Vain (The Seven Deadly, #1) in Buddy Read Zone

Dec 27, 2012 Christy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! I didn’t have any expectations for this book, I have never read anything by this author... but it blew me away! It was just an amazing story! It had me hooked from the every beginning. You fell in love with the characters, and the writing was just beautiful!

Vanity’s a debilitating affliction. You’re so absorbed in yourself it’s impossible to love anyone other than oneself, leaving you weak without realization of it. It’s quite sad. You’ve no idea with you’re missing either. You will neve Wow! I didn’t have any expectations for this book, I have never read anything by this author... but it blew me away! It was just an amazing story! It had me hooked from the every beginning. You fell in love with the characters, and the writing was just beautiful!

Vanity’s a debilitating affliction. You’re so absorbed in yourself it’s impossible to love anyone other than oneself, leaving you weak without realization of it. It’s quite sad. You’ve no idea with you’re missing either. You will never know real love an your life will pass you by.

Sophie Price fits the title of this book perfectly. She is vain. She is a rich and spoiled girl, and is the queen of the other rich, spoiled and entitled.
No, I ruled because I was the hottest. You see, I’m one of the beautiful people.
She has no true friends, except maybe one (Spencer) and she is so unhappy in her life, she spends her weekends doing drugs, sleeping around with her friends boyfriends and spending her daddy’s money. As long as she keeps up appearances, her parents could care less about what she does or how she acts.
If I faced what I’d truly created for myself, a life of debauchery and seedy fulfillment, I knew I couldn't have lived another day and self preservation was very much still alive in me. I loved myself too much to say goodbye. So, I would go on living just as I had been because it was the only life I knew.

When she gets busted for drugs, the second time, and ruins a business contact for her father, she gets a wake-up call. When she goes to court with her father’s attorney Pemmy, the only adult in her life that actually cares about her, she finds out that instead of jail/rehab/community service, she will be going to Uganda to work at an orphanage for 6 months. Pemmy knows Sophie is better than who she has been and thinks this will be good for her. Loved Pemmy!
“You need to change and soon, or you will be beyond salvaging.” “Nothing can prevent me from becoming what I already am.” I proclaimed, honest with myself for the very first time. “True, but people can change my dear, and I know you’re capable of being better than this girl you’ve created for yourself.”

She spends her last few days at home with her friend Spencer, then heads to Uganda for 6 months that will completely change her life. She meets Ian (dear god, I loved him loved loved loved!) and Charles and Karina, who ran the orphanage. They were such wonderful and selfless people, who embraced Sophie right away. She grew to love the two of them and finally had adults to aspire to be like.
I decided right then and there that I would be gobbling them up as long as I had the opportunity. I would learn from them. I would study them. I would endeavor to be like them.

At first, Sophie was a little taken aback by the children at the orphanage. Most of them had parents who were killed by Kony/LRA and a lot of them were sick or deformed in someway, but she quickly jumped in and started to really teach them and help them, and love them. She worked closley with Ian who she felt iinstantly attracted to. Ian didn’t take Sophie’s crap. I loved that about him! He had a past not so different from Sophie’s in some ways, and he wasn’t afraid to call her out on hers.
“Bullshit. You don’t really believe that. You want to stick with what’s easy for you. You foresee the amount of work it would take to transform yourself and you’re too frightened to embrace the challenge. Now, that, Sophie Price, is a real weakness.”

As time goes by at the orphanage, Sophie really discovers herself. She learns what it means to have true friends, people who love her and count on her, not for how she looks or how much money she has, but who she is as a person. This story is one of self discovery for Sophie.
I knew then that I never needed to be kept by a man. What I needed was to love myself, to want to keep myself around. And in that revelation, I knew that if I wanted to keep myself, that a man wanting to keep me would just be a by-product. Who wouldn’t want to keep someone who respected himself or herself?

I’d come to Uganda to fulfill a mandatory sentence but was being fulfilled in a completely unexpected manner and happily, with my full consent. I’d come to help teach these children but instead they were teaching me.

As Sophie and Ian’s relationship grows, things start to change even more for Sophie. Ian was so great, really loved him. He melted my heart! He fell hard for Sophie.
“You’ve arrested my senses and I can’t seem to get enough of you. That’s what scares me. I’m so deep there’s no getting out for me. You own me, you know?”
Sophie ends up meeting Ian’s family, and they love her... except for his mother. Ugh. When they get back from visiting his family, something terrible happens at the orphanage... breaks my heart. Sophie ends up having to go home for court. And you will have to read the book to find out how it ends, don't want to spoil to much!

I’m sure this is a lengthy review, but this story really touched me. Not only did it have a beautiful message of self discovery, you really got to see the conditions others live in and reading the story of these African children will make you not take things for granted. Sure it had some love and romance, but it was so much bigger than just that. This is a book I would recommend to everyone! ...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Mo rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was different - very different - no sex, shock, horror for what I have been reading lately. OK, we might have to suspend our disbelief here a little at a young US citizen being sent to UGANDA to help in an orphanage but it was a fairly poignant story. Can relate to it a little myself as the Irish government had over 4 million returned the them only recently for misappropriations of funds by the Ugandan government from Charities - some foreign governments must be totally trying to mislead fo ...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Keeley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 5-amazing-stars, 4-star, buddy-reads

4.5 stars – what a journey

This book stole my breath, and I have been completely sucked in for the last 48 hours, it’s beautifully written and deserves 5 huge stars, but I am devastated that the book ended so quickly. I think that the last 10% should have been in the start of a sequel. I feel sad that the ending was so rushed. So I have deducted half a star for that very reason!

For the first 15% I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this book, a spoilt rich girl covered in Gucci and Prada, self de ...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Sanny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Warning: mild spoilers without tags

"The shortest distance between two points is the line between you and me."

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and the first few chapters made me extremely skeptical of where this might go.

But that there was a complete change and this book took me on a haunting story filled with joy in the most unexpected places. These kids could certainly teach all of us a valueable lesson because despite losing everything they had, they still find it in them to be ha ...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Stacie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favies

I absolutely could not put this book down!

It was so unexpected which made me like it even more. It is so different from all of the typical 'good girl tames bad boy' books out there. For starters, the girl is the one that needs taming. That was surprisingly refreshing.

And Ian... Oh, Ian. That boy has a serious way with words. There were some seriously sexy scenes where they don't even touch each other!!!

The book itself had a way of making me want to be a better person. It made me count my bles ...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Helena rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, ya, book-boyfriend-faves, 2013-reads

★★★★★ TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY STARS!

vain
Adjective
1.Having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth.
2.Producing no result; useless

Read the synopsis and fall in love. This book is true to it's word, this is not your typical romance read, no... it's so much more powerful than that. Vain will open your mind, open your heart and open your eyes. It is so real, raw and absolutely beautiful, it will take you on a journey of self discovery, ignorance and acceptance a ...more

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