November Book Club Review: The Naughty List

November 4th, 2009

Happy November! I hope everyone is enjoying gorgeous cool autumn weather and gearing up for the holiday season.

The first Wednesday of the month means another edition of The Book Review Club hosted by Barrie Summy, author of the I So Don’t Do Mysteries series. Today, I’m featuring the sensational Suzanne Young, author of the THE NAUGHTY LIST (YA, 14 and up) series.

Here’s the back cover of THE NAUGHTY LIST (courtesy of Amazon):

As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn’t enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson’s the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad–turned–spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn’t be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty!

When Tessa’s own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa’s sneaky ways end in catastrophe?

The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

Suzanne Young’s debut, THE NAUGHTY LIST is amazing. Packed with high school scandal, page turning suspense, romance, and girl power, THE NAUGHTY LIST is sure to be a smash with teens and/or anyone who loves the YA genre. Young’s main character, Tessa, is absolutely adorable, extremely likable, and hilarious. I have no doubt THE NAUGHTY LIST will be climbing the best sellers lists this February, along with SOS’s popping up in high schools across the country.

Okay, I’ll stop bubbling all over this book. But, it’s seriously THAT good. Here’s the amazing and adorable Suzanne Young to fill you in on the rest.

1. Okay, I would have totally hired SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens) and saved myself a ton of heartbreak in high school. How did you come up with the idea for the SOS?

The original idea came from an unlikely place—Ninja Cheerleaders. And when the first line was, “My pom poms hit the wood floor with a double thwack,” I knew that I wasn’t going to write a serious book. First I considered them just handling high school “justice”, but I didn’t care enough. Stealing school supplies? Lame. But then I realized, what was the biggest deal when I was in high school??? Cheating boyfriend. Bam. SOS was born. lol

2. Tessa is adorable. I love her little sayings – Strawberry Smoothie, Oh Applesauce… Is she based on anyone you know?

Unfortunately not. I think I’d enjoy hanging out with Tessa though. She’d definitely cheer me up.  And when I realized her perky perfectness, I thought to myself—no way she’d swear. And the more I wrote, the more silly her phrases became.

3. What is your writing schedule like? Do you write during the day, afternoon, or evening? Are you a panster or outliner?

My writing schedule totally varies. I’m an all or nothing type of person. I tend to write my books all at once or I sit and stare at the page. So usually when I write I have to take a couple of days near the end and go to a hotel for some isolation. I know. I’m weird.  As far as outlining goes, I’m no good. I do write query letters before I start writing though to keep me on track.

4. When does THE NAUGHTY LIST drop?  Can you tell us a little about the sequel – SO MANY BOYS?

The Naughty List will be released on February 4th,  2010 (yay!). The sequel SO MANY BOYS comes out June 4th, 2010 and follows the squad into their latest catastrophe. A copykitten.

5. If you could have dinner with any five people (dead or alive) who would you pick?

Oh, wow. Tough question. First, I’d love to see my grandmother again. She passed away a few years ago and I still miss her tremendously. Who could join us?? Hm… How about Zach Braff, James Dean, Kurt Cobain and maybe Meg Cabot.

Thanks, Suzanne!!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of the club here.

Happy Wednesday!

Hugs,

Keri

Disclosure: Suzanne’s book arrived on my doorstep courtesy of Razorbill and my amazing editor. I often receive ARCs and/or books for reviews (most of the time due to my Chick Lit column for South Jersey Mom magazine, sometimes because I’m an author, and other times because I beg.). However, I do not blog about every book I receive, only the ones I absolutely adore or feel the need to recommend to fans of sporty lit.