Book Review: Revenge of the Cootie Girls by Sparkle Hayter

I don't know why I sometimes get it into my head that I should read "good" books; it never turns out well. Actually, it occasionally does (see: Never Let Me Go), but mostly...not so much. Most recently, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. I think part of my problem is that I know what is going to happen because I saw the movie. I'm thinking of maybe trying to find a different Lehane novel because I like his writing style and am getting into the crime/noir genre some. But Shutter Island isn't working for me and I am not going to force myself to read something I'm not enjoying. Also, not working for me, Rest Ye Merry. I'm half way through and really don't care who the killer is.

So, with the idea in mind that I didn't want to read anything "good", I went to the library today and got 7 books...2 Jennifer Crusie, 1 Sophie Kinsella, and 3 random mysteries. I read one of the mysteries in one sitting tonight...Revenge of the Cootie Girls by Sparkle Hayter. It is the third book in a series, which is kind of annoying, but it is the only book the library had, so I dealt with it. I picked it for three reasons. 1) The title is Revenge of the Cootie Girls. Uh, how would I not want to read a book that has the word "cootie" in the title. 2) The cover is awesome! It is an old school comic looking drawing with someone with Bride of Frankenstein hair and three women with green wigs and Groucho Marx glasses/noses on. You can't go wrong with that. 3) The author's name is Sparkle Hayter. Sparkle. Hayter. Best name ever! So yes...I judged a book by its cover. And you know what, it works.

The main character, Robin Hudson, follows clues all night sent by her long estranged friend Julie that appear to be a cute joke sort of game. Robin gets into all sorts of trouble with everything going on, including losing track of all of her friends and always having the nagging need to choose which of her boyfriends to spend the weekend with. The whole book takes places in one evening/night/early morning, but includes a ton of flashbacks to Robin's childhood and teenage years. I liked the story structure of finding out bits and pieces of information as Robin tells them to her friends. I also just really enjoyed the quirky humor of what was going on in the story. Weird things happen and Robin thinks about things in a different way. I also really enjoyed that the dialog and narration sounded like how people talk...Robin and her friends swear and don't always filter what they are saying...just like normal people! It was just a really enjoyable story that was easy to read. I'm a big fan and now have to find the other books!

One last reason that I really enjoyed Hayter's book...apparently the genre it is in is called "Tart Noir". What? Best genre name ever! Crime Noir, but with elements of what makes chick lit so fun. Tart Noir by Sparkle Hayter. Love it!