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Suite Scarlett
Suite Scarlett
Suite Scarlett
Audiobook9 hours

Suite Scarlett

Written by Maureen Johnson

Narrated by Jeannie Stith

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

About this audiobook

From top-selling author Maureen Johnson comes a fresh, funny novel about a girl, her hotel, and an unforgettable summer.

Scarlett is the third of four children in the Martin family. The Martins live in and manage a shabby hotel in NYC that dates back to the 1920s. When Scarlett turns 15, she is put in charge of one of the hotel's 27 rooms—the Empire Suite. Into this room moves Mrs. Amberson, a failed 1970s starlet who has returned to New York to write her memoirs. Soon, Scarlett is taking dictation, running around town with Mrs. Amberson, and getting caught up in her Auntie Mame-meets-Bianca Jagger adventures.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 20, 2009
ISBN9781423381082
Suite Scarlett
Author

Maureen Johnson

Maureen Johnson is the bestselling author of several novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, the Truly Devious series, the Suite Scarlett series, and the Shades of London series. She has also written collaborative works such as Let It Snow with John Green and Lauren Myracle and the Bane Chronicles with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan. Maureen lives in New York and online on Twitter @maureenjohnson or at maureenjohnsonbooks.com. 

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Reviews for Suite Scarlett

Rating: 3.7871047323600973 out of 5 stars
4/5

411 ratings54 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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 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.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a nice story and great to listen to. It wasn't as good as her
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    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 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.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Scarlett Martin and her family own and run the old Hopewell hotel in New York City. When Amy Amberson comes to stay at the Hopewell, life changes for Scarlett as she becomes what amounts to Mrs. Amberson's personal assistant. In her quest to experience old New York, Mrs. Amberson ends up helping produce Scarlett's brother Spencer's play and helping Scarlett with her love life as she tries to figure out her relationship with another of the actors in Spencer's play named Eric.

    With lots of zany adventures, humor, and romance, this story offers a lot to readers. The story is well-written and enjoyable. Amy Amberson's background is partially explained in this book, but it seems as though there should be much more about her, hopefully in other books in this series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found it a little slow in the beginning, but about a quarter of the way through it was pretty entertaining. Stories set in New York always make me happy.

    It's a pretty funny story about a weird family who owns a hotel. There's a ridiculous play that needs to be hidden from parents and an old lady that changes Scarlett's life. Entertaining stuff. Weeeeeeeee!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Imagine your family owned a hotel in New York City. It wasn’t a giant chain hotel, but an old historical sort of hotel. Imagine you lived in the hotel, slept in a suite, ate in the dining room and helped at the front desk after school. If you can’t imagine this, Maureen Johnson’s novel, Suite Scarlett, helps you with that.

    Scarlett’s family lives in a run down hotel in New York City. The charm of the hotel is its history, but Scarlett’s family is struggling to keep the doors open and as our story begins, things seem to have taken a turn for the worse. With a younger sister who is a cancer survivor and whose medical bills didn’t help the family finances, an older brother who wants to be a starving actor - quite literally if he has to be - and an older sister who seems like she has it all together, Scarlett and her siblings have to band together to help her family with the hotel. Top this off with her brother’s play that seems doomed from it’s beginning, his scene partner that has Scarlett seeing stars and the mysterious Mrs. Amberson who likes to shake things up and you’ve got a book packed with a fun and witty plot.

    A quick-thinking, problem solver with strong family ties, Scarlett, is an endearing character and I found myself cheering for her from the very beginning. Mrs. Amberson - who moves into their hotel for the summer - takes her on as an assistant and meddles in the life of her family, putting Scarlett in some awkward situations which she has to power through. There is a bit of sibling rivalry, but it’s clear to see that Scarlett and her siblings love and respect each other.

    There are times when the story read a little sitcomesque, but overall I thought that Suite Scarlett was a wonderful read. Though it walks the line, it never crosses over to saccharine or corny; its quick pace guarantees that there is never a dull moment.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Cute story. Love the setting. Are parents really that oblivious?
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Fun! A really good light read between some heavier ones. I definitely chuckled a few times, and by the end, I was on board with Scarlett's antics.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson is set in a Manhattan hotel similar to one I stayed in 1999. Now that Scarlett has turned fifteen she has been assigned her own themed room to care for.Scarlett Martin is assigned the Empire Suite. With it comes a new permanent resident who promptly renames Scarlett, O'Hara.Along with the nickname, Scarlett is introduced to the wild and crazy world of theater. She has a brother who wants to be an actor. It seems her new guest has ins on Broadway. Can Scarlett and the struggling hotel the new guest's craziest of schemes?I loved this book. It reads like a 1930s screwball comedy.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Excellently goofy YA set in a downtrodden NYC hotel.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Martins just make me really happy. Scarlett is funny. Her family is adorable. Mrs. Amberson shouldn't be allowed. To be read when wishing for a more exciting life.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Funny, charming and still just a tad bit angsty. Fun read whose sequels I look forward to reading.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If you've never thought of how awesome it would be to live in a hotel, you really need to read Suite Scarlett. You'll totally change your mind. A whirlwind summer brings Scarlett Martin in contact with a hot young actor, a starlet who has taken up residence in the family hotel, and just about as much drama as one girl can handle.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Oh, sweet fluffy chocolate-coated Maureen Johnson goodness for my brain. (Not actual Maureen Johnson covered in chocolate. I don’t need to give her any more ideas.) I wasn’t sure how much I would like this book when I first picked it up, but it grew on me very quickly.

