I am bitterly disappointed with this book. I adored the first in this series, and actually read it twice because I thought it was so original and fun. I had been waiting for the second installment with excitement, and when it was finally released I snapped it up.
But oh, what a nasty shock. The writing itself is good quality, in terms of the way the author uses language and her descriptive capabilities. But frankly, this book is not even a book. It's a hodgepodge of disjointed scenes, squished side by side and bound together. There is no flow, no cohesion. Basically, this 'collection of scenes' looks like a writer's idea scrapbook, and the entire novel itself feels directionless and in dire need of heavy editing and a complete rewrite.
There are also scenes seemingly pasted between other scenes, where they don't belong and are irrelevant. One especially distracting example is when Jessie launches into a 3 page story about her preteen sexual conquests, out of nowhere, and in great detail. I was left cringing, literally thinking to myself "TMI, Lucy Snyder, TMI!!" Yes, i understand these types of books have sex in them. I am even a fan of actual erotica. But even for me, reading graphic descriptions of tween sex is beyond the pale and totally disgusting.
A lot of the book has random raunchy sexual references, which I can tell are meant to come off as an irreverent part of Jessie's narrating style, but which instead make the reader feel like they're at a school lunch table with a bunch of guffawing, pimply teen boys. The references are not erotic, and not even indicative of adult sexuality. They are just disgusting and adolescent. I won't mention any here because I have no doubt they would get my review taken down.
Halfway through the book, I groaned and just put it away for a few days. I only finished it out of a sense of obligation. I am so let down, because I truly wanted to know what lay in store for Jessie and Cooper. The overall feeling I got from the book is that the author is trying too hard. It's almost like she wants to be Diablo Cody (the screenwriter who did "Juno"), attempting to be ultramodern and witty. But she doesn't pull it off.
I have to stongly advise against purchasing this book. I am not sure if I will bother with the next book when it comes out... I certainly couldn't stomach re-reading this installment to refresh my memory when the time comes. A sad end to my journey with Jessie and Cooper.