Author: Karen Saunders

Publisher: Templar

From Amazon
I’m Suzy Puttock (yes, Puttock with a P), fourteen years old and a total disaster magnet. My life’s full of ups and downs. My loved-up big sister Amber’s getting married and wants lime green bridesmaids’ dresses. I’m not happy about that. But there’s this hot new guy, Zach, just started at my school. I am happy about that. Only… I’ve had a boyfriend since forever, Danny. So now I’m all kinds of confused!

Review
I’d just finished The Dark Herioine and I wanted something much lighter to provide some contrast – Me, Suzy P was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Me, Suzy P is a story about friendship and what can happen to it when pushed to its limits, how actions you take affect others around us and the positions those actions can put friends in. Should they take sides and even they don’t intend to can it appear that they have.

But whatever you do don’t take that to mean this book is doom and gloom – as you can probably tell from the cover it’s anything but, take for instance Suzy’s sister – Amber, who is about to have what appears to be the wedding of the century – the Pittuck (with a P!!) family – especially the Mum are up to their eyeballs in wedding planning and in an effort to replicate a celebrity Amber wants the bridesmaid dresses to be lime green! The wedding isn’t really the main story though (but a very good subplot). There’s a lot more going on.

This story is chock full of laugh of loud moments – things that you can really imagine happen with a tiny bit of foreshadowing mean you know something bad is about to happen and there is nothing on earth that is going to stop it.

I loved Suzy and her disaster magnet ways (no idea why I always seem to love a disaster magnet), her relationships with her friends especially Millie was enjoyable to read about though I did feel sorry for Millie at one point – being in that position doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun!

And I absolutely loved Danny – we may see him more through others eyes than our own most (but certainly not all) of the time but he seemed genuine – maybe not great at emotionally expressing himself (a bit like me – okay a lot like me, oh god – maybe he is me hehe) but we can see he has those emotions and it’s just a case of getting them out there. I personally loved the development in his character that we see as the book progresses.

On the other side of the coin Zach and Jade didn’t seem like the nicest pair of people I’ve ever read about, a bit too wrapped up in themselves and their own popularity for my liking – but I’m saying no more!

It was a pleasant change to see the parents still around and a special mention has to go to them – whilst not having major parts to play – they still seemed well rounded and together. In their own ways they provided moments of fun and some of the comments they both made it fun to snigger along with them (I’ll never forget one of the comments the Dad makes near the end hehe).

The writing is gripping – trying to stop reading (like at the end of a break at work) is REALLY hard, you think you’re ok to stop at such and such a point only to find something that draws you into the next bit.

Overall, Me, Suzy P is a delightfully entertaining read full of moments that make you want to burst out laughing in maybe not the most appropriate of places. I can’t wait to see what Karen Saunders comes up with next.

Thanks to Templar for sending me a copy