Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson

Title: Scarlett Fever
Author: Maureen Johnson
Published: February 2010
Source: Bought
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Ever since Mrs. Amberson, the former-aspiring-actress-turned-agent, entered Scarlett Martin's life, nothing has been the same.


She's still in charge of the Empire Suite in her family's hotel, but she's now also Mrs. Amberson's assistant, running around town for her star client, Chelsea - a Broadway star Scarlett's age with a knack for making her feel insignificant.

Scarlett's also trying to juggle sophomore year classes, her lab partner who is being just a little TOO nice, and getting over the boy who broke her heart.

In the midst of all this, her parents drop a bombshell that threatens to change her New York life forever...

Let me start off this review by saying that the above synopsis is completely inaccurate. Reason 1) Scarlett being in charge of the Empire Suite is maybe mentioned once. It has nothing to do with the book at all, so why put it in the synopsis? 2) Scarlett does not run around for Chelsea, she runs around for Mrs. Amberson. They make Chelsea seem like a bitch, but she's not. 3) Scarlett's lab partner is not being too nice, in fact, he's rather rude. 4) Scarlett's parents are not the bombshell droppers, Scarlett's sister Lola is, and it has nothing to do with them living in New York. I really don't understand why they lie, I mean it's a SEQUEL, it's not like they have to convince people to read it.

Anyway, this book will not disappoint you if you liked Suite Scarlett. It's fun and hilarious, and will have you shaking your head at the crazy Martin family. Spencer is still my favorite character, despite his being pretty down in the dumps for a lot of the book. Mrs. Amberson is, if it's possible, even crazier, and the new characters are full of personality.

I love that this book is set in New York City. It's such a perfect backdrop for all of the crazy things that happen, and has so much possibility. There really isn't an exact plot to this book, more like a sliver of Scarlett's life, which is interesting and different. Something that I found interesting was that Scarlett is funny, but what's more funny are the descriptions and observations that are made by the outside narrator.

The romance in this book takes a bit of a backseat. It's there, but it's not a main point. I found this a bit frustrating at times when I wanted to read an interaction between Scarlett and a certain male character that I was certain were bound to get together. The thing about Maureen Johnson is that she can't do things the usual way, she has to be different. Which is awesome, except when you're looking for two characters to get together and then it's not what you're expecting, and then she leaves you with that ending!  Maureen, can you please write faster?

Basically this was a perfect sequel to Suite Scarlett that I enjoyed immensely. I'm only upset with the synopsis writer.

Characters: 9/10
Writing: 10/10
Originality: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
Ending: 8/10
Overall: 46/50 A-
Cover/Title Comments: I love the Scarlett theme, but the Fever isn't relevant. This cover is cute, but I prefer the old theme.