Suite Scarlett

I can't wait until my room at the Hopewell is ready.

From the outside, Scarlett Martin seems to have the ideal life. She, her brother, and her two sisters live in the fancy, historic Hopewell Hotel in the heart of Manhattan. They should have everything they could possibly want - a fabulous social life, expensive clothes, and all the opportunities New

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York has to offer. But the Martin's aren't your average property owners. The hotel hasn't been full in ages, and when Marlene, the youngest of the Martins, had cancer, all the family's savings went to her health. Lola, having just graduated high school, is taking a year off to work retail and Spencer's year off to find a paid acting job is almost up. On Scarlett's 15th birthday she finds out that not only have they had to fire their last remaining staff member, the cook, but she can't get a summer job as she will be responsible for the Empire Suite, the hotel's most prestigious and exquisite room. To boot, her first guest is the eccentric Mrs. Amberson who is determined to remake a name for herself. When an acting opportunity for Spencer arises, then seems to slip through his fingers, it is Mrs. Amberson - aided by Scarlett, of course - who step up to turn a mere opportunity into the most innovative and buzzed about production of Hamlet New York has ever seen. Of course, there are more hurdles to clear and hoops to jump through than Scarlett had ever imagined, not to mention her brother's handsome castmate who seems to, just maybe, like her.

While Suite Scarlett has a promising start, the set up and the follow through are two different beasts entirely. Johnson is simply trying to do too much. The family drama could be a novel of its own had it been fleshed out: Marlene's past as a sick child has turned her into a preteen diva. Lola's wealthy boyfriend has driven a rift between her and her siblings. The fate of hotel relies on the kids' willingness to give up their dreams to work for the family. But these items remain as loose ends that are sloppily woven together rather than being tied off. The character of Mrs. Amberson could have easily been the focus, as she leads Scarlett all over the city having adventure after adventure, but as soon as one of her antics comes to a head, we are lead right into Scarlet's romantic angst or a hang up with Spencer's career. While all of the characters are strong and deliberate, the plot jumps around like a Disney sitcom, but without the benefit of having several episodes in which to expand on the various hijinx. On the whole, the result is boring, despite the many, many options on the menu, and, in the end, Suite Scarlett fails to deliver.

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Scarlett's family has a new guest. She causes much chaos for Scarlett. She makes her love life more complicated then necessary, puts her brothers career in jeopardy, and her family's hotel in jeopardy as well. Scarlett is faced with these problems and does everything in her power to fix them. I

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found this book to be pretty good. It was slow in the beginning, but deffinantly picked up towards the middle.

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Upon turning 15 years of age, each of the Martin children is assigned one of the suites in the family hotel to clean and manage. The Hopewell Hotel in the heart of New York City was once an elegant Art Deco hotel; now it is fading and its survival is uncertain. Scarlett Martin is assigned the

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Empire Suite when she turns 15 and she isn’t certain whether she is being honored—the Empire Suite is the nicest suite in the entire hotel—or insulted because the Empire Suite rarely has anyone stay in it. When Amy Amberson flies in from Thailand and decides to spend the summer in the Empire Suite, Scarlett soon realizes that Ms. Amberson expects Scarlett to be at her beck and call. She even hires Scarlett to help her write her book about her acting career, etc. Amy has money and she has some very interesting connections, but Scarlett can never really decide whether Amy likes her or if she is insulting her. She also has an annoying habit of leaving Scarlett to sort out her messes when she decides to change plans for seemingly fickle reasons. When Amy decides to produce Scarlett’s brother’s play and to hold rehearsals in the basement of the Hopewell against her parent’s wishes, Scarlett is the one to manage all the details. When Amy bails out on the production, Scarlett is the one who has to deal with the fallout and figure out when and how she will ever have a life of her own. Witty dialogue, a clever setting, great characters, very real sibling rivalries and problems make this well worth adding to library collections. Teens will enjoy this one for all of the above reasons; they will also find the romantic tension that is a hallmark of Johnson’s very clever books, especially this one.

