Tag: Jessica Darling Series

DNF Round Up: Frisk Me, Charmed Thirds & Corrupt

Posted May 16, 2017 by Rowena in Reviews | 8 Comments

Reviewer: Rowena
Frisk Me by Lauren Layne
Publisher: Hachette Books, Forever
Publication Date: July 28th 2015
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
DNF

Officer Luc Moretti had no idea that his dive into the East River would have him drowning in a media frenzy. No matter how many times he tells reporters he was just doing his job, they're determined to make him into NYC's newest hero. Coming from a long line of NYPD's finest, Luc knows that being a cop has nothing to do with headlines and viral videos, and he's more than ready to get back to life away from the cameras—until he meets the gorgeous but jaded journalist assigned to film a TV special on him.

Ava Sims may be the only woman in NYC who isn't in love with Officer Moretti. That's why she's going after the real story—to find out about the man behind the badge. Ava's determined to keep things strictly professional, but the more time she spends around Luc, even she has to admit there's something about a man in uniform . . . and she can't wait to get him out of his.

I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I DNF’d my first Lauren Layne book and I’m still pretty surprised about it. If you know me then you know of my love of all things Lauren Layne. I adored her Oxford, Sex, Love & Stilettos and Wedding Belles series. I am enjoying her Love Unexpectedly series. There hasn’t been a book of hers that I absolutely hated (I have hated some character antics and thought processes but I haven’t hated any books) so imagine my surprise when I just couldn’t get into this book.

This book follows Luc Moretti, a New York Police Officer who is being praised for being a hero and Ava Sims, the reporter who is covering his story. Ava and Luc do not like each other and Ava’s attitude pissed me off too much for me to continue on. The way that she yelled at Luc, who was giving her a parking ticket because she was parked illegally on a public street pissed me off because she was yelling that he was violating her freedom of speech. WTF does that even mean? She was working so she’s above the law now? I’m sorry but…

Don’t even get me started when we get to the present time and she sees Luc again for the first time in three years. On top of Ava’s attitude, she’s a reporter and I have a love and hate relationship with reporter heroines so after some convincing from my besties, I stepped away from this one. I’m sure she got better as the book wore on but I just couldn’t do it so that was my first DNF.

Reviewer: Rowena
Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Publication Date: January 1st 2006
Genres: New Adult
Pages: 361
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
DNF

Jessica Darling's in college!

Things are looking up for Jessica Darling. She has finally left her New Jersey hometown/hellhole for Columbia University in New York City; she's more into her boyfriend, Marcus Flutie, than ever (so what if he's at a Buddhist college in California?); and she's making new friends who just might qualify as stand-ins for her beloved best friend, Hope.

But Jessica soon realizes that her bliss might not last. She lands an internship at a snarky Brooklyn-based magazine, but will she fit in with the uberhip staff (and will she even want to)? As she and Marcus hit the rocks, will she end up falling for her GOPunk, neoconservative RA . . . or the hot (and married!) Spanish grad student she's assisting on a summer project . . . or the oh-so-sensitive emo boy down the hall? Will she even make it through college now that her parents have cut her off financially? And what do the cryptic one-word postcards from Marcus really mean?

With hilarious insight, the hyperobservant Jessica Darling struggles through her college years--and the summers in between--while maintaining her usual mix of wit, cynicism, and candor.

I’ve been wanting to read Charmed Thirds since I finished Second Helpings…the only problem with that is that I read Second Helpings years ago and I don’t know if it’s my old age but Jessica Darling was exhausting to read about and I was disconnected from everyone (including Marcus and I loved him before) so after a while of not really caring what was going on and wanting Jessica to take a breath, I just stopped reading this. It just didn’t hold my interest so I moved on.

Reviewer: Rowena
Corrupt (Devil's Night, #1) by Penelope Douglas
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication Date: November 17th 2015
Genres: New Adult
Pages: 460
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
DNF

Erika

I was told that dreams were our heart’s desires. My nightmares, however, became my obsession.

His name is Michael Crist.

My boyfriend’s older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He is handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college’s basketball team and now gone pro, he’s more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me.

But I noticed him.

I saw him. I heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid…For years, I bit my nails, unable to look away.

Now, I’ve graduated high school and moved on to college, but I haven’t stopped watching Michael. He’s bad, and the dirt I’ve seen isn’t content to stay in my head anymore.

Because he’s finally noticed me.

Michael

Her name is Erika Fane, but everyone calls her Rika.

My brother’s girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven’t had her body, I know that I have her mind. That’s all I really want anyway.

Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone at college.

In my city.

Unprotected.

The opportunity is too good to be true as well as the timing. Because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they’re out.

We’ve waited. We’ve been patient. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true.

***Corrupt can be read as a stand-alone. No cliffhanger.

Corrupt was a book that was brought to my attention by well, everyone. I’ve been seeing such good things about this author and this book in particular that I bought it and prepared myself for an interesting read. There’s a darkness to this book and to the hero that I just could not get behind. I tried three different times to get past what the hero and his friends were doing, to get past what they blamed the heroine for and though I was told that not all is what it seems, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t finish it and it was messing with my reading mojo so I stepped away from this one. Who knows if I’ll pick it back up later, I just know that I can’t do it now.

Have you DNF’d any books lately? Share your DNF stories with us. Which books should we steer clear from? Help a sister out!

DNF

8 Comments

Tagged: Contemporary, Crown, Devils Night, DNF, DNF Round Up, Forever, Jessica Darling Series, Lauren Layne, Megan McCafferty, New Adult, New York's Finest, Penelope Douglas, Romance, Self-Published

Review: Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty.

