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Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
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Suite Scarlett

by Maureen Johnson

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869649,357 (3.79)46
Recently added bybleakmonday, MsNMartin, emily.s, Yona, private library
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Showing 1-5 of 61 (next | show all)
A fantastically fun story written by a great story teller. I don't get the same things out of Ms. Johnson's books so far (two books) that I do out of, for example, Laurie Halse Anderson's or Sarah Dessen's books but I love them just as much. I totally connect with her characters and can't wait to turn the next page in her stories. Looking forward to Scarlett Fever. ( )
  Yona | May 2, 2013 |
One of those books that’s very fun and packs a more powerful punch than I realized at first. I agree with someone else (Leila?) that Scarlett’s family feels like one of those classic Melendy types that’s a little (a lot) quirky, but AWESOME at the same time. [March 2010] ( )
  maureene87 | Apr 4, 2013 |
If you've never thought of how awesome it would be to live in a hotel, you really need to read Suite Scarlett. You'll totally change your mind. A whirlwind summer brings Scarlett Martin in contact with a hot young actor, a starlet who has taken up residence in the family hotel, and just about as much drama as one girl can handle. ( )
  molliekay | Apr 1, 2013 |
Oh, sweet fluffy chocolate-coated Maureen Johnson goodness for my brain. (Not actual Maureen Johnson covered in chocolate. I don’t need to give her any more ideas.) I wasn’t sure how much I would like this book when I first picked it up, but it grew on me very quickly.

This is one of her more romance-centered books, but it never feels that way. And what I think works in its favor is that so much of Scarlett’s story is also about her family. I mentioned in my Golden Firebird review that a lot of extraneous family members show up in YA only to establish a vague relationship for the main character, and that they only show up for a few pages or are conveniently gone. Here though, there’s a great supportive family element between Scarlett and her siblings and her parents. Although there is some favoritism towards Marlene, but the Martin parents are very supportive of their children, even when they’re going through hard times. Lola and Scarlett actually get along very well—there’s some slight antagonism with Lola’s boyfriend, but other than that they both truly care and worry about one another. While Spencer and Scarlett are very close, I also like that Scarlett isn’t an automatic tomboy from hanging around Spencer so much. And while the parents don’t show up very often, they do act like real parents in a tough situation.

And, much like Golden Firebird, this is another family that has fallen on hard financial times. Scarlett mentions that she dreads telling people that she lives in a hotel, as people assume that her family’s well-off. I liked that it’s brought up that the family quirk of everyone taking care of the hotel is more due to financial reasons rather than a tradition. I like that the reason Scarlett’s so lonely during the summer is because she can’t get the opportunities that her friends have.

As the majority of Scarlett’s story is about her and her siblings, I like that they actually have roles to play. SPENCER. Oh I love Spencer. Like I said, I like that his and Scarlett’s relationship is this joshing, teasing one, without either feeling like they have to be more boy/girl-ish. Lola doesn’t have much to do, but I liked that she and Scarlett didn’t conform to the Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry. Marlene is more problematic. I don’t like her to begin with, but I like that Scarlett does point out to Marlene that she can’t get everything she wants by playing the Ill Girl card for the rest of her life. And Marlene slowly begins to change her attitude.

The romance aspect is the strongest force. It’s very standard ‘ordinary girl meets cute boy, conflicting feelings and making out and then a bombshell like he still has a girlfriend.” I did like Scarlett’s quick crush on Eric and her conflicting feelings on how this would change her relationship with Spencer. But what impressed me is that even when Scarlett finds out that Eric did have a girlfriend this whole time, she still has feelings for him and vice versa. And that is messy and complicated and fairly realistic, and not a clean breakup. (I’m in the middle of Suite Scarlett now, and their feelings are still messy and complicated.)

If there’s one thing that I don’t like, it’s Amy Amberson. Unfortunately, she’s the driving force for a lot of the action. She’s not much more than a New Agey, theater actress recalling the glory days of Seventies New York who tries to justify her stunts as quirks. The good thing is that Scarlett’s at least savvy enough to call Amy out on a lot of things, particularly the whole Donna Spendler prank. (There’s much less of it in the sequel so far.)

Aside from that, this is a fun summer read. It’s frothy without skimping on most of the characterization and is very smart and funny. Even Marlene’s cancer backstory doesn’t come off as cloying or trying to make the reader sympathetic (in fact, it’s the opposite). Perfect beach read.
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  princess-starr | Mar 31, 2013 |
Quick, fun read. I tried reading one of Maureen Johnson's other books and it didn't grab me, so I was pleasantly surprised by this one. ( )
  librarybrandy | Mar 30, 2013 |
Showing 1-5 of 61 (next | show all)
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This book is dedicated to anyone who has ever played a dead body on a stage or screen. It takes a big actor to lie on the ground and keep quiet. Droop on, my lifeless friends.
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The Hopewell has been a family-run institution on the Upper East Side for over seventy-five years.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0545096324, Mass Market Paperback)

Her new summer job comes with baggage

Scarlett Martin has grown up in a most unusual way. Her family owns the Hopewell, a small hotel in the heart of New York City, and Scarlett lives there with her four siblings - Spencer, Lola, and Marlene.

When each of the Martins turns fifteen, they are expected to take over the care of a suite in the once elegant, now shabby Art Deco hotel. For Scarlett's fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite, and a permanent guest called Mrs. Amberson.

Scarlett doesn't quite know what to make of this C-list starlet, world traveler, and aspiring autobiographer who wants to take over her life. And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes a second unexpected turn.

Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery, Broadway glamour, romantic missteps, and theatrical deceptions. But in the city where anything can happen, she just might be able to pull it off.

Praise for Suite Scarlett:

"I can't wait until my room at the Hopewell is ready." - Meg Cabot

"This book is made of funny and smart and whimsical deliciousness (really, lick a page and taste for yourself)" - Libba Bray

"I couldn't put it down." - Michele Jaffe

"I loved it!" - E. Lockhart

"An utterly winning, madcap Manhattan farce, crafted with a winking, urbane narrative and tight, wry dialogue." - ALA Booklist, starred review.

(retrieved from Amazon Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:36:28 -0400)

(see all 3 descriptions)

Scarlett Martin has grown up in a most unusual way. Her family owns the Hopewell, a small Art Deco hotel in the heart of New York City. When each of the Martins turns fifteen, they are expected to take over the care of a suite. For Scarlett's fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite, and a permanent guest called Mrs. Amberson. Scarlett doesn't quite know what to make of this C-list starlet and world traveler. And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes a second unexpected turn. Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery, Broadway glamour, romantic missteps. But in the city where anything can happen, she just might be able to pull it off.… (more)

» see all 4 descriptions

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