    This is one of her more romance-centered books, but it never feels that way. And what I think works in its favor is that so much of Scarlett’s story is also about her family. I mentioned in my Golden Firebird review that a lot of extraneous family members show up in YA only to establish a vague relationship for the main character, and that they only show up for a few pages or are conveniently gone. Here though, there’s a great supportive family element between Scarlett and her siblings and her parents. Although there is some favoritism towards Marlene, but the Martin parents are very supportive of their children, even when they’re going through hard times. Lola and Scarlett actually get along very well—there’s some slight antagonism with Lola’s boyfriend, but other than that they both truly care and worry about one another. While Spencer and Scarlett are very close, I also like that Scarlett isn’t an automatic tomboy from hanging around Spencer so much. And while the parents don’t show up very often, they do act like real parents in a tough situation.

    And, much like Golden Firebird, this is another family that has fallen on hard financial times. Scarlett mentions that she dreads telling people that she lives in a hotel, as people assume that her family’s well-off. I liked that it’s brought up that the family quirk of everyone taking care of the hotel is more due to financial reasons rather than a tradition. I like that the reason Scarlett’s so lonely during the summer is because she can’t get the opportunities that her friends have.

    As the majority of Scarlett’s story is about her and her siblings, I like that they actually have roles to play. SPENCER. Oh I love Spencer. Like I said, I like that his and Scarlett’s relationship is this joshing, teasing one, without either feeling like they have to be more boy/girl-ish. Lola doesn’t have much to do, but I liked that she and Scarlett didn’t conform to the Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry. Marlene is more problematic. I don’t like her to begin with, but I like that Scarlett does point out to Marlene that she can’t get everything she wants by playing the Ill Girl card for the rest of her life. And Marlene slowly begins to change her attitude.

    The romance aspect is the strongest force. It’s very standard ‘ordinary girl meets cute boy, conflicting feelings and making out and then a bombshell like he still has a girlfriend.” I did like Scarlett’s quick crush on Eric and her conflicting feelings on how this would change her relationship with Spencer. But what impressed me is that even when Scarlett finds out that Eric did have a girlfriend this whole time, she still has feelings for him and vice versa. And that is messy and complicated and fairly realistic, and not a clean breakup. (I’m in the middle of Suite Scarlett now, and their feelings are still messy and complicated.)

    If there’s one thing that I don’t like, it’s Amy Amberson. Unfortunately, she’s the driving force for a lot of the action. She’s not much more than a New Agey, theater actress recalling the glory days of Seventies New York who tries to justify her stunts as quirks. The good thing is that Scarlett’s at least savvy enough to call Amy out on a lot of things, particularly the whole Donna Spendler prank. (There’s much less of it in the sequel so far.)