Posted August 10, 2011 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Main Character: Jessica Darling
Love Interest: Marcus Flutie (highlight to see)
Series: Jessica Darling Series, Book 2
Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

“Knowing that I’ve just done something that will take decades off my parents’ lives with worry, you’ll excuse me for not getting into the fa-la-la-la-la Yuletide spirit this year. . . . The only difference between Christmas 2001 and Christmas 2000 is that I don’t have a visit from Hope to look forward to. And Bethany has already packed on some major fetal flab. Oh, and now Gladdie doesn’t need to ask a bizillion questions about my boyfriend, because she’s already gotten the dirt from you know who.”

Jessica Darling is up in arms again in this much-anticipated, hilarious sequel to Sloppy Firsts. This time, the hyperobservant, angst-ridden teenager is going through the social and emotional ordeal of her senior year at Pineville High. Not only does the mysterious and oh-so-compelling Marcus Flutie continue to distract Jessica, but her best friend, Hope, still lives in another state, and she can’t seem to escape the clutches of the Clueless Crew, her annoying so-called friends. To top it off, Jessica’s parents won’t get off her butt about choosing a college, and her sister Bethany’s pregnancy is causing a big stir in the Darling household.

With keen intelligence, sardonic wit, and ingenious comedic timing, Megan McCafferty again re-creates the tumultuous world of today’s fast-moving and sophisticated teens. Fans of Sloppy Firsts will be reunited with their favorite characters and also introduced to the fresh new faces that have entered Jess’s life, including the hot creative writing teacher at her summer college prep program and her feisty, tell-it-like-it-is grandmother Gladdie. But most of all, readers will finally have the answers to all of their burgeoning questions, and then some: Will Jessica crack under the pressure of senioritis? Will her unresolved feelings for Marcus wreak havoc on her love life? Will Hope ever come back to Pineville? Fall in love with saucy, irreverent Jessica all over again in this wonderful sequel to a book that critics and readers alike hailed as the best high school novel in years.

Book 2 in the Jessica Darling series and I think I inhaled this book faster than I did the first book. In fact, I know I did because I read this book in one sitting. This book starts with Jessica getting ready to go away to summer camp where she is going to drown herself in activities in an effort to forget about He Who Shall Not Be Named aka Marcus Flutie.

Jessica is starting her senior year of high school and she’s still packing that same hilarious punch from the first book. Her voice is so engaging that you’ll be sitting up laughing at her thought processes. She’ll drive you crazy but you won’t be able to put this book down because so much pops off in this book. Jessica runs into Paul Parlipiano, the guy she was in love with in her early high school years until she found out he was gay and they spark up a little friendship that surprised the heck out of me. It was surprising because Paul convinces Jessica to change course as far as her college plans were and when Jessica changes her mind, she does so in a big way. With secrets and everything, haha.

If you’re worried that we don’t get any Marcus in here since the ending of Sloppy Firsts, don’t worry. Marcus makes appearances and he’s actually apart of the story and I love him. Seriously adore the heck out of him. Watching him try to move on and then help Jessica move on made my heart sigh and everything else under the sun.

My favorite character in this book was Gladdie. What a hoot she turned out to be, even more in this book than in the first book.

This book is another delightfully entertaining book and it was good to see that though Hope still isn’t around, she’s still very much a part of Jess’ life. She’s a great addition to the cast of characters in this book and I’m so happy to see that she’s still around, making things happen for Jess.

This is another great addition to a series that is shaping up (for me, at least) to be a definite treat. Fans of the first book will enjoy this book and fans of the YA contemporary genre will enjoy this book as well. Kudos to McCafferty for writing another winner of a story. I enjoyed it a great deal!

..and that’s your scoop!

Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com

0 Comments

Tagged: 4.0 Reviews, Contemporary, Jessica Darling Series, Megan McCafferty, Reviews, Rowena's Reviews, Three Rivers Books

Review: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty.

Posted August 2, 2011 by Rowena in Reviews | 3 Comments

Main Character: Jessica Darling
Love Interest: Too many to count (haha)
Series: Jessica Darling Series, Book 1
Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads

“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? . . . I don’t see how things could get any worse.”

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment–from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

Wow! When I was prepping this post, I came across the latest blog post that Megan McCafferty put up and it was to announce the tenth anniversary of this book. This book was published ten years ago and I’m just now getting around to reading it. I adored Jessica Darling. Her voice shined so brightly while I was knee deep in my reading of this book. She made me laugh, she made me feel bad and she made me miss Hope as well.

After Jessica’s best friend in the whole world, Hope moves away, Jessica goes through the process of trying to find out who she really is without her best friend at her side. She’s moody, she’s emo and she’s just your everyday, average teenage girl who thinks the world rises and sets with her. And I loved the hell out of her. She’s smart, she’s angsty and she’s normal. Jessica could have been any number of girls that I grew up with, hell myself included because who hasn’t gone through the same things? McCafferty could have been writing my own story since my best friend moved to the other side of the world (from California to Michigan) when we were in junior high school. The things that Jessica though, the letters she wrote all reminded me of myself back when Theresa’s Dad got that job that took her to Troy, MI leaving me behind to sit in Church by myself and to go through life by myself.

The difference between me and Jessica Darling was that I had other friends that didn’t exactly take Therese’s place but helped me get over Therese’s move. Jessica had three friends who she didn’t even like and another girl who comes in and pretends to be their friend, only to turn out to be someone completely different.

I really enjoyed getting to know Jessica because it was so easy to connect with her. I understood what she went through and seeing her thought processes and the way she saw the world was a laugh a minute. She was such a great character that I had to start the second book immediately (sorry to be reviewed pile). This book is a great contemporary story about a young girl living her life in New Jersey and wanting more. It’s a story with great characters and delivers a refreshingly honest protagonist that many a girls will identify with. I definitely recommend this book.

..and that’s your scoop!

Buy the book: B&N|Amazon|Book Depository
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com