The X Factor: Confessions of a Naive Fashion Model by Ivan Sivec

MY RATING: ★★ 1/2☆☆☆

Goodreads: It takes three mistakes to be swallowed up and spat out by the fashion industry. You trust the wrong people. You think you know everything there is to know about life. You take drugs.

The premise sounds nice and it even says that it was inspired by a true story, but it sadly didn’t work for me..

WHY I GAVE IT A 2,5 STARS?

• Maja, the main character, is what people called a Cosmo Girl. She had the face, the figure to become a model and eventually she dreamed of becoming a famous actress. Her character development was not amazingly done. I wanted to see more insight on her mental state, how she dealt with the changing environment around her.

• Some dialogues were very cliché and stereotypical. It looks like some of them were forced on the reader and that was not necessary. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters because of the way they were interacting and I was not feeling the chemistry or even the hate/irony when they were supposed to sound hypocrite.

“Maja sent Klemen a text message :

BUSSINESS IS GOING WELL. I WON’T COME BACK, I HAD A NEW PORTFOLIO MADE TODAY.UNFORTUNATELY, I HAD TO HAVE MY HAIR CUT.

Klemen was hurt by the last news.

HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME!!! YOU KNOW HOW MOUCH I LIKE YOU WITH LONG HAIR!!!”

Yeah it was written exactly like that, all caps and everything.

• There were side notes, remarks and definitions included in the novel. The sidenotes were to direct the readers to the main points of the story : her consumption of drugs. Okay, I think I get it without the need to rub it in my face every two lines. The definitions were also not pertinent in my opinion. I think different point of views and structures do not help the story in this context.

                “Top? The best in the given moment.”

• If I gave it a 2,5 stars that must mean that there are a few good sides in this book, right? Of course, it was fun and entertaining enough for me to finish it in a few hours and, I believe, if I can finish it, then it was a decent book. (See my rating system here). Overall, the novel is not of my taste since I’ve read a lot of books about models and the life behind fashion industry. I guess I was looking for a more mature perspective.

You can purchase this novel @ Amazon ! 😀

Thank you to the author for giving me this free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

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