Perfect Fifths (Jessica Darling Series #5)

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

PERFECT FIFTHS gives the reader the conclusion to the ongoing highs and lows of the relationship between Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie. For those that have been with them from the beginning, you will recall that they met in high school. Marcus was the druggie best friend of Jessica's best friend, Hope's, brother. The couple, the most unlikely in the school, get together, and they make perfect sense. The rest of the series covers the ins and outs of their relationship. FOURTH COMINGS left the reader stunned when Jessica says "No" to Marcus's marriage proposal.

So, in PERFECT FIFTHS, it only makes sense that the two will have to run into each other at some point. They're from the same town and know the same people. But currently Jessica lives in New York City and Marcus is an undergraduate at Princeton. It's in the most unlikely place that their destined reunion occurs - the airport.

Marcus and his college roommate, Natty, have returned from New Orleans. They're in the airport when Marcus hears a Jessica Darling being paged for final boarding. He can't believe it could be her, but as he's checking the departure board to see where the called flight is headed for, he's literally run into. He's too stunned to discover that the person that has run him down is, in fact, HIS Jessica Darling.

Out of breath, late for her flight, and too confused with everything going on, Jessica is struck dumb when she sees who she's about to apologize to. She mumbles a quick conversation and is off for her gate again. But it's too late, and her flight is gone. When she learns that the chances of a flight that night are next to nil, she and Marcus begin their cerebral dance once again.

Marcus has no need to remain at the airport, but PERFECT FIFTHS seems to tell more of Marcus's side of the story than the past four novels. The reader gets to see his jumbled thoughts and undying loyalty to Jessica. His friend, Natty, tries to dissuade him from staying with Jessica until her later flight, but Marcus is too far gone.

PERFECT FIFTHS takes place in the course of one day in the lives of Marcus and Jessica. It's in their time together that they recount the events of the past three years. And as the evening goes on, Jessica begins to second guess her reasons for telling him "No" so long ago.

Personally, I found PERFECT FIFTHS a satisfying ending to a wonderful series. Both Jessica and Marcus have become like long-lost friends to me. I won't spoil the ending for anyone, but I think it's the right ending for the series. Some will say it's too tidy; others may think it's the wrong one. If nothing else though, Ms. McCafferty has finally tied up the loose ends that FOURTH COMINGS left out there.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappointed

I love Megan McCafferty's writing style and I love the characters in her Jessica Darling Series. I do not love this book. It feels too contrived, the whole Jessica-Marcus thing is too played out at this point. I only read it because I wanted to know how it ended. And I'm disappointed. The entire book centers around this one day with Jessica and Marcus. Where are all my favorite characters? Barely a mention of any of them. If you only care about what happens to Jessica and Marcus (and, in my opinion, even that is a bit of a letdown after four books of this)then maybe you will like this book.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Dizzying, beautiful, loved it!

I was nervous about reading Perfect Fifths because I was so disappointed by Fourth Comings, since I'm a hopeful romantic and I hate when characters who are meant to be together aren't. But I'm sooo glad that I chose to read this book because it really is the perfect conclusion to the series. Everything comes full circle, I was reminded of the good/bad times in all the other books, and most importantly, Jessica and Marcus are perfect in their imperfection. Read this book! You won't regret it. The third person narrative is hard to get used to, but it all makes sense in the end. Can't wait to read more of this author.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Perfect Fifths was jsut PERFECT

I loved this book! I was so anxious waiting for McCafferty to release this novel. I am 21 and i remember very vividly many of the things discussed throughout the novels. Perfect Fifths was a delicous ending to an amazing series. I could not put it donw, and I literally did not until I was done. It is a MUST! the entire series is a MUST. So relatable and enjoyable.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

U all suck ass haters

I cant believe you people CAN YOU SAY HATERS

ehhh

i loved the first four books- couldn't put them down even when i had to. unfortunately, this was sort of a disappointment. i hated the fact that this was written in third person, whereas the other four books were in first. i couldn't keep up with it. it was choppy and a bit plain, to be honest. i think she grew up too much for me to like her anymore. at any rate, a satisfactory end to the series.

