SHOOTING STARS by Allison Rushby Book Review
Publication Date: February 28th 2012 by Walker Childrens
Rating: 
Book 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.
Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby Book Review Overview:
- A fascinating look inside the jobs of paparazzi
- Plot twists galore
- I found it difficult to connect with the characters
First of all, how cute is the cover of SHOOTING STARS by Allison Rushby? Secondly, I have to refrain from giving too much information away, so I’ll keep this review of SHOOTING STARS by Allison Rushby short and sweet.
Jo’s dad is a famous paparazzo. She’s a famous paparazzo, too. Jo is known as the infamous “Zo Jo” – the pap who gets the most impossible shots. Exclusive party? No problem. Upscale restaurant? Still not a problem. Emergency trip to the hospital? Jo’s your girl. Jo’s not afraid to tell the ugly truth about the lives of paparazzi – she even describes a few assignments in which she’s seen people get hurt in the process. Heck, she’s been hurt on the job, herself!
Jo’s a student by day and paparazzo by night. Unfortunately, she doesn’t want to stalk and take photographs of Hollywood celebrities for the rest of her life. The real passion behind Jo’s part-time job is her dream of taking photography classes that involve traveling and developing her skills as a portrait photographer. For each paycheck she receives, her dad matches that amount to go towards Jo’s savings. So when the biggest job of them all lands in Jo’s lap, she can’t help but accept.
Jo receives an offer to go undercover as a patient in a treatment facility in Boston, MA to take photographs of teen superstar Ned Hartnett. She begins her assignment slightly weary – she feels guilty for taking private photos of the only celebrity that has ever been nice to her. As her stay at the facility trudges on, Jo develops a friendship and romance with Ned, which slowly crushes her willpower to take these photos. At this point in SHOOTING STARS, Allison Rushby throws a series of curveballs at her characters. The plot twists were so unexpected; there was no way I could have predicted them.
As much as I enjoyed following the life of a paparazzo and Rushby’s clever plot twists, I found the characters of SHOOTING STARS by Allison Rushby lacking. I found it difficult to relate to any character besides Jo. However, this aspect did not ruin the story for me. SHOOTING STARS by Allison Rushby was cute, funny, and clever and I recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read.
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About the Author
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Having failed at becoming a ballerina with pierced ears (her childhood dream), Allison Rushby instead began a writing career as a journalism student at The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Within a few months she had slunk sideways into studying Russian. By the end of her degree she had learned two very important things: that she wasn’t going to be a journalist; and that there are hundreds of types of vodka and they’re all pretty good. After several years spent whining about how hard it would be to write a novel, she finally tried writing one and found it was quite an enjoyable experience. Since then, she has had nine novels published. She keeps up her education by sampling new kinds of vodka on a regular basis.
Hmm sounds interesting and I got really curious about the twist. Hope I find in my local bookstore.
Hi Leanne! Yeah, the twists were pretty entertaining. If you’d like a light read, then you should pick this up
I’ve heard some mixed things about Shooting Stars from other bloggers, too. The twists have me curious, like Leanne, too, so maybe I’ll pick this one up anyway. I’ll just know not to expect too much.
Hi Eden! Yes, I think you’ve pinpointed the perfect approach to SHOOTING STARS.
I too found the characters to be lacking, but, overall I thought the story was a cute contemporary and very fun.
— Asher
Hi Asher! Agreed.