter, Women’s Rights are Human Rights, No Human is Illegal, Science is Real, Love is Love) not because she believes in it per se, but because she doesn’t want to be the only person on her block or floor that doesn’t have one. She loves getting to feel superior without having to do the dirty work.
Oh, and Hope is there too. Megan McCaffterty has been hyping up Hope for years, about how she is her bestest, amazingest friend in the whole entire world (Jessica really has a thing for tall gingers, doesn’t she?) and when she finally shows up, it’s such a letdown. I wanted to get that spark, that connection between Jessica and Hope. But it didn’t exist for me. Don’t get me wrong - I did like her, what little we got of her. But I wanted a lot more. And their relationship has always felt, on Jessica’s side, so clingy and co-dependent. Hope seems to have a life outside of Jessica and enjoys her work, whereas Jessica hangs onto her and seems to hate everything around her. And there are weird, creepy conditions to the living situation that ick me out. For example, Jessica has to sleep underneath her in the (bottom) bunk bed and would listen to Hope and her boyfriend have sex in the top bunk… what the actual fuuuuuck. That is dangerously close to Single White Female - (Jessica is Jennifer Jason Leigh and Hope is Bridget Fonda, obvi). To add to this, Jessica throws a total conniption fit (which is out of character, even for her) when she discovers, *le gasp* Hope and Marcus dated in grade school for like two days!?!?!?!? Hope, how could you?!!?!!?
The queer-bashing is pretty nauseating. Shea, this genderqueer character is only featured to be treated like a circus freak. Manda has identified herself as a lesbian and seems to be way ahead of the curve of sex-positive feminism and not giving a shit what other people think (even though M.M. keeps trotting her out to point and mock). It’s one thing to make characters who can be annoying or antagonistic or even oddballish because their gay or trans or queer or what have you. That is lazy writing. It is much harder to make an oddball or antagonistic character who happens to be gay. What characteristic comes first - either their queerness does or it does not. It can and has been done, but M.M. is simply not up to snuff. It is just so unnecessary and mean-spirited too. If these characters were supposed to be “funny” or “cringey” or whatever M.M. intended, she failed badly.
And since I refuse to re-read the “ending” of the series, Perfect Fifths, I will summarize it as best as I can remember: Jessica gets wine-drunk the night before she is supposed to leave for Bridget’s and Percy’s wedding and ends up missing the flight going there (good job, Jessica. And thanks, M.M., for robbing us of that little bit of joy. Whatever nice things there are in this story, more often than not they happen off the page). Marcus and Jessica meet up, and for some reason Marcus feels it’s totally aok to lie and manipulate Jessica so they can end up staying in the same hotel room. They spend some time together - who cares - and after watching Marcus brush his teeth with her toothbrush (ew) she realizes they were always in loooove. The end.
Please pardon me while I go hack up whatever love I had left for this series into the garbage.
March 6, 2012
Reading the last 1/3 of the book, Ms. McCafferty reminds me yet again why exactly I love this series. Where Charmed Third was lacking, this book more than made up for it. Jessica is now 22 and a young adult. Before in high school, her journals consisted of fun, hilarious more mature ramblings then your average teenage girl. With this journal, it was interesting that she had a certain person she was writing to in mind, Marcus. Adding Hugo Flutie and FINALLY Hope to the mix definetely amped up the book and led to more suprises and revelations. For all the Marcus lovers out there, this is a book that goes deeper into his personality and should not be missed, because let's face it, he is far from perfect.
Spoiler alert*****
Spanning in 7 days after Marcus's proposal, she tends to hold back in her thoughts. After about 1/2 way in her journal, she starts to really open up and question, "Do I leave the life that I am starting to really love in NYC to be with you (Marcus) or do I follow my own path where there are plenty of options for myself to grow?" There were plenty of subtle and not-so-subtle hints from the author that showed the readers that it's just not the right time for Marcus and her to be together. Her relationship with Marcus, although different and entertaining, was not as deep and all-consuming that a couple in love should have after 4 years of being a couple. But like Jessica realized, it was more separate then connected within those 4 years.
I knew that there was a particular reason that I didn't exactly like Marcus. He's ADD to the extreme and although for many, it has been an endearing quality during high school, it starts to get frustrating after school is over. As they are growing up, Jessica realizes that she can't hold him down for days at a time because Marcus is always searching for the next adventure in his life. Jessica also is far from settling down, I mean she's still pretty young. That's why Marcus's wedding proposal was not right from the getgo. Although, Jessica wants a little stablity in her life, she is now thinking about her actual future as all young adults face after graduating college. I think she made the right decision, I know it wasn't easy. Writing in that journal has finally given her that much needed perspective on life. It was fun reading and coming to those same conclusions when she did. I ESPECIALLY loved Marcus's letter at the end because it defined him PERFECTLY with his tattoo, "Whatever". Perfect conclusion to this part 4 book.
