How stinkin cute was this?!

Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lucky Caller by Emma Mills
It’s been a long time since I’ve jumped in to the world of YA but this was definitely a heartwarming one.
Nina is a senior in high school when she signs up for a radio broadcast class. With her dad as a pretty popular radio DJ she’s hoping some of it comes naturally.
Paired up in a group of 4 it’s their job to come up with a show theme for their 2 hour slot. Jamie, a childhood friend and neighbor is in her group. As they work thru the kinks Jamie and Nina get closer.
It was a delightful very realistic read about growing up and working together to achieve a goal.
Thanks to Macmillan Children's/Henry Holt and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

It took me a couple of tries to get into this book, but I finally finished it. It was a cute coming of age story that involved a YA friends to lovers situation and plenty of teenage family drama.

I think it is worth reading if you enjoy this genre, but it won't knock your socks off.

3.5 stars - rounding to 4 for Goodreads

Emma Mills knows how to write romances that make your heart fill with happiness and love for the characters!

Emma Mills can do no wrong in my eyes. Her stories, with their adorable covers, pack just the right amount of emotional punch and deliver on the romance. No one quite does YA romance like Emma Mills. Once again, she has crafted a cast of characters that is vibrant and full of life. I love the friend groups as well as the family dynamics. Of course, there's also the loveliest of slow-burn romances, tinged with just the right amount of teenage awkwardness, that had me oohing and ahhing. What you'll get out of Lucky Caller is a wholesome story of growth with a relatable cast who delivers on plenty of funny and charming moments.

This book was so, so good! I loved the character's development, Nina's home life and back story, and the way her relationship with Jamie changed. Couldn't put it down!

Although this wasn’t anything groundbreaking, I really enjoyed my time reading this! I buddy read this and it was nice to talk to someone about tit while reading it, especially the mystery at the end.

I'm not typically a fan of the young adult genre, but every 9nce in a while a great romance comes along so I'll read one here and there. This one was just not working for me. I made it about halfway through, struggling, and then gave up completely.

I have read This Adventure Ends and Famous In A Small Town and while I enjoyed both of those books immensely, this book didn't bring me as much happiness and enjoyments as the other two have. The writing style was pure Emma Mills which I have always enjoyed but I think the main problem I had with this book was the characters. At first I loved Nina, I loved her sarcasm and quick wit, and found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions with some of the things that came out of her mouth. As I continued reading though, I didn't like her as much. She was very evasive and lied quite a bit, even if that meant hurting other people when I feel she should have been more upfront and confrontational about things. After reading about half of the book I was so annoyed with the way she acted and the way she went about things, I almost put the book down. The romance was also pretty meh for me only because it dragged on and on in the book. I can appreciate a slow burn romance but this got to be a little too much.

I know a main thing in this book was to showcase family drama and absentee parents but holy moly I really didn't like the father. I guessed way back in the book that he was going to flake and I hate how the ending left so much unanswered between him and his kids.

*Thank you so much to Macmillan's Children Publishing Group and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review!*

I mean I guess it’s.. fine? Definitely not to same the standard of her last few - by far the most insubstantial plot and the characters lack the spark and charm the author usually conveys. Quick, decent YA contemporary but could be better.

I will always recommend an Emma Mills book. I truly always enjoy the simplicity and effortless writing.

Emma Mills has done it again! I can’t get enough of her fun and adorable romances. This is perfect for summer!

Nice coming of age story with a diverse cast of characters, but that’s not the focus of the story. Characters actually act like high schoolers. Liked the short flash forward at the end.

I love Emma MIlls's books and this was another winner. It was so great in so many ways: the sisters' relationship, the Dantist, the podcast itself, and of course the plot with Jamie. I liked this so much. I wish the cover had matched her previous covers-they are so pretty and unique, this one could be any YA book.

I'm not sure if I'm just burnt out on high school this-is-a-thing-for-school-so-let's-put-minimal-effort-into-it technologically centered romance, but I think I am.
There was nothing outright wrong about this book to me. It just feels like I've read this plot a dozen times now.
I enjoy Emma Mill's writing - I've actually read a few of her books and had nothing against them - I just don't think this one fit.

Maybe all the New Adult romance has gotten to me, but angsty teen why-are-they-like-this romance just ain't it.

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity to preview this ARC of Lucky Caller by Emma Mills.

Nina's family is going through some changes. Her mom is about to be remarried and soon she will be graduating from college. So as a distraction, she decides to take a radio broadcasting class, which requires her to team up and create a radio show that will go on air. Seems simple enough, but it quickly turns into a disaster.

I rarely use the word boring, I think that you can glean interest out of just about anything, but dang, this was boring. It was just so luke warm, and just kind of nothing? I struggled to see the conflict, love interest, or any interest at all? It just did not grab me in any way. DNF.

Lucky Caller introduces Nina, an Indiana teen, whose absentee dad is a semi-famous radio host in California. She signs up for a radio broadcasting class during her senior year, hoping to connect with him. She is grouped with Sasha, Joydeep and Jamie, a random group with whom she is at odds, for the class project. Complicating matters, Nina and Jamie live in the same building and used to be friends until a misunderstanding makes things awkward between them. The group decides on a 90s music theme, but have a hard time finding listeners until they capture the attention of fans of a 90s band known as the Existential Dead. To attract more listeners, they advertise a mystery guest interview, whom Nina promises will be her father. However, the hints they have been tweeting have people convinced the guest is either the reclusive frontman of Existential Dead or a member of a hit boy band. As Nina works through issues with her dad, her mom's new fiance, her growing attraction to Jamie, and the radio broadcasting class project disaster, she learns important life lessons through her mistakes. Transcripts from her father's radio show and various class recordings add spice to this fun rom/com.

"When Nina decides to take a radio broadcasting class her senior year, she expects it to be a walk in the park. Instead, it's a complete disaster. The members of Nina's haphazardly formed radio team have approximately nothing in common. And to maximize the awkwardness her group includes Jamie, a childhood friend she'd hoped to basically avoid for the rest of her life."

This is one of the more realistic YA books I have read in a while. I work with teenagers, and these characters seemed to make more decisions that I could see my own students making. Nina is such a great character. It was great to see the way she developed over the course of this book. Things were a bit confusing with how much the book would flip to her father's radio channel and then the past between her and Jamie. Sometimes, I had a hard time figuring out if they were playing their made-up game in the present or they were 5-years-old. In the end, the reader is able to see a great development and realistic situations/relationships that exist in our teen's world. There is not really any romance until the end.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

I will always love Emma Mills and what she brings to her characters. This book was full of warmth and romance and was quick to devour.