Review: The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

Title: The Naughty List

Author: Suzanne Young

Published: Razorbill (4 Feb 2010)

No. of Pages: 239

Grade Rating: B+

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?

The Naughty List is a sweet, inspiring read that ditches the superficial sterotypes of cheerleaders in vicious high school surroundings where each kitten can't wait to get their claws out. This book is fun, entertaining and will have you with your pom poms out once you've finished it!

One thing I loved about this book was the lead female protagonist and head cheerleader, Tessa. Usually in typical high shool based books, the cheerleaders are selfish, scheming and self-centred not giving a hoot about anybody except themselves. In The Naughty List, Tessa was not like that at all. I loved how she was not the same kind of cheerleader that has been portrayed about a billion times. Tessa really was a very sweet heroine who cared deeply about her friends and the wellfare of the other girls who had very naughty boyfriends. It was clearly shown throughout the book that each Smitten Kitten was not a perfect cookie-cutter image of how every cheerleader should be. It was good to see how each one had their own inner conflicts but still managed to be positive, cheery and just plain strawberry smoothie!

Suzanne Young has managed to create a gripping and mysterious plot with each twist and turn just pages away whilst also intertwining an inspirational story that will leave the reader begging for more. This is the kind of book that looks predictable but as a matter of fact was pleasantly surprising. From the first few chapters I was completely hooked delving into the engaging writing and refreshingly original take on school life.

The cast of characters and dynamic plot weren't just the great things about this book. I also loved how at the end of each chapter there were cute additions like the 'Cheater Incident Reports' and the 'SOS Official Handbook'. These features just put another unanticipated spin on things which made the experience of reading this even more enjoyable.

I have no major qualms with this book and can safely say I am a fan of the series. This novel was more than I expected and although it didn't have the ending I had hoped for, it left me craving more from the next installment.