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Star Attraction
He's the most famous and most desired man in the world.
She's a hard-news journalist trying to keep her job.
When Sydney girl Madison Edwards is sent to interview Hollywood heartthrob Jamie Hall, as far as she's concerned it's an embarrassing blot on her credibility. As far as Jamie is concerned, Madison is just one of the thousands of people who want a piece of him. They both turn out to be wrong.
When an unimaginable attraction develops between them, they're momentarily blinded. Could it be true love or just the glare of the paparazzi's flashbulbs?
This stellar debut is a deliciously seductive story of our times, about celebrity and stardom – and about finding something real and true, even when the whole world is watching.
She's a hard-news journalist trying to keep her job.
When Sydney girl Madison Edwards is sent to interview Hollywood heartthrob Jamie Hall, as far as she's concerned it's an embarrassing blot on her credibility. As far as Jamie is concerned, Madison is just one of the thousands of people who want a piece of him. They both turn out to be wrong.
When an unimaginable attraction develops between them, they're momentarily blinded. Could it be true love or just the glare of the paparazzi's flashbulbs?
This stellar debut is a deliciously seductive story of our times, about celebrity and stardom – and about finding something real and true, even when the whole world is watching.
312 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2013
50 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 34 reviews
April 28, 2022
Ooh, this was really good! I was expecting a fluffy frothy read but there was so much more to this than what the blurb implies, definitely not your typical fluffy, marshmallowy celebrity romance.
It’s a well-written story with depth, loads of conflict and interesting, well-rounded characters.
Famous Hollywood actor adored by millions of seventeen-year olds meets hard-nosed Sydney political reporter who hates doing celeb pieces.
This book explores the way of life of a film star and a journalist and how their line of work can dominate their lives.
The ending was really lovely. I enjoyed every minute of this story.
It’s a well-written story with depth, loads of conflict and interesting, well-rounded characters.
Famous Hollywood actor adored by millions of seventeen-year olds meets hard-nosed Sydney political reporter who hates doing celeb pieces.
This book explores the way of life of a film star and a journalist and how their line of work can dominate their lives.
The ending was really lovely. I enjoyed every minute of this story.
July 25, 2016
This book is a hot mess. What I thought would be a "meet cute" between a journalist/reporter and a hot Hollywood actor was boggled down by info dumping and unsympathetic personalities given to our main couple.
This book needs a heavy dose of content editing. The first 1/4 of the novel is jibberish and doesn't add anything to the plot whatsoever. We're given an introduction to the journalist and the actor, but it's so boring and uninteresting. This could have been cut out or condensed and start this story during the interview, but no, it's full of information that doesn't grab hold of the reader at all, and will cause more than a few readers to DNF.
I stuck with it to see how the interaction between the main couple would go. These two are sad sacks. They moan and groan how horrible their lives are. Their dialogue is stilted and there is next to no chemistry between these two. The story really doesn't go any where and by the time things wrap up, you may want to throw this book against the wall.
Totally unforgettable and in need of a big overhaul.
PASS!
More at Booklikes: http://katiebabs.booklikes.com/post/8...
This book needs a heavy dose of content editing. The first 1/4 of the novel is jibberish and doesn't add anything to the plot whatsoever. We're given an introduction to the journalist and the actor, but it's so boring and uninteresting. This could have been cut out or condensed and start this story during the interview, but no, it's full of information that doesn't grab hold of the reader at all, and will cause more than a few readers to DNF.
I stuck with it to see how the interaction between the main couple would go. These two are sad sacks. They moan and groan how horrible their lives are. Their dialogue is stilted and there is next to no chemistry between these two. The story really doesn't go any where and by the time things wrap up, you may want to throw this book against the wall.
Totally unforgettable and in need of a big overhaul.
PASS!
More at Booklikes: http://katiebabs.booklikes.com/post/8...
August 9, 2013
The blurb implies that this book is just another chicklit about an ordinary girl falling for a Hollywood superstar (where have I heard THAT story before), but it actually addresses many issues relating to media, journalism and the line between what is public and private. Madison and Jamie's romantic story was okay on its own but its necessity is more founded in providing a vehicle for addressing sone worth questions. Aside from the journalism side, what was addressed particuarly well was Madison's friendships with Lucy and Sabine (the understanding yet constant envy from Lucy who was always the B student) and Madison's relationship with her family, particuarly her high-powered lawyer father.
June 19, 2013
Despite a section that bogged down in the various character's self pity this has more going for it than a simple boy-meets-girl romance. The celebrity / journo angle allowed for a greater depth of thought and insight into the nature of celebrity and our relationship to (and comsumption of) celebrity lives and lifestyles. There are issues raised regarding privacy and ethics and the nature of the media.
It would be a good bookclub book as there is certainly a lot of topics that could be discussed.
It would be a good bookclub book as there is certainly a lot of topics that could be discussed.
May 9, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. All of us fantasize about what it would be like to have a gorgeous Hollywood star fall for us and Star Attraction let me live out this dream. I identified with the average, everyday woman who became the object of affection for the star. I also appreciated that Jamie, the actor, was a flawed character who experienced personal growth through his relationship with Madison. I highly recommend this book.
October 14, 2013
This and other reviews can be found on my blog, My Written Romance.
This was a story in which I enjoyed the premise – regular journalist and big movie star cross paths and find each other – but the execution of the premise was not as I would have liked. There are those that I know will love this book – however I am not one of them.
I originally picked this title, because I read a similar book a few years ago, How to Sleep with a Movie Star by Kristin Harmel (which I absolutely adore). While I appreciate that Star Attraction is a little darker in tone and subject than the other book, and I do enjoy a dark book, it just didn’t quite get there for me.
What was it that didn’t do it for me?
I didn’t really like the characters all that much. Madison, while I can understand wanting to be the big serious journo, it is as if she devalues any other form of journalism that isn’t what she wants to write. If she had as much integrity as I thought she was supposed to, Madison would have said no to the secret Jamie assignment before it got out of hand. Lovey, you could have saved yourself a lot of heartache that way. Jamie just didn’t float my boat either – he got a little “poor little rich and famous me” too often for my liking.
While I didn’t dislike Star Attraction, I didn’t really enjoy it either.
My rating: 2.5 out of 5
Note: I was provided with an advanced reader copy of this book by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Australia via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
This was a story in which I enjoyed the premise – regular journalist and big movie star cross paths and find each other – but the execution of the premise was not as I would have liked. There are those that I know will love this book – however I am not one of them.