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Fun, funny, charming -- a nice young adult novel about a girl and her family who live in and run a hotel in New York that is well past its prime. The story begins on Scarlett's 15th birthday, which should ordinarily be a special occasion, but it is tainted by the fact that the family has lost so

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much money supporting the youngest (Marlene) who had cancer earlier, that they've had to fire their chef and now expect their kids to pick up all of the hotel running responsibilities for the few remaining guests they get. Scarlett gets a summer project, an odd former actress named Amy Amberson, who seems to weave her way into the fabric of their lives. She tries to help Scarlett's brother Spencer and his band of actors who are planning to put on Hamlet in a parking garage (in order that Spencer can call himself an actor and not have to go to culinary school). The book has a bit of a love story, as Scarlett falls for one of Spencer's cast-mates, the cute and Southern Eric.

Not too much angst, just mostly fun and an enjoyable read. Okay for middle school.

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Summary: Scarlett and her family own and live in a New York hotel. For her 15th birthday, she’s given a suite to take care of. Which would be so much easier if it wasn’t inhabited by a Broadway has-been who gets her kicks from bossing Scarlett around.

Review: I will definitely be reading more by

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Maureen Johnson. I absolutely LOVE her sassy, sarcastic humor. I’ve also been reading her blog to get more of her brand of funny on a regular basis. (Very entertaining stuff, except that it always makes me a bit depressed after the chuckling tapers off. I’m just a wee bit jealous of Ms. Johnson and her funny-making skills.)

Here’s a little taste for you:

Perhaps it sounds like a wonderful thing to be born and raised in a small hotel in New York City. Lots of things sound fun until they are subjected to closer inspection. If you lived on a cruise ship, for example, you would have to do the Macarena every night of your life. Think about that.

Still, this book made me daydream about living in a hotel. But only if I can live with a family like Scarlett’s.

I adored the characters in this book, especially Scarlett’s older brother. The scenes with Scarlett and her brother were among my favorites mostly because of their witty banter but also because they had such a great sibling relationship.

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Scarlett's family runs the once illustrious and now dilapidated Hopewell Hotel in New York City. On her fifteenth birthday, in the Martin family tradition, Scarlett is given a room in the hotel that will be her responsibility to manage and take care of the guests that stay there. That same day her

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parents also drop the bomb that the hotel isn't doing well, Scarlett won't be able to get a summer job, instead she will have to help out around the hotel. They have had to fire their last employee, the cook, so even Scarlett's birthday breakfast is a let down. Her parents also give the ultimatum that Spencer, Scarlett's beloved older brother, will have to either find a paying acting gig or go to culinary school. Can Scarlett help herself and her brother, and could the eccentric Mrs. Amberson, staying in Scarlett's Empire Suite, be the answer to their problems?Like all of Maureen Johnson's books, Suite Scarlett is written in such an approachable way, that any reader is sure to enjoy it. Scarlett is a lovable character, especially in her relationship with her older brother who is a bit of a goof ball. Scarlett has a lot of firsts that summer, first real crush, first kind-of relationship, first time being accused of shoplifting, first time telling a lie to her brother, firs time sneaking an entire troupe of actors into her home...

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This was my first Maureen Johnson book and I must say, I think I picked the right one to read. It's quite a cute book about a girl named Scarlett and her summer working in her parents' hotel. It sounds rather silly and simplistic, but it turns out to be nothing of the sort. It's cute novel about

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love, families and drama -- the theater kind. While Scarlett's life isn't anything like most of ours, she does go through what so many of us have dealt with -- first loves and a summer doing things for other people. I enjoyed Suite Scarlett and hope the remaining books in the series are just as fun.

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I'd put this in the 2.5 range if it were possible -- the story was inventive (this is Maureen Johnson after all), but unfortunately it just didn't stick. Something was off, and I can't quite put my finger on it. I finished the book, but it took me a long time and I'd put it down for days at a time.

