Shuttergirl by C.D. Reiss Narrator: Christian Fox, Jo Raylan
Published by Audible Studios on January 19, 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 8 hours 41 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
A NEW STANDALONE FROM CD REISS
ONE movie star on the cusp of greatnessONE broken girl who touched himTEN years to forget herA MILLION stories in Hollywood-----------I am not hurt.
I don’t need a second chance with him, or a life I thought I had.
While he was out forgetting me to become a movie star, I was building a career out of nothing. A career as a paparazzi, but a career. For a foster kid who bounced around every home in Los Angeles, that wasn’t easy.
This camera is all I have.
He’s nothing to me. Every time I take his picture and sell it, I remind myself that I did it all without him or his approval, his cinnamon smell or his clear green eyes. He lights up the screen like a celestial body, but he’s nothing but a paycheck to me.
He can throw my camera off a balcony, and nothing has to change. We can stay king and queen of the same city, and different worlds.
Except this is Hollywood, and here, anything can happen.
My top thoughts:
This was a fun, quick read. Every now and then, I enjoy reading a book that takes me to places that are unrealistic for me to even imagine – the billionaire, the movie star, the rock star, etc. Well this featured the movie star. And of course, Shutter Girl (as Laine is called in her role as a paparazza) does not belong on his world. She dances on the edges of it, taking pictures of the rich and famous, but not one of them. I feel like that’s a standard for the Rich and Famous trope (is it a trope?) – you gotta have one character who’s more like us ordinary folk falling in love with the unattainable, right?
What I liked/didn’t like:
This was unique, seeing it through the role of a paparazza though. It was a fun lens. And Laine is a complex character – from her foster child youth to her teens in the definitively wrong crowd – she’s had to work to make something of herself. Unlike Michael, who was born with the definitively silver spoon in his mouth. Their paths crossed as adolescents, when one foster home brought Laine briefly into his sphere – and it left a mark on both of them.
I enjoyed their romance and I especially enjoyed the ending – it’s what moved this from 3 stars to 3.5. I actually got a little choked up listening to roughly the last 10 minutes or so. It’s not a book that will blow your mind, but it’s got some good character depth, solid romance, and even a swoon or two.
Narrator thoughts:
The narration is quite good. I think I’ve mentioned previously that I would listen to Christian Fox read a phone book and love it. He’s that good. Jo Raylan is new-to-me, but held her own alongside Christian Fox, which says something. Definitely would recommend listening if you enjoy audiobooks.
It’s not my usual reading these days but an unrealistic escape can be fun.
Thanks for the review! It’s nice to read total escapism sometimes!