    Aside from that, this is a fun summer read. It’s frothy without skimping on most of the characterization and is very smart and funny. Even Marlene’s cancer backstory doesn’t come off as cloying or trying to make the reader sympathetic (in fact, it’s the opposite). Perfect beach read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Quick, fun read. I tried reading one of Maureen Johnson's other books and it didn't grab me, so I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Scarlett Martin has always had an unusual life. Growing up in a hotel that her family owns in New York City comes with its own oddities. Her life gets more complicated however when, as per family tradition, she is given responsibility for an entire suite on her fifteenth birthday. With the suite comes the eccentric Mrs Amberson, the hotel's live-in guest. Throw in meeting the gorgeous and freshly arrived to New York, Eric, an up and coming actor and Scarlett's summer has more kinks in it than she could ever have anticipated.This book was a delight. Scarlett is a lovely heroine who must deal with the typical issues surrounding a romantic relationship but she also has the added dramas that life in a hotel and the unpredictable Mrs Amberson provide. I absolutely adored all of the Martin children, particularly Spencer who is a wonderfully sweet older brother. Johnson's quirky sense of humour is evident throughout the novel, but she deftly intertwines it with real moments of insight that make the novel thoroughly enjoyable. A very sweet novel whose sequel I will be hunting down shortly.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was inspired to read this after thoroughly enjoying Johnson's Jack-the-Ripper ghost story, The Name of the Star. This is just straight YA fiction, with no supernatural overtones (which I knew going in). It's pretty good, although it doesn't hit my buttons in quite the same way.The Martins own a small, struggling, historic hotel in New York. When the story opens, Scarlett has just turned 15 and been assigned a suite to take care of. The first guest, a long-timer, is a former actress who has odd and grandiose ideas. She hires Scarlett as her personal assistant. Older brother Spencer is trying to get an acting career off the ground to avoid going to culinary school. His role in a tiny production of Hamlet runs into problems. Wackiness ensues.Reminiscent of Joan Bauer.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Scarlett Martin is typical teenager except for the fact that her family owns and lives in the Hopewell Hotel. On her 15th birthday, as per Martin family tradition, Scarlett receives the Empire suite to care for. The suite is soon inhabited by kooky, slightly famous Mrs. Amberton. Mrs. Amberton soon takes over Scarlett's life which leaves Scarlett upside down. In addition to dealing with Mrs. Amberton, Scarlett also has to try and save her brother Spencer's acting career, deal with her sister Lola's relationship with a rich boy, and her sister Marlene's not so normal behavior. Oh and then there's Eric, Scarlett's crush.Suite Scarlett is an engaging and funny book. Maureen Johnson captures the teenage years so well that you'll remember your teenage years quite vividly. Her characters are realistic and likable. The book moves at a snappy pace. Maureen Johnson adds some unexpected twists that leave you wanting more.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First Line: The Hopewell has been a family-run institution on the Upper East Side for over seventy-five years.Favorite Quote: Only Scarlett was in the city for the summer, not doing anything to improve herself. It wasn’t laziness or lack of ability. She was more than willing and able. The question was entirely one of funding. Hotels make money—but they also bleed it. Especially hotels with fragile decorations and plumbing from 1929 that sit empty much of the time.My thoughts: I’ve always wondered what it would be like to live in a hotel. I’m not sure why this appeals to me but it seems like a really fun idea! So, I was kind of drawn into the story from just the setting. So, I really loved this book and all of the characters. I liked Scarlett and really enjoyed her quirky family as well. All of the characters in the book were just like real likeable people. I definitely thought the Martins were very interesting to read about. I really liked Mrs. Amberson. I thought she was a great character. I liked that this book made me feel a wide range of emotions.I loved the setting of this book. I loved reading about NYC and all of the different landmarks. The writing made it feel so real. I loved the descriptions of locations that were in the book and felt like I was there with Scarlett.This book has two covers. My copy has the key on it. I really like that cover. I think it's bright and catchy! I also like the contrast of colors on the other cover as well and Scarlett's bright lipstick! Which is your favorite?Overall: Great, fun read!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Listening to Suite Scarlett was a definite delight. Johnson's humorous writing hooked me immediately, and I loved how the story had deep roots in theatre. There were plenty of ups and downs, as one expects from a YA Contemporary, and, of course, Scarlett grew over the course of the story. Listening to it, I was also able to form deeper emotions towards the characters based on how they were read. This was a very cute story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Maureen Johnson writes quirky characters very well. Scarlett's family is very entertaining. While there isn't much plot to speak of (her family's hotel business is failing, Scarlett's first love...), that doesn't matter too much while you're being swept up in the characters.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A sweet, fluffy, fun book with entertaining characters and an amusing plot. I think my daughter will enjoy it as well. The strength of this book is in the characters. The action flows from them and their quirks. While the author focuses on Scarlett, each of the siblings gets a chance to show some quirks and some growth over the course of the novel.It's also a fun look into New York, into theater, into the world of a family run hotel.I felt that the romantic storylines (particularly Scarlett's) played out well as part of the story without overwhelming the other aspects.I listened to the audio version of this book. The narrator was pleasant to listen to and did a good job with her reading of Suite Scarlett.In retrospect, I wish I'd saved this book to listen to in the car with my 12 year old daughter when we go on a road trip this summer. I didn't like it well enough to re-listen this soon (there are very few books that would stand up to listening twice in a season!), but I'll look into some of her other books. I'll certainly be reading more of her work.