Second Helpings: A Jessica Darling Novel

By Megan McCafferty

Senior year has Jessica up in arms again in this hilarious and much-anticipated second book in the New York Times bestselling Jessica Darling series.

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 back about choosing a college, and her sister Bethany’s pregnancy is causing a big stir in the Darling household.

With intelligence, wit, and ingenious comedic timing, Megan McCafferty has once again recreated the tumultuous world of modern, fast-moving and sophisticated teens. Fans of Sloppy Firsts will be reunited with their favorite characters and introduced to some 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, you'll finally have the answers to all of your burning 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 sequel to a book that critics and readers alike hailed as the best high school novel in years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 18, 2007
• ISBN: 9780307421562

Megan McCafferty

MEGAN MCCAFFERTY writes fiction for tweens, teens and teens-at-heart of all ages. The author of over a dozen novels, she’s best known for Sloppy Firsts and four more books in the New York Times bestselling Jessica Darling series. 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.

Reviews for Second Helpings

[girlsonfire · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You, Yes, You

[emma_manolis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How can you not love reading the hidden thoughts of another person? I must be extremely nosy because the thought of reading someone else’s journal just makes me excited beyond words. I guess what makes this so appealing is just the chance that perhaps there is someone else out there who can relate to you. At times Jessica Darling is that person for me. I understand her difficulty finding her place and I can remember so well her college dilemma. I first read this novel when I was a tad younger than Jessica and at that time I loved the story because it seemed so scandalous and exciting to me. Reading it now I still find it slightly scandalous however, I see a different side to Jessica. I guess the reason why is because now I have been through these types of situations myself.

I kind of feel like this is the “Alice” series for the girls who have grown out of Alice. Reading the pages makes you feel as if you have just discovered a new friend and you can’t help but want travel along with her as she makes her place in the world. Since it is in journal format there is a bias to everything and not every character is incredibly developed, but for me that is okay. The story isn’t really about everyone else anyway. My only issue with Jessica is that she seems so wishy-washy in her morals. As someone who is very opinionated and very decided with where I stand, I sometimes find that quality slightly obnoxious. However, she is still very young so I’m sure that plays a large role.

Overall, I thought this book was a great read and now I’m off to read “Charming Thirds.”

[lauraashlee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

McCafferty raises the bar with her second installment of her hilarious Jessica Darling series.It’s Jessica’s senior year. She’s somehow become friends with the girls of the Clueless Crew, and she hasn’t spoken to Marcus since the night they almost kissed. On top of everything, she needs to pick a college. McCafferty does not disappoint in this book. Her infamous snark is alive and well in her main character. Jessica was admittedly a little less relatable in this book, simple because of her aloofness to what was really going on. Marcus became the center of attention for me in this book. So much was explained, but I think there’s still more to learn about him. The ending felt a lot like a John Hughes movie. I know that there’s more in store for these characters, though, so I’m going to let that slide. There’s also plenty of backstabbing and high school drama, if you’re into that. This one has more of a resolution, so I didn’t have to run for the next book immediately. Still, I’m eager to see what’s next for Jessica.This is one of the better books about high school I’ve read.

[olegalca · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not as good as the first one in the series (typical, right?). I also found the language to be more distracting in this book than the previous. It moved rather quickly through the protagonist's senior year and characters that were quirky in the first book were largely annoying here. Still, it was a fun, easy read for the most part.

[maneekuhi · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

"Second Helpings" is a very successful, very highly rated, so-so book. Written in 2003, it's the second in a five book series starring Jessica Darling; in this one she's a high school senior, focused on ridding herself of a horrible teenage malady. No not zits, not baby fat, not poor grades - but virginity. Sex is every student's past time at Pineville High. Everyone is doing it. The moral issue here is not whether or not one should have sex, but not to have it too much, nor with too many people. That would be in violation of an unwritten student code. The punishment - being labeled a slut, or skank, or pervert in the case of boys. In the spirit of full disclosure I admit to being a grandfather, and obviously things have changed a bit since I went to high school. I know the statistics though, and the numbers say this book is beyond reality. That or seemingly 90+% of kids are doing the nasty regularly in mid New Jersey. Strangely, there is very little attention in "Second Helpings" paid to booze and drugs. Of course it pops up here and there, but in this regard it appears the author has swung the other way, maybe to 'protect' her characters. The message seems to be sex is OK, it's the most popular sport at PHS. There are no abortions, pregnancies, STD's , AIDS/HIV..... The characters were OK, but it was sometimes difficult to keep them straight. The differentiators were mostly physical appearance, whom they were "dating", and whether they were nice or mean. The plot was OK, the main point of tension was whether or not Jess and her not-so-secret love would ever get together. But this is one of those typical romance series entries that finally has a happy ending of sorts, then there are clouds on the horizon on the last pages to get you to read book number next. Jessica's parents are dopes, of course, but there is a lame attempt to make Dad real with a poignant scene toward the end. The prose is good, the author seems to know how some teenage minds think, but bottomline, these kids are focused mostly on popularity, and they come across as very shallow. There are funny moments and some insightful ones. There are also lists, lists, lists. Some were clever, but after a while they also got boring and way overdone. Jessica is very much a me, me, me - and it got tiring.Most of my reading is adult fiction and history but I also read a bit of other genres, e.g. science fiction, YA. I haven't read much YA but I know there are other books out there that are a lot more real than this; "Eleanor and Park" comes to mind as one example. "Second Helpings" is ok as escapist, fantasy reading but I think the reader must be mature enough to understand that. I wouldn't want my freshman grandson reading it.