Happy ending

Happy ending for Marcus and Jessica. A little too far-fetched of an ending for me, but at least they end up together and happy.

A Great Ending

While it seems as if some questions were left unanswered, Perfect Fifths was a great book to end the Jessica Darling Series. I expected Marcus and Jessica to cross paths, but Megan McCafferty still found a way to make their reunion captivating. I was a little shocked at first when I skimmed through the book before I read it. The writing style is completely different than any of her other books. Also, I was very skeptical about it not being told from Jessica's point of view. Nonetheless, it had a purpose. In this book, there's a section with only dialogue and nothing else. It's confusing at first because you don't really know what's going on, but the conversation between Jessica and Marcus flows smoothly enough (even with the occasional pauses) that you catch on quickly and figure out who's talking and what's going on in their surroundings. This is the one book of the Jessica Darling Series where you really understand who Marcus is and what he feels. While he isn't perfect and is hopeless at times, I found that I was infatuated with Marcus during this story. I'm glad that Marcus and Jess got together. This book is probably the best book out of the whole series. You've seen Jess grow from a high school student to an adult and it's nice to see how much she's grown. It's unique, a fast/easy read, and overall a good story. I'm sad that this is the last book of the Jessica Darling Series, but I'm excited to read any other books Megan McCafferty releases in the future.

Wherever the forever, Jessica & Marcus live on!

(review for both FOURTH COMINGS & PERFECT FIFTHS)

In the final 2 books of the Jessica Darling series, our wires-crossed, love-imperfect couple decide if they'll make it or break it for good. While Jessica enters the post-college "real world," Marcus finally decided to go back to organized education in the form of Princeton. Still physically distant in location, Jessica thinks she's too old to re-live the college scene again. Will she wait for Marcus to graduate? Will Marcus dump her for a fresh-faced frosh? Will they find their perfect endings finally together - or finally apart?

Unlike its predecessors, fourth comings chronicles only 1 week of Jessica Darling's life - and yet it packs the most thoughtful and emotional punch of the series. Again, at the end, I find myself in deep contemplation of "forever" and "whatever" that play a role in Jessica and Marcus's romantic entanglements. Then comes along perfect fifths that gives us a whole fourth-wall phenomenon where we dive into third-person present instead of relying solely on Jessica's notebooks. Which means we get a delicious glimpse into the wonder of Marcus Flutie. perfect fifths is simply spot-on as far as reminiscing about the entire series and tying everything into a wonderfully bittersweet conclusion.

great ending to the perfect series

ive been along for the ride since sloppy firsts,through the ups and downs in marcus and jessica's relationship. and even though this book goes along with the cliche of the characters falling back together, it still makes you happy to think that 'true love' is out there.

Perfect Ending

I was so pleased with the final book. It had its moments that made it seem a little like a cheesy sitcom reunion show but there was good stuff too. Seeing things from Marcus' perspective really helped me to love him more and get over the whole "meditating, philosophical, unable to give anyone a straight answer" issues that drove me to distraction in the last two books. The opening 70 pages of this book made me happy and laugh out loud. Overall, a good ending to a good series.

Jessica Darling Series: Perfect Fifths

This one took me a bit longer to finish than the past books in this series as I felt it didn't hold my interest as much, but I still enjoyed reading it... I will miss reading more about Jessica and Marcus' adventures.

