Audiobook Week: Suite Scarlett, by Maureen Johnson

Suite Scarlett

by Maureen Johnson

audiobook: 9 hours

narrated by Jennie Stith

*** About the Book ***

Scarlett and her family live in an old art deco style hotel in New York City. The hotel isn’t exactly thriving and this means that the family has to run the hotel all on their own. When a new guest checks in, Scarlett is assigned to be her “assistant” for the entire summer. The guest, Mrs. Amberson, is rather eccentric and Scarlett soon gets pulled into a variety of schemes and adventures that soon involve her siblings, her parents, and even the boy she has a crush on.


*** Why I Listened To It ***

This audiobook was in the swag bag I received at the Book Blogger Convention in New York in May. As an audiobook fan I was THRILLED to see this, even though Young Adult (YA) is not a genre I generally read. The author, Maureen Johnson, was the keynote speaker at the Convention and she was hilarious. After hearing her speak I knew I had to check out this audiobook as soon as possible.


*** My Thoughts ***

This book is completely outside my normal reading/listening comfort zone. That said, it was a lot of fun to listen to. The characters were interesting and unique and the plot was zany and fun. It wasn’t exactly believable (Is it supposed to be? Probably not, but I like my stories more on the realistic side …) but it was very entertaining. I listened to it at various times of the day and always wanted to get back to the story to see what was going to happen next.

This book was a great break from my normal reading routine. It was light and entertaining and didn’t require much effort on my part to enjoy it. I probably won’t read/listen to Maureen’s other books (not due to any fault with the books but simply because they are not “my thing”) but I’m glad that I listened to this one.


*** About the Narrator ***

Jennie Stith did a fantastic job with this book. She conveyed the voice of a young girl perfectly and did pretty well with boys voices too.

I do have to say that I think Maureen Johnson could narrate her own books though; she was so much fun to listen to at BBC and she has a very expressive voice.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Since it was part of the goody bag at the Book Blogger Convention I expect that there will be reviews of this audiobook popping up pretty regularly. Here are a few I’ve seen so far:

Have you read any of Maureen’s books? What do you like about them? Have you listened to any of them on audio? Please share your thoughts in the comments.


*** Giveaway Details ***

I have two copies of this audiobook to give away to anyone with a US or Canadian mailing address. Please follow the instructions below to enter.

NOTE: This audiobook uses MP3 files. That means that it likely won’t play in your car or on your older CD players. It will play on your computer though, and you can also transfer the files to your iPod or other digital device.

To enter:

• Leave a comment answering at least one of the following: Have you read any of Maureen’s books? What do you like about them? Have you listened to any of them on audio?
• If your email address is not easily accessible through your profile or blog please include it in your comment.
• I’ll use random.org to choose the winners on July 8. Winners will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to reply with their mailing address. If I don’t hear from some of the winners in that time period I will draw new winners.

Note: This review is part of Audiobook Week. Today I’m reviewing a Young Adult book; other genres will be featured throughout the week.