Joint Review: Vivian Divine is Dead by Lauren Sabel

Author: Lauren Sabel
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Date of publication June 2014

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....

I have to admit, I wasn't liking this book in the beginning.  I complained to Autumn that no one could be THAT naive or clueless about the world.  I mean, who doesn't know what The Day of the Dead is?  But, she quickly reminded me that I was reading the book from an adult's perspective, not a teen's.  I guess most teens, especially one that is as sheltered as Vivian was really wouldn't know much.  Once I got over that, I ended up enjoying the story.  

I thought it was cute.  Vivian grew on me and eventually found her way.  I liked Nick and his protectiveness.  The insta-love wasn't too eye rolling and ended up being enjoyable.  I liked the twist in the end.  I felt like there was something left open in the end for a sequel, so maybe we will see more of Vivian in the future.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book when I started, but I thought it was a super cute YA book.  I thought it was a lot of fun for a mystery type read.  The whole time I was reading it I was trying to picture what type of actress would Vivian be most like and I kept coming up with Selena Gomez.  

I'm sure a lot of teenaged YA readers would really enjoy this book.  I'm sure it would be very relatable to younger readers.  Vivian was very lively character and I can see kids being very drawn to this style of book.  I'd be happy to see this end up as a series!