I originally picked this title, because I read a similar book a few years ago, How to Sleep with a Movie Star by Kristin Harmel (which I absolutely adore). While I appreciate that Star Attraction is a little darker in tone and subject than the other book, and I do enjoy a dark book, it just didn’t quite get there for me.
What was it that didn’t do it for me?
I didn’t really like the characters all that much. Madison, while I can understand wanting to be the big serious journo, it is as if she devalues any other form of journalism that isn’t what she wants to write. If she had as much integrity as I thought she was supposed to, Madison would have said no to the secret Jamie assignment before it got out of hand. Lovey, you could have saved yourself a lot of heartache that way. Jamie just didn’t float my boat either – he got a little “poor little rich and famous me” too often for my liking.
While I didn’t dislike Star Attraction, I didn’t really enjoy it either.
My rating: 2.5 out of 5
Note: I was provided with an advanced reader copy of this book by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Australia via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
May 21, 2014
The books brings to us a story about a hard nosed journalist, Madison, who hates anything to do with the movies and pop culture, and the unexpected journey she takes with Jamie Hall the most wanted man in Hollywood right now. It shows us how they start and sadly how they finish. But with a few much need revelations and surprises thrown in. It was well written and the characters are to die for. For my full review check our www.allnightbooks.com
February 3, 2024
An average book, with an average ending. Thought I would be getting a cute love story and an easy read but found this just average across the board
October 22, 2013
More reviews at The Reading Realm
REVIEW:
The story:
This story wasn't quite what I was expecting. I was imagining a story about a celebrity & journalist falling in love, and although that does happen the main storyline is more focussed on the celebrity culture and how it affects their lives separately. We see how Maddison's work at a newspaper affects her life and her relationships with her girlfriends. She becomes so invested in her career that she's completely oblivious to how she's hurting her best friends. She also starts to question her motivations for becoming a journalist and where she wants her career to go in the future.
And then we see the other side of the media with famous actor Jamie Hall and how fame has affected his life. He's sudden rise to fame as an international heartthrob has robed him of his privacy and he starts to doubt if this is the life a wants. The romance between Maddison & Jamie almost becomes a side story to these career & media based main plot points.
This story also starts off quite slow, with plenty of backstory & plot development and very little dialogue. It's not until about 50% into the book that the story starts to really gain momentum with more character interaction. The conflicts between Maddison & Jamie and also with Maddison and her two best friends, where what made the story more engaging.
The characters:
To be honest I found it a little difficult to like Jamie. He has the public image of the typical Hollywood heartthrob, but the narrator constantly tells us that he is much more sensitive and a decent person, who doesn't care about fame and money. However many of his actions contradict this. At the very beginning we are introduced to his character at promotional party with all these gorgeous women throwing themselves at him, but he has no interest in them or the party and just wants to go home. But then only a few scenes later he's on a plane and the flight attended makes a pass at him and he ends up skrewing in the bathroom. I felt like I was being told that he was this stand up guy, but his actions just didn't convince me. Another example was his attitude towards Jessica, a young actress he has a relationship with - he seemed to have very little respect for her:
"Jamie enjoyed having sex with Jessica even though their conversation left him indifferent, depressed even."
At the beginning Maddison comes across as a little snobby and almost looks down on her friends, Sabine & Lucy because of their jobs (journalist at fashion magazine & call centre operator). However over the course of the book she learns a lot about how her job at the paper has changed her and she's not happy with what she sees. She mellows by the end of the book and I grew to like her a lot.
Secondary character Lucy was probably my favourite character. She's down to earth and a very relatable character. We get a few chapters scattered throughout the book that follows her life at a dead end job at the call centre. But things start to look up after a romance starts to blossom with her adorably sweet co-worker Stuart. I really loved their little side story & would be happy to see more!
The romance:
The romance between Jamie & Maddison was one of the strongest elements in this book. In all their scenes together their connection is undeniable. However I felt there weren't enough scenes with them together. The majority of this book involves scenes with only one of them, and surprisingly there where more love scenes with Jamie and women other than Madison - and this bothered me a lot. I read stories with romance to see the two main characters together, not with other people. An idealistic opinion perhaps, but this is fictional after all.
The Writing:
I really liked the writing style. The descriptive language was very effective:
"Cracked brown Formica tables sat uncomfortably close together and seventies lampshades leaked weak light into into the smoky atmosphere."
"The foreshore was virtually deserted. A storm was brewing blue-black against a yellow horizon. The sea and sky were one.Dog walkers were the only people braving the wind’s bluster. The air was drunk with salt."
FINAL WORD:
Despite a slow start and not quite being the story I was expecting, I still enjoyed it. While I did have trouble connecting with Jamie's character, I was still invested in their story & was happy to see he & Maddison get their HEA together. I think this book would appeal to fans of The Devil Wears Prada and Confessions of a Shoppaholic.
CONTENT:
Sexuality: medium / short non descriptive sex scenes
Violence: none
Language: mild-medium / several f words
Drugs & alcohol: mild
More reviews at The Reading Realm
REVIEW:
The story:
This story wasn't quite what I was expecting. I was imagining a story about a celebrity & journalist falling in love, and although that does happen the main storyline is more focussed on the celebrity culture and how it affects their lives separately. We see how Maddison's work at a newspaper affects her life and her relationships with her girlfriends. She becomes so invested in her career that she's completely oblivious to how she's hurting her best friends. She also starts to question her motivations for becoming a journalist and where she wants her career to go in the future.
And then we see the other side of the media with famous actor Jamie Hall and how fame has affected his life. He's sudden rise to fame as an international heartthrob has robed him of his privacy and he starts to doubt if this is the life a wants. The romance between Maddison & Jamie almost becomes a side story to these career & media based main plot points.
This story also starts off quite slow, with plenty of backstory & plot development and very little dialogue. It's not until about 50% into the book that the story starts to really gain momentum with more character interaction. The conflicts between Maddison & Jamie and also with Maddison and her two best friends, where what made the story more engaging.
The characters:
To be honest I found it a little difficult to like Jamie. He has the public image of the typical Hollywood heartthrob, but the narrator constantly tells us that he is much more sensitive and a decent person, who doesn't care about fame and money. However many of his actions contradict this. At the very beginning we are introduced to his character at promotional party with all these gorgeous women throwing themselves at him, but he has no interest in them or the party and just wants to go home. But then only a few scenes later he's on a plane and the flight attended makes a pass at him and he ends up skrewing in the bathroom. I felt like I was being told that he was this stand up guy, but his actions just didn't convince me. Another example was his attitude towards Jessica, a young actress he has a relationship with - he seemed to have very little respect for her:
"Jamie enjoyed having sex with Jessica even though their conversation left him indifferent, depressed even."