Spoiler alert*****
Spanning in 7 days after Marcus's proposal, she tends to hold back in her thoughts. After about 1/2 way in her journal, she starts to really open up and question, "Do I leave the life that I am starting to really love in NYC to be with you (Marcus) or do I follow my own path where there are plenty of options for myself to grow?" There were plenty of subtle and not-so-subtle hints from the author that showed the readers that it's just not the right time for Marcus and her to be together. Her relationship with Marcus, although different and entertaining, was not as deep and all-consuming that a couple in love should have after 4 years of being a couple. But like Jessica realized, it was more separate then connected within those 4 years.
I knew that there was a particular reason that I didn't exactly like Marcus. He's ADD to the extreme and although for many, it has been an endearing quality during high school, it starts to get frustrating after school is over. As they are growing up, Jessica realizes that she can't hold him down for days at a time because Marcus is always searching for the next adventure in his life. Jessica also is far from settling down, I mean she's still pretty young. That's why Marcus's wedding proposal was not right from the getgo. Although, Jessica wants a little stablity in her life, she is now thinking about her actual future as all young adults face after graduating college. I think she made the right decision, I know it wasn't easy. Writing in that journal has finally given her that much needed perspective on life. It was fun reading and coming to those same conclusions when she did. I ESPECIALLY loved Marcus's letter at the end because it defined him PERFECTLY with his tattoo, "Whatever". Perfect conclusion to this part 4 book.
June 11, 2015
In the fourth book in the Jessica Darling series, readers find her living in New York city with Hope and two other roommates. She is still with Marcus, despite their drastic ups and downs; in fact, he even proposes in his usual non-conventional way. She loves Marcus, but that would mean giving up New York City to go back to Princeton as he is enrolled there as a freshman, which is another hard fact that she must come to terms with. Jessica doesn't have long to decide and recognizes that this is a monumental life choice. Megan McCafferty's Fourth Comings is an insightful read that many can relate to, but in comparison to the other Jessica Darling novels, this one lacked that something special that I've come to expect from this series..
I loved how things have come full circle for Jessica in Fourth Comings as Hope is one of her roommates in her New York City apartment. I liked getting to know Hope better as she was a focal point in the other novels in the series, but the readers would rarely hear from her directly. Also, my heart nearly skipped a beat when Marcus proposed to Jessica, but I could see why she would struggle with this decision as she needs to get her life on track before she up and leaves everything for him. It's a tough and real decision. I liked following Jessica through this journey and watching her navigate through uncharted territory. Readers can always count on her hilarious commentary.
For me, this one lacked a lot of plot. It was mostly Jessica journaling about her feelings, which I liked, but it got old after awhile, because not a lot was happening. Don't get me wrong, it was extremely realistic, but I was hoping for more. On the other hand, I liked the whole "what now?" feelings that Jessica had after college. It's a hard time in any college graduate's life and I think McCafferty does a wonderful job capturing those mixed emotions.
I know I said I am obsessed with this series and I still am, but I'd have to say that Fourth Comings is my least favorite. That doesn't mean I won't be picking up the final book, Perfect Fifths, as McCafferty left me hanging at the end of this one and I need to know what happens next, because after following Jessica from high school to college to post college life, readers are bound to become truly invested. I'm holding out for a happy ending.
I loved how things have come full circle for Jessica in Fourth Comings as Hope is one of her roommates in her New York City apartment. I liked getting to know Hope better as she was a focal point in the other novels in the series, but the readers would rarely hear from her directly. Also, my heart nearly skipped a beat when Marcus proposed to Jessica, but I could see why she would struggle with this decision as she needs to get her life on track before she up and leaves everything for him. It's a tough and real decision. I liked following Jessica through this journey and watching her navigate through uncharted territory. Readers can always count on her hilarious commentary.
For me, this one lacked a lot of plot. It was mostly Jessica journaling about her feelings, which I liked, but it got old after awhile, because not a lot was happening. Don't get me wrong, it was extremely realistic, but I was hoping for more. On the other hand, I liked the whole "what now?" feelings that Jessica had after college. It's a hard time in any college graduate's life and I think McCafferty does a wonderful job capturing those mixed emotions.
