Blog Tour: Suzanne Young Guest Post

My Guilty Pleasure

I spend a lot of time writing—maybe too much. And when I’m in front of my computer the closest I get to entertainment is Twitter. But when I need some down time, I turn to my favorite guilty pleasure—television.

True Blood is my absolute favorite—blame the gorgeous blond Viking, with Game of Thrones creeping up to second. I have DVR’d a season of Fringe, America’s Next Model and House Hunter’s International. On my days off, I sort through OnDemand and catch up on Oxygen Network’s Snapped, about women who kill people.

Sometimes I get up to 12 or more episodes (Hi, Supernatural) and just give up. Comedies are usually the go to choice: Community, Modern Family and Traffic Light. But when they run out, we sometimes find ourselves watching… Celebrity Apprentice.

The glamorous life of a writer.

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Thank you so much for stopping by, Suzanne! I have read, and loved, all of Suzanne's books and I definitely recommend picking up her newest release ASAP- A Need So Beautiful!

Review: A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...

Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

Review:

What a beautiful and heartbreaking new novel by Suzanne Young. I loved her previous series (The Naughty List) and was dying to devour this one. Luckily, it proved to be just as amazing and well written as I had hoped.

The concept of A Need So Beautiful was so original and different from anything I've read before. This was not an angel book per se, but in a way it was. Charlotte Cassidy is a Forgotten. She feels the pull of the Need to help certain people and can do nothing about it. Unfortunately, as Charlotte helps more and more strangers, she is slowly being forgotten by those she cares about. If Charlotte does choose to fight against her destiny, the consequences are dark and frightening. She is a beacon of hope and light in the world and the people she helps have their lives forever changed for the better.

Charlotte was such a great main character. My heart went out to her when she realized what was happening to her and how there was no way to stop it. I cried several times while reading A Need So Beautiful because it was just so... emotional. Charlotte was struggling to save people and at the same time those she loved were forgetting about her. She was making a difference, but she had to sacrifice part of herself to help those who truly needed it.

Suzanne Young has a way with words that just draws me into the story and won't release me until the very last word. A Need So Beautiful is a book I will be recommending to everyone and anyone because it is so unique and poignant.

Not only was the premise amazing, but the characters were as well. In addition to Charlotte there were several other main characters that made a difference in the story and stood out a lot. From Harlin to Sarah and Mercy to Monroe, every character played an important role in the story. Harlin was... wow. He was such a fantastic guy and his feelings for Charlotte were obvious from the start. Another thing that was unique about this novel was that Harlin and Charlotte were already together before the story opens. It made their relationship that much more believable and realistic.

A Need So Beautiful sucked me in and I can't put into words how heartbreaking and intense this novel is. It's unique, well written, and the ending had me gripping the pages, tears running down my face. Come June 21st, this is one title you need to run out and buy. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

June 21, 2011/Balzer + Bray/272 Pages/Young Adult/Book One

Source: Publisher (ARC)

Review: So Many Boys by Suzanne Young

So Many Boys (The Naughty List, #2) by Suzanne Young

Tessa goes from strawberry smoothie to suddenly single!

After her center-court split with Aiden, Tessa puts the SOS behind her. After all, cheaters never prosper! Now she’s busy working on her faux-relationship with Aiden and negotiating the unfamiliar waters of “technically single and pseudo-dating.”

Life can’t get any more dismal for a one-guy kind of girl until an imposter hijacks the SOS, and it’s up to Tessa to save her squad from slander. But with her best boy hot and cold, what’s a kitten to do?

Even worse, Tessa doesn’t realize how much she’s up against—because this copykitten is far more naughty than nice.

Review:

I was beyond excited when I found So Many Boys at a Books A Million while I was on vacation, and finished it in the same day I bought it :) The exciting plot lines and likable characters of the first book all returned in So Many Boys, making it another fun filled and great read.

Tessa was back and better than ever! In the beginning of the novel, she was still recovering from the trauma and craziness of The Naughty List and I really felt for her. She had to quit cheerleading, break up with Aiden, and abandon SOS. As So Many Boys progressed, Tessa regained her spunk and perkiness, and she’s still one of my favorite YA female main characters. The Smitten Kittens also returned and you got to learn more about all of them and their experiences. Izzie, Kira, and Leona in particular.

There were a variety of plot twists in So Many Boys that made it really hard to put down. When I first thought I had the culprit figured out, a new clue would throw me off their path. The idea of the “copy-Kitten” was a great twist in the plot and made it impossible for the real SOS to stay retired. The chapters narrated by the culprit gave a good look into their character and what they really thought of Tessa and the Smitten Kittens. There was more spying action, both by the Smitten Kittens and the “copy-Kitten”, and a lot of excitement and drama.

In this book, Tessa was once again caught between Aiden and another boy, but this time it was Aiden and two other boys. Chris, the boy her fellow Smitten Kittens wanted to set her up with and Joel, Kira’s boyfriend.I love Joel, he was sweet and thoughtful and a terrific friend to Tessa. Chris was also nice, but obviously not right for the former SOS leader. There’s a big twist involving Aiden, but I don’t want to give anything away! Let’s just say, my original opinion of Aiden is very different now!

Other than Aiden and the Smitten Kittens, some of the other characters from The Naughty List returned. Chloe and Mary specifically. There was a lot of mystery and suspense in this book, but most of the loose ends were tied up. The ending still left me dying for A Good Boy Is Hard to Find though! I really want to know what happens next.

If you haven’t read The Naughty List, you really need to before starting this one. It’s an exciting, fun series with great characters and spying cheerleaders- what more could you want?

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

June 10, 2010/Razorbill/248 Pages/Young Adult/Book Two

Source: Bought (Paperback)

Other books in the series: The Naughty List

Review: The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

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:

Short and sweet, The Naughty List was an original and fun-filled read. Suzanne Young has a writing style that pulls you in and she can see right into the heads of teenagers. The characters were all believable and Tessa was an awesome main character. I loved her alternatives for cursing like “Ginger Snaps!” or “Cap N Crunch!”, they made me laugh out loud at times. There were quite a few times when I was laughing while reading The Naughty List, but my favorite parts were during the missions.

It was so fun hearing about Tessa and the gang scoping out cheaters with their high tech equipment. It was lucky Tessa’s parents weren’t home that often so she had more time for investigating and to be with Aiden. I really liked Aiden, he was the perfect guy for Tess, and actually really nice and down-to-Earth. The other characters were great, too. Kira was a terrific, at times clueless, best friend for Tess and Kira and the rest of the Smitten Kittens were always there for Tess, and each other, whenever one of them got upset or needed help. The plot was very original and I like these kind of novels that go off the beaten path.

I really liked how the ending of each chapter contained something to do with SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), whether it be a cheater report or donation thank-you. It was awesome that no one knew who SOS was, they were very stealthy :)

The main plot line was not only solving crimes of cheating boyfriends, but Tessa was learning a lot about both herself and her relationship with Aiden. There were some tricky characters that added twists in the plot- Christian and Chloe. I don’t want to give anything away but let me tell you the ending was very satisfying in terms of those siblings! I really liked the ending, although it left you wanting the sequel right away! There were quite a few sub-plots going on that weren’t tied up at the end of this book, so I can’t see where So Many Boys takes us. In the end, The Naughty List was “strawberry smoothie” in the words of Tessa.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of So Many Boys in June!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

February 4, 2010/Razorbill/272 Pages/Young Adult/Book One

Source: Publisher (ARC)

Other books in the series: So Many Boys, A Good Boy Is Hard To Find