**Disclaimer: I was provided with a free e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I couldn't put this book down. I was in awe of what I read. These five girls were brave, courageous, intelligent, and witty in trying to escape a life they never chose for themselves. Each of their families sold them into the welcome house for money and the promise that their daughters would have a better life. That was a complete LIE. How the story unfolds with so much action, and the added elements of power-hungry humans and inhuman beings was breathtaking. I differently enjoyed the book. I believe the characters were well thought out and relatable.

Five girls try to escape their brothel in this magic-infused Western.

This is a great adventure story. I didn't want to put it down once I'd started it, I wanted to find out what would happen next. There was no sense of padding, things progressed nicely and the characters mostly grew with their experiences.Although it finished very nicely, there's definitely room for more titles set in this universe, and I'd be first in line to read them.

This is going to do very well.

Sadly, I wasn't able to finish this book. After getting about halfway though, I found myself looking to be more connected to the characters and the world. I think that if I was in high school, this book would have resonated with me more.

Together, all 5 girls join together on a fantasy action-packed adventure for freedom, when Clementine accidentally kills a well-connected client. Pursued by Arketta's most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their hope is to escape a life they didn't choose for themselves.
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This story had me hooked. I enjoyed every single page of it. So, happy that there will be a sequel to it. I liked how the author allowed us to see all the girl's backstories, explained how their lives turned out this way. The girls seemed to be constantly in trouble and escaping danger.
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Most importantly, the book sheds a light on human trafficking. Their families were often promised money, jobs or that their girls would have a better life with the brag (client) that chose them. These promises are not kept, and a violent reality is often prevalent.

Leider hat mir "The Good Luck Girls" nicht gefallen. Eine dystopische Welt, in der fünf junge Frauen aus der Zwangsprostitution flüchten, das klingt durchaus spannend, leider bleiben die Figuren platt und die Handlung wird durch Zufälle vorangetrieben, der Deus ex Machina winkt von jeder Seite, das kann ich als Leserin einfach nicht leiden.
Nicht nur die Charaktere und die Handlung bleiben leider schematisch, die Dialoge sind zumeist hölzern und gestelzt.

The Good Luck Girls is an Adventure seeking revenge type of story. It is said that it reminds people of the Handmaids Tale set in the Wild wild west. Well it's more wild wild West then it is Handmaids Tale. With that being said I still enjoyed this story written by debut author Charlotte Nicole Davis. You have Clementine who 'accidentally' kills a brag (male customer) so her and her sister Aster decide to go on the run with other Good Luck Girls Violet, Tallow and Mansy. On the way they meet Zee a Rangeman who will help them get to Lady Ghost to get their tattoos remove that let everyone know they are Good Luck Girls so they can live normal lives.
I want to thank Netgalley and Macmillan- Tom Doherty Associate Tor Teen for a copy of this book for an honest review.

I was hooked from the time I read the extended excerpt. Those first few chapters are haunting. Especially when you think about how this is some young girl's actual reality.

And in the spirit of Old Town Road being the song of the summer it was nice to have a little western fantasy featuring a black girl as the lead. Arketta is more a post-apocalyptic dystopian western world.

Aster is a very well developed character. Even when I disagreed with her decisions and wanted to smack her upside the head for them I understand her motives. When you read what Aster went through you understand her desire to protect other girls from suffering her same fate.

Clementine was the catalyst to them leaving the Welcome House but she surprisingly didn't get much development after that. Despite the traumatic incident that causes them to flee Green Creek she remains her pure trusting self.

I don't feel like Mallow and Tansy added much beyond being friends who helped Clem escape. Though Tansy's information about herbs and medicines did help while on the road.

Violet was a great person for Aster to play off since they had often butted heads both at the Welcome House and on the road.

I did like Zee. He was a much needed ally for them who could go into places that they couldn't. And he did help bring out a different side of Aster.

There was this romance that I felt came out of left field. Luckily it wasn't a main focus and didn't take up a huge portion of the story nor did it go into great detail. It still made no sense though and the chemistry and interactions just weren't there to justify it.

Parts of this story felt very episodic like a tv series which was an interesting approach.

The ending was unexpected and definitely let us know there will be a book 2 and I'm interested in seeing where this concept takes us.

