Student Review: Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty

Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty

Reviewed by Julii Ritter


I don’t read too many chick books but this author got me hooked with her first two books Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed by Charmed Thirds, her third book of the series. Jessica Darling, the main character of the installments, attends Columbia University against her parent’s wishes. Going from the valedictorian of a small town school to a savvy but hopelessly poor city girl, Jessica discovers social, academic, and mental troubles she never thought she would experience. The innocence she preserved in the first two novels is destroyed by the excess of sex she has after breaking up with her soul-mate(ish) boyfriend. Her character in this book changes for the worse and the book rushes through three years of college in under 400 pages. McCafferty left out a lot of important details as to what happens in Jessica’s life with college.


Supporting characters in the novel also turn out to be a less than satisfying. The theme of maturity and self-discovery is quickly lost as Jessica tumbles into an unfamiliar world of bad boyfriends and quickies. The writing in this book feels rushed and I found myself rolling my eyes multiple times as the old lovable Jessica Darling hardens into a whiny sex machine. Her character does not develop gracefully or maturely and actions that she takes snowballs to utter disappointment. If I would have known how different the series turned out to be, I would have saved myself the trouble and stopped at Second Helpings. McCafferty just released Fourth Comings the newest book in the installment and I am less than curious to see what happens.




By Julii Ritter