REVIEW: "Vain" by Fisher Amelie (New Adult/Young Adult, Romance)

VAIN by Fisher Amelie
	Publisher: Fisher Amelie Genre: New Adult, Romance Publication Date: December 23rd 2012 Series: The Seven Deadly, #1 Standalone: Yes
Categories:
Love Abroad, Borrowed Time, Finding Yourself, Heavy Subjects, Kids
Other Books in the Seven Deadly series
#2 #3 #4
Description from Publisher:
If you’re looking for a story about a good, humble girl, who’s been hurt by someone she thought she could trust, only to find out she’s not as vulnerable as she thought she was and discovers an empowering side of herself that falls in love with the guy who helps her find that self, blah, blah, blah...then you’re gonna’ hate my story. Because mine is not the story you read every time you bend back the cover of the latest trend novel. It’s not the “I can do anything, now that I’ve found you/I’m misunderstood but one day you’ll find me irresistible because of it” tale. Why? Because, if I was being honest with you, I’m a complete witch. There’s nothing redeeming about me. I’m a friend using, drug abusing, sex addict from Los Angeles. I’m every girlfriend’s worst nightmare and every boy’s fantasy. I’m Sophie Price...And this is the story about how I went from the world’s most envied girl to the girl no one wanted around and why I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
My Rating:	Heat Rating:
The first part of this was great. Sophie was the ultimate selfish queen bee, using sex to get what she wanted. It was a bit unbelievable that every guy would just drop everything for her, but I could suspend disbelief for that. Then, she landed in Uganda. Within about 24 hours, she was no longer herself. The only hot, young guy at the orphanage hated her, but only for that day. Eventually, he says he never hated her and that her hotness did him in... Things happened rapidly, but that actually made it really hard to truly care for these characters. The bonding was limited to flowery words and bleeding heart monologues about the people of Uganda. The children felt more fleshed out than almost anyone, but they were almost always mentioned as a group. I also have to say it because it really bothered me: VACCINES ARE NOT CURES! They experience measles at the orphanage, but aren't concerned with keeping the kids well-nourished, well-hydrated, and comfortable. They just stress about shooting all the SICK kids up with a vaccine (which is a big no-no! Their immune systems are already taxes enough!). One of the kids is cured about 12 hours after receiving the MMR. That isn't how they work at all. It is also odd that the orphanage wouldn't already have vaccinated all the kids since vaccines are easier to get in Africa than clean drinking water. I digress. The last half of this has some excitement, but is mostly strangely worded dialogue (it doesn't feel natural at all and the word choices off), and unexpected drama. For instance, rather than the "I love you" moment being romantic or sweet, it is dramatic and forced, with Sophie turning cold, angry, and being distraught "He didn't say it!!" There is actually a surprising lack of sex in this, and some odd religious undertones. Dingane/Ian (his name changes halfway through, with a weird explanation) just keeps putting his hands on her neck and slamming his mouth onto hers. It seems the sex doesn't happen until a fade-to-black epilogue after they have gotten married (and neither of these people are virgins). Sophie even freaks out over wearing a bikini, alone, because it "isn't decent" and she shouldn't be showing her stomach. Seriously? How and WHY did she change from someone who wore sexy lingerie to a nun?! I expected a lot more depth about Uganda, Sophie's transition, the orphans, the LRA... and it wasn't there. :(
My Source: I checked this book out from the library. This in no way influenced my review. My opinion is unbiased and 100% my own.

About the Author: Fisher Amelie
Fisher Amelie resides in the South with her kick ace husband slash soul mate. She earned her first 'mama' patch in 2009. She also lives with her Weim, 'Jonah', and her Beta, 'Whale'. All these living creatures keep the belly of her life full, sometimes to the point of gluttony, but she doesn't mind all that much because life isn't worth living if it isn't entertaining, right? Fisher grew up writing. She secretly hid notebooks and notebooks of dribble in a large Tupperware storage container in her closet as a kid. She didn't put two and two together until after college where it suddenly dawned on her, "Hey, I like writing". She's a bit dense. "No, I'm not." "Yes, you are. Put down that Oreo, your butt can't take any more." "You're rude." "Yeah, yeah." Anyway, she likes to write and has finally beaten her self-esteem into submission enough to allow herself to be scrutinized under the 'other readers' microscope. "No! No! Not a cover slip! Last time it gave me a ra...." (mumbling)