New author Charlotte Nicole Davis does a wonderful job creating a vivid fantasy western world! This has a strong message and addresses societal issues of the present though in an alternate world! It shows what happens in desperate times and how we survive.

We start off with Clementine and Aster who live in a "welcome house", and Clementine has just turned 16 and is about to start working servicing the men who frequent the house. Aster doesn't want this for Clementine but there isn't anything she can do about it. But when Clem's anxiety gets the better of her, she accidentally kills the man who had the winning bid for her and they find they would rather risk leaving than staying for certain death.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with this, but once I started it, it was hard to put down. It had a bit of an old west feel to the storyline in that they were running from the law and they needed money, or as they called it, "shine" to survive and did what they needed to, to make it through each day. I think the book would have worked with or without the paranormal elements, but Davis created this alternate, post-apocalyptic-esque world that was really fun. The girls each had their own unique personalities and strengths, and I'm looking forward to future books down the line so we can see more of them.

The good luck girls are anything but lucky. Sold into prostitution as children they grow up in a brothel, first servants (daybreak girls) and then when they cross their fateful sixteenth birthday they become sundown girls. It's Clementine's 'lucky night', her virginity sold to the highest bidder. Aster, her sister has already undergone the transformation from skivvy to prostitute and she fears for Clem. So when it all goes wrong and Clem defends herself, killing her customer, the girls decide to escape, and end up taking some of the other girls with them. Chased by raveners and aided by one lone sympathetic tracker, who, as it turns out, is looking for his sister, sold to another lucky house by their parents. There's plenty of peril as the girls make their way across hostile country, trying any way they can to stay ahead of their pursuers.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
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The Good Luck Girls is a debut novel from Charlotte Nicole Davis.
Clementine just turned 16 and is being inducted as a sundown girl now at the welcome house she’s lived at for awhile now. On her lucky night she accidentally kills her brag, and Aster, her older sister, in a desperate bid to keep Clementine alive decides they need to escape. With them come 3 other Good Luck Girls and thus begins their adventure to escape the danger that closely tracks them and the danger that haunt the scab ahead of them as they chase down a ghost story to find safety.
Sometimes you pick up a book because the cover catches your eye. Others it’s because the summary tweaks your interests. Sometimes it’s both. The Good Luck Girls was certainly both for me. I didn’t think I’d get access to it from Netgalley but I’m thankful I did. I started it this morning before leaving for work, and it was such a bad decision. I couldn’t stop thinking of this book the whole time I was at work. I needed to know what was happening to Aster, Clementine, Violet, Tansy, Mallow, and Zee. I needed to follow them on their journey.
This book is such an interesting world and has a history that unfolds the more you get into it and seeing as this is the first I’m hoping to discover more about Arketta and their neighbors. The story had such a wild west feeling to it: vast unexplored areas, ghost towns, chases, guns, and horses. There is also a supernatural element to further make lives difficult for the Good Luck Girls. There are ghosts and people with eerie abilities that I wish was explored a bit more but maybe that’s the best way to keep it feeling as it was, by keeping it vague. Either way, creepy.
I loved the personalities of the girls. As the older of them Violet and Aster are a great contrast and it reflects in how they’ve handled what they’ve gone through. Clementine, Tansy and Mallow are a bit softer, they still haven’t seen the worst, but they’re definitely not bleeding hearts. I’m not usually one for romance but the romance was so far from the importance of the story that I enjoyed it even more for that. One is barely fledging and the other was so soft and cute I actually cooed at it, and again, so not important to the story and such a background to it that it was amazing.
I suggest a pre-order of this for everyone looking for women kicking butt, having each other’s backs, and just an adventure that will keep you going until the end.

Tw: drug use, addiction, prostitution, violence, injury

This book was received as an ARC from Macmillan-Tom Doherty Associates - Tor Teen in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was very intrigued by the book at first because it reminded me of my favorite YFantasy series and one of my favorite movies combined into one (House of Night and The Covenant) so I was ecstatic to read this book at first. I must say, I was not disappointed. The girls from Aster, Violet, Tansy, Mallow, and Clementine all were granted with special powers from their markings despite being kidnapped at young ages and chosen for this "society." Every chapter was a different point of view of each sister and all of the chapters correlated well to the storyline as a whole. I am awaiting very patiently for the release of this book and fighting the urge and desire to share it with my teen book club because I know they will go crazy for it.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

The Good Luck Girls had me hooked from start to finish. Now, I'm an avid fantasy reader but the premise of a wild-west meets fantasy novel had me hesitant. I'm happy to say that it works out wonderfully. This novel is a very strong debut from Charlotte Nicole Davis, and I'm eager to see what else they have in store for us.

