Book Review :: Mirror Mirror, by Cara Delevingne and Rowan Coleman

Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevingne, Rowan Coleman
ISBN: 9781409172758
Published by Hachette NZ
on 3rd October 2017
Pages: 355
Source: Hachette Publishing NZ
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Friend. Lover. Victim. Traitor.When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
Sixteen-year-old friends Red, Leo, Rose, and Naomi are misfits; still figuring out who they are and who they want to be. Life isn't perfect, but music brings them together, and they are excited about what the future holds for their band, Mirror, Mirror. That is until Naomi vanishes before being pulled unconscious out of the river.

She's left fighting for her life in a coma. The police claim it was a failed suicide attempt, but her friends aren't convinced. Will Naomi ever wake up? What - or perhaps who - led her to that hospital bed? And how did Red, the self-styled protector of the group, fail to spot the warning signs?

While Rose turns to wild partying and Leo is shrouded by black moods, Red sets out to uncover the truth. It's a journey that will cause Red's world to crack, exposing the group's darkest secrets. Nothing will ever be the same again, because once a mirror is shattered, it can't be fixed.

Last updated on 28 March 2023

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What is Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevingne and Rowan Coleman about?

Mirror Mirror by Cara Delevingne and Rowan Coleman is the story of Red, Leo, Rose, and Naomi, sixteen year old outcasts. Not quite fitting in with the others at school, but fitting in with each other. After a school music project puts them (reluctantly) in a group together, they realise what a great sound they create as a team, and so the band, Mirror Mirror is created.

Then one day Naomi goes missing. Weeks go by until she’s found half-dead in the Thames river. While she lies in a coma, Red, Leo and Rose plan to hold a concert at the school in Naomi’s honour. As they practise for the concert, the police begin to look into Naomi’s mysterious circumstances. They claim it was a failed suicide attempt, but the friends aren’t convinced.

Nothing will ever be the same again, because once a mirror is shattered, it can’t be fixed.

Red teams up with Naomi’s sister, Ash, and together they begin to piece together the events leading up to Nai’s disappearance. While they do so, Leo’s brother gets out of prison and starts causing more havoc, Rose has gone awol and Red’s family is a living nightmare. With everything going on around them, the eventual truth about Naomi is even harder to comprehend.

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My thoughts on Mirror Mirror

I was really looking forward to reading Mirror Mirror when I found out this Young Adult book was being released. I liked the premise and the ideas behind the plot – a teenage high school drama with a little mystery thrown in. But it fell a little bit short for me.

Red as a main character was okay – not great, but okay. Leo and Rose were you’re typical friends-of-the-main-character whom I didn’t really like at all. One with mega family issues and a brother who was up to no good and would eventually lead said friend down a dark path that he struggled to get out of because…well, family. And the other that almost goes off the rails socially and overacts to a misunderstanding (that, while definitely serious, didn’t need to be blown out of proportion that much).

Then there’s the nice teacher at school who is their guide and mentor and makes them keep the band together when they go through a really rough patch. The best character? Ash, Naomi’s sister. She’s pretty kick-ass and can hack into your social media accounts in a matter of seconds. Ash’s character added a half-star to my actual 2-star rating, and she’s mostly in the last third of the story.

The plot line was decent and I liked the idea of it, although I feel like there were a few too many elements going on. The first half is about Naomi’s disappearance, and the second is about the mystery and finding out the truth, which I enjoyed a lot more. Thrown into the mix is the power of social media, bullying, peer pressure, family dynamics, self-identity, friendship, and the horrors of dark-web communities.

Did Cara Delevingne write a book?

The fact that Mirror Mirror was ‘written’ by Cara Delevingne didn’t sway me into liking it more. In fact, I say ‘writing’ with speech marks because, as I discovered, I’m not sure that Delevingne actually did write it?

According to some quick research (which you are welcome to add to or to correct me on. Please do! I need details!), it’s Delevingne’s story that she wanted to tell, but she worked closely with Rowan Coleman who did the actual writing of it.

While I do get annoyed when people aren’t all that transparent when it comes to things like this, I do appreciate how Coleman’s name is on the front cover. I get that Delevingne is a big celebrity and having her name take up the entire front cover is going to grab attention and therefore sales, but a book should be picked up because it’s a good story, not because of who the author is (who may or may not have actually even written it). That’s my two cents on that, and let’s move on. Quickly.

*Possible spoiler but only in terms of overall idea, not any specific details*

You may have heard by now that there’s a big twist to the story, namely to one of the characters. Unfortunately, I accidentally saw something online (albeit barely a spoiler but it got my mind racing), and I called it from the beginning.

However, I do feel that, had I not known, then it would have come as a complete surprise. For that, I applaud you, Delevinge and Coleman. I do think though that in 2017 it’s not something that needs to be a twist. Why did this have to be such a major part of the story, when actually the main plot was meant to be following the events that led Naomi into a coma?

So as you can see, I’m a little tied. The idea was great, Ash was greater, and as a whole, it was an okay novel. But I didn’t love it; there were way too many f-this and f-that for my liking or acceptance of (you don’t need to both start and end a sentence with a swear word. Come on), and I struggled a little with the writing style. All up I’ve given it 2.5 stars. By all means, give it a go. But don’t just read it because it’s Cara Delevinge’s novel.

Have you read Mirror Mirror? What did you think?

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Thank you to Hachette Publishing NZ for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.