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I want to hang out with Scarlett. I want a big brother like Spencer. I want to spent my days at the Hopewell. It’s no wonder this book received such rave reviews from awesome authors like Meg Cabot and Scott Westerfield. It deserves every single great review it got. Johnson did a great job of creating realistic, likeable characters that are going through realistic trials. I cannot wait to read the sequel to this!Oh, and you should totally follow Maureen Johnson on Twitter. She’s sort of fabulous.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Growing up in a hotel with her siblings isn't as easy as Scarlett would like. But with the hotel on the rocks, Scarlett must give up her summer being a personal "assistant" to a guest. Between her younger sister being out and about with her group of cancer surviving friends, her older sister in a questionable relationship with a rich boy, and her older brother trying to follow through with his plans of being a professional actor, Scarlett is tossed in a sea of troubles which her guest tries to fix, to varying degrees of success. Now, what do to about her crush...A well written novel for young adults, this is an interesting look into family dynamics, and what some may consider class difference, as well as a slight theme of revenge and the consequences therein. While I didn't find it satisfying, it was an interesting read with an open end for a sequel, should Maureen Johnson ever feel so inclined.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a great book for romance people, it has a scandal and it is full of drama. I enjoyed this book, even though it gets kinda heavy in the middle stick with it, it pays off in the end
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Scarlett Martin's family owns and lives in a hotel in Manhattan that has seen better days. As her parents make changes and demands on their children to try to keep the hotel running, Scarlett has a new guest to take care of in the Empire Suite who flips Scarlett's life and the fortune of the hotel upside down. The characters are likable and the story in entertaining in this fun chick lit read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is about a family ran hotel in New York. It just so happens that they receive a gust, who is a former actress. Also Scarlett believes she is a little crazy in the head! Scarlett just turned 15 and as a tradition in her family is on the 15th birthday the family member receives a room to look after. She receives the Empire Suit. That some day a gust checked in, whom is also staying for 3 months! On another note, her brother Spencer, an actor to be, receives a part in the play Hamlet. Although it was not on Broadway, he is taking the job (but he does not get paid)! Spencer's acting group is in a little bit of trouble. The place that they were rehearsing at is being shut down! Now they have to rehears in the basement of the hotel. The guest that is also an actress, soon becomes the director of Hamlet. At the same time Scarlett falls head over heals for one of the actors. As the book goes on Scarlett finds herself helping the guest more and more. In the end she ended up going around their mothers back and had the performance at the hotel. She also stopped it with the actor because he is headed off for collage and she is a sophomore. So sad!This book is an amazing book, one of my favorites! There is a squeal to this book called Scarlett Fever! I can't wait to read it. OOPS! I forgot to tell you that Scarlett is the 3rd child out of 4, and her youngest sister is a cancer surviver. This book is great for middle schoolers and young adults. Tell everyone to read this book!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is an older book, released in May 2009, but it's well worth the read. Scarlett was a fantastic character. She was bright, caring and a sane voice in an otherwise nutty family. I'm not overly-familiar with New York, having only been there once in my life, but this book just felt like I think New York should "feel" like. Scarlett was a true New Yorker, navigating the city that never sleeps with an ease only someone who lives there could have.The characters who surround her are fantastic. Her brother shines as a struggling actor and her best friend (in her family anyway). Her little sister cracked me up. She was such a demanding little chick, believing that everyone should bow and curtsy to her because she was once terribly sick (she recovered). And Mrs. Amberson, the C-list Broadway star, runs Scarlett ragged (and gets her moving outside of her comfort zone).There's a great little romance going on in Suite Scarlett, too. Hottie Eric is working with Scarlett's brother, Spencer, on an off-Broadway production, and Scarlett's in love.If you haven't yet had a chance to read this book, I highly suggest it. Maureen Johnson is one of my favorite YA authors--she captures the voice of each character so well and writes with a fantastic sense of humor. Suite Scarlett and the sequel, Scarlett Fever, are books well worth checking out.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was just a fun book to read. A great light read that lets you dream about life in the city.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Dear Maureen Johnson, I worship at your alter. Your books completely charm me.Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson deals with what happens to Scarlett Martin on her fifteenth birthday, when as family tradition dictates, she gets a key to a suite in the family hotel and must take care of the suite and whomever stays in the suite.In Suite Scarlett, I met wonderful characters. I learned first impressions are not always correct. Here's the thing, when I first meet characters in a book, I tend to make snap judgments based on the initial actions of the characters. I couldn't stand Scarlett's little sister Marlene, she was such a brat. Then, I found out why she was a brat. I had expected Mrs. Amberson to be sort of like wotshername in The Devil Wears Prada, Miranda Priestly. I was wrong, and turned out to love Mrs. Amberson because she's so random, but so confident and eccentric -- overall she adds a carefree factor to the story.Another element I enjoyed was the relationship between Scarlett and her siblings Lola and Spencer. Lola is Scarlett's older sister. Lola is pretty much a babe, she's great with make-up and skin-care. Also, she has a rich boyfriend. So, maybe Johnson could have written more about Lola, but I suppose there's only so much you can include within 359 pages. Spencer had lots of page space. Spencer and Scarlett are close though, not Flowers in the Attic close, but they have a great relationship and really do care for each other. Scarlett does a lot for Spencer, it's refreshing to see siblings get along and share a bond.The writing is not perfect. It's simplistic, there are not passages I could see myself memorizing. However, this is an engaging read with winsome characters. I am eagerly awaiting Scarlett Fever.