At the beginning Maddison comes across as a little snobby and almost looks down on her friends, Sabine & Lucy because of their jobs (journalist at fashion magazine & call centre operator). However over the course of the book she learns a lot about how her job at the paper has changed her and she's not happy with what she sees. She mellows by the end of the book and I grew to like her a lot.
Secondary character Lucy was probably my favourite character. She's down to earth and a very relatable character. We get a few chapters scattered throughout the book that follows her life at a dead end job at the call centre. But things start to look up after a romance starts to blossom with her adorably sweet co-worker Stuart. I really loved their little side story & would be happy to see more!
The romance:
The romance between Jamie & Maddison was one of the strongest elements in this book. In all their scenes together their connection is undeniable. However I felt there weren't enough scenes with them together. The majority of this book involves scenes with only one of them, and surprisingly there where more love scenes with Jamie and women other than Madison - and this bothered me a lot. I read stories with romance to see the two main characters together, not with other people. An idealistic opinion perhaps, but this is fictional after all.
The Writing:
I really liked the writing style. The descriptive language was very effective:
"Cracked brown Formica tables sat uncomfortably close together and seventies lampshades leaked weak light into into the smoky atmosphere."
"The foreshore was virtually deserted. A storm was brewing blue-black against a yellow horizon. The sea and sky were one.Dog walkers were the only people braving the wind’s bluster. The air was drunk with salt."
FINAL WORD:
Despite a slow start and not quite being the story I was expecting, I still enjoyed it. While I did have trouble connecting with Jamie's character, I was still invested in their story & was happy to see he & Maddison get their HEA together. I think this book would appeal to fans of The Devil Wears Prada and Confessions of a Shoppaholic.
CONTENT:
Sexuality: medium / short non descriptive sex scenes
Violence: none
Language: mild-medium / several f words
Drugs & alcohol: mild
More reviews at The Reading Realm
June 1, 2014
I’m a total sucker for Hollywood based stories (even though in reality, there’s no way I’d actually want to live that kind of life). Saying that, Star Attraction took me a couple of goes to get into and finish. The start is quite slow and not at all Hollywood glamour – it’s more of a chick lit feel as Madison, the heroine, is in a job that controls her life and she’s neglecting her friends to try to maintain an edge. We hear a bit about Jamie Hall, movie star extraordinaire and poster boy for The Rose Diaries, a series of films that sound like they have a huge following of girls/women. As the story establishes Madison’s despair at work and the distance she’s putting between her friendships, it’s not exactly happy reading.
As Jamie Hall comes into the same orbit as Madison, things pick up. He’s the all-round good guy, looking for somewhere to be himself without the movie star trappings. We start to get an inkling that things aren’t happy in what should be Jamie’s perfect world – his manager is a tyrant who controls his life and one hotel suite is just the same as the others. After a disastrous interview with Madison (who prides herself on her news abilities, not the gossip pages), the pair run into each other in an unexpected place and Madison’s scoop – the one that will see her by-line around the world – is found. The problem? She’s starting to fall for Jamie. After the pair are ‘papped’ (photo taken by the paparazzi) at a party, Madison herself is hot property. She doesn’t want the world to know about Jamie’s secrets – she wants him. But her editor is determined to run her story…will Jamie forgive her? Will Madison get her act together?
I think the reason why I didn’t like this book more is because of Madison. She’s not much fun and it takes her a long time – after she’s lost everything – to reassess what’s important in her life. Part of the reason why she’s not that exciting is that she’s very single minded towards her job at the exclusion of nearly everything else. I think I would have liked her more if she’d had an odd quirk that made her more human (e.g. she collects Lego minifigures, she writes One Direction fanfic …). I liked one of her friends, Lucy, much better. Lucy has a minor subplot about her mind-numbing work at a call centre and her unlikely love. I found her story much more real, even down to her Jamie Hall scrapbooks. Lucy was much more feeling and upfront that Madison. Madison’s other good friend, Sabine, sounded promising – she’s a beauty editor (cool), French (exotic) and has a photographer boyfriend (interesting). Unfortunately she didn’t get a lot of page time or a subplot, but I just know if she did, it would be fascinating.
Jamie is a very likeable character, being Mr Movie Star. He’s also not perfect, which makes him vulnerable, especially when he’s being manipulated by his manager. But for most of the book I found him too soft – agreeing when he hated the idea of something and only occasionally sticking to his guns. He does redeem himself later in a big way, so he’s forgiven. Plus, the ending is different, but lovely.
I wouldn’t rate this as my favourite Hollywood star/average girl book, but there are some solid moments that show Stubbs’ promise.
Thank you to Penguin Australia and Net Galley for the eARC.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
As Jamie Hall comes into the same orbit as Madison, things pick up. He’s the all-round good guy, looking for somewhere to be himself without the movie star trappings. We start to get an inkling that things aren’t happy in what should be Jamie’s perfect world – his manager is a tyrant who controls his life and one hotel suite is just the same as the others. After a disastrous interview with Madison (who prides herself on her news abilities, not the gossip pages), the pair run into each other in an unexpected place and Madison’s scoop – the one that will see her by-line around the world – is found. The problem? She’s starting to fall for Jamie. After the pair are ‘papped’ (photo taken by the paparazzi) at a party, Madison herself is hot property. She doesn’t want the world to know about Jamie’s secrets – she wants him. But her editor is determined to run her story…will Jamie forgive her? Will Madison get her act together?
I think the reason why I didn’t like this book more is because of Madison. She’s not much fun and it takes her a long time – after she’s lost everything – to reassess what’s important in her life. Part of the reason why she’s not that exciting is that she’s very single minded towards her job at the exclusion of nearly everything else. I think I would have liked her more if she’d had an odd quirk that made her more human (e.g. she collects Lego minifigures, she writes One Direction fanfic …). I liked one of her friends, Lucy, much better. Lucy has a minor subplot about her mind-numbing work at a call centre and her unlikely love. I found her story much more real, even down to her Jamie Hall scrapbooks. Lucy was much more feeling and upfront that Madison. Madison’s other good friend, Sabine, sounded promising – she’s a beauty editor (cool), French (exotic) and has a photographer boyfriend (interesting). Unfortunately she didn’t get a lot of page time or a subplot, but I just know if she did, it would be fascinating.
