Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Review: Vivian Divine is Dead

VIVIAN DIVINE IS DEAD
Lauren Sabel
Young Adult/Mystery
288 pages
Katherine Tegen Books
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When a death threat arrives with teen celebrity Vivian Divine's fan mail, Vivian has no choice but to go on the run to Mexico. She soon discovers, though, that her Oscar-nominated performance killing villains on-screen did nothing to prepare her for escaping a madman in real life. Some people say he's a hero, others tremble in his presence, but one thing is clear: he won't stop until Vivian is in his grasp. Why didn't she pay more attention during those judo lessons for her role in Zombie Killer?

Vivian finds an ally in the mysterious and charming Nick. He is everything Hollywood boys are not-genuine, kind, and determined to see Vivian for who she really is. But even he seems like he can't be trusted-what could he be hiding?

Beat up, hungry, and more confused than ever about who she's running from, Vivian is living in a real-life blockbuster horror flick. But there's no option to yell "cut" like there is on set....


MY THOUGHTS
The synopsis of Vivian Divine is Dead gives the impression that the story spilled across the pages will be a sort of entertaining romp (despite the seriousness of Vivian’s recent family tragedies) full of romance, action, and a little mystery thrown in for good measure. What we find when we crack the spine though is a tale that desperately wants to live up to that impression but unfortunately never quite manages to do so. Vivian’s adventure south of the border as she goes into hiding exists in a strange type of literary limbo – not pushed far enough to venture into the territory of satire, allowing us to smirk our way through the story as we completely suspend disbelief, but just serious enough that we can’t even bring ourselves to laugh at the more ridiculous moments.

Vivian is a young starlet who at first glance doesn’t seem to be someone who buys into her own press, but once she gets to Mexico she lets her famous flag fly a bit and has us rolling our eyes as she sticks up her nose at certain people and things. To be fair, her attitude doesn’t last too long, but she remains a character lacking in substance, with no pieces of herself made available to us as readers so we can feel fully involved in her story. She falls for Nick appallingly quickly despite just having her heart broken by someone else, and she then proceeds to question him at every turn before forgiving him only to repeat the process all over again.

The romance doesn’t play a large role however, so the up and down of their relationship is fairly easy to tuck away in the back of our minds as we attempt to give the remainder of the story a chance to impress. Much to our disappointment though, the intentional craziness of her journey to Mexico and the over the top twists and turns remain as far from our emotional grasp as Vivian herself does, entertaining us on a more superficial level without giving us that bit of something extra to leave us with a much-craved pleasant satisfaction after reading.

Overall, Vivian Divine is Dead, while certainly well-written, is a story full to bursting with unfulfilled promise, and though we’re left with the feeling that Vivian’s story isn’t over just yet, it’s difficult to work up a great deal of enthusiasm to revisit her character in the future. Having said that however, Ms. Sabel has an easy, fluid writing style that makes Vivian Divine easily devourable in a single sitting, and though my experience with this particular story was a rocky one, I look forward to seeing what she brings to life moving forward.

Rating: 2/5



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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

31 comments:

  1. Oh I'm sorry it was different from what you thought. It's difficult to be enthousiastic you're right for the sequel if so...

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    1. It was a bit of a disappointment, but I would give this author another try for sure!

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  2. Too bad it did not work the way you wanted, so I am not that keen

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  3. Most of the reviews for this one had very much the same problems you did, lack of depth! I'm gonna be giving this one a pass for sure.
    Thanks for the great review as always Jenny!

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    1. You're welcome Pili! I had hoped for more with this one for sure.

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  4. Sad that it didn't work out, Jenny! A book that doesn't deliver on its promise of adventure is a bummer. =/

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  5. Thanks for the honest review, Jenny! Initially I was intrigued by the book's premise, but it sounds like I should pass up on this one.

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    1. I was too! I was in the mood for something light and fun and kind of silly, but unfortunately this one was more frustrating than any of those things.

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  6. This does not sound like a book that I would enjoy unfortunately. The main character doesn't appeal to me one bit and the romance sounds pretty lousy. It's a shame because this does sound like a book that could have been epic in many ways. It's sad when that happens.
    Thanks for the honest review, Jenny!

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    1. This book was kind of all over the place Nick, I was never quite sure what was happening as things changed so quickly.

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  7. I remember reading this and feeling the same Jenny, not at all what I was expecting and I remember feeling disappointed in it.
    It was kind of all over the place and a crazy mess.

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  8. Such a brilliant review, Jenny!
    I've hear a lot of people telling pretty much same things about this book (some of them didn't put it as nicely as you did).

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    1. Thanks Glass! I try to be as fair as possible in my reviews - there were some things to like about this one, but overall the negatives just outweighed the positives for me.

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  9. I've heard a lot of mixed things about this book, much of it straight up negative. But I've found myself a little curious. I think I'll just skip it and wait for one of her future books though, I might have a problem with the connection issue. Thanks for the honest review!

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    1. I'll be interested to see what she writes next Candace!

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  10. I can't think of the last time I saw you give out a two star rating. It must mean that you really struggled with this one. Since I am in the middle of a horrid reading slump, this is a pass for sure for me. I am hoping This Shattered World pays out for you, I have that coming up.

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    1. Ha! It's been a while for sure Heidi. I've gotten super picky about the books I request, so usually my ratings stay in the 3.5-4.5 range since I only pick things I think I'll really like, but this one showed up and I thought I'd give it a whirl. It was a quick read, so I blew right through it, but it just didn't work as well as I'd hoped.

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  11. Such shame this story never really found its anchor. Beautiful review Jenny.

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    1. It was Kim! I'd hoped this would be a fun, quirky contemporary.

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  12. Looks like we both struck out today, Jenny. :( I'm going to take a pass on this one.

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    1. Yes! Something in the water today, I know Nick struggled with the one she reviewed as well. Oh well. Better luck to us all next time:)

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  13. Oh no! I'm sorry to hear this one didn't work out! I hate when a story has so much unfulfilled promise. I wasn't planning on reading this one and it looks like that was the right decision. Hope your next read is better! :-)

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    1. It was really disappointing Lauren! The cover is so darn adorable, I'd hoped the story would match:(

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  14. I'm sorry this one ended up being a rocky read for you, and not quite as you expected. Still, I'm glad the writing was encouraging and hopefully the next one is to your liking, Jenny. :-)

    PS I can't help but love that cover and the font, right?? Lol.

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    1. I LOVE the cover Kim! So cute and highlights the elements of the story so well:)

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  15. It did! I was expecting a fun, if slightly silly, adventure story, but it just didn't quite work out that way.

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  16. I love this cover, so it's too bad to hear the insides don't quite match the outside. Great honest review, Jenny. Hope the next one is a win for you. :)

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  17. Once again, thanks for being so detailed in your review. I did get this one but it didn't quite reach me.

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