Review: Vivian Divine is Dead

Vivian Divine is Dead by Lauren Sabel
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publishing date: June 3, 2014

Lauren Sabel's VIVIAN DIVINE IS DEAD tells the unlikely story of, you guessed it, Vivian Divine. Vivian is your average teenage girl, if by average you mean the daughter of one of the most iconic couples in Hollywood, who just so happens to be an actress with a net-worth somewhere north of 10 million. After her mother's murder and father's failed suicide, Vivian doesn't think her life could get any worse. She was wrong. As with any actress, Vivian has her fans, even some crazy ones. What she was not expecting was a video of her death, dated later that same week! Vivian must find a way to avoid her impending doom, so at the suggestion of her body guard, Vivian sheds her Hollywood look and life and flees to the only place the murderer won't look for her. South of the border. On Vivian's journey she meets an unexpected companion. Nick is everything her cheating ex-boyfriend was not: nice, genuine, smart, funny, and basically just a decent human being. As their journey through rural Mexico progresses, Vivian learns who exactly is trying to kill her, what really happened to her mother, and who she really is. Vivian must learn to face reality and that her life is not like her childhood in front of the cameras.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Hollywood thrillers but would rather read about a teen semi-runaway than watch Liam Neeson race across roof tops in Istanbul. Although not explicitly scary, it is also not quite as tame as Mean Girls, since there's like, you know, murder and stuff...

Although not a difficult read, it is not what you would expect from your average YA girl meets boy storyline and has some interesting turns along the way.