The Hopewell is a family owned, failing, but one time great, boutique hotel in Manhattan. Fifteen-year old Scarlett has just been given her own room to supervise and oversee when the space’s newest occupant, a flamboyant ex-actress, bursts onto the scene. With her busy city friends out of town

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for the summer and a diva to tend to, Scarlett gives in to the whimsy of her charge is and taken for a very dramatic ride.

You know those kids in school who would act out their scenes for the spring musical in the hallways? They would rehearse their Shakespeare monologues standing on top of the lunchroom tables and break into random song in the middle of math class? I’m pretty sure Maureen Johnson has known a few in her time because Suite Scarlett is spot on. Under the guise of a story centered around hotels, Suite Scarlett is more about what happens when those kids grow up.

The center calamity is focused on Scarlett’s brother whose acting career has one foot in culinary school and the other in the grave. In order to convince his parents he shouldn’t be shipped off to make souffle, he has to come up with a paying gig and soon. The most fantastic part about this was the detail to the actors both major and minor. Most of the actors we see on TV or even in theater have made a name for themselves and frankly make it look easy. We really only see the tip of the ice burg, forgetting all of the former high school stage stars who still have the moxie but aren’t making money.

Aside from the actual reality check served up, the tone that rings true is in the little details. The romances born of proximity when working on a show, cast fights, late nights, the works. It has the effect of both making the reader wish she was back on the stage and thanking her lucky starts that she got out when she did!

As far as the writing goes, I enjoyed it but I think having read Devilish recently, it just struck me as less funny. The banter between Scarlett and Spencer (and certainly Scarlett’s inner monologue) was fantastic and totally indicative of Johnson’s work but for some reason the other characters fell flat for me. Over all, a fun read, though and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it prior to Devlish.

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I loved Suite Scarlett from the very beginning. Johnson’s writing is, as I said, hilarious, but also very true to life. She doesn’t over describe things or pad her paragraphs with cliches. She writes the way I aspire to, almost as if you’re just talking. Her characters are almost so real that

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they jump off the page; my favorite was definitely Spencer, the older brother unemployed actor. He and Scarlett have a connection that I wish I had with my siblings and it makes sense: they formed a bond when their little sister, Marlene, was in the hospital.

Marlene is also an exceptional character: she had cancer when she was younger, so her parents don’t boss her around and she acts like a spoiled brat because she can do whatever she wants. I loved the fact that she was like that. It seemed so real to me.

The love story was cute and I loved that it wasn’t the entire point of the story; there’s obviously more to Scarlett’s life, which is how it is in reality. And Eric seemed very true-to-life, although I thought she should’ve dropped him at the end.

Overall, I loved Suite Scarlett. However, it doesn’t get a 5 star rating because of one thing that just niggled at my brain the entire time: the story didn’t seem… finished. It felt like just an episode in Scarlett’s crazy life, not something that totally changed as a person. Sure, there was character development, but it didn’t seem SO significant. I know that there’s a sequel coming out, so that might be why I feel like her story isn’t over.

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Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson was a great book. It was about a fifteen year old girl named Scarlett who lives in New York City. She has two older siblings, Spencer and Lola, and she also has a younger sister named Marlene. Her family owns a hotel which is facing financial trouble. Scarlett,

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Lola, and Spencer work hard to get more money for their family. Spencer is an actor and has a show that could help him make his career successful. A guest comes to their hotel and she stays there full time. This guest makes Scarlett’s summer more exciting, and could even help the hotel survive. This book was good because the plot was interesting. The story kept changing and there were many parts to the story. Also, it was a fun book to read, so I wanted to keep reading it.

