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A Review of "Paparazzi Project"



Introduction

I was actually pretty excited to start reading Paparazzi Project by author Kristina Springer when I first decided on it. I hadn't read a chick-flick YA romance in some time, and I was ready for an easy read to connect to my younger days. Unfortunately, though, I found Paparazzi Project to be incredibly disappointing.

My Rating: ★★

Synopsis: "Livvie Peterson thought taking Interpersonal Communications her junior year would be an easy A. But when the first assignment is given, her world flips upside down. Here's the deal: the class is assigned a six-week project and is split into three groups--Paparazzi, Tabloid, and Celebrities. The Paparazzi follow around the Celebrities taking pictures and grabbing any kind of quotes they can. The Celebrities try to navigate being tailed on a daily basis. And the Tabloid receives all the information collected by the Paparazzi and decides what makes the weekly summary report. Sounds harmless...and it's all just pretend anyway, right?

Livvie is assigned as Paparazzi and when she is matched up with the uber-cute Chas Montgomery as her tabloid boss she's pretty sure things couldn't get much better. Livvie's uncanny ability to capture the celebrities in compromising photos matched with Chas's skill of exaggerating captions and editing the photos make them an unstoppable team. And the long hours working side by side with Chas aren't a bad bonus. 

Livvie simultaneously launches an anonymous blog, leaking the class' stories and photos on the Internet. Her rising follower number quickly becomes addicting and she possibly spills too much information online. Once she finds her own celebrity will she be able to give it back? And will Chas be gone before she ever has the chance to find out?" (via Goodreads)


Thoughts and Comments

Pros

  • The story itself is a fun, breathable high school romance that I feel would be better suited towards teens ages 13-15. In a middle school, I'm positive that this book wouldn't be on the shelf for more than a day.
  • The main character, Livvie, has very nice relationships with both her best friend, Tessa, and her little sister, Emma, which is refreshing to see in a YA drama/romance.

Cons

  • The biggest issue with this novel is the main character, Livvie is one of those overdone "quirky" types of girls that seemed to be all the rage in 2009 (i.e. dresses to be "comfortable"; doesn't wear makeup; just "one of the guys"; gamer girl; doesn't do social media; never-been-kissed-or-had-a-boyfriend-by-sixteen; germaphobe, etc.) It seems that she has no redeeming qualities other than being a decent photographer.
  • The main character is just mean! She constantly rags on other girls who watch their carbs, wear expensive clothes, or seem to be smaller or more popular than her--for absolutely no reason! Some examples of this can be taken from these passages:
  • Kindle version, 16%: "But what would he want with her anyway? She doesn't have anything I don't. Except really clear skin. And perky bosoms...I bet they're not that perky on their own anyway. Bet she uses one of those water bras."
  • Kindle version, 58%: "All these girls who brag about their size sevens would probably blow over in a big gust of wind."
  • Kindle version, 64%: "Denise isn't smart enough to think of that...She's just your average, run-of-the-mill skank."
  • There's also a few passages about boys that made me question this character's morals, as well as the thoughts that go on inside her head. For instance:
  • Kindle version, 15%: "Typical male. I suppose he thinks our legs are also naturally hairless and the streaks in our hair come from the sun."
  • Kindle version, 25%: "Boys aren't smart enough to think that far ahead, are they?"
  • Apart from the unlikeable main character, I also thought that the sub-par writing also constantly rambles. I found myself wanting to tell Livvie continuously to shut up as I was reading.
  • There was sometimes unnecessary information thrown into a part of the novel that had nothing to do with the paragraph or story--it seemed like it's only use was to add to Livvie's "quirk".



Conclusion

All in all, I'd say if you're a teenager looking for a fun read, go for it! I'm sure you'll thoroughly enjoy Kristina Springer's Paparazzi Project. However, I do not recommend it to older teens or adults, as I feel that they would either get bored with the story or share my concerns about the novel.


Amazon Link: See here
Goodreads Link: See here
Riffle Link: See here

 This fulfills my "Young Adult Romance" subgenre of the Romance genre!


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