Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 23))
Stylish, sassy prose spins a whodunit that doesn't quite satisfy. Sixteen-year-old Scarlett Wakefield suffers from the usual teenage-girl angst: to be part of the popular crowd and to kiss Dan, one of the most popular boys in her class. When these wishes are granted with an invitation to a posh party, Scarlett finds herself among the glitzy girls and their upscale lifestyle and in the arms of her adored Dan. When she and Dan kiss, he suddenly, horribly dies of anaphylactic shock. Nicknamed "the Kiss of Death Girl," Scarlett is sent to live with her grandmother at Wakefield Hall. Finding an anonymous note in her desk, she discovers that she may not be to blame for Dan's death and finds herself embroiled in mystery. Reminiscent of a young Stephanie Plum, Scarlett's sharp sense of self-deprecating humor shines. While a breezy blend of mystery and mean-girl fun, Henderson's offering doesn't provide its reader enough of a resolution to be fulfilling; they may be disappointed to work their way through to find that too many threads have been left dangling in order to carry over to a sequel. 2008, Delacorte, 256p, $15.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 13 up. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, March 2008 (Vol. 61, No. 7))
Scarlett Wakefield doesn’t give a second thought to her faithful B-list friends when she is invited to join the inner circle, the glittering children of the rich and famous, in her posh British prep school. She’s even further over the moon when the boy of her fantasies kisses her at her first A-list party, but when he drops dead moments later, so does her social life. She is exiled to an even posher school in the country, this one all-female (except for the obligatory cute teenaged gardener) and run by her formidable grandmother. Fearful that she is somehow a deadly toxin who will never be able to kiss again, she sinks into a depression until she receives a strange note that intimates that the apparent death-by-kissing wasn’t what it seemed. Teaming up with a menacingly fit girl, she’s determined to figure out where the note came from, clear her name once and for all, and summon up the courage to kiss the gardener. Bearing the classic earmarks of murder-mystery genre fiction, the book offers a suspenseful plot and the clues well laid for the alert reader. However, the casual attitude toward murder necessary for that genre to work sits uneasily with Scarlett’s teen angst over first love and second kisses; since the book lacks the breezy insouciance of Clement-Moore’s Prom Dates from Hell (BCCB 7/07), the result is a jarring mismatch of emotion and genre that makes Scarlett seem callous at best, and certainly less than credible. What will be worse for some mystery fans, however, is that justice is never really served; while Scarlett has figured out means and opportunity, there is no drawing-room confrontation that establishes motive and ensures that the guilty party is punished. Still, fans of murder lite may enjoy the novelty of teen protagonists in their genre of choice Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2008, Delacorte, 260p., $18.99 and $15.99. Grades 7-10.

Ellen Simmons (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 21, No. 1))
What teenage girl doesn’t want to be popular, beautiful, and rich? Scarlett is none of these things, but that doesn’t stop her from daydreaming about kissing Dan, her dream crush from the neighboring school. When she is inexplicably invited to a party for the popular crowd, she can’t help but go in case she gets the chance to talk to him. Her wish to kiss him comes true but ends in tragedy when he literally dies in her arms. No cause can be found, but under a cloud of suspicion, Scarlett is forced to change schools. Even she wonders if somehow she was responsible. Then she finds an anonymous note that gives her hope that she might be able to solve the mystery of Dan’s death. Scarlett’s self-deprecating humor makes this book a fun read but doesn’t make light of the desire to fit in that is so familiar to every teenager. The author builds the mystery and provides enough suspense to keep the reader thoroughly engaged. However, the end of the book leaves the reader hanging. Yes, we discover Dan was murdered, and we have a strong suspect, but how to prove it? There is no final conclusion. Since the book is so fun and engaging, it is disappointing to have it end so soon. Cliffhangers work with TV series because there is certain to be a future episode, but even most books in a character series wrap up one storyline before beginning the next. With a more satisfying ending, this would be a great book. Fiction. Grades 9-12. 2008, Delacorte, 260p., $15.99. Ages 14 to 18.