Review: Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

Behind the flashing lights, the camera reveals all . . . even love.

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.

Wow, I had a lot of fun reading this book.  It wasn't what I was expecting and I was pleasantly surprised.  I picked this book, Shooting Stars, up from NetGalley.  The cover and blurb intrigued me.  I'm so glad I got a chance to read this book.  My thanks to Bloomsbury Children's Books, Walker Children's Books, for allowing me the opportunity.  This book has a release date of Feb. 28th.

Jo is such a likable character.  I like the journey of self-discovery she went on as she took this "big gig" at the rehabilitation retreat.  Her mistakes, her buried hurts, and the friendships all made me safely anchor myself in her corner.

One thing I really liked was how the characters came together in the end to accomplish a main goal.  Instead of hating each other and having to wade through that drama, we instead got to see them work together for a common good.  It was refreshing and it made me love this book even more.

Here was my laugh out loud line.  "Then the most amazing thing happens- this weird, random snot bubble accidentally emerges from his nose.  We all stare at him, open mouthed."  The buildup to this moment was all serious and then this line comes.  I swear it was so funny.

As far as content goes, this had a couple instances of mild swearing.  There are some serious issues addressed as kids are seeking professional help for problems.  Death, guilt, suicide, depression, abandonment and phobias are all mentioned.

You can check out the trailer for this book.  I really liked it.

You can find out more about the author by clicking here.