Jamie is a very likeable character, being Mr Movie Star. He’s also not perfect, which makes him vulnerable, especially when he’s being manipulated by his manager. But for most of the book I found him too soft – agreeing when he hated the idea of something and only occasionally sticking to his guns. He does redeem himself later in a big way, so he’s forgiven. Plus, the ending is different, but lovely.
I wouldn’t rate this as my favourite Hollywood star/average girl book, but there are some solid moments that show Stubbs’ promise.
Thank you to Penguin Australia and Net Galley for the eARC.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
September 11, 2013
I wanted to read something light and frothy to read and this book certainly fits the bill.
So in a nutshell this book is about Jamie Hall who is the hottest talent in the world, he has the looks and a couple of romantic movies in the bag. He is doing the publicity drive for his latest film which sees him travelling down to Australia.
Madison is a serious journalist, she interviews politicians, people with courage and fortitude not these fake celebrity types. Yet her writing career has stalled, no by-lines, no front page coverage, she needs a good story. Imagine her surprise when told to go and interview the bane of her reporting dreams a celebrity! For Madision these kinds of shallow characters should be relegated to the teen magazines not given page 3 coverage.
Before both characters meet each other in the book we learn how they are despondent, anxious and questioning of their career choices. Both want to be treated seriously and both are scared they are turning into lightweights. For Jamie he has lost contact with reality and tries to hold onto it. For Madison she is losing contact with her reality and when it does slip away it takes a mighty wake up call to bring her back. Jamie is skeptical about the sincerity of people in his life and Madison is skeptical about the sincerity of celebrity. Could the tension points between the two be any more obvious and are they both just ripe for a meet and fall in love scenario.
Madison has her female posse of Lucy and Sabine and each of them has a minor role in the central story as does Madison’s dysfunctional family.
Okay now this is where I list of some of the issues I have with this story.
There is a huge amount of back story that is captured, I mean Madison is at this celebrity party and you get endless gush about all her doubts and fears, issues with her family and it goes on and on. M You heard how Madison's Mother drunk too much, her Father works too much, her sister is too up herself and I was over it.
Then there are the names of the women, Pip, Madison, Scarlett, Tabitha, Sabine, Tory, Yvette, Maia and only one character gets a plain name and that is Lucy. Lucy the failed actor, working in call centre cannot have an exotic name like all the other popular girls.
Sabine just seems to disappear from the novel towards the end. She rings up Madison says ‘let’s go out’ and is never heard of again. Xavier, Sabine's partner is mentioned a great deal but never does the reader meet the man.
It would seem that every time that Madison thinks/see/hears anything about Jamie Hall, she has rushing adrenaline, rush of blood, quick fire beating of her heart and lots of other variations of a palpitation. Plus poor Madison while ever so worried about turning into a drunk like her mother seems to consume an awful lot of alcohol every time Jamie is around.
There were no surprises in this novel; it was not going to veer off into a direction that would be different from any romance/chick-lit novel. That kind of certainty can be reassuring but for me the letdown was the characters. Madison and Jamie just did not lift off the page and I was more interested to find out how Lucy and Stuart were progressing in their romantic endeavors.
So in a nutshell this book is about Jamie Hall who is the hottest talent in the world, he has the looks and a couple of romantic movies in the bag. He is doing the publicity drive for his latest film which sees him travelling down to Australia.
Madison is a serious journalist, she interviews politicians, people with courage and fortitude not these fake celebrity types. Yet her writing career has stalled, no by-lines, no front page coverage, she needs a good story. Imagine her surprise when told to go and interview the bane of her reporting dreams a celebrity! For Madision these kinds of shallow characters should be relegated to the teen magazines not given page 3 coverage.
Before both characters meet each other in the book we learn how they are despondent, anxious and questioning of their career choices. Both want to be treated seriously and both are scared they are turning into lightweights. For Jamie he has lost contact with reality and tries to hold onto it. For Madison she is losing contact with her reality and when it does slip away it takes a mighty wake up call to bring her back. Jamie is skeptical about the sincerity of people in his life and Madison is skeptical about the sincerity of celebrity. Could the tension points between the two be any more obvious and are they both just ripe for a meet and fall in love scenario.
Madison has her female posse of Lucy and Sabine and each of them has a minor role in the central story as does Madison’s dysfunctional family.
Okay now this is where I list of some of the issues I have with this story.
There is a huge amount of back story that is captured, I mean Madison is at this celebrity party and you get endless gush about all her doubts and fears, issues with her family and it goes on and on. M You heard how Madison's Mother drunk too much, her Father works too much, her sister is too up herself and I was over it.
Then there are the names of the women, Pip, Madison, Scarlett, Tabitha, Sabine, Tory, Yvette, Maia and only one character gets a plain name and that is Lucy. Lucy the failed actor, working in call centre cannot have an exotic name like all the other popular girls.
Sabine just seems to disappear from the novel towards the end. She rings up Madison says ‘let’s go out’ and is never heard of again. Xavier, Sabine's partner is mentioned a great deal but never does the reader meet the man.
It would seem that every time that Madison thinks/see/hears anything about Jamie Hall, she has rushing adrenaline, rush of blood, quick fire beating of her heart and lots of other variations of a palpitation. Plus poor Madison while ever so worried about turning into a drunk like her mother seems to consume an awful lot of alcohol every time Jamie is around.
There were no surprises in this novel; it was not going to veer off into a direction that would be different from any romance/chick-lit novel. That kind of certainty can be reassuring but for me the letdown was the characters. Madison and Jamie just did not lift off the page and I was more interested to find out how Lucy and Stuart were progressing in their romantic endeavors.
May 18, 2014
This was not your typical romance and not exactly what I expected.
Madison is an Australian journalist, but she's incredibly unhappy with her jobs. She write serious stories that aren't getting the front page (or even front section) newspaper space she feels they deserve. Even with her unhappiness, her job has become her life. She's constantly neglecting her friends and family and feels that they should understand.
Jamie is a rich and famous movie star, but he's also incredibly unhappy. His manager dictates every aspect of his life. In the last 2 years, he's gone from being a struggling actor with normal friends and a normal life to a world famous heart-throb with women throwing themselves at him all the time. He hasn't adjusted well. He has acted like a jerk to his friend (now former friends) and taken advantage of what has been offered to him by the loose ladies. In an effort to find some semblance of normal, he sneaks out in the middle of the night when people rarely notice him to act like a regular Joe.
While on a trip to Australia to promote his latest movie, he has a panic attack out in the open. Refusing to be seen as vulnerable, he tries to go about his normal life. Madison's boss forces her out of her serious story comfort zone and forces her to interview Jamie and find out what happened. During the interview, Madison's direct questions turn Jamie off and they both walk away disliking the other.
