Hey friends, new and old! Welcome back to The Picky Bookworm! I write book reviews, blog posts, and most other things that strike my fancy. One of my favorite things to do is showcase indie and self-published authors through various avenues. It is my dream to have a community where authors of all levels of experience can feel supported and encouraged.
I found Unrivaled at the Dollar Tree. I love finding books there, because I don’t really feel like I’m losing anything if the book is bad. Luckily, Unrivaled wasn’t bad. Keep reading for my review!
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Synopsis
Hollywood scandal and stories in the tabloids is something that Americans seem to be addicted to. This newest book is no different. Unrivaled by Alyson Noel is a story about scandal, Hollywood, and the secrets we all wish no one knew.
The fun part of this book is you don’t have to decide who to hate or who to love. Each character has his and her own foibles and reasons to be a horrible person. These are people who, for their own reasons, are trying to be rich and famous, or trying to get into journalism school, or trying to get back at the father who abandoned them.
Unrivaled by Alyson Noel is told through 4 points of view: Layla, Aster, Tommy and Madison. Each has his or her reasons for joining a competition in one of the city’s hottest clubs. But when Madison goes missing, secrets long buried rise to the surface, leaving everyone in danger.
EXCERPT of Unrivaled by Alyson Noel
Layla felt bad lying to Mateo, but really, what choice did she have? He’d made it clear that day at the beach exactly what he thought of the LA club scene. Admitting she’d decided to show up for the interview would only upset him. Besides, it wasn’t like anything would ever come of it. Surely Ira would see she didn’t fit in that world.
She steered her Kawasaki Ninja 250R toward Jewel, the club designated for the interview, about to claim a space that had just opened, when, seemingly out of nowhere, a white C-Class Mercedes swerved into her lane, forcing Layla to squeeze hard on the brakes. Her back wheel fishtailed wildly as she fought to keep control of the bike. Finally screeching to a stop and miraculously managing to stay upright, she watched in a mixture of frustration and outrage when the driver stole the spot right out from under her.
“Hey!” Layla yelled, her heart racing frantically thanks to the near-death experience. “What the hell?” She watched as a dark-haired girl in a tight black dress rolled out of the car with such arrogance and ease Layla was completely incensed. “That was my space!” she shouted in outrage. In a place where street parking was scarce, space snatching was a serious breach of common decency.
The girl anchored her sunglasses onto her forehead and glared dismissively. “How can it be your space if I’m in it?”
Layla stared in astonishment. So enraged she practically spit when she said, “Are you for real? You almost killed me!”
The girl shot Layla a derisive look, shook her long hair over her shoulder, and headed for the club. By the time Layla found another, less desirable space, the girl was long gone. She’d probably jumped the line and was already inside, while Layla slogged along with the rest of them, slowly wending their way toward the door.
She removed her helmet, ran a hand through her wheat-colored hair, and checked her reflection in the smudgy glass window, hoping her gray V-neck tee, shrunken black blazer, and tight leather leggings looked more rocker chick than Hell’s Angel. Then she traded her heavy boots for a pair of designer knockoff stilettos she’d bought for the occasion and could still barely walk in.
Despite making a living reporting on the celebrity scene, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been inside a club. Most of her stories revolved more around the closing-time antics, when the celebrities spilled out the doors, swaying precariously on their Jimmy Choos as they made their way to their rides. Those drunken, unguarded moments provided loads of material. She’d learned that firsthand after nearly getting clipped one night by some B-list jerk driving a Porche. When Layla used her cell to record the offense, the celeb went after her, and she sold the resulting coverage to TMZ in an act of revenge that inadvertently kick-started her freelance career.
My Thoughts
When I started reading this book, I honestly wasn’t sure about it. I try to stay away from Hollywood scandal, and I could care less what the tabloids say about celebrities. The main character has a blog that is all about that noise. But I decided to give it a shot anyway. Like it or not, I figured I would have something to say when I finished.
Which I totally do. The story is told well, the characters are well developed, and the book isn’t full of bad language that seems like filler in a book with no imagination.
The author, Alyson, has done her research. Maybe not into celebrity scandal, but into the human condition. How far is someone willing to go to get what she wants? How far will a young man go to get back at his father? How far will a man go to make his night clubs the most popular in town? These are the real questions of the book, and Ms. Noel answers with alacrity.
Characters
Layla
I never really connected with Layla, even though I love her drive. She wanted so badly to take her blog next level, so it would be her only job. She worked in journalism, but it wasn’t her dream. When she found out about the competition, she figured it would be a good way to get on the ins with one of the city’s hottest club owners, and she could finally get out of the rut she feels like she’s in.
Tommy
Tommy was probably my favorite character of the four. His reasons for joining the competition was the money, plain and simple. He wanted a specific guitar and didn’t have the money to get it otherwise. The guitar, I believe, had been owned by his father at some point, and was the only connection Tommy had to him.
Aster
Aster was tired. She wanted to break into acting, and become a famous actress, but was constantly told she was “ethnic, but the wrong kind,” or “not ethnic enough.” I didn’t really relate to her much, simply because that’s something I’ve never dealt with as a white woman. I imagine many women who are trying to break into acting get told this on a regular basis.
I even listened to an interview with James McAvoy when he said he had been asked to tone down his accent because it was “Too Scottish.” Honestly? That infuriates me. Why can’t we just accept people for who they are, instead of trying to make them fit our mold?
Ok, so maybe I cared for Aster more than I thought. I’m definitely frustrated on her behalf.
Madison
Madison was the only character who didn’t seem to have an inside motive into why she joined the competition at Jewel. She seemed so confident in herself and who she wanted to be. She was the character I didn’t expect anything bad to happen to. Considering she was the one who went missing, I probably should have adjusted my expectations a bit.
Recommendation
I enjoyed this book. I didn’t love it, because honestly the subject matter was a little out of my league. But the psychology major in me loved the character development. She loved the look behind the scenes into the human condition. And that girl will probably go grab another one of Alyson’s books for that feeling alone.
If you love character driven stories, I do recommend that you run to Amazon and pick up Unrivaled. I’m glad I read it, even though I will be unlikely to read it again.
Conclusion
I hope you get a chance to read Unrivaled by Alyson Noel. It may not have been a favorite read of mine, but it was enjoyable, and I’m learning to love character-driven stories. I love anything that looks into peoples’ motives for things, and Unrivaled did that for me. I don’t think I’ll read it again soon, but I may give it another shot at some point. If you’re interested in purchasing, you can find it at the link below.
Unrivaled by Alyson Noel on Amazon
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Until Next Time, Friends!
