I've come to love Maureen Johnson's style. I love her matter-of-fact manner of writing and the sarcastic quips her characters employ. I loved the idea of the Martin family living in a run-down hotel and dealing with the quirky Mrs. Amberson in the first book too. And the sequel is even better. (Of course, you really should read Suite Scarlett first, not only because is it really good, but also because it sets up a lot of the story going on here.)

The introduction of Chelsea and Max Biggs is the best part of the novel. It's really fun to get to see Scarlett interact with another “show biz” family. Chelsea has been groomed to be a star by her mother, her new agent just wants to lead her in the right direction, and their situation is completely different from the one Scarlett is used to with her brother Spencer. Whereas Spencer has always loved acting, and his parents have always supported him while setting limits that insured he would have to get a real job, Chelsea has been molded into the seemingly perfect actress by her overbearing stage mother. Chelsea has no choice but to be a star. Her brother Max—well, he is a completely different story, one that challenges Scarlett constantly. And though Max doesn't have a whole lot of dialogue, even his annoying toe tapping presence is enough to make Scarlett think violent thoughts. He's one of the few people who genuinely challenges her, and it's very entertaining to see him drive her crazy.

Another great thing about this novel is that it expands on the rest of the Martin family. There are certain aspects of the different siblings' personalities that are obvious (younger sister Marlene is antagonistic, older sister Lola tries very hard to be perfect, and Spencer is the clown), but the characters become much more fleshed out this time around. You get to see just what the different Martin children are prepared to do when they really want something, like an award or a part on TV, or maybe even just a little stability. I do wish we had been able to see a bit more of them interacting as a group, though. Because this is fundamentally Scarlett's story, a lot of what we see of her siblings is through her one-on-one encounters with them.

If you decide to read the book, though (and you should, because it's great), you have to be prepared for the ending. Not everything gets wrapped up in typical storybook fashion. The book just stops. Scarlett's story is a new series of novels, so there is more to come, but the ending of this particular book was incredibly frustrating for me (and, I gather, for a lot of Maureen Johnson's other fans as well). Certain conflicts that are present through most of the book, especially ones involving a couple of the boys in Scarlett's life, are not resolved. The cliffhanger of an ending is slightly evil because of that. I want more. And because of that, I will be impatiently waiting for Miss Johnson to finish writing another chapter of the life of the Martins.