I know I said I am obsessed with this series and I still am, but I'd have to say that Fourth Comings is my least favorite. That doesn't mean I won't be picking up the final book, Perfect Fifths, as McCafferty left me hanging at the end of this one and I need to know what happens next, because after following Jessica from high school to college to post college life, readers are bound to become truly invested. I'm holding out for a happy ending.
August 30, 2025
Not as bad as the third book, but nowhere near as good as the first two. I just don't understand why Jessica and Marcus even bother. I mean, I'd get sick of Marcus' games, and I'd get sick of Jessica's "better-than-you" attitude.
One thing I did like in this book were Jessica's interactions with her family. They didn't seem so one-dimensional as they have in the past books.
And, because Hope - who has been a main character in the series but has barely been in the series - is actually a character in this book, it makes me wonder how her and Jessica are friends, and how they've stayed friends for so long. Because yeah, Jess is a bitch.
Edit 11/29/16 - You know, despite bumping Charmed Thirds up to three stars, I think I'm going to leave this one at two. I don't really know if I stand by my earlier thoughts where I said this wasn't as bad as the third, because (despite heaving read this series at least fifty times) I think I enjoyed that one more this go-around.
I do still stand by my other thoughts - Jessica's attitude, Marcus' games, I'm getting tired of them by this point. (Yes, Marcus is still a dreamboat. But enough is enough, they just don't seem to mesh anymore like that they did in high school.) And again, I liked Jessica's interactions with her family, especially her conversation with her dad. I also really liked meeting Hugo, and I'm sad that that's it for him.
Ugh, it's just this series had so much potential. And though I appreciate that it's pretty realistic, especially since it might be boring to read about how perfect Marcus is (haha I doubt it), I just wish it had either ended at two. (But I will always reread all five because I'm a sucker for punishment I guess, lol.)
Edit 8/30/25 - Ugh the ending. Finally bumped it up to 3 stars because this wasn't as painful as I thought. Though all my previous thoughts still stand: family interactions, good. Marcus, enough with the games. Jessica, get over yourself. (But again, that ending! My heart!)
One thing I did like in this book were Jessica's interactions with her family. They didn't seem so one-dimensional as they have in the past books.
And, because Hope - who has been a main character in the series but has barely been in the series - is actually a character in this book, it makes me wonder how her and Jessica are friends, and how they've stayed friends for so long. Because yeah, Jess is a bitch.
Edit 11/29/16 - You know, despite bumping Charmed Thirds up to three stars, I think I'm going to leave this one at two. I don't really know if I stand by my earlier thoughts where I said this wasn't as bad as the third, because (despite heaving read this series at least fifty times) I think I enjoyed that one more this go-around.
I do still stand by my other thoughts - Jessica's attitude, Marcus' games, I'm getting tired of them by this point. (Yes, Marcus is still a dreamboat. But enough is enough, they just don't seem to mesh anymore like that they did in high school.) And again, I liked Jessica's interactions with her family, especially her conversation with her dad. I also really liked meeting Hugo, and I'm sad that that's it for him.
Ugh, it's just this series had so much potential. And though I appreciate that it's pretty realistic, especially since it might be boring to read about how perfect Marcus is (haha I doubt it), I just wish it had either ended at two. (But I will always reread all five because I'm a sucker for punishment I guess, lol.)
Edit 8/30/25 - Ugh the ending. Finally bumped it up to 3 stars because this wasn't as painful as I thought. Though all my previous thoughts still stand: family interactions, good. Marcus, enough with the games. Jessica, get over yourself. (But again, that ending! My heart!)
May 30, 2009
I feel like a jerk reviewing this book because by now I feel I've proved I do not like Jessica Darling and I might not like Megan McCafferty, but it's like they keep CALLING TO ME and I can't resist them.
(Also since the book I'm writing now is going to have at least one sequel I keep looking for examples of non-sci-fi/fantasy YA series.)
ANYWAYS. With all there was to like, i.e. some realistic talk on what it means to grow up, there was also:
--The insinuation that bisexuals, people who don't believe in marriage, and people who don't want to get married until it's legal for all to get married are just fooling themselves and are actually immature and indecisive. This would definitely be news to all the people I know who fall into one of these groups.
--While I liked that Jessica learned she can't live her life by following Marcus around, it's funny how often she is quick to mock anyone who expresses obvious feminist beliefs. Hey, guess what that independence is, you idiot?
--So many girls who are just idiots or assholes. Even Hope betrays Jessica, sort of. I've said it constantly w/r/t this series, but the girl-on-girl hate is disgusting.
--Speaking of the betrayal, man, way to make it anti-climactic.
--The ruminations on class would have been more interesting if our one view of a lower-class child wouldn't have portrayed her as dirty, stupid, and immature (?? I know, she's A CHILD).