Pretty Good

Overall, the book was a great ending to the series. i LOVED the last lyrics of Jessica's, they were just amazing. I thought the book had a bit to much symbolism in it though. Everything had a double meaning and it got a bit tiresome after awhile. Marcus was a great character in the book. He has come so far. Natty was also a great addition to the series. The ending was really predictable, but that was to be expected. The story stayed true to both Megan's writing style and the characters. The third person style was odd, but it all makes sense in the end. Overall, this was a great book and a perfect ending to the series. (ignoring the cheesy last paragraph)

Good Ending to the Series

This book is really good. I finished it in a couple of hours...I couldn't put it down. The second part is strange because it consists of ONLY dialogue between the two main characters (Jessica and Marcus) without saying who is saying what. However, the characters have been so well set up in the previous books in the series that it is easy to tell who is saying what. I love all the references to the first four books. It is refreshing to read a book at the end of a series that doesn't recap everything in the beginning....I find that super annoying. Megan just assumes you know the history if the characters which is good (more realistic for a book whose narrator is usually one of the characters).

Overall, a very good book and it ends WAY better than book four! :)

Horrible Ending to the Series

I've never written one of these reviews, but I had to share how much of a waste of money buying this book is. I read and loved the past four, and couldn't wait to read this. McCafferty could have summed up the entire book in one long chapter, and instead decided to charge us $17 to read what happens to Marcus and Jessica- meanwhile, we all knew what was going to happen. I wish I could get my money back. Please do not buy. Wait to get it from a friend or library, although you'll be disappointed anyway.

Perfect Fifths is the perfect ending fanatic readers like me were looking for in the Jessica Darling series.

This book kept me turning the pages late into the night with it's shocks and twists. The storyline was well developed and incredibly satisfying. The characters were true and realistic, but also completely perfect. The overall enjoyment I got out of this series has left me waiting for Megan Mcafferty's new book, which hopefully comes out soon.

perfect fifths is the perfect ending to this series!

I was so excited to get the last book to the series, altho I am sad that it is the last book! my sister introduced me to this series and I love it!! I just read perfect fifths in one day b/c I could not put it down! It is so good! I can't wait to reread the whole series now that it is complete! I love reading these books b/c it takes me into a different world, and I love being in jessica darling's world! Megan McCafferty-- thank you for all your work! It is amazing!!!

Simply Perfect.

Perfect Fifths brings the whole Sloppy First series full circle. We finally get to see Marcus from his point of view instead of only through Jessica's crazy head. Although the end of the series brings sadness, finishing this book makes you feel content. Perfect Fifths made me smile the whole time I read it, I could not have asked for a better ending.

Lives Up To Its Name!

Perfect Fifths really is the perfect fifth of the Jessica Darling series! Really, have we ever heard Marcus talk so much? This was a real insight to the personality that he'd been hiding throughout the series. And Jessica, well, she's always be the same and i love that her wit has kept up with her after her years of trouble trying to find her way in the world. And such a clever way to keep the focus on Jess and Marcus, but tell how the rest of our favorite characters have ended up. I loved this book immensely, as i did all the others, and has taught me many things about the world, emotionally and educationally.

Perfect Fifths guarantees the perfect ending for everyone!

The Perfect Fifths was amazing!! Everything was perfect from the 70-something pages of conversation between our favorite couple, to the very last sentence: "And so it is." It was sooo good to read in Marcus' perspective!! I got such a high off that, since he IS the dream guy of all girls. Marcus is in an (almost) equal rivalry to Twilight's Edward -and that's comparing the mortal (but has a Greek god like pedestal in my heart) Marcus to the immortal Edward. I loved the 55 haiku poems written between Marcus and Jessica- it revealed more about how they feel than they could ever say. Especially in this insightful line, "(Parenthesis speak / More than we dare say out loud)". I loved how Megan McCafferty implied and suggested certain pivotal scenes- especially the ending!! I loved that the reader needs to use their own imagination when exact visual is not provided. (And for those of you who read it already, I'm talking about the beautifully implied poem -not the haikus- and almost implicitly absolute ending.) Since the readers imagine the best parts, it truly will be perfect for everyone- because that's how they personally want it to look like! Although i am saddened that it ended but it was the PERFECT ending! I will definitely be reading this.... again and again, year after year. ;}}}