Book Review: The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

CHALLENGE BOOK: 2010 Debut Authors

Title: The Naughty List
Author: Suzanne Young
Publication Date: February 4, 2010
Genre: YA Fiction
Age: 14+
Pages: 256
Series: 1st in a series
Publisher's website: Razorbill / Penguin
Author's website: Suzanne's Blog
Book Acquisition: ARC received from publisher

Tessa Crimson: Cheerleader by day, spy by night.
As leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), Tessa's mission is twofold: pep preservation and relationship salvation. That's right, Tessa is head cheerleader whose night job is catching cheating boyfriends in the act! Thank goodness her own relationship with Aiden is strawberry-smoothie purrfect - except for the fact that she's been concealing her nocturnal habits for, oh, tow years.
Aiden suspects something's up, and his patience is wearing thin. But in the meantime, Tessa's far too busy to deal with her own romantic road-blocks. The Naughty List is at maximum capacity: because so far, every single suspects on it is 100% guilty.

When sultry Chloe Ferril transfers to Washington High, things only become more catastrophic. Tessa knows this predatory vixen won't stop hunting Aiden until her claws are planted firmly in his backside...
But Tessa's in for an even bigger shock when Aiden's name shows up on The Naughty List, and she's finally forced to confront the unthinkable: is her own boyfriend just as naughty as all the rest?

(from back cover of ARC)

I have to say, this isn't the type of book I usually read. I honestly thought it was going to be very girly, fluffy, foo foo nonsense. I'm so glad I was wrong! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The main reason being, our MC Tessa. She is simply adorable! You would be hard pressed to find a teenage girl in a YA novel today with a bigger heart. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body and I would challenge you to read this book and not adore her.

One thing we learn about Tessa is that she does not tolerate cursing or cussing for any reason. Where others wouldn't hesitate to throw out a four letter word (or two or three) we get from Tessa phrases such as "toasted ravioli!" and "shake and bake!" Most of these were internal dialog which just made it all the more cute :)

I was a little upset with the book about 3/4 of the way through - only because I made some assumptions that turned out to be way wrong. I felt that flaky, fluffy blah creeping in. But I was off the mark. I loved the way the book ends and I really can't wait for the sequel.

I do have to say though, there was one aspect of the book that I didn't absolutely love. It has to do with how the characters deal with sex. There is a lot of sex in this book. Not explicit by any means but it's there. It seemed to be the norm among Tessa and her friends. Everyone had sex and it was excepted as a normal part of their lives. There is nothing wrong with that in my opinion but I can see how some parents wouldn't want their 14 year olds reading this book. There was no alternative given to the sex acts that were implied or mentioned. Does that make any sense?

Overall? I really liked this book. The story line is pretty original. A group of cheater-finding cheerleaders? What?
Suzanne makes it work. Her writing is spot on and I'm looking forward to more!

4/5 stars

Books in the Series:
The Naughty List - February 2010
So Many Boys - June 2010
A Good Boy is Hard to Find - Fall 2010

Linkage Love:
Suzanne's Facebook Page

Other Reviews:
Presenting Lenore
Books By Their Cover
The Undercover Book Lover