This is the point where I imagined the story would really take off. What happened was not expected.....
After getting in a nasty argument with her 2 best friends, Lucy and Sabine, Madison runs into Jamie at a run down diner in the middle of the night. They end up talking for hours. Jamie invites her to a party the next night and they're photographed together. The paparazzi makes it out to be a lover's spat. Jamie ends up calling Madison the next day - the day before he's leaving the country - and inviting her over. They have a wonderful soul-bearing night.
Forced to write the story about Jamie, Madison quits (or gets fired) from her job. They publish it anyway. It makes Jamie out in a positive light, but he sees it as breaking trust.
Madison is forced to deal with the loss of job, friends and Jamie and Jamie goes back to jerk actor mode.
A lot I could say about this one, but ultimately it left me unsatisfied. I wanted more about Madison and Jamie than Jamie screwing the bimbos of the world. He's flawed, but it's not a heartwarming kind of flawed. It's a disgusting sort of flawed. Madison is not the best person, but we see her growth over the course of the book and she ends up pretty likable. I find myself conflicted with my feelings about Jamie. Maybe he's a good guy, but the fact that he had sex with 3 people in the book, none of which were Madison, leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Complimentary copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Madison is an Australian journalist, but she's incredibly unhappy with her jobs. She write serious stories that aren't getting the front page (or even front section) newspaper space she feels they deserve. Even with her unhappiness, her job has become her life. She's constantly neglecting her friends and family and feels that they should understand.
Jamie is a rich and famous movie star, but he's also incredibly unhappy. His manager dictates every aspect of his life. In the last 2 years, he's gone from being a struggling actor with normal friends and a normal life to a world famous heart-throb with women throwing themselves at him all the time. He hasn't adjusted well. He has acted like a jerk to his friend (now former friends) and taken advantage of what has been offered to him by the loose ladies. In an effort to find some semblance of normal, he sneaks out in the middle of the night when people rarely notice him to act like a regular Joe.
While on a trip to Australia to promote his latest movie, he has a panic attack out in the open. Refusing to be seen as vulnerable, he tries to go about his normal life. Madison's boss forces her out of her serious story comfort zone and forces her to interview Jamie and find out what happened. During the interview, Madison's direct questions turn Jamie off and they both walk away disliking the other.
This is the point where I imagined the story would really take off. What happened was not expected.....
After getting in a nasty argument with her 2 best friends, Lucy and Sabine, Madison runs into Jamie at a run down diner in the middle of the night. They end up talking for hours. Jamie invites her to a party the next night and they're photographed together. The paparazzi makes it out to be a lover's spat. Jamie ends up calling Madison the next day - the day before he's leaving the country - and inviting her over. They have a wonderful soul-bearing night.
Forced to write the story about Jamie, Madison quits (or gets fired) from her job. They publish it anyway. It makes Jamie out in a positive light, but he sees it as breaking trust.
Madison is forced to deal with the loss of job, friends and Jamie and Jamie goes back to jerk actor mode.
A lot I could say about this one, but ultimately it left me unsatisfied. I wanted more about Madison and Jamie than Jamie screwing the bimbos of the world. He's flawed, but it's not a heartwarming kind of flawed. It's a disgusting sort of flawed. Madison is not the best person, but we see her growth over the course of the book and she ends up pretty likable. I find myself conflicted with my feelings about Jamie. Maybe he's a good guy, but the fact that he had sex with 3 people in the book, none of which were Madison, leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Complimentary copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 30, 2014
*A copy of this book was supplied by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
If you’re looking for a traditional, light read about a movie star romance, Star Attraction might not be for you. If you’re looking for a thought provoking and tender love story that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page, then I highly recommend it.
Star Attraction is about Madison and Jamie, a Sydney newspaper journalist and a Hollywood celebrity. Meeting through work commitments and despite less than promising circumstances, they’re mutually shocked to find themselves in the middle of one of those once-in-a-lifetime ‘conversations’ that to use Madison's words, could last fifty years. Despite their care-worn spirits, there’s an endearing innocence around Jamie and Madison, particularly when they’re together. Unfortunately, there’s also a collective villain in this story, one who might keep these two apart forever: it’s you and me, and everyone who plays a part, big or small, in fuelling the cult of celebrity.
Star Attraction is one of those books that turns the spotlight back on our own society. Its focus is the almost universal and sometimes destructive fascination we have with fame and all of its trappings: power, wealth and the illusion of immortality. Reminiscent of writer Tom Wolfe and his ‘social x-ray’, no one escapes Ms Stubbs’ scrutiny: all-powerful talent agents, producers and newspaper editors sit at the top of her celebrity-feeding-frenzy food chain. Madison’s friend, Lucy, resides at the bottom of the chain, overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy as she obsesses over fame’s unattainable glamour. Somewhere in between we find Jamie and Madison, chosen by the powers-that-be to work up the cult of celebrity, only to find that they’re entrapped by it, their lives and more importantly, their souls, no longer their own.
This is a bold, honest, gnarly, fabulous book, but it demands more from the reader than your regular romance/love story. Jamie is something of an anti-hero, eliciting emotional responses that swing between aversion, sympathy and admiration. The writing, too, will not suit everyone with its internal monologue style of narration. Nevertheless, I’m so glad I stayed with it. Towards the end, although they’d challenged me along the way, I was cheering for Madison and Jamie. I wanted these star-crossed lovers to finally slay their ‘celebrity beast’ so that they could be together and find the happiness they deserved. More importantly though, however things turned out for them, I wanted the integrity of this novel’s voice to remain intact until the end - I wasn’t disappointed.
If you’re looking for a traditional, light read about a movie star romance, Star Attraction might not be for you. If you’re looking for a thought provoking and tender love story that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page, then I highly recommend it.
Star Attraction is about Madison and Jamie, a Sydney newspaper journalist and a Hollywood celebrity. Meeting through work commitments and despite less than promising circumstances, they’re mutually shocked to find themselves in the middle of one of those once-in-a-lifetime ‘conversations’ that to use Madison's words, could last fifty years. Despite their care-worn spirits, there’s an endearing innocence around Jamie and Madison, particularly when they’re together. Unfortunately, there’s also a collective villain in this story, one who might keep these two apart forever: it’s you and me, and everyone who plays a part, big or small, in fuelling the cult of celebrity.
