Reviewed by The Story Siren for TeensReadToo.com

At sixteen, Morning McCobb is a recent graduate of the IVL. No, Morning isn't a genius. He is a sixteen-year-old vampire just graduating from the International Vampire League. But this League of Vampires isn't what you would expect; their motto is to "drink culture, not life." They exist peacefully by blending in with humanity -- that is, until now.

Morning is going to be the first to "come out of the closet." He's the kind of vampire the League has been waiting for. Young, nonthreatening, the kid is a sangv! Sangv translation: blood virgin, meaning he's never drunk human blood. In fact, Morning has never drank blood belonging to a living organism, human or animal. He drinks Blood-lite, a soy-based blood substitute!

To help with his coming-out process, Morning is teamed up with Penny Dredful, the owner of PR Agency. It is her responsibility to turn Morning's fifteen-minutes of fame into 24/7 coverage. Credibility is the least of their worries; once Morning pulls a couple of CD's (cell differentiation) and turns from a boy into a dolphin, back into a boy, and then into a tree and back again, most people are believers. But not everyone is a Morning McCobb fan. There is a group of vampires called Loners who haven't conformed to the Leaguer way and still feed on humans. They want Morning eliminated before he reveals all of their secrets.

Is the world ready for Morning McCobb, a real vampire?

SUCK IT UP is another rendition of the growing array of young adult vampire novels. Meehl's take on the vampire lore is interesting, refreshing, and humorous! Debunking the myth of vampires and sun as "solar phobia," as well as their fear of garlic -- hello, bad breath! I also enjoyed the references to superheroes and comic characters, being a fan of the genre myself! Morning wants to be a superhero as well as a firefighter, after his experiences from 9/11. The characters are original, although I didn't hold a strong liking to any of them. Overall, SUCK IT UP was a funny and original. This is a book that I think boys as well as girls would like. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy the vampire sub-genre! ( )

It you like the book series “Eclipse” you’ll like this. I liked it when Morning bit Portia. It was a turning point, and I had to keep reading. The book was all the vampire I needed. AHS/BB

fun take on the vampire romance story, Morning is chosen as the first vampire to go public, but his PR agent's daughter is quite a temptation to a vegan vampire. This is played for laughs rather than character development, I'd give it to people looking for a funny story, possible an antidote to Twilight. ( )

Like a lot of readers, I'm a little "vampired out" these days. But when I read the jacket copy of SUCK IT UP, I was hooked. This book promised to be funny and clever and different. I'm happy to report it totally delivered. Morning McCobb has the misfortune to have become immortal at one of the most awkward times in a person's life...that acne prone insecure and awkward part of his adolescence. And he's frozen there forever. Yeah, I liked him instantly. When he becomes the poster-child for the vampire community, which wants to present a kinder gentler image to the world, you can just imagine the ridiculous moments that will come. Well, actually you can't. And that is part of the fun of this book. It's unpredictable, and well-written, and so entertaining. This book isn't broody and angsty, instead, think of it like the soy-based blood substitute that peaceful Morning McCobb drinks every day: Blood Lite.

Marie Lamba
author of WHAT I MEANT...(Random House Young Adult) ( )

YA Book Club, Book 2. ( )