Unrivaled by Alyson Noel Published by HarperCollins on May 10th 2016
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Romance, General, Performing Arts, Film, Young Adult, Love & Romance
Pages: 432
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël comes the first book in the Beautiful Idols series. With mystery, suspense, and an insiders-only look at Los Angeles that echoes Gossip Girl’s racy and real New York, fans of Pretty Little Liars and readers who crave pulse-pounding romance will love Unrivaled.
Everyone wants to be someone. Layla Harrison wants to be a reporter. Aster Amirpour wants to be an actress. Tommy Phillips wants to be a guitar hero.
But Madison Brooks took destiny and made it her own a long time ago.
She’s Hollywood’s hottest starlet, and the things she did to become the name on everyone’s lips are merely a stain on the pavement, ground beneath her Louboutin heel.
That is, until Layla, Aster, and Tommy find themselves with a VIP invite to the world of Los Angeles’s nightlife and lured into a competition where Madison Brooks is the target. Just as their hopes begin to gleam like stars through the California smog, Madison Brooks goes missing. . . . And all of their hopes are blacked out in the haze of their lies.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Why Did I Read?
This was pitched to me as “Gossip Girls with a mystery”. I was in! I really loved Gossip Girls back in the day!
My Thoughts:
I was totally sucked into this book right off the bat. It opens with Madison Brooks, the hottest celeb in town, getting taken. We then flash back in time to meet three characters who get hired to be club promoters — they each have their reasons for doing so. Money, career aspirations, familial connections… regardless of individual motivations, they each know they have to win this contest to be THE best promoter.
I wasn’t really invested with any of the characters, they were all pretty much… cliche stereotypes of 1) the struggling journalist, 2) the struggling actress and 3) the struggling musician. They were very cookie cutter. However, what kept me hooked wasn’t the characters. Just as with Gossip Girls, you don’t have to like the characters to be utterly fascinated with the events of their lives. It is completely like Gossip Girls in that respect. Meanwhile I kept theorizing what could’ve happened to Madison Brooks and how and why. They mystery aspect kept me flipping the pages because I was just dying to know.
As things escalate and craziness ensues, things really spiral out of control — and before I know it, the book has ended. WITHOUT A FULL RESOLUTION. I nearly threw the book across the room. See, when there’s a mystery involved, I do not want to be left hanging. Because okayyy, sure, read the sequel to find out! But also, that’s just irritating to read a whole book trying to figure it out only to realize, you don’t actually get to know yet. I was really frustrated. However…am I going to be reading the sequel? Just as with each subsequent season of Gossip Girls, yes. I need to know!
In Short…
If you are a fan of Gossip Girls or celeb news or general can’t-look-away events, this book is for you! I was completely riveted and couldn’t put the book down despite not really caring for any of the characters. However, I was disappointed to find that I was not getting any answers to my many questions at the end of this book! You will definitely see me waiting impatiently for the sequel’s release!
1/2
Darn! I picked this one up at BEA, but it sounds like I really should wait for the sequel to read it. I get frustrated with books like this when you have to wait so long for any sort of conclusions.