Save the Cat Writes a YA Novel: A Review

Is it worth it if you have the original? What if you don’t?

Author’s Note: this review was not solicited or sponsored in any way by the author or publisher. I bought my own copy and wanted to share my thoughts in case you are considering buying one, too.

Since studying plot is basically my job, and the vast majority of the books I’ve written are young adult, when Jessica Brody announced her newest book, it was a no-brainer for me; I needed it. But what about you? Is this book right for you? We’re going to look at my first impressions below, along with who I think this book is for. Let’s start with data.

Comparing the Two Versions

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

Buy link — https://www.amazon.com/Save-Cat-Writes-Novel-Writing-ebook/dp/B078VWDNKT/

Publication Date — 2018

Total Pages — 304

Table of Contents

1. Why Do We Care?
2. The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet
3. Not Your Mother’s Genres
4. Whydunit
5. Rites of Passage
6. Institutionalized
7. Superhero
8. Dude with a Problem
9. Fool Triumphant
10. Buddy Love
11. Out of the Bottle
12. Golden Fleece
13. Monster in the House
14. Pitch it to Me!
15. Save the Author!

Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel

Buy link — https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KWYSXVN

Publication Date — 2023

Total Pages — 415

Table of Contents

Opening Image

1. Creating Your Story-Worthy Hero
2. Building Your Save the Cat! Beat Sheet
3. Customizing Your Beat Sheet
4. Identifying Your Genre
5. Rites of Passage
6. Buddy Love
7. Institutionalized
8. Superhero
9. Golden Fleece
10. Fool Triumphant
11. Dude with a Problem
12. Out of the Bottle
13. Whydunit
14. Monster in the House
15. Selling Your Novel
16. Going Beyond the First Book
17. Final Image

First Impressions of Differences

The first thing worth noting is that the YA version is more than 100 pages longer than the first version.

The original version has one chapter that the YA version does not: a Save the Author FAQ that discusses issues that might come up when you’re trying to work out using the beat sheet for yourself. Other chapters just have different names: the first chapter of each book is about how to create a good character, even though they have different names.

The YA version, on the other hand, has two new chapters: customizing the beat sheet, and going beyond the first book. These are both dealt with a little bit in the FAQ in the first one, but now it has a lot more pages dedicated to it.

Within a Chapter: Comparing Apples to Apples

I want to look specifically at the Institutionalized chapters here for two reasons: the first is because I think that’s the genre my own book needs to be, and the second is that I never even thought I might be writing an Institutionalized story, even though I’ve had my original Save the Cat book since it came out — before I ever plotted this book. Was it an issue with the original that kept me from considering it?

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

Pages in the Institutionalized chapter before the beat sheet — 6

Book spoilers for — The Handmaid’s Tale; The Great Gatsby; The Outsiders; The Color Purple; The Giver; The Help

Beat Sheet provided in detail for — The Help by Kathryn Stockett (16 pages, including half a page on why it fits this mold, followed by a 4-page “cat’s eye view” of the beats)

Subsections — none; it’s not broken out. But we get the group/choice/sacrifice required elements broken down, as well as the naif/brando/company man institutionalized-specific language in bold throughout.

Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel

Pages in the Institutionalized chapter before the beat sheet — 8

Book spoilers for — An Ember in the Ashes; The Giver; Long Way Down; Scythe

Beat Sheet provided in detail for — The Giver by Lois Lowry (10 pages, including half a page on why it fits this mold, followed by a 3-page “cat’s eye view” of the beats)

Subsections — three; one each for the group, the choice, and the sacrifice.

First Impressions of Differences

The content is, for the most part, identical, even when it’s presented in different ways. However, I find the newer version much easier to follow, and it has key changes that helped me realize the institution in my own book. While the original does briefly mention the idea of a family as an institution, it never clicked to me how that was what I was building.

Additionally, the Young Adult version notes exceptions and clarifications that apply specifically to YA stories in this genre, like how they are unlikely to be bleak. Teens prefer stories of triumph, and so these are more likely to be stories that either result in the protagonist successfully breaking free themselves, or destroying/changing the whole institution for the better, rather than the option of getting entrenched in the system (cough, 1984, cough).

Is This Book for You?

There is an easy yes here: If you write YA novels, and you don’t own a Save the Cat book at all, you need this book. It breaks down the various types of stories so well, with all YA examples, and the updated content is fantastic. This is also an easy yes if you write series, whether or not you own the original, since the 2023 edition has a whole chapter dedicated to how to plan a series beat sheet.

There is also an easy no: if you hate beat sheets, will never plot your books either ahead of time or in revisions, or you don’t write? You don’t need it.

Unsurprisingly, there is also a murky middle. If you already have Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, but you mainly write YA, it could be a good investment because of the specific advice and updated examples. This is true if you write series as well. However, the original might be good enough if you don’t write a lot of YA, or you can extrapolate to your own age category without issues.

But if you’re considering it at all and wondering if it’s a good investment, then chances are it’s right for you. I certainly am glad I got it for me.