Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson

Title: Scarlett Fever
Author: Maureen Johnson
ISBN: 9780439899284
Publisher: Point

Summary:
"Scarlett Martin is in a frenzy.

Faced with her family's financial woes, Scarlett has taken on the job of assistant/indentured servant to a newly minted theatrical agent, professional eccentric Mrs. Amy Amberson. Scarlett ends up at the beck and call of a Broadway star (her own age!), dealing with territorial doormen, and walking a small dog with insecurity issues - all while starting her sophomore year at one of New York's most rigorous high schools.

It doesn't help that Scarlett's brain is clouded with thoughts of Eric, her former sort-of boyfriend. She has thousands of things to say to him, if only he would call. And then there's her new lab partner, the impossible Max, who's on a quest to destroy what little mind she has left.

Meanwhile, her older brother, Spencer, has become New York City's most controversial TV villain; her ever-reliable older sister, Lola, is sliding off the rails; and her younger sister, Marlene, most worryingly, has suddenly become... nice.

But somehow Scarlett will prevail... right?"
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First Lines:

"It was four thirty in the morning, and Scarlett wanted answers. Unfortunately, four-thirty-in-the-morning questions are often of a very different nature than, say, three-twenty-in-the-afternoon questions."
Page 3
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Review:

I can pretty simply say that I love all of Maureen Johnson's books. well, I haven't read every one of them, but I'm getting close. This was another one of her wonderful creations that made me laugh pretty endlessly. I do think this was the first sequel of hers I've read... but maybe I'm just remembering that weirdly. On to the book!

The first book was wonderful - awesome setting (NYC), hilarious characters, and a very cool premise. All of that is continued in the next book... which, of course, means I loved this one too. Johnson's writing style is very witty and snarky. So much fun! There were a few spots where I literally LOLed and had to explain myself to people around me. But that's just the nature of the beast, huh?

I also love that the setting is the city. A lot of books use the city as the backdrop, but this one really made you feel like you knew the place. And how awesome is it that there was a shout-out to the Shake Shack - home of the best milkshakes in the city. I've often spent a few too many calories there. It's just awesome there was a mention in the book about it.

One of the things I really like about the story is the emphasis on theatre. Now, this could be because I grew up in a family of actors, but it was a really cool to read about a theatrical family. Not that we were quite as intense as this family, but it's still a fun story. Of course, that was what makes the humor that much more awesome :). There's also a new romance that gives this story another level of interest.

I absolutely recommend these books for any teens - mostly girls, I suppose. And this is definitely counting for my chick lit list for 2010. Woo hoo! Also, Maureen Johnson's blog is hilarious, so you should check that out.
(I apologize for any crazy statements during this review - Squidbillies is on at the moment. Keep getting distracted. oops! :))
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