Star Attraction is one of those books that turns the spotlight back on our own society. Its focus is the almost universal and sometimes destructive fascination we have with fame and all of its trappings: power, wealth and the illusion of immortality. Reminiscent of writer Tom Wolfe and his ‘social x-ray’, no one escapes Ms Stubbs’ scrutiny: all-powerful talent agents, producers and newspaper editors sit at the top of her celebrity-feeding-frenzy food chain. Madison’s friend, Lucy, resides at the bottom of the chain, overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy as she obsesses over fame’s unattainable glamour. Somewhere in between we find Jamie and Madison, chosen by the powers-that-be to work up the cult of celebrity, only to find that they’re entrapped by it, their lives and more importantly, their souls, no longer their own.
This is a bold, honest, gnarly, fabulous book, but it demands more from the reader than your regular romance/love story. Jamie is something of an anti-hero, eliciting emotional responses that swing between aversion, sympathy and admiration. The writing, too, will not suit everyone with its internal monologue style of narration. Nevertheless, I’m so glad I stayed with it. Towards the end, although they’d challenged me along the way, I was cheering for Madison and Jamie. I wanted these star-crossed lovers to finally slay their ‘celebrity beast’ so that they could be together and find the happiness they deserved. More importantly though, however things turned out for them, I wanted the integrity of this novel’s voice to remain intact until the end - I wasn’t disappointed.
May 15, 2014
Totally did it for me. I love a complex story with a whole lot of characters, a whole lot of emotional depth and above all, I'm a sucker for a flawed hero. Star Attraction has it all.
I picked up this book expecting a light read and got a lot more than that. There's so much here.
While other readers seem to have a little trouble getting to know the heroine, I genuinely liked her a lot.
So let's face it, she's either going to work for you or she isn't. This is simply one of those books where you're going to have to pick it up and start reading to work out if the two of you will get along:)
Madison and her self-doubts and insecurities really worked for me. She made sense to me and made the reader work a little to get to know her, pretty much like a strong, driven woman in real life would. She's a complex character/ and imperfect character and that's my kind of heroine.
I enjoyed reading about a successful woman who was still trying to find her way and I particularly liked the underlying question of what success means to those on the outside, opposed to those on the inside. The way Ms. Stubbs used the friendship between Madison and her friend Lucy to explore this was really gripping. Loved it.
Jamie... I really got a kick out of this hero. Yeah he's the world's biggest movie star but like Madison, he's still finding his way and working out what it all means and what he wants out of life. Again, imperfect hero? My cup of tea. I liked getting the insider information on what was going on in his head and seeing him grow and change over the course of the story.
I don't like doing plot giveaways because the joy of reading a book to me, is being taken by surprise but I will say that this was an absolute page turner. I tried to go to bed last night after reading 3/4 of it and ended up getting up to finish it when the characters wouldn't get out of my head:)
And the writing? It was some of the cleanest, tightest prose I've come across in a long time. The way Ms. Stubbs uses sentence structure alone to speed the reader through her story is going to have me coming back to Star Attraction to take notes in the future.
Do give this book a go. It's rare I find a story that genuinely resonates with me from the outset and this was one of them.
I picked up this book expecting a light read and got a lot more than that. There's so much here.
While other readers seem to have a little trouble getting to know the heroine, I genuinely liked her a lot.
So let's face it, she's either going to work for you or she isn't. This is simply one of those books where you're going to have to pick it up and start reading to work out if the two of you will get along:)
Madison and her self-doubts and insecurities really worked for me. She made sense to me and made the reader work a little to get to know her, pretty much like a strong, driven woman in real life would. She's a complex character/ and imperfect character and that's my kind of heroine.
I enjoyed reading about a successful woman who was still trying to find her way and I particularly liked the underlying question of what success means to those on the outside, opposed to those on the inside. The way Ms. Stubbs used the friendship between Madison and her friend Lucy to explore this was really gripping. Loved it.
Jamie... I really got a kick out of this hero. Yeah he's the world's biggest movie star but like Madison, he's still finding his way and working out what it all means and what he wants out of life. Again, imperfect hero? My cup of tea. I liked getting the insider information on what was going on in his head and seeing him grow and change over the course of the story.
I don't like doing plot giveaways because the joy of reading a book to me, is being taken by surprise but I will say that this was an absolute page turner. I tried to go to bed last night after reading 3/4 of it and ended up getting up to finish it when the characters wouldn't get out of my head:)
And the writing? It was some of the cleanest, tightest prose I've come across in a long time. The way Ms. Stubbs uses sentence structure alone to speed the reader through her story is going to have me coming back to Star Attraction to take notes in the future.
Do give this book a go. It's rare I find a story that genuinely resonates with me from the outset and this was one of them.
June 13, 2014
Star Attraction, Vanessa Stubbs
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
This book took me by surprise, I was expecting something light and fluffy, an easy fun read, but what I got was so much more! A pleasure to read :-)
Madison usually is a political/serious journalist, but recently has been struggling to get her copy in the top sections, then she gets told to interview Jamie Hall. He's the current medai sensation – the person everyone wants a piece of, and she's already upset that he's in top pages, while her piece about a young and promising tennis player who's become a double amputee, and is struggling day to day has been cut to its minimum and lost in back sections...That's what so often annoys me about news media – top stories go to footballers who've made record transfer fees, Royals who've split with boyfriend/girlfriend, “stars” who've been admitted to addiction clinics, caught out drunk and abusive – stuff like that while real news, murders, elections, starving people – get relegated to inside pages if at all. Recently we've seen 230 kidnapped 3rd world schoolgirls, the organisation that has them says they'll be sold as slaves, and yet “fluff” stories still feature well ahead of something like this. So I feel for Madison, and her anti celebrity stance, and as we learn more about her I understand her problems but can also see her friends POV...
The interview with Jamie doesn't do well and her employers are furious...then things happen, she gets to see a different side of him by accident, and he's pleased to find someone honest, who isn't swayed by the media hype. For a very brief time they seem to have a connection and are very close, then things go wrong – very wrong, for both of them.
I felt for them both, carried along by hype, pressured by others, and losing sight of what they really want. Its a great insight into what makes people tick under the surface, what problems lie behind the façades we present. I really enjoyed it as both a beautiful romance and an interesting and well thought out look at the problems surrounding both of them.
Stars: Four – a great read and one to savour not to rush.