Now, first things first. I really liked the world that is portrayed in GLG. At first I was a little confused on how to picture it in my head, but it came to me. The world building could have been improved a bit, but it's a pretty good start.

I adored all of the main girls, I especially had a soft spot for Aster and Violet. However, at times I did find myself a little annoyed with Clementine and I think that she was a tad catered to at times.

The GLG was nice and fast paced- never leaving me skipping ahead in boredom. If you want to take a slow ride this might not be the book for you. But if you want to get hooked right away, I would 100% recommend it.

Just a final note: some of the beginning scenes felt very uncomfortable due to the sexual nature of it. While necessary for the plot and character development, I think those who are triggered easily by sexual assault / exploitation should be aware that these themes are present.

Excellent debut. This will be a welcome addition to my adventure YA shelf! I like the depth of the main character and the interesting magic system.

The Good Luck Girls is the girl gang, ghost infested old west type world, found family adventure I wanted. Clementine and Aster are sisters who are sold to the Welcome House by their parents. The welcome house is a brothel with virtually no escape for the girls who have been sold there.

A murder in self defense sends five girls fleeing into the dangerous wilds of Arketta, where dementor style ghosts will rip the flesh from your bones. Their quest is to find freedom.

I was sold on this world when I learned that the dustbloods (essentially indentured servants) had their shadows ripped away generations ago. How cool is that? The world is familiar enough in its outlines, but novel in its specifics. I was a little confused about some of the history and geography, but it did not impair my enjoyment.

The five main girls are each distinct. Aster, who lives to protect her sister, is my favorite. She's broken down and walled off, and only lets her guard down a little. I appreciated the stories of the other girls, and wish I could have had more of Tansy and Mallow.

The author builds in a few points that I assume are jumping off places for other stories set in this world, and I look forward to exploring it more.

I really enjoyed the journey of the novel, but I felt it came to an end so quickly. I wanted to see more of the next steps for the characters in an epilogue, so I could feel that they were settled. But overall, it was a great ride. Girl gang does crimes, fights ghosts, and survives to find freedom. <3

This is a another good YA fantasy novel, and I really like the themes of female friendship and strong female characters. In addition, the novel has some good areas to discuss substance abuse and exploitation. There is some magical elements as well.

The good luck girls are really anything but lucky. Essentially forced into working in a brothel to survive, their luck changes when one of the girls accidentally kills a client. Left with no other choice, they risk everything to flee their circumstances and make a new life elsewhere. I am sure there will be other novels as the main character works to overthrow the system, and I look forward to reading more of them.

Aster, the protector
Violet, the favorite
Tansy, the medic
Mallow, the fighter
Clementine, the catalyst

THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS

The country of Arketta calls them Good Luck Girls--they know their luck is anything but. Sold to a "welcome house" as children and branded with cursed markings. Trapped in a life they would never have chosen.

When Clementine accidentally murders a man, the girls risk a dangerous escape and harrowing journey to find freedom, justice, and revenge in a country that wants them to have none of those things. Pursued by Arketta's most vicious and powerful forces, both human and inhuman, their only hope lies in a bedtime story passed from one Good Luck Girl to another, a story that only the youngest or most desperate would ever believe.- Goodreads

There is a lot of hype for this read and it is well warranted. I loved the cowboy aspect of this book because all I thought of was that movie Gang of Rose with Monica Calhoun. This may have been an unintentional reference but it was all my mind was on and I freaking loved it.

Beyond this image I had, there is something about the writing that kept me sucked in even when I wasn't really feeling some of the characters. I was not necessarily on the edge of my seat but I was invested in the book and refused to read anything else until this was done. 

