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Summary
Summary
Scarlet considers herself someone who fixes other people's problems...until she becomes one when she falls in love with her sister's husband in this beautiful young adult novel about love and family from National Book Award finalist and Printz Honor medal winner Deb Caletti.
Scarlet spends most of her time worrying about other people. Some are her friends, others are practically strangers, and then there are the ones no else even notices. Trying to fix their lives comes naturally to her. And pushing her own needs to the side is part of the deal. So when her older sister comes home unexpectedly married and pregnant, Scarlet has a new person to worry about.
But all of her good intentions are shattered when the unthinkable happens: she falls for her sister's husband. For the first time in a long time, Scarlet's not fixing a problem, she's at the center of one. And ignoring her feelings doesn't seem to be an option...
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
When 17-year-old Scarlett's older sister, Juliet, moves back home pregnant, she brings with her a romantic new husband "she'd never before even mentioned." While Scarlett's feelings for Hayden grow-she secretly reads the love notes he writes to Juliet and sneaks out to join him for late-night chats-he remains devoted to her pretty sister, who in turn seems fixated on her loser high school boyfriend. Caletti's (The Secret Life of Prince Charming) main characters are well drawn and complex, especially mature Scarlett, who, to her own detriment, is constantly looking after everyone else in her life. Readers may find some of Scarlett's neighbors over the top, such as an elderly couple whose belief in Internet scams leads them to Africa. Scarlett's devotion to them also seems extreme, but it clarifies both why "being needed sometimes made me feel good" and why she feels connected to kind Hayden. In the end, readers will be willing to overlook some of the more outlandish characters to focus on the moving story involving Scarlett and her family. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Seventeen-year-old Scarlet Hughes is always trying to help others. At school, she's the Designated Listener, "the one who stayed emotionally sober while everyone else was falling apart"; in her neighborhood, she worries about senile Mr. Weaver, unhappy Goth Girl, and a couple being taken in by e-mail scammers; at home, she's the thoughtful daughter. When her thoughtless older sister Juliet returns home married and pregnant, Scarlet feels it's her job to keep Juliet from hurting Hayden, the sweet, devoted father-to-be. While Scarlet initially believes her need to help comes from "a low tolerance for other people's pain," by the end she realizes she just likes "to have a little control over a situation." Just before her mother breaks up with her self-centered boyfriend, she tells Scarlet, "The idea that we can control things is wishful thinking...You can let go; that's all. Maybe that's the most important thing to do." Scarlet also learns about letting go from an array of others, including Hayden (who finally lets go of Juliet) and the scammed (but happily re-located to the Ivory Coast) neighbors; she learns that a little selfishness can be good; and she learns that it's okay to give when your only incentive is kindness. Caletti tells her layered, engaging story in her usual style that includes lots of introspection on the part of her narrator, a multitude of fascinating characters, and loads of skillfully crafted sentences that will entice readers racing through to slow down and re-read with pleasure before speeding on again. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Seventeen-year-old Scarlet is used to her older sister, Juliet, getting all the attention. Juliet's the beautiful one who got off Parrish Island, Oregon, and has a job singing in Portland. Then Juliet returns with a new husband, Hayden, and a baby on the way. While Juliet is the kind of girl who's mostly interested in herself, Scarlet finds herself becoming quite interested in Hayden, who is unrequitedly devoted to Juliet. There are familiar elements here, but Caletti executes them exceedingly well. Scarlet's adoration of Hayden is both poignant and realistic, her devotion tempered by hopes and fears for the baby. Juliet's pursuit of an old boyfriend, a bad boy, rings true, especially considering the family history. Still, other elements are over the top, like the subplot about neighbors who seem to have found the one Nigerian e-mailer who wants to make good on a business proposition. Caletti is at her best as she makes the case for the Rules of Maybe, how to hope, ways to persist, when to give up, and how to go on.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Scarlet, self-appointed savior, learns a lesson in the pitfalls of trying to control the lives of others in this novel (Simon Pulse, 2010) by Deb Caletti. The story begins with her older sister Juliet suddenly returning home, married and pregnant, accompanied by her architect-student husband, Hayden, and his dog. Juliet, Hayden, the girls' mom, various colorful neighbors, and an assortment of classmates all with complicated issues drive concerned, busybody Scarlet to an emotional climax as she tries to fill the roles of matchmaker, social worker, psychotherapist, and marriage counselor while simultaneously having a crush on Hayden. A neighbor's fire and the concurrent loss of Hayden's beloved dog, her sister's disappearance, and the loss of Hayden himself break Scarlet's fix-it track and lead to an epiphany: she cannot continue trying to control everyone's life path. Teri Clark Linden differentiates the characters, but her rendition of teen voices makes them sound unrealistic. Slow speech and odd inflections are not true to today's teen speech; her adult voices are performed well. The retro song excerpts Linden sings are not true to the original tunes. Note that there is plenty of profanity. Barring the odd teen speech, this audiobook should be popular with girls who enjoy adolescent ber-drama.-Jennifer Ward, Albany Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Analyzing other people's emotions and motivations is Scarlet Ellis's greatest talent. At school, she's close to few but a confidante to all. Her quiet home life consists mostly of taking pictures and involving herself in her neighbors' business. Since childhood she's idolized her older sister, Juliet, who comes home pregnant and married after years of working as a singer. Scarlet forms a strong bond with Juliet's husband, Hayden, and becomes convinced that Juliet is cheating on him with her high-school boyfriend. At the same time, Scarlet finds herself falling for Hayden. Narrator Scarlet is content to tell everyone's story but her own, and as a result, no plot ever really develops beyond her thoughts. Though Scarlet is thoughtful and well read in psychology, many of her observations about other people's relationships come off as melodramatic rather than enlightening. The most interesting story line involves Scarlet's matchmaking of two oddball classmates, a feat that shows off her interpersonal skills. Overall, because of her lack of focus and sense of self, readers may have a hard time sympathizing with her. (Fiction. YA)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.