Review Detail

‘All-Star Love’ by Stephanie J. Scott follows senior tennis player Maisie as she tries to shy away from the scandal that has rocked the school—all brought about by her uncle who used to run the academy she attends. When he left town with the school’s tuition money, Maisie’s life became all that much harder, because she finds that even though she had nothing to do with it, guilty by association is not just a phrase, but a way of life for her. Her classmates feel she can’t be trusted, and the only person truly on her side at first seems to be her best friend, who so happens to also be her roommate at their tennis school.

When the school tries to find a way out of the mess Maisie’s uncle created, they bring in the reality show, ‘The Academy,’ focused on prep schools throughout the country. When the students realize that tennis is not really what the show’s producers are after, but rather drama and loads of it, they try to rebel against the system, but some of them find that working with the show may be more in their favor in the long run.

New students come into the mix when the show starts to film, including Shane Wagner, a well-known student player who also happens to be quite good looking, at least according to Maisie. She tries her best to not be seduced by what she feels are his charms, but little by little, she gets pulled into his world, learning things about him and then wondering what’s true and what isn’t, all because the TV show makes everyone wonder the difference between fact and fiction. She also identifies with him, as she is an outcast because of her uncle’s wrongdoings, and even though she is angry at her classmates for labeling her as such, she still wants to fit in, and being around Shane doesn’t help her with that image.

There are plenty of friends, enemies, and questions of whether Maisie’s friends were ever really her friends or if her enemies could truly be her friends. There is drama galore, sneaky meetups and kisses, and a healthy dose of truth despite the harshness of some of the drama that brings it all about. It is an intriguing story touching on many of the issues teens face nowadays, brought more into the light by the reality show filming them. Hearing Maisie’s thoughts throughout the making of ‘The Academy’ was interesting, and hearing more of the students’ internal thoughts would have been welcome as well. All in all, a fun and sporty read.