--Uh, was a suicide attempt kind of glossed over??
--I couldn't believe Jessica showed up at Hope's debut art show and MADE IT ALL ABOUT HER. Oh wait. I totally COULD believe that.
--Let's be honest, I am totally going to read the fifth book when it's available for me at the library, and I am really really really hoping it will reflect more of the theme of the END of the book and less, you know, the rest.
(Also since the book I'm writing now is going to have at least one sequel I keep looking for examples of non-sci-fi/fantasy YA series.)
ANYWAYS. With all there was to like, i.e. some realistic talk on what it means to grow up, there was also:
--The insinuation that bisexuals, people who don't believe in marriage, and people who don't want to get married until it's legal for all to get married are just fooling themselves and are actually immature and indecisive. This would definitely be news to all the people I know who fall into one of these groups.
--While I liked that Jessica learned she can't live her life by following Marcus around, it's funny how often she is quick to mock anyone who expresses obvious feminist beliefs. Hey, guess what that independence is, you idiot?
--So many girls who are just idiots or assholes. Even Hope betrays Jessica, sort of. I've said it constantly w/r/t this series, but the girl-on-girl hate is disgusting.
--Speaking of the betrayal, man, way to make it anti-climactic.
--The ruminations on class would have been more interesting if our one view of a lower-class child wouldn't have portrayed her as dirty, stupid, and immature (?? I know, she's A CHILD).
--Uh, was a suicide attempt kind of glossed over??
--I couldn't believe Jessica showed up at Hope's debut art show and MADE IT ALL ABOUT HER. Oh wait. I totally COULD believe that.
--Let's be honest, I am totally going to read the fifth book when it's available for me at the library, and I am really really really hoping it will reflect more of the theme of the END of the book and less, you know, the rest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2012
My first book of 2012! Well, I got a start on it in 2011. That's life.
The journal format was pushing it here - I didn't really believe that Jessica was writing to Marcus because I could hear McCafferty behind it all inserting backstory into the narrative for the reader's benefit. The journal would often get stuck in this narrative rut: something happens, Jessica half-describes it and then turns it into a petulant op-ed about society in general while slipping in references to pop-psych research studies, then clumsily relates all of this to her worries about Marcus's proposal. Speaking of, since we as readers never get to see the good parts of the relationship except in the first 2 books, and then the 3rd book covers 4 years of her life without really having Marcus in it, then starts this one a couple years after THAT, I didn't understand why she was making such a big deal out of breaking up with Marcus. They obviously didn't have much to talk about. And I wasn't invested anymore.
It's not that Megan McCafferty hasn't written a real character. I think she's too real, and consistently shows no growth. Sometimes I can't empathize with Jessica. Sometimes I only see the worst parts of myself in Jessica and then I wish I weren't empathizing with her. I guess I'd rather read about someone I don't like but enjoy their terrible exploits or have a character who has problems but handles them better than I would, and Jessica is neither. She dithers a lot.
But! The fifth book is written in 3rd person! With 2 perspectives! So I'm willing to go on to complete the whole thing.
The journal format was pushing it here - I didn't really believe that Jessica was writing to Marcus because I could hear McCafferty behind it all inserting backstory into the narrative for the reader's benefit. The journal would often get stuck in this narrative rut: something happens, Jessica half-describes it and then turns it into a petulant op-ed about society in general while slipping in references to pop-psych research studies, then clumsily relates all of this to her worries about Marcus's proposal. Speaking of, since we as readers never get to see the good parts of the relationship except in the first 2 books, and then the 3rd book covers 4 years of her life without really having Marcus in it, then starts this one a couple years after THAT, I didn't understand why she was making such a big deal out of breaking up with Marcus. They obviously didn't have much to talk about. And I wasn't invested anymore.
It's not that Megan McCafferty hasn't written a real character. I think she's too real, and consistently shows no growth. Sometimes I can't empathize with Jessica. Sometimes I only see the worst parts of myself in Jessica and then I wish I weren't empathizing with her. I guess I'd rather read about someone I don't like but enjoy their terrible exploits or have a character who has problems but handles them better than I would, and Jessica is neither. She dithers a lot.
But! The fifth book is written in 3rd person! With 2 perspectives! So I'm willing to go on to complete the whole thing.
December 7, 2017
UGH! I don't get it. I don't get her. What the heck???
Let me try to make sense of what I just read. Although I find this character witty and sardonic.. again way too cynical for my taste. But hilarious.
But oh, this book rambled on and on. Where was it going? What was the end result? I know there was deeper meaning in her superfluous explanations of everything. If there was I missed it?
