Official Review: Scarlett (the Scarlet) by Mario Longobardi

[Marcel Cantu]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Scarlett (the Scarlet)" by Mario Longobardi.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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“I like to think of it more like hitting a door. Why a door? Because a wall stops you straight in your path. A door doesn’t have to stop you. You stop yourself from opening a door.” - Mario Longobardi

Scarlett (the Starlet) by Mario Longobardi is a romance novel that follows the lives of a Disney star named Scarlett and of a boy from Chicago named Sal. The two meet in a hotel where Sal works and they quickly become friends, but their relationship is complicated by Sal’s consuming anxiety and Scarlett’s movie star lifestyle. Most of the narrative takes place within the mind of Sal. The reader follows his every thought and is given a detailed representation of how anxiety controls his life. Occasionally, the narrative switches to the perspective of Scarlett, or Scar, as her friends call her. Scar’s life is centered around making other people happy. She comes from a complicated family situation and her fame makes her a resource to be abused by most everyone in her life. These two tortured characters find moments of peace and encouragement when given the opportunity to be together, but an overprotective manager and complex schedules often keep the pair apart.

I found Scarlett (the Starlet) to be a very interesting look into anxiety and depression. The characters of Sal and Scar are thoroughly developed and the perspective of reading their thoughts creates a very intimate tone within the story. Sal and Scar often hide their problems from the world, but by being within their mind, the reader can truly see how anxiety and depression constantly affect the characters. On top of being a fun and compelling romance, Scarlett (the Starlet) does a great job exploring disorders such as anxiety and depression and providing helpful information on how two people began to move beyond these obstacles and take control of their lives.

What I disliked about this novel was the lack of professional editing. The book contained many simple errors that could easily be revised to make the book a better read. Additionally, I found that the book could be repetitive in some aspects and would be improved if it reoriented some of the details included in a new and refreshing way. Even with these problems, the book is a great story that has a casual tone that is easy and enjoyable to read.

I would give Scarlett (the Starlet) by Mario Longobardi a three out of four stars rating. Longobardi creates loveable and complex characters that the reader enjoys learning more about and seeing develop over the course of the story. I deducted a star for the reasons mentioned above and hope that this book is edited and revised so that it can achieve its full potential.

I would recommend Scarlett (the Starlet) to fans of romance-style writing that is character-driven. This book is a little different from what I expected from a romance story and focuses much more on the characters' friendship rather than the romantic aspects of their relationship, so I would take that into consideration when recommending this book. Additionally, the story contains a fair amount of profanity and drug use and would not be well suited for people who would be put off by these aspects in the story.

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Scarlett (the Scarlet)
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[Sakura5]

From your detailed summary, I started liking the story of these two unfortunate characters. It is a pity though for the several editorial mistakes you found. Thanks for the detailed review!

[Marcel Cantu]

From your detailed summary, I started liking the story of these two unfortunate characters. It is a pity though for the several editorial mistakes you found. Thanks for the detailed review!

It is a compelling story! Thank you for your comment!

[Sydney Lee]

Thanks for reviewing this book! It sounds so interesting, but when there are many simple errors, it drives me nuts! Maybe I'll give it a chance, because I like the sound of the plot from your review. But I might not be able to get past the grammatical errors. :/

[Naaya123]

I always enjoy romance novels. I'm looking forward to reading this one. Thank you for your honest review!

[PeterRabitt20]

The characters seem to have so much depth, but I would be bothered if the book has too many grammar mistakes. Thanks for sharing your review!

[Kavita Shah]

Scarlet the starlet , its got a ting with it . Thank you for a great review! It's sounds like a good story.

[Becca Olsson]

I’m glad the characters are good representations of anxiety. So often people don’t realize how that really shows up in someone and I commend the author for doing a good job. Thanks for the insightful review