Perfect Fifths

By Megan McCafferty
Crown Publishers, $21.95, 304 pages

Perfect Fifths begins with Jessica Darling’s mad rush through the airport and subsequent crash (literally) into her notorious almost-fiancé, Marcus Flutie. Getting on the plane in time is of crucial importance; her good friends are getting married in the Caribbean, and she wouldn’t be late except for the fact that Jessica has to make an unexpected stop in New Jersey the previous night to visit a former student, hospitalized after a terrible accident. As a desperate Jessica waits in line at the Customer Service desk, a lovesick Marcus secretly rearranges his own travel plans, and the two end up “stuck” at the airport together.

Even though Perfect Fifths is the fifth book in the Jessica Darling series, author Megan McCafferty captures first-time readers and Jessica Darling veterans from Page One. In this book, readers get a chance to know Marcus Flutie intimately as sections of the book are written from his unique perspective. The twisting plot keeps the reader fully engaged and entertained, but it is McCafferty’s writing that makes Perfect Fifths a gem. She writes without fear of pop culture and in doing so, is able to perfectly reflect the language and behaviors of the real twenty-something crowd in 2009 without sounding contrived.

Reviewed by Megan Just