Review: The Naughty List

The Naughty List (ARC) by Suzanne Young
Publisher: Razorbill
Pub. Date: February 4th, 2010
Pages: 272
Age Level: 14/15+
Source: Won

Synopsis via Goodreads
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?

Review
The Naughty List is a delightful read. A great, laugh-out-loud debut YA novel from Suzanne Young.

Tessa was an absolute riot and I loved her character. She is very funny, polite, and doubles as a spy, of sorts. Underneath her happy facade though, there is a lot more going on than what at first appears. She really does want the best for people and I loved that about her and thought she was very easy to connect with. Her journey throughout the book to figure out who she really is aside from a smitten kitten and girlfriend was both humorous and, at times, a bit heartbreaking. Sure she made some mistakes but that just furthered her as a character. Now, on to Aiden; he was a very sweet, attentive boyfriend but I admit it took me a while before I could really grow to like him. Not sure what it was but at times he almost seemed too good to be true. I mean, he actually likes to paint Tessa's toe nails. However, as the book progressed, the romance, which felt lacking at first, improved and I grew to like him better. One thing that annoyed me though was how casual Aiden's little 'sleepovers' at Tessa's house were made to appear and the fact that the parents were conveniently not home a lot. Christian and his sister, Chloe, added a much needed bit of twisted-ness that I really thought made this book all the better. I also loved all the other smitten kittens and would love to have girls like that for friends.

The Naughty List was, at first glance, just a quick and fun book. However, I was surprised to find some more serious subjects weaved delicately into the story. These elements provided balance and depth while not overpowering the book, allowing it to stay mostly light rather than something dark and heavy. That being said, The Naughty List was a very refreshing read and while it was a bit predictable, I still got quite a bit of enjoyment out of it.

Young's writing style was very witty as well as fast-paced and easy to read. I like that she kept things simple instead of trying to over complicate the writing as I feel a simpler writing style really suits this book best. I also loved the alternate swear words.

I thought the ending was mostly appropriate, though things seemed to end almost a bit too well, and I was glad to see how far Tessa had come as a character. Plus, I was left anticipating the next book which is a major plus.

All in all, The Naughty List was a great debut from Suzanne Young and I was surprised when I discovered that underneath the cute and sweet coating, there was a slightly more bittersweet interior. This really is a hilarious read that can boost just about anyone's spirits. Unless you are suspecting your boyfriend of cheating on you, in which case I'd wait until those problems are resolved before reading this. lol. I can't wait to get my hands on So Many Boys!

Grade
Characters: B
Writing: B-
Plot: B
Ending: B-
1st in Series: B
Enjoyment/Likability: B-
Recommendable: B+

Overall: B

Cover: B-