Suite Scarlett

Suite Scarlett


By: Maureen Johnson
Reviewer: HorseCrazy101, 17
Rating: Loved it!


Scarlett Martin has grown up in the Hopewell Hotel, owned by her family for 75 years. As a tradition, when a Martin turns 15 they are expected to care for their own suite and any guest who might stay there. The summer Scarlett turns 15, not only does she receive the Empire Suite but also a flamboyant, C-list starlet named Mrs. Amberson as a long-term guest. Scarlett had hoped that over the summer she could get a job to earn some spending money, but the family's financial crisis forces Scarlett and her siblings to step up and help out around the hotel more often. So much for her brilliant summer plans...

Scarlett's brother, Spencer, is a brilliant actor trying to get his big break, but for a kid in New York City, where everyone is an actor, jobs are hard to find. When Spencer lands a role in a production of Hamlet, he believes he has finally found a way to avoid being shipped off to culinary school, but just when it seemed perfect, everything fell apart. Mrs. Amberson, back in New York after some 20-odd years, is determined to make something of herself and this small group of aspiring actors, so she steps in and helps arrange all the details of the production. Scarlett's role as Mrs. Amberson's right hand girl also allows Scarlett to get to know Eric, a gorgeous actor who just moved to the city and happens to be Spencer's play partner.

Between a summer romance, a series of unfortunate events in show business, and plotting a scheme against an apparent rival, Scarlett will be having a much more exciting summer than she originally thought she would. When the ultimate barrier stands in the way of her brother's future, Scarlett maybe the only on who can fix everything, and with some help from her friends, she may be able to pull it off.

I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout the story, and other times the emotions of a 15 year old brought a certain realness to the situation. Overall this really was a fun read, and I can't wait to read the sequel.