Overall Rating: 3.6Suite Scarlett is a light and fun tale of a dramatic teenager learning to deal...
Characters: 3.2
Plot: 3.8
Cover Art: 4
Favorite Line:
The entire verbal smack down Scarlett gives to Marlene. It was awesome and well deserved.
Synopsis:
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. Her nineteen-year-old brother, Spencer, is an out of work actor facing a family deadline to get his career in order. Eighteen-year-old Lola has the delicate looks of a model, the practical nature of a nurse, and a wealthy society boyfriend. Eleven-year-old Marlene is the family terror with a tragic past. When the Martins turn fifteen, they are each 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 named 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. With Mrs. Amberson calling the shots, Spencer’s career to save, Lola’s love life to navigate around, and Marlene’s prying eyes everywhere, things won’t be easy. Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery, Broadway glamour, romantic missteps, and theatrical deception.
I'm just going to get it out of the way now, I absolutely adore Maureen Johnson. Seriously, The Bermudez Triangle made me worship her. Now that that's over with I'll get on with it. Scarlett is a teenage girl living in a not so lucrative hotel that her family owns. All she wants is to get a job so she'll have money to do things with her very wealthy friends. The plan is on track, until Mrs. Amberson moves into the room Scarlett is assigned to take care of. I love Mrs. Amberson. I think she's a complete riot and reminds me of the old socialite you get stuck next to at Starbucks. You know, the one that will throw the barista out the door if she has three ice cubes instead of two. I also love Spencer. He's the awesome guy that you talk to at a party once but never forget, the one that sheds a little light on any situation. (Can you tell I'm into analogies today?) Now onto the characters that I hate with a burning passion. First up, we have Marlene. This one hits home, because I know someone who is exactly like her. He had cancer when he was in first grade (I was in his class that year, and will never forget him leaving the same time every wednesday to get treatments). Anyway, after he was cured everyone treated him like royalty and I totally understood that. The only problem is now he's a complete and total jerk. Hello Marlene-male edition. So yeah, I hate her. One of my favorite parts in the entire book was when Scarlett called her out on the Queen Bee act and basically told her where she could shove it. Another one of my favorite parts was when Spencer decked Eric. I guess that gives away the next character I dislike, Eric. I don't hate him nearly as much as Marlene, but I'm not a fan. I'm still not buying the whole, "I'm perfect because I'm from the South" routine he keeps trying to pull. If he becomes some mass murderer in the sequel I will scream "I told you so" to the high heavens. Now that I've very thoroughly described my thoughts on almost every character, let's dive into the plot. Mrs. Amberson's antics make the story. She adds pizazz to any scene she's in, and makes you wish she was a guest in your house. The rest of the plot isn't up to the par I've come to expect from Ms. Johnson. The main idea of this book is that you're following Scarlett on her journey through the summer as her world is turned upside down. The problem is that most of the problems aren't her problems at all. Besides her Eric issues (which I'll get to next), her siblings are the ones with all the drama. Spencer's acting career takes the spotlight for most of the novel, and besides Scarlett wanting to help her brother, it doesn't involve her. Then, she meets Eric. His character traits are hot, southern, and actor. Scarlett knows basically nothing about him besides a few stories he tells her and yet she becomes completely obsessed. He should literally mean nothing to her and yet she's desperate to see him all the time. Then, when she finds out some unflattering things about him she's irrationally surprised. After that, she of course becomes infatuated again. Even though it may seem like I've done a lot of bashing in this post, I actually did enjoy this book. Even though I didn't like every detail, I did enjoy other parts of the story. I recommend to anyone looking for a light read for spring break.
