Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty
Book Review of the Final Novel in the Jessica Darling Series
Sep 12, 2009
In the final novel of the Jessica Darling series, Perfect Fifths, Megan McCafferty ties up some loose ends and gives the characters fans have grown to love a solid conclusion, but it’s not easy to get through.
The first two novels in the series, Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, are some of the best pieces of young adult fiction to come out in bookstores in the last decade. They introduced readers to high schooler Jessica Darling, a brainy girl stuck in a small New Jersey town where she feels she doesn’t belong. When she meets Marcus Flutie, an infamous former druggie trying to stay on the straight and narrow, the story opens up and becomes a great series.
In Charmed Thirds and Fourth Comings, Jessica moves on to college and the real world, making many mistakes and showing a natural progression. In the fourth book, readers are left unsure of the status of Jessica and Marcus’s relationship, and fans will be pleased that the final book does revolve around their romance.
Too Much Dialogue, Not Enough Substance
Unfortunately, the final novel in the series leaves much to be desired. The book takes place over just one day and only in two settings. This could have been an interesting twist, but McCafferty instead fills the empty pages with unnecessary filler.
The real problem is that the novel is almost entirely dialogue with very little action. In a way, fans who have read all four books will be bored, and anyone who has never read a Jessica Darling book will almost certainly not like or understand it.
Marcus Flutie's Perspective
The book does provide something fans have been clamoring for since the first book - a peek into Marcus Flutie’s complex mind. Written in a third-person perspective, the novel goes back and forth between Jessica and Marcus’s points of view, opening up a whole new world readers had previously not been privy to.
The new perspective is still not enough to make-up Perfect Fifths’ shortcomings. Readers will miss Jessica Darling’s sarcastic and intelligent inner dialogue and will likely be bored with the slow-moving storyline.
Perfect Fifths Full of Filler
The novel is also missing many of the familiar characters that made the series so enjoyable. While Jessica does have a few phone conversations with her high school friend Bridget and another with best friend Hope, it is all readers see of the characters from the first four books. In passing, Jessica does give Marcus updates on others’ lives, but it feels contrived and their missing voices are noticeable. Readers are introduced to Marcus’s college roommate, but the character doesn’t feel real and lacks a purpose.
McCafferty’s attempt is admirable. Unfortunately, it is too much of a disconnect from the first four books and doesn’t feel like a conclusion to a beloved series. There are some direct references from the first two books that will make readers smile, but there is too much filler and fans may find that they prefer to only read the last 50 pages and skip the rest.
Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty. Publisher: Crown (April 14, 2009). ISBN: 978-0307346520
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