[tealightful · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book was awful. If I had read it when it first came out, maybe it would have been less awful -- but I have my doubts.

I'm not even entirely sure why I chose to read the sequel to a book that I thought was quite sub-par. It's my own fault, really.

The narrator [Jessica Darling] is highly unlikable and I've never been a fan of any author who finds that many exclamation points necessary.

Thumbs way, way down.

[iamchrysanthemum · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jessica, be my best friend!

[akmargie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I try to write these blurbs shortly after finishing. I forgot to do this one although I can say ditto my other review. The further adventures of Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie did not disappoint. It's like crack Cabot, only better. Also have a great idea for Halloween next year.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I will do my best to refrain my flailing and fangirling in this review, but it's going to be really difficult, because this series gives me so many feels. SO. MANY. FEELS. Seriously, if you like contemporaries at all and are not easily offended, then you really need to read the Jessica Darling series posthaste. Second Helpings follows Jessica through her senior year of high school, and had me even more on the edge of my seat than the first one.

As I mentioned in my review for Sloppy Firsts, I love Jessica. She is so well-characterized that I feel like I know her up and down. I can tell you her strengths, her weaknesses, and how she fails to see herself properly, as most people do in high school. Jessica grows up a lot in this book, learning to go for what she really wants and to see herself more objectively. In Sloppy Firsts, Jessica did a lot of things to please others, but now she's focused on herself.

One thing (out of many) that I love about this series is that it's so obvious that Jessica doesn't know what she wants. Though, from my perspective, I can tell the right choice from the wrong one, I know Jessica so well that I understand when she missteps. She works out her difficulties in her journal, rehashing them over and over again, trying to process her feelings, particularly about boys. Relationships are confusing, and it can be really difficult to tell how you actually feel about someone, especially if they're also your friend. McCafferty shows that all teen relationships don't last forever, and that romance isn't easy or found at first sight.

In my previous review, I mentioned that I was still a bit unsure about Marcus Flutie. Let the record show that I am no longer unsure. Before I got too far into Second Helpings, I was shipping Jessica and Marcus something fierce. Basically, in book one, he didn't really overcome his sketchy past enough to be someone I could really endorse as a hero, but, by now, he's made good, now using his talents for good rather than substance abuse. He and Jessica have such a strong mental connection, and chemistry like whoa. Also, it's hilarious how, for two forthright, honest people, they have a huge amount of trouble admitting their feelings for one another.

Though I've decided not to rate down for this because I just loved this book so much, this edition had a surprising number of typos. Also, that ending was mean. Just mean. I am very afraid that I will not like the next book, mostly because I have no idea what will happen and I have nerves just thinking about all the bad, but realistic, decisions I will need to watch Jessica make. MAKE GOOD CHOICES, JESSICA.

To reiterate, you should probably be reading this series. Do it. So you can flail with me. Please?

[irinka87 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great 2nd book for the series. Couldn't put it down!

[joanneds · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read the first book of this series and thought that it was a refreshing on teen angst lit. I found this one interesting but it lost some of the voice that the first had...so it was okay.

[kathdavis54 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jessica Darling is back. The author somehow manages to mature the main character while still leaving her with some hang ups she just can't fix. This book sounds exactly like a cynical, sassy high school girl.

[moran42093 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was a good book, although I did not think it was as good as the first book in the series.

