Caragh Reviews // Unrivalled by Alyson Noel

Published - 10th May 2016
Publisher - Mira Ink
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - Everyone wants to be someone. Layla Harrison wants to leave her beach-bum days for digs behind a reporter’s desk. Aster Amirpour wants to scream at the next casting director who tells her “we need ethnic but not your kind of ethnic.” Tommy Phillips dreams of buying a twelve-string guitar and using it to shred his way back into his famous absentee dad’s life. But Madison Brooks took destiny and made it her bitch 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 glamorous and gritty world of Los Angeles’s nightlife and lured into a high-stakes 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.

The lovely Cara from Harlequin/Mira Ink offered me this and I snapped it up. I honestly didn't really know what to expect going in to it. I'd only read the Immortal Series by Alyson Noel before and that was a long, long time ago now. I'd heard great things though and it really is quite a gorgeous cover!

I attempted the Buddy Readathon Challenge at the beginning of the month (and epically failed, if you're wondering!) and this was the first book I chose to read. I'm not even exaggerating now - the whole thing took about 3 hours and I devoured it from cover to cover. It is such an easy and relaxing read that you can't help yourself and keep pushing on.

There were of course, things I was a little disappointed with. It had been pitched as being similar to 'Pretty Little Liars' and a mystery type book but I really didn't get either of those things from it. Of course, things happen and i'm left reeling and wondering WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN?! But really the mystery aspect was so small. To me, it was competitive and the challenges within the book were it's biggest asset.

The characters were well written and easily likeable, even the ones you're probably not supposed to like that much which i'm coming to believe is just Alyson Noel's golden touch - fantastic characters with real depth and emotion. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with this series. I have a feeling that things are going to get darker, and a lot more complicated.