Rachel Shukert
Starstruck
(Delacorte, March 2013)
A Seventeen Magazine ‘What to Read This Summer’ selection
A TeenVogue Magazine ‘Read During Spring Break’ selection
Every week they arrive in Los Angeles–beautiful and talented hopefuls who dream of becoming stars. It’s all Margaret Frobisher has ever wanted–and when she’s discovered by a studio bigwig, she can barely believe her luck. She’s more than ready to escape her snobby private school and conservative Pasadena family for a chance to light up the silver screen. The competition is fierce at Olympus Studios, and Margaret–now Margo–is chasing her Hollywood dreams alongside girls like Gabby Preston, already a grizzled showbiz veteran, caught between the studio and the ravenous ambition of her ruthless mother, and sultry Amanda Farraday, who seems to have it all–talent, glamour… and dirty secrets. Meanwhile, Olympus beauty Diana Chesterfield has mysteriously disappeared. Margo quickly learns that fame comes with a price, and that nothing is what it seems. Set in 1930s Hollywood, Starstruck follows three teen girls as they live, love, and claw their way to the top in a world where being a star is all that matters.
Praise for Starstuck
“Wit, pluck, darkness, pitch perfect period details, juicy twists, and big heart. This book is one to savor.”
–Anna Godbersen, New York Times bestselling author of the Luxe and Bright Young Things series
“Shukert’s foray into the teen market is well-plotted and carefully nuanced; historical details are crisp and vivid without being too obtuse; the narrative is tight and masterful, mixing just the right amount of cattiness and salaciousness with secrets that reveal themselves one after another. The result is a compulsively readable piece sure to appeal to fans of Anna Godbersen and Judy Blundell. Though there is no mention of a sequel, some plot threads are left swinging like the fringe on a flapper’s gown: Expect readers to clamor for more. Historical fiction that’s both smart and sassy.”
–Kirkus Reviews
“Valley of the Dolls for a new generation.”
—TeenVogue Magzine
“If you’re into T.V. dramas like Smash, or love the over-the-top fashion of The Great Gatsby, Starstruck will have you hooked!”
—Seventeen Magazine
“Reads like a smarter, more real Valley of the Dolls…the worst part about Starstruck is that it comes to an end.”
—DuJour Magazine
Rachel Shukert is the author of Everything Is Going to Be Great, Have You No Shame?, and the Starstruck novels. She has been fascinated by the Golden Age of Hollywood since she was a girl, when she used to stay up all night watching old movies and fall asleep the next day at school. Rachel grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated from New York University. She lives in New York City with her husband. Visit her at rachelshukert.com.