[kariannalysis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jessica Darling is a senior, and more ready that ever to get out of Pineville. She’s narrowed down her choices for colleges, with Columbia being the top choice. Now she just has to get through the rest of the school year, stay away from the drama and slide by. But it doesn’t quite work like that. She gets in a quitting mood and gets away from everything she knows. She gets a boyfriend *gasp* but realizes they’re really not on the same page. And of course, Marcus Flutie is hanging in the rafters waiting, watching, judging, but not really saying much. All the has to do is get through this year, and get excepted into Columbia!I absolutely loved this book. The first one was good, but I was afraid I wasn’t going to love the series like I had hoped for. The second one did it for me. I seriously laughed out loud at parts of this book. Jessica is a great character. She is extremely funny, witty and smart. She is the kind of girl I wish I would have been in school, not waited until I got older to pop out of my shell.When I read, I try to get in tune with the character. At times, it was easy to get inside Jessica Darling’s head. She likes to write, she’s funny, that stuff I got. The part that was hard for me was while I am reading this book about a senior in high school, I know that she graduated high school a few years before me (September 11 references), so I felt like although I am reading about a high schooler, I felt like I am reading the story of someone older than me. Sorry if that doesn’t make sense, it was hard getting out I am really looking forward to following the next few years of Jessica’s life. I read an interview with author, Megan McCafferty who says that in this series, we follow a whole decade of Jessica. I am eager to see where she goes with her life and what she becomes. I like closure! I am also biting my nails, not sure what is going to happen with her love life. She finally gets what she wants and it is going to be taken away from her, to the complete opposite side of the country.I give Second Helpings 5 bookmarks.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Second Helpings was just as delicious as Sloppy Firsts. Jessica Darling enters her senior year of high school and begins to act in ways that are true to herself, quitting the hated track team and selecting friends that she genuinely respects, though not without taking some occasional slippery slides back down the hill to the moronic high schoolism that pervades her world. I want second helpings of Second Helpings! Recommended.

[nomadreader_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Jessica Darling is a senior now, and she's making the hard choices about where to go to college and what she wants out of life. She's still dealing with the fallout of a broken heart, dating her academic rival, and dealing with an anonymous and accurate school gossip ezine. Once again, the reader is privy to Jessica's thoughts through her diary.Review: After getting to know Jessica Darling in Sloppy Firsts, I was really rooting for her in this novel. I desperately wanted her to make the right choice for college. There is still plenty of candor, insight and humor, but Jessica's reactions to the September 11th attacks still surprised me. I'm curious to know how these events affected McCafferty's story: were they an impetus or did they help shift the story to accommodate timeliness? It's impossible not to compare the two novels, and Second Helpings takes everything wonderful from Sloppy Firsts and makes it better. Jessica is smart, funny, ironic and vulnerable, and all of these things make her absolutely delightful to read about.

[unfufu_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite book of the series!

[chicamimi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book just builds on the first book. It's amazing and snarky.

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jessica Darling is back in this sequel to Sloppy Firsts. She's determined not to think about Marcus Flutie (a.k.a. He Who Shall Not Be Named), the rebel she had fallen for in the last book (only to find out that his interactions with her had started as a game for him to see if he could get in her pants). Jess is also applying to colleges. Inspired by a run-in with the gay love-of-her-life crushboy, she applies to Columbia even though she knows her parents would never let her go to school in NYC (especially after the events of 9/11). Figuring out what she wants (and WHO she wants) is definitely a full-time job for Jess in this satisfying sequel. I enjoyed it!

[stephxsu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The year 2000 ended on a mixed note for Jessica. She got her period back and renewed her long-distance friendship with best friend Hope, sure, but she lost her close friendship with Marcus Flutie, the boy who broke her heart. Picking up in the summer before her senior year, Jessica attends a summer writing program with stereotypically goth/emo writers and decides to attend Columbia University. However, her parents won't let her go anywhere near the Big Apple, and September 11 also affects her decision. Meanwhile, Jessica's trying to be a good girlfriend to Len Levy, her rival for valedictorian and Marcus Flutie's best friend. Which means that He Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned is around. A lot. And still sending mixed messages. On top of that, Marcus works at the "old fogues" home where Jessica's grandmother, the spirited and beloved Gladdie, lives. Will Jessica be able to experience some semblance of a happy ending to her high school years? As with the previous book in the series, SECOND HELPINGS is a deliciously funny account of high school. Adults will be glad they don't have to go through the ordeal again, while high schoolers will want Jessica as their best friend. Megan McCafferty's books are well on their way to immortalization.

[janders_22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

couldn't put it down, not great, but solid.

[happilyeverafters · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must-read for parents of teenagers or anyone who wants insight into the pain and joy of those years.

[tikilights_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Even more neurotic than the first book, Jessica is dealing with her senior year of high school this time and she does it in a funny and frustrating way. Picking colleges, developing new friendships, realizing self-potential and confronting He-who-must-not-be-named all make up Second Helpings. At times, Jessica's analysis (and mostly overanalysis) of everything seemed a bit much, but there's something about her that is extremely relatable and that just makes you want to yell at her to do what seems so obvious.

[kimbee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this when I was 15. I thought the main character seemed very pesimistic.

[wittyreaderli · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a great sequel. If you like this, try the third!