Suite Scarlett

author: Maureen Johnson

series: Scarlett (book #1)

published: May 1st 2008

publisher: Point

format: hardcover

pages: 336

The following synopsis comes from Goodreads.

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 named 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 and romantic missteps. But in the city where anything can happen, she just might be able to pull it off.

My Thoughts:

The Cover: I like this cover. It's not the only one I've seen for the American edition. I like them both a lot, but this one is adorable! I absolutely love the dress on the model. It's an important dress, too. So, I often went back to look at it while reading. I like the red on the bell as well. It looks really nice with the red lipstick and lettering.

The Book: This book has been on my to-read list for a long time and I'm so glad I finally read it! I don't know what took me so long. When I did finally pick it up, I wasn't sure if I'd like it a lot, but I did. Scarlett is fifteen (part of why I really wasn't sure about this book) and is the third of four children. All four children have distinct personalities. I think my favorite sibling is Spencer. He's the oldest and he's so much fun. I really like the fact that the family lives and runs an old hotel. I love the idea of living in a hotel and I've read a few other books about that as well. It's so much fun and so different than just living in a house. Suite Scarlett is a lovely coming of age story. Scarlett has a lot to deal with right now and most of it involves helping her family which is really sweet. She does all that she can do make things right for her family.

I can't wait to read the sequel Scarlett Fever.

What Happened to Goodbye

author: Sarah Dessen

published: May 10th 2011

publisher: Penguin

format: eBook

pages: 267 (Nook)

The following summary is from Goodreads.

In the past two years, Mclean Sweet has moved four times. At each stop, she assumes a new persona, but it never quite works. Whether she's an effervescent cheerleader or an intense drama queen, nothing can permanently dispel the turmoil and rage at her mother since her parents' divorce.

Sarah Dessen's novel about a teenager and her restaurant manager father captures the vulnerability that young people often experience after the dissolution of their family. A compelling story; strong characterization; and with a touch of romance.

Cover:

I love this cover. I think that it really depicts what life is like for Mclean. The overflowing suitcase, which is absolutely adorable, shows how she's always moving around. I get the impression that it's just so constant from this image. I really like it. There was another one where the curtains were much less pink and hardly visible at all. I like this one more. For sure.

Book:

Mclean does what I wished I could do. I've only ever moved once. That was the summer before I started middle school. There were times in high school where I wanted to just move and start over. Be a different girl. The girl I wanted to be, not the girl that I was. I really didn't like high school. I mean, while I was there it was fine, but looking back I see how unhappy I was. Anyway Mclean has a lot to deal with and the best way she knows how is to run away and become someone else. This works for her for a while, but when she gets to Lakeview, somehow she becomes Mclean. Not Liz, Lizbet, or Beth. It's a great coming of age story about a normal girl, whose world gets completely turned upside down. Her parents go through a very public divorce and it really takes its toll on Mclean.

This is one of Sarah's best novels. Definitely a favorite.

I was able to go to one of her book tour stops last week. It was great! Sarah read from the first chapter and answered questions that were insightful and helpful. She did trivia where she gave out these great water bottles. And she signed books. She mentioned how surprised she was at how many people were there. There were a lot. Many waited outside the room because it was so full. I was lucky enough to get a front row seat. It was fun and it was amazing to meet one of my favorite writers. So amazing!

Frustration!

It's been a while. I've been in school.

I just finished reading an amazing book that left me feeling depressed. Not because it was a sad book, but because it was so good. I always feel kind of drained and sad after finishing a particularly good novel. This one is the third in a series of four. Now, I have to wait for the fourth. It probably won't be released until May 2012. AAGHH!

This book was Illusions by Aprilynne Pike.

Now, this isn't really a spoiler, but if you're worried, don't look at the red text.

It ends with a cliff-hanger.

Yeah. And, I may have been slightly hyperventilating near the end of this book. So, there you go. If you didn't want to read it before, I'm sure you want to read it now. But you gotta start with Wings and then proceed to Spells.

I got Wings from a friend for my birthday right after it came out. I am so grateful for that gift. She knew I like books and she read it and liked it. In all honesty I was skeptical. I mean, faeries? That wasn't something I had really read about before then. Now, I'm kind of obesessed with faerie stories. Plus, I had never heard of Wings or Aprilynne Pike. I read it in one day and was hooked.

Anyway, books in general. A really good book leaves me feeling weird inside. This book did that for me. I feel sad and happy and stressed and annoyed all at the same time. Sad it's over, happy it was AMAZING, stressed because it was stressful, and annoyed because I have another year before the ending.

Great songs make me feel drained as well.

Merry Sisters of Fate

Authors Tessa Gratton, Maggie Stiefvater, and Brenna Yovanoff post short stories on a livejournal called Merry Sisters of Fate. And I'm here to tell you about my favorite story; it's for a contest. It's really hard to just choose one, so I decided to pick one that I really loved by each of them. And even that was really difficult.

The Sun in Love by Tessa Gratton

The Deadlier of the Species by Maggie Stiefvater

Glass by Brenna Yovanoff

I love all three of those stories and I definitely couldn't have picked only one. And there a lot of other great stories, so everyone should go check them out!