ARC Review: Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

Show business isn't all what it's made to be, and Jo is about to get a taste of what goes on behind the scenes in this really cute novel.

The glitz and the glamor, as seen through the lens of a sixteen year old girl trying to fulfill her dreams but not doing it quite right.

Title:  Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby
Pages: 272
Release Date: February 28th 2012
Published by: Walker Childrens
Source: Publisher (thanks NetGalley!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

Meet Josephine Foster, or Zo Jo as she’s called in the biz. The best pint-sized photographer of them all, Jo doesn’t mind doing what it takes to get that perfect shot, until she’s sent on an undercover assignment to shoot Ned Hartnett—teen superstar and the only celebrity who’s ever been kind to her—at an exclusive rehabilitation retreat in Boston. The money will be enough to pay for Jo’s dream: real photography classes, and maybe even quitting her paparazzi gig for good. Everyone wants to know what Ned’s in for. But Jo certainly doesn’t know what she’s in for: falling in love with Ned was never supposed to be part of her assignment.

I've said it before and I will say this again. I love it when a book turns out to be something that you totally do not expect it to be. I was intrigued with Shooting Stars plot thinking that it was going to be another fun, fluffy and sweet novel but it turned out to have something more to offer.

Jo is no stranger to the paparazzi business. Her father's virtually a legend, but Jo wants to do something more than 'papping'. She wants to take photography seriously, and to do that she has to attend the best school, which of course needs money that she doesn't have. An undercover assignment can help her fulfill her dream, but can she have the heart to follow through when her subject is the popular Ned Hartnett, the only person who seemed to care about her as girl and not as a paparazzi?

I'd say I'm envious with Jo's job, but as I continue to read, I found out (thankfully) that I'm not. There's more to celebrities than what we all see, and thanks to her job, Jo knows what goes on behind the scenes. I'd like to keep the fantasy up, but that's not how it goes in Jo's world. You see this little chinks in the glamorous armors of celebrities and you realize just how much of a human like us they all are. Jo might be a pint size girl, but she's got a mountain of problems, most of which she didn't even dare acknowledge if it wasn't for that retreat. See when you think you're only going to read about a girl with an ongoing moral dilemma, you'll get to read about this independent, stubborn girl who is actually hurting from the loss of her mother and one who's trying get out of the shadow of her father's reputation and profession to be what she wants to be.

I have a twin brother, so understanding Ned's relationship with his older brother, Jake is easy for me. This particular twist in the story is what made me like Shooting Stars! There is more to a person than meets the eye and when Jo thinks she's deceiving Ned, it's actually the other way around. Jake is such a sweet, older brother. Despite having a family whose life revolves around show business, Jake just wants help Ned to get back on his feet again, even if it means going against their father. I think that particular quality of Jake makes him really swoon worthy, aside being the spitting image of Ned. And his love of bacon bits!

Shooting Stars deals with the subject of privacy and the reality of the world as seen through the lens of one girl. How much are you willing to expose to the public for money? I can just imagine how often situations like that of Jo happens to paparazzi's worldwide and it makes you think about just how ethical one can be. Can doing something wrong be right because of the circumstances surrounding it? Shooting Stars delves a little deeper into a human's character as seen through Jo and her fellow camp mates experiences. We're all broken in some ways and the experiences Jo gains in the camp, no matter how ridiculous they all sounded, helped unravel her character somewhat.

Overall a cute story about what it's like to stare at fame on the other side of the fence, Shooting Stars is a good read! It's got romance, it's got it's own delightful take on family dynamics and it provides us a second look on the life of celebrities. Allison Rushby has a nice, outgoing style of writing that readers will find easy to read to.With funny, interesting characters who had their own stories to tell, Shooting Stars is a book you'd want to pick up when you want a short, feel good book to cheer you up!

Content (plot, story flow, character):

So who would like to shoot stars now? :)

Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
Very gorgeous cover!

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.