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Such a great story about a family who lives in and owns a vintage hotel in NYC. On her 15th birthday, Scarlett - the third of four children - is given responsibility for the Empire Suite...and any of it's guests. Her first guest requires very personal service and Scarlett has to juggle her demands

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amidst an out-of-work actor brother, a beautiful sister whose relationship is on the rocks, and a younger sister who gets her way in everything. I loved the characters in this book. Spencer is hilarious; Lola endearing; and Scarlett is like a breath of fresh-teenage air. She's got insecurities but is a take action type of gal who is creative enough to survive any situation. I especially liked reading about a 'normal' family who loves and watches out for each other. So refreshing!One of my aspects of the book were all the guide book 'quotes' about the hotel, Johnson is such a witty writer!

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Listened to on audio. Scarlett lives in the hotel owned by her family. Instead of getting a normal summer job, she has to help out at the hotel and is in charge of its only guest, the very exuberant Mrs. Amberson. Balancing her relationship with her brother and sisters, as well as a budding

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romance, Scarlett's summer turns out to be anything but ordinary.

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In all ways, really, it's a 3-star book that gets an extra star for these reasons: Maureen Johnson's NYC is a super great setting, and she probably should do all her writing this way. Also, she of course knows her theater people, and when Mrs. Amberson shows up and out-crazies everyone and whisks

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Scarlett all around to wacky and illegal things, digging up her old life and the old city, it's super excellent. More of that. In general, a lot of detail surprised me -- the city, the crumbly hotel, people's behavior. And the character of spoiled Marlene the cancer survivor is really smart and dark, and surprising to me. (And hopefully has some interesting development in the follow-ups.)But mainly, I liked the first half better than the second half. The setup is all great, but I guess I wasn't drawn to the payoff. I think, actually, that I had a hard time reconciling the book's upbeat tone with its characters' flaws. It makes me feel pretty dumb to say "I didn't like the characters' flaws," but there you go. It started to lose me when Spencer gets mad at Scarlett -- it was a little too real, and the serious anger and betrayal coming through felt a little harsh for the happy first-boyfriend teenager brother plot. (Not untrue feelings for teenagers, but maybe it didn't really have an outlet in the story.) Harsh, too, when Mrs. Amberson plays a trick on her friend Donna -- I kind of wanted to be able to just enjoy Mrs. Amberson the kooky lady, but after that point she's rather soured.I liked that Mrs. Amberson is the age she is -- hearing the book's premise, I pictured her being some very old follies girl or whatever like in some old movie, pearl-wearing, so I think she's actually really original this way. Other than his jealousy arc with Scarlett, I liked everything about Spencer just like the internet said I would and maybe I do want him to be my boyfriend and fall on his face, shut up internet.It's nice to look forward to the next.

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Very cute, and a fun read. I think I actually would have enjoyed it more if I didn't follow Maureen Johnson on Twitter, because her wit doesn't entirely translate into her fiction work (and she is *so* funny in "real life.").

I started reading it on the train home from our Christmas vacation, and I instantly liked it. It's the story of Scarlett, a delightful teenager who lives in a New York City hotel. Her parents own the hotel, which has declined in prestige over the years. There's some teen angst: her friends are all

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off doing exciting things all summer, and she has to work at the hotel. There's some romance too. I adore New York City, and this story is a partial ode to the city. Most importantly though, it's laugh-out-loud funny. (There's a joke about That's So Raven fan fiction.) The story dances somewhere between the ridiculous and the real, and it works.

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For someone who loves NYC and loves theatre, this book was a treat from beginning to end. Scarlett was no idealized heroine. She had a bumpy ride of it during her 15th summer helping her hotel family make it through. I loved her three siblings: younger sister whose cancer brought out the worst in

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her, older "perfect" sister, and older crazy loveable brother. And then there is Mrs. Amberson, a full blown eccentric ex-actress with a heart of,not quite gold. Funny, fashionable, fun to read.

