REVIEW: Vivian Divine is Dead by Lauren Sabel

Vivian Divine is Dead by Lauren Sabel
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Source: Edelweiss*
Rating: 2/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

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....

Lauren Sabel's Vivian Divine Is Dead is a creepy, witty, fast-paced adventure about family, fame, and having the courage to save yourself.

My thoughts, feelings, and reactions

I have two words that completely describe Vivian Divine is Dead to me and that’s disappointing and ridiculous. 



The beginning of the book showed real promise. There was suspense and mystery about Vivian and her impending death threat. It was creepy and scary because what kind of death threat isn’t? I even liked Vivian because while she was a famous movie actress, she seemed down to earth. She didn’t sound stuck up or superior in any way. She was just a teen grieving for her mother, wishing for the attention of her father and broken hearted over a cheating boyfriend. It wasn’t long before some action started, forcing Vivian to go to Mexico.


It was that trip to Mexico and most the middle of the book where it started to go downhill for me. It was absurd that Vivian’s bodyguard/stand in sort of mother figure allowed Vivian to go to Mexico by herself. The fact that someone obviously wanted Vivian dead it rang bells in my mind (and should have for Vivian) when Mary let her go off. While in Mexico, Vivian was no longer that regular teen. Vivian had some ugly American tourism going on. She complained about how dirty and disgusting everything was and it became obvious that she was sheltered her whole life. While it was understandable because of her upbringing, it just turned me off when she was ungrateful for some of the things that were given to her. Her complaining was just the beginning.

My next problem was how Vivian fell in love with Nick, the boy who helped her. Vivian was in Mexico for about 5 days give or take. The L word starting coming out day 3 or 4 which was absurd because they barely had any real interaction and most of that was him calling her a spoiled brat. It didn’t make sense. I could not believe these two were in love, let alone be friends especially after what happened. This was also the time where other characters started to pop up and where a few clues to what was going on came through. The things leading up to this point probably could have been cut because I thought it was unnecessary.

The last half of the book and the end was even more ridiculous because this was where the author dropped the bomb on some of those characters, on who and why Vivian was taken and other twists. I have to admit that there was some things I didn’t expect that surprised me, but other revelations were just so odd. The fact that Vivian was so outraged by the betrayal was beyond me because everything was practically pointing to that person. And the ending by all means, does not wrap up anything at all. We are left hanging in every way and I didn’t like that.

All in all, Vivian Divine is Dead was not the book I was hoping it would be. I just thought that the plot was unrealistic, the romance was forced, and Vivian was just too naive of a character for me to like or understand. 


*Thanks to Harper/ Katherine Tegen Books for sending a copy for review purposes