Arc supplied via Netgalley
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
This book took me by surprise, I was expecting something light and fluffy, an easy fun read, but what I got was so much more! A pleasure to read :-)
Madison usually is a political/serious journalist, but recently has been struggling to get her copy in the top sections, then she gets told to interview Jamie Hall. He's the current medai sensation – the person everyone wants a piece of, and she's already upset that he's in top pages, while her piece about a young and promising tennis player who's become a double amputee, and is struggling day to day has been cut to its minimum and lost in back sections...That's what so often annoys me about news media – top stories go to footballers who've made record transfer fees, Royals who've split with boyfriend/girlfriend, “stars” who've been admitted to addiction clinics, caught out drunk and abusive – stuff like that while real news, murders, elections, starving people – get relegated to inside pages if at all. Recently we've seen 230 kidnapped 3rd world schoolgirls, the organisation that has them says they'll be sold as slaves, and yet “fluff” stories still feature well ahead of something like this. So I feel for Madison, and her anti celebrity stance, and as we learn more about her I understand her problems but can also see her friends POV...
The interview with Jamie doesn't do well and her employers are furious...then things happen, she gets to see a different side of him by accident, and he's pleased to find someone honest, who isn't swayed by the media hype. For a very brief time they seem to have a connection and are very close, then things go wrong – very wrong, for both of them.
I felt for them both, carried along by hype, pressured by others, and losing sight of what they really want. Its a great insight into what makes people tick under the surface, what problems lie behind the façades we present. I really enjoyed it as both a beautiful romance and an interesting and well thought out look at the problems surrounding both of them.
Stars: Four – a great read and one to savour not to rush.
Arc supplied via Netgalley
April 20, 2018
I enjoyed this book for the different approach it took in telling the story. This delved into the lifestyle of a journalist and an actor, how the paparazzi affects them and how the jobs can take over their lives. Both Jamie and Madison loved their jobs but were beginning to feel the wear and tear of it on their lives. Fate brings the 2 of them together in the guise of Madison having to interview Jamie and things take there course from there.
Through the interview process the 2 get to know each other and begin to fall for one another. Choices are made and once again their jobs win out so Madison and Jamie are left to contemplate their choices and if they were really the right ones after all.
We really spend most of the book getting into the heads of these characters and experiencing their emotions along with them. There are some points where I just wanted Jamie or Madison to push ahead and go after what they wanted but things seem to take a more realistic approach so while it can be frustrating in parts, it's also rewarding in other parts. You'll have to pick up a copy and give it a read to see how things end and if the 2 beat fate at it's matchmaking game or not.
I received an Arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Through the interview process the 2 get to know each other and begin to fall for one another. Choices are made and once again their jobs win out so Madison and Jamie are left to contemplate their choices and if they were really the right ones after all.
We really spend most of the book getting into the heads of these characters and experiencing their emotions along with them. There are some points where I just wanted Jamie or Madison to push ahead and go after what they wanted but things seem to take a more realistic approach so while it can be frustrating in parts, it's also rewarding in other parts. You'll have to pick up a copy and give it a read to see how things end and if the 2 beat fate at it's matchmaking game or not.
I received an Arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 29, 2014
I was blown away by this page turner. To be totally honest, I was expecting a shallow, designer label, celebrity-fest. I was so glad I was wrong.
Althought the book is set in that world, there is so much more. Vanessa Stubbs creates characters that are so real, you empathize with them immediately. You may not know what it is like to be a film star like Jaime, but we all have been insecure about something and had to find a way through self doubt.
Vanessa Stubbs really taps into the male psyche and shows that men, underneath their egos are just as vulnerable as women.
Madison expressed her own anxieties through her dialogue with Lucy and as a result, Madison comes across as complex , driven and very likeable.
Star Attraction is one of the best romance books I have read this year. If you are looking for a romance with emotional complexities and a bit of gravitas- then look no further. I highly recommend “Star Attraction”. Vanessa Stubbs début has stellar quality and I can not wait to see what this new up and coming author writes next.
Althought the book is set in that world, there is so much more. Vanessa Stubbs creates characters that are so real, you empathize with them immediately. You may not know what it is like to be a film star like Jaime, but we all have been insecure about something and had to find a way through self doubt.
Vanessa Stubbs really taps into the male psyche and shows that men, underneath their egos are just as vulnerable as women.
Madison expressed her own anxieties through her dialogue with Lucy and as a result, Madison comes across as complex , driven and very likeable.
Star Attraction is one of the best romance books I have read this year. If you are looking for a romance with emotional complexities and a bit of gravitas- then look no further. I highly recommend “Star Attraction”. Vanessa Stubbs début has stellar quality and I can not wait to see what this new up and coming author writes next.
May 14, 2014
I need more of Madison and Jamie's story! As you will read in other reviews, this book doesn't spend quite as much time on the story of Jamie and Madison as I would have liked. It deals more with their own personal struggles to find out who they are and what matters most in life. They are both trying to keep their heads above water and fight for what they want in their careers.
Jamie and Madison together....perfect. She gets to see the softer, more vulnerable side of him that the world and his fans has never seen.
You will have to read the book to see how their story plays out!
I am really hoping that this will be a series. It is the perfect beginning to what could be a really awesome story of Jamie and Madison's love. The ending is somewhat abrupt and left me wanting more.
I will definitely be keeping and eye on this author.
I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. (thank you!)
Jamie and Madison together....perfect. She gets to see the softer, more vulnerable side of him that the world and his fans has never seen.
You will have to read the book to see how their story plays out!
I am really hoping that this will be a series. It is the perfect beginning to what could be a really awesome story of Jamie and Madison's love. The ending is somewhat abrupt and left me wanting more.
I will definitely be keeping and eye on this author.
I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. (thank you!)
May 8, 2014
I was given the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
I must say the premise got me in from the beginning. I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, without a lot of flowery scenery or unnecessary descriptions. The characters were well developed, and I found myself fully invested in them. I enjoyed the ups and downs, and thought it ended without a let down. I sometimes buy books based on the cover, but probably wouldn't have bought this one for the cover. It would not have swayed me. But defintely glad I read it. One of my pet hates is when a book is based in Australia, and it seems every opportunity is given to adding a bit of Aussie culture, and is usually totally wrong. This book did not do that. I was so pleasantly surprised to read the mention of some of our famous landmarks were mentioned without making it the central point of the story. I would give this book 4 and a half stars.
I must say the premise got me in from the beginning. I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, without a lot of flowery scenery or unnecessary descriptions. The characters were well developed, and I found myself fully invested in them. I enjoyed the ups and downs, and thought it ended without a let down. I sometimes buy books based on the cover, but probably wouldn't have bought this one for the cover. It would not have swayed me. But defintely glad I read it. One of my pet hates is when a book is based in Australia, and it seems every opportunity is given to adding a bit of Aussie culture, and is usually totally wrong. This book did not do that. I was so pleasantly surprised to read the mention of some of our famous landmarks were mentioned without making it the central point of the story. I would give this book 4 and a half stars.