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I loved this young adult novel! I read Johnson's Devilish a few years and really enjoyed it, but for whatever reason, I had yet to pick up another one of her books. This was a great reintroduction. 15-year-old Scarlett Martin lives in a rundown, once-grand hotel in Manhattan with her parents and

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her three siblings. Her older brother Spencer is an aspiring actor, her older sister Lola is a beautiful neat freak, and her younger sister, Marlene, is a grouchy cancer survivor. Into the hotel and Scarlett's life breezes Amy Amberson, an eccentric rich woman and former actress. There's boy trouble, a troubled production of Hamlet with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on unicycles, and a little bit angst as Scarlett struggles with her family's financial situation. The hijinks and the drama never overtake the characterization and the realness of the novel, and by the end you feel like you're a Martin, too. I immediately went and bought the sequel. Four and a half stars.

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Scarlett's family (and the hotel they own) is floundering. A lack of guests means a lack of funds which means their last full-time staff member has had to be let go. So now it's up to the family to come together and figure out a way to keep their glitz and glam era hotel afloat. Scarlett's older

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brother Spencer has mere days to either find an acting job or accept the scholarship he was offered to the culinary institute. Older sister Lola has to work twice as hard at her job to help pitch in. And Scarlett is forced to man the desk instead of getting a more glamorous, money-earning gig somewhere else in NYC. Meanwhile, recovering sick kid, Marlene has to... well... do nothing. Which means more for everyone else. But when the flighty, organic, tea-drinking Mrs. Amberson shows up, intending to spend ALL summer at the Hopewell Hotel, she has business propositions galore and crazy errands for Scarlett all over Manhattan that might just lead to solutions for everyone.

I found this to be a bit fluffy for my taste. Not bad, but no great shakes either. A quick, light read with woefully underdeveloped characters and a TON of plot points. Sick youngest sister, older sister's boyfriend and the dynamic it creates between Lola and Spencer, crazy hotel guest, family's financial crisis, young crushes, older brother's acting career. WHEW! The kooky Mrs. Amberson does sort of tie all these plot points together. Sort of. Loosely. Ish. Johnson's writing is snappy though and so I plowed through this book relatively quickly. This would be a good beach read. As I said, light, fluffy, airy, nothing you need to think too hard about.

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While I enjoyed reading this book when I was turning the pages of it, it was one of those books that I didn’t miss when I wasn’t reading it. It wasn’t that the characters and the story weren’t interesting, but they didn’t captivate me.
Scarlett’s relationship with Spencer, her older

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brother, was the brightest part of the story for me. Theirs was a relationship that I could understand, in the sense that they joked with one another and supported each other, but were also capable of squabbling with the best of siblings. Sometimes their banter seemed a little too good, but I realized that I do actually know people who are just that funny, no rehearsal needed. While the other Martin siblings, Lola and Marlene, both played necessary roles in the plot, it almost felt as if the only reason they were in the story was to fulfill those roles. I’m not saying there aren’t families with this dynamic – with siblings pairing up and not really interacting in much more of a polite way – I kept expecting for something more to develop between Scarlett and her sisters. It’s not that nothing happens, and their relationship does change throughout the course of the book, but I guess I was hoping for more.
As for the action of the story, there were times when I was wondering why a tangential story was so important to the plot, but I took in faith that Johnson would eventually tie everything back into a bigger story. My faith was rewarded, because she did just that, and the smaller plot threads were entertaining.
Even though I wasn’t totally captivated by this book, it ended really well because now I can’t wait to read the next part of the story. There’s not a cliffhanger or anything, but it definitely went out strong and left me wanting more.

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I found Suite Scarlett to be a fun and unique look into New York life. It is far from the typical tale of those living the high life in the city or the struggling performers scraping by on water and crust of bread between auditions... while it does have a touch of each of the above, it manages to

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portray a life that will bring both joy and frustration with the trivialities that we all have experienced.

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A thoroughly charming book about romance, the theater, and being a teenager. Scarlett lives in a hotel which her family owns. The hotel is struggling when a strange woman, Mrs. Amberson, moves in a shakes everthing up. Hilarity ensues.

I really liked this story of Scarlett and her family's hotel. The characters are believable and sweet, and the setting is so interesting - hotel life, theater and romance all together! I hope that Maureen Johnson will set other stories with this family.