I had a love hate relationship with the characters. Not just one but all of them. Nothing in me felt that they were fully written. What I mean by this is that it felt as if the author had a thought but didn't complete it; Aster especially. She was just pure rage, indecisiveness and I would say reckless. Yes, there were decisions that had to be made on the fly but she allowed her emotions to take a lot out of her, throughout the entire book and as the book is told through her point of view that is all you see and here. 

I felt that her sister, Clementine was a brat and that was purely Aster's fault for continuously babying her. I also believe that Clementine was not as remorseful as she should have been. I would have like the author to have explored their relationship a bit more as it would have added depth to the story. 

I really enjoyed the flow of the story but felt that the characters were not developed enough, there wasn't enough history or richness in the environment and the conflict didn't bring the girls together or develop them as a group. 

The ending wasn't what I was expecting and that isn't necessarily a good thing. It ended too easily and although there is a book two, it left me wondering what book two is about. 

Overall, I did enjoy this book because it gave me a nostalgic feel and it was written pretty well. There is a lot of potential for this to develop into an amazing series.  

3 Pickles

This book hovers between 3.5-4 stars for me. It is very strong for a debut author! The main character Aster, in particular, is very well drawn. She is strong-willed and courageous but not perfect -- she doubts herself, she screws up (more than once!), makes mistakes and apologizes for them, then tries to correct them. Her character arc involves figuring out who she is and what she wants from her new life, and coming to terms with her past; refreshingly, it has nothing to do with romance. There are secondary romances (one F/F) among the cast of characters but Aster is not involved. The background characters are not as vibrant as Aster but are detailed enough to stand apart from each other.

The worldbuilding is complex and fascinating, but at times feels like an info-dump. There are also customs and cultural norms mentioned that are not explained. A couple of things I kept expecting to come back at the end never did; it felt like there were dangling threads that should have been woven in.

The action is non-stop and might be triggering for some readers -- sexual violence is common and casual. There is no rape on the page but Aster's memories of being forced into prostitution are traumatic. This is handled quite well considering the subject matter, but readers should be aware that it's there. Likewise, there is a clear allegory to slavery here and an underclass of society thrown into slavery, subservience, and extreme poverty based on appearance and origin. There are characters of varied skin tone and ethnic origin, although it's not entirely clear the societal significance of skin color in the world Davis has built. The plot is fast-moving and keeps the reader interested to find out what happens; near the end it seems to wrap up a little bit quickly and conveniently.

Overall, this is a great fantasy debut with a few minor flaws that don't have a huge overall impact on the quality of the tale.

If "The Good Luck Girls" isn't on your TBR, add it now. If you love Westworld, add it to your TBR. If you enjoy feminist novels like "The Handmaid's Tale, add it to your TBR. If you are into the idea of ladies robbing banks as revenge against terrible men, add it to your TBR. If Netflix, Hulu, [fill in streaming service] are looking for a feminist fantasy Western to produce, it needs to be "The Good Luck Girls."
In Arketta, a land filled with multiple types of spirits - some benevolent, others deadly - where "dustbloods" (people who don't have shadows) are oppressed and used solely for manual labor, girls often get sold to "welcome houses." These elaborate houses are brothels and the girls get sold to men hoping they'll find luck before heading into the dangerous Arkettan interior. The house strip girls of their identities, renaming and branding them with flowers.
On her first night, Clementine kills her brag in self-defense. With her sister Aster and peers (two friends, one frenemy), they escape the welcome house to find a mythical figure who can remove their tattoo brands. "The Good Luck Girls" features brave young women who believe in freedom and decide to take their chances against evils - human and supernatural - instead of remaining changed.
Despite misinformed commentary, fantasy is political. While our contemporary reality might not have spectral beings (that we know of), Clementine and Aster's story resonates with present-day misogyny, racism, structural inequalities, lies that are told for generations to placate fragile egos, and the shackles of capitalist imperialism. Despite these horrors, "The Good Luck Girls" presents optimism through resistance and solidarity amongst women and those who are committed to fighting these evils. Read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Different books appeal to different readers. I have to say for me this book didn't have great appeal - I just didn't have a much attachment to the characters. It was solidly written and definitely tried to build the world in which these girls lived but that was that for me. I'm sure the adventure and the personalities of the characters will be of interest to those who enjoy a gritty fantasy. Just wasn't the novel for me as a reader. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.