SUTTER KEELY. HE S the guy you want at your party. He ll get everyone dancing. He ll get everyone in your parents pool. Okay, so he s not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men s shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram s V.O., life s pretty fabuloso, actually. Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee s clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it s up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee s not like other girls, and before long he s in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else s life or ruin it forever. From the Hardcover edition. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Unlike most high school seniors, Sutter Keely-the narrator of this smart, superbly written novel-is not concerned with the future. He's the life of the party, and he's interested in the "Spectacular Now." In stream of consciousness-style prose, Sutter describes his lurching from one good time to the next: he carries whiskey in a flask, and once it's mixed into his 7Up, anything is possible. He will jump into the pool fully clothed, climb up a tree and onto his ex-girlfriend's roof or cruise around all hours of the night. Without ever deviating from the voice of the egocentric Sutter, Tharp (Knights of the Hill Country) fully develops all of the ancillary characters, such as socially awkward Aimee, the new girlfriend who tries to plan a future with this quintessential live-for-the-moment guy. Readers will be simultaneously charmed and infuriated by Sutter as his voice holds them in thrall to his all-powerful Now. Ages 14-up. (Nov.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 9 Up-Sutter Keely, a high school senior, is determined to live in the moment. He eschews planning for the future, intent on letting the good times roll. Sutter's been downing six packs since seventh grade and is rarely without his flask of Seagram's. Despite the heavy drinking and some raunchy sex talk, he is initially a likable character with a fresh and funny voice, but his affability wanes quickly and that voice just doesn't ring true. He meets Aimee when he passes out on her front yard. Sutter isn't really interested at first and only dates her because he considers her a project, someone he can help become less of a social outcast. Along the way, he begins to come off as condescending and egotistical and his sarcasm isn't as comic. It's a well-written book told in first person, but the narration seems much too sophisticated to be believable. He uses phrases like, "I am.sore at heart" and utters phrases like, "the room brimmed with padded chairs." Some of the plot is also disconcerting. As the result of Sutter's drunk driving, Aimee is struck by a car on a highway and suffers only a broken arm. The story ends with Sutter drinking in a bar, assured he's a hero after dumping Aimee, and rejoicing about feeling nothing.-Patricia N. McClune, Conestoga Valley High School Library, Lancaster, PA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

All the seniors in Sutter Keely's high school are planning for the future, except for him. The Sutterman is the original party boy, with a perpetual 7-Up and whiskey in his hand and a story to entertain all who will listen. He is a ladies' man, but he loses interest when the ladies demand that he pay attention to them, instead of himself, or make other unreasonable requests, such as remember dates or call when he promises. But it is Aimee, a social outsider, who gets under his skin and loves him in spite of his flaws. Tharp offers a poignant, funny book about a teen who sees his life as livable only when his senses are dulled by drink and only as fodder for the next joke or story. Lulled into believing he is happy in spite of his father's abandonment and his mother's emotional neglect, Sutter is an authentic character, and his unsteady sense of himself, as well as his relationships with his friends, will strike a chord with teen readers.--Bradburn, Frances Copyright 2008 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.