On a side note, I will say that her view points are just are tad to liberal for me. But the character is great, otherwise.
On another side note, MARCUS IS WEIRD! SWEET.. BUT WEIRD- I would have dumped his butt a long time ago just because of his confusing nature. HOWEVER, JESSICA IS WEIRD TOO.. SO THEY FIT... AND THEIR KIDS WILL PROBABLY BE EVEN MORE "quintessentially ambiguous" I haven't given up hope, yet.
Spoilers.............
Conclusion: So this is what i got out of it. So even though she loved Marcus she realized that they were too different. Or she wasn't ready for marriage or she wanted to experience someone else. BUT SHE IS MISERABLE WITHOUT HIM... What does she think she can just get over him like that.
And to let it just all go with one vague response... UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let me try to make sense of what I just read. Although I find this character witty and sardonic.. again way too cynical for my taste. But hilarious.
But oh, this book rambled on and on. Where was it going? What was the end result? I know there was deeper meaning in her superfluous explanations of everything. If there was I missed it?
On a side note, I will say that her view points are just are tad to liberal for me. But the character is great, otherwise.
On another side note, MARCUS IS WEIRD! SWEET.. BUT WEIRD- I would have dumped his butt a long time ago just because of his confusing nature. HOWEVER, JESSICA IS WEIRD TOO.. SO THEY FIT... AND THEIR KIDS WILL PROBABLY BE EVEN MORE "quintessentially ambiguous" I haven't given up hope, yet.
Spoilers.............
Conclusion: So this is what i got out of it. So even though she loved Marcus she realized that they were too different. Or she wasn't ready for marriage or she wanted to experience someone else. BUT SHE IS MISERABLE WITHOUT HIM... What does she think she can just get over him like that.
And to let it just all go with one vague response... UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2020
Well, I waited a long time for this book, the fourth in the Jessica Darling series. After finishing the book last night, I literally kicked it off the couch in anger.
I love Megan McCafferty's writing: she's quick-witted and sharp with her word choice. I love getting inside Jessica's head and hearing her turmoil. The first two books of the series are my favorite, the third moves in a different direction, and this fourth one just disappointed me.
Jessica and Marcus, for me, are the glue that hold the series together. The ending of this one--completely wrong. I tend to be a pessimist in real life, but always hold out hope for the books I read. While I can understand McCafferty's reasoning--for people so young, like myself, it can be hard to move in the same direction and you have to really know yourself before being involved with someone else--I would have much preferred the traditional "happy ending."
Maybe there will be a fifth book that cleans everything up. But I don't know if I can take the drama of Jess and Marcus's relationship much longer. Not when it doesn't turn out the way I so selfishly want it to.
I love Megan McCafferty's writing: she's quick-witted and sharp with her word choice. I love getting inside Jessica's head and hearing her turmoil. The first two books of the series are my favorite, the third moves in a different direction, and this fourth one just disappointed me.
Jessica and Marcus, for me, are the glue that hold the series together. The ending of this one--completely wrong. I tend to be a pessimist in real life, but always hold out hope for the books I read. While I can understand McCafferty's reasoning--for people so young, like myself, it can be hard to move in the same direction and you have to really know yourself before being involved with someone else--I would have much preferred the traditional "happy ending."
Maybe there will be a fifth book that cleans everything up. But I don't know if I can take the drama of Jess and Marcus's relationship much longer. Not when it doesn't turn out the way I so selfishly want it to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2013
Okay, so I've been putting off reading this book and Perfect Fifths for awhile just because I really did not want this series to end. So I finally ripped off the bandage and read both books back to back. I love Jessica Darling. Whereas so people may be a little turned off by her biting sarcasm, I really enjoy it.
In this book, Marcus asks Jessica to marry him when she tries to break up with him. Jessica isn't sure what she wants to do but she has a week to think about it.
I really loved that we again got to see the story from Jessica's point of view. Even though she is struggling with this huge, life altering decision, this book still definitely has its funny moments. Jessica was a little immature in some parts of the book still but overall, I still really liked her character.
I kind of wish that this book had been combined with Perfect Fifths as at the end of the book, you are left with a lot of questions.
In this book, Marcus asks Jessica to marry him when she tries to break up with him. Jessica isn't sure what she wants to do but she has a week to think about it.
I really loved that we again got to see the story from Jessica's point of view. Even though she is struggling with this huge, life altering decision, this book still definitely has its funny moments. Jessica was a little immature in some parts of the book still but overall, I still really liked her character.
I kind of wish that this book had been combined with Perfect Fifths as at the end of the book, you are left with a lot of questions.
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