Reviewed by Jocelyn Pearce for TeensReadToo.com

CHARMED THIRDS covers the college years of Jessica Darling, a character previously introduced in Megan McCafferty's novels SLOPPY FIRSTS and SECOND HELPINGS. I can't compare it to the other two, as I haven't read them, but I can say that this is a fantastic book!

Jessica has a wonderfully funny, original voice that resonates throughout her journals, kept over her breaks from going to school at Columbia. Jessica is just a girl from New Jersey who made it into Columbia, and her life, with all its trials and triumphs, seems very real. She's struggling to hold on to her old friends while making new ones at school, trying to survive in the big city of New York, and working to earn money for school.

There's not a real overall plot arc, unless you want to say it's Jessica's relationship with her boyfriend, Marcus Flutie. Marcus has gone across the country to California to attend a Buddhist college, and Jessica misses him like crazy. Jessica and Marcus reminded me a lot of another fictional couple, CC and Shrimp from Rachel Cohn's books GINGERBREAD, SHRIMP, and CUPCAKE. In both couples, the guy is an offbeat and untraditional hippie in California (and both explore Buddhism!), and the girl is living in New York and deciding if her life should be about her or about the guy. Both Marcus and Shrimp have older brothers, too. There are quite a lot of parallels! Readers who enjoy Rachel Cohn's books are sure to like CHARMED THIRDS as well.

The brilliance of McCafferty's novel does not lie in what goes on (though Jessica's internship at the magazine True is just one of many interesting and amusing experiences she has!), but in the strength of her characters. All of the characters are very real, and very interesting. Add that to Megan McCafferty's excellent writing, and you've got a wonderful book! I'll certainly be looking up the first two books as well--it was that good! ( )

Not sure why, but I just couldn't get into this Jessica Darling installment. Sky picked up where I left off (about 1/4 of the way through) and read it for me because he was hoping for some awesome teen sex scenes but said he was dissappointed. I guess I was, too. Oh well - the first two were good times. ( )

I love Jessica (although she is too stubborn and complicated) and Marcus. Each book in the series is at its best when focused on Jess and Marcus. ( )

I enjoyed this third entry into this series. The characters remained fresh and fun. You see them grow through their college years and are curious what will come next. The choices, regrets, and moving forward for the main character Jessica are believable. ( )

I knew I shouldn't have read this, but it pains me not to finish a series once started and it was finally available in paperback. I remember Jessica as a likable, sarcastic cynic (although it has been many years since I read the first two books). However, in this book she came off as both crude and extremely whiny. I also don't think McCafferty should have tackled her whole college experience in one book, focusing on winter/summer breaks and ignoring the rest of it except for brief updates. There is a fourth one, but I'm not sure if I'll read it or not. It is only available in hardcover so I don't have to make that decision right now. ( )