Book Review for The One and Only Vivian Stone by Melissa O'Connor

 

The One and Only Vivian Stone by Melissa O'Connor

Published: July 22, 2025 by Gallery Books

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Taken from Goodreads:  "Intriguing, sparkling with wit, and suspenseful in all the right places." —Abby Jimenez, New York Times bestselling author

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in this enchanting novel about estranged lovers reconnecting over mysterious tapes found in an attic and the old Hollywood secret hidden within them.

After her grandmother’s death, thirty-something Margot DuBois prepares to sell the house quickly so she can go back to her predictable life in Santa Barbara. There, no one knows she used to write and that her lack of success wrecked her confidence. But while cleaning out the attic, she comes across eight unlabeled cassette tapes. Unable to use the damaged tape player, she calls in a favor from Leo—her first love and first epic heartbreak—and they strike a deal: he’ll fix the player if he can hear what’s on the tapes. When they manage to listen, the two are shocked to hear the voice of comedic legend Vivian Stone. Why did she record these tapes and how did Margot’s grandmother get them?

Between listening to Vivian recount everything from her forbidden love for Hollywood’s leading actor, to working under a misogynistic exec, to her chemistry with her costar-turned-husband on TV, Margot and Leo fall down a memory lane of their own. Margot is inspired by Vivian’s tenacity and courage to keep fighting for the life she wants, but everything changes when Vivian reveals a secret from her past in this moving exploration of how it’s never too late to start over.

My Thoughts:  I devoured this book.  From the very first page I was hooked.  I could not put the book down.  I was invested in the dual timelines.  The friendships and romances within the story had me turning pages and needing to keep reading.

Vivian Stone is an amazing character.   Her relationship with Ruth was the best.   I love how close they are and how much they protect each other.  The romances of Vivian Stone were legendary.   Each romance makes an impact to Vivian Stone and to her story.

Leo and Margot are the other romance.  It had the feel of a secondary storyline, but I would have loved to have more from them.   Their romance is a second-chance romance.  I liked that they worked together to find the reason that Margot’s grandmother had the cassette tapes from Vivian. 

The One and Only Vivian Stone is an entertaining read.  I enjoyed every word of this book.

Thank you Gallery Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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Meet the Author (taken from her website):   Melissa O’Connor became obsessed with stories involving family secrets, betrayal, and forbidden love after being given a box of used V.C. Andrews books at age ten. She lives in Buffalo, New York, where she can usually be found cheering on her kids’ hockey teams and sneaking words on the page between games. The One and Only Vivian Stone is her debut novel.