August 2, 2015
Ordinary girl falls in love with a celebrity. The hook succeeded in capturing my interest but delivered itself as a bland mind numbing piece of work.
The author basically got her fantasy published. The main female character and the authors appearance match.
The book was written in 3rd person which is good because it allows the reader to get a perspective of both Madison and Jamie's life. The problem is, both the characters a very dry and there is nothing in them to really compel the reader to love them.
The book felt really repetitive to plenty of other things I have read before but I continued to read it anyway and it just dragged out with a hardly sufficent or realistic ending.
If you want to read a good ordinary girl loves a famous celebrity novel, read 'Good luck Johnny' by Paige toon. That one well and truly executed well. 5 starts.
This book, 2 stars.
The author basically got her fantasy published. The main female character and the authors appearance match.
The book was written in 3rd person which is good because it allows the reader to get a perspective of both Madison and Jamie's life. The problem is, both the characters a very dry and there is nothing in them to really compel the reader to love them.
The book felt really repetitive to plenty of other things I have read before but I continued to read it anyway and it just dragged out with a hardly sufficent or realistic ending.
If you want to read a good ordinary girl loves a famous celebrity novel, read 'Good luck Johnny' by Paige toon. That one well and truly executed well. 5 starts.
This book, 2 stars.
August 21, 2013
I enjoyed reading this novel very much. The characters were likeable, and I really wanted the lovers to work it out - I found it really mattered whether they found their way back to one another. There were some beautiful turns of phrase as well, the writing style kept me turning the pages. In fact the more I think about it the more I loved this book - it is a terific read. Maybe even more than the romance side of things, I loved the sub-plot that revolved around the group of friends - how unreliable friends can be especially if they are envious. There are not many novels that deal with how sad it is when that happens. I enjoyed this debut novel and will certainly keep an eye out for her next one.
May 20, 2015
I am surprised that this book is classified as a romance. While the romance is a tool for the book to progress, this book is really about the journey of self-discovery, courage, relationships and life itself.
Thus for those of us who love chick lit or escapist literature (and I count myself among them on certain days), this would be a terrible dissappointment. So I am not surprised to see many readers sounding so grumpy or struggling to enjoy the book.
However, if the themes above are your thing, then this is a beautifully written book that is all about courage and guts and makes you think and sigh every once in a while.
Looking forward to reading more such thoughtful books by this author.
Thus for those of us who love chick lit or escapist literature (and I count myself among them on certain days), this would be a terrible dissappointment. So I am not surprised to see many readers sounding so grumpy or struggling to enjoy the book.
However, if the themes above are your thing, then this is a beautifully written book that is all about courage and guts and makes you think and sigh every once in a while.
Looking forward to reading more such thoughtful books by this author.
May 5, 2014
Thought it might be fluff but it was a great read after all with weighty issues and very well developed characters. At one point I felt so bad for Madison, knowing her family dynamics and her friends who are more celebrity influenced than she is. I think the bad guys were great and the lifestyle of the rich and famous seemed entertaining from our regular lives. So this is not a fluff piece but it's not chick lit either. There is a HEA which is a little sweet and I approve. This is not a really sexy book but there is suggested encounters but no graphic scenes. I read this as a ARC from Netgalley in exchange for honest review.
June 27, 2014
***ARC from NetGalley in Exchange for an honest review***
This was an eye-opening telling of the sorry side of tinsel town - the elaborate Hollywood productions based on hype and smoke & mirrors. I liked that Jamie Hall was simultaneously perfect and flawed, happy but discontented. Madison was far too stilted for me.
But as far as romances go, this was a dud for me. Somewhere in the tangled copious descriptions of how, what and where, Madison and Jamie fell in love…I combed back through but could not really find it. There is such a thing as too much back-story and this one had it in spades. I slogged through this to find a very contrived HEA.
This was an eye-opening telling of the sorry side of tinsel town - the elaborate Hollywood productions based on hype and smoke & mirrors. I liked that Jamie Hall was simultaneously perfect and flawed, happy but discontented. Madison was far too stilted for me.
But as far as romances go, this was a dud for me. Somewhere in the tangled copious descriptions of how, what and where, Madison and Jamie fell in love…I combed back through but could not really find it. There is such a thing as too much back-story and this one had it in spades. I slogged through this to find a very contrived HEA.
May 9, 2014
I was surprised by this book I was expecting the normal star meets girl and breaks her heart! This book is completely different to anything you have read before. Jamie is a down to earth Hollywood star and meets Madison a reporter who hates the celeb world! I thought this book was well written and flowed easily, there was great detail about the characters family, friends and colleagues so you felt like you understood. This book also details the truth behind celebrity news and the facts that actually most celeb news is made up to sell papers! I would definitely recommend this book to others.
August 15, 2014
Star Attraction does a very, very good job at being a chick lit novel. It has a spunky heroine, a desirable but multilayered hero, plenty of conflict and some interesting subplots to keep it moving along. The newsroom pressure our reporter heroine is under is encapsulated superbly. But the thing that sets it apart for me is author Vanessa Stubbs' way with words. She crafts her scene beautifully and has a wonderful eye for detail. Her artistic talent sets Star Attraction a cut above your average romance.
January 11, 2015
I have been reading this book for a while now and am really struggling
to get into it. I have pushed it aside multiple times over the last few
months and just can't do it. The story line seems to be well thought out
and the characters are easy to read. It is the writing style that is bothering
me and I can honestly say that I have given up on trying for now. I will
hopefully find the time to come back to it later and see if it gets any better
for me.
2.5 stars
to get into it. I have pushed it aside multiple times over the last few
months and just can't do it. The story line seems to be well thought out
and the characters are easy to read. It is the writing style that is bothering
me and I can honestly say that I have given up on trying for now. I will
hopefully find the time to come back to it later and see if it gets any better
for me.
2.5 stars
September 17, 2013
Star Attraction is a wonderful novel. I devouring every single word. The story is gripping and exciting. The characters became my friends. I have a feeling that this is such a great story—it has to become a movie.
Star Attraction is definitely the book I am giving all my friends for presents this year.
Star Attraction is definitely the book I am giving all my friends for presents this year.
October 12, 2014
t was refreshing to read about a female character who is intelligent and clumsy and does not change or become super sexy to get her man. It reminds me of one other character who was slightly more extreme but lovable. In this case, Madison's brains allows her to play the game without even knowing it. I just wish there was more to Jamie.
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