While the premise of this novel sounded intriguing, I struggled to connect to Alice’s story. The story itself is slow building and I had a hard time with the writing. However, once we get into the thick of the mystery, there was enough to keep my interest and keep me wanting to find out the truth.

The Lucky One by Lori Rader-Day tells the intriguing story of Alice, who was kidnapped as a young child. Her police officer father eventually found her, making her "the lucky one". But as she has grown up Alice has not forgotten what happened to her and spends much of her time now on The Doe Pages, a website dedicated to finding other missing people. One day during her browsing, Alice comes across a profile that she recognizes and things get a little crazy as lies and secrets are revealed.

The Lucky One is written from two different perspectives, Alice and Merrily. They are two different women with two different stories whose lives become intertwined. The beginning and ending of the book were gripping and fast-paced but it dragged a little in the middle of the story.

If you're into missing persons cases, reddit thread type message boards, and some twists, you'll enjoy this one!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Beginning with - that she was found within a day, continuing with helping others. Noble premise and then the twists arrive and you find yourself unsuspecting of who each really is. Also I was unaware Doe websites existed. Am going to share this info and book with true crime friends as well as suspense loving. This was my first Rader-Day and I am planning to find her other titles.

Nothing wrong with this one, but I just couldn't get into it. Alice annoyed me, but I think it's more the type of book than anything else. Just not for me.

Would you recognize your kidnapper if you were a young child? Especially after being lucky enough to escape into the safety of your police officer dads arms!? Alice does & did.
Now Alice is part of a Doe pages online group who tries to help those missing persons be found, or their remains identified to help families with closure. But when she recognizes a Doe, she panics. She knows him.
Therefore unraveling everything she’s ever known.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I am a sucker for kidnapping books. This is a dark thriller full of twists and family secrets. This one played out a little different from other books, and I give Lori Rader-Day credit for going that route. Enjoyable read.

In this modern age of true crime podcasts and armchair detectives, this book explores the lives of two women as their paths begin to intersect over missing persons. Rader-Day introduces us to flawed characters that are instantly relatable and takes us on a journey of discovering their mysteries, past and present.

I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining. The characters were complex while being completely entertaining.

One of Rader-Day's best novels, tight plotting, fast paced, and thoroughly intriguing from beginning to end. I loved that there was a "real" story behind it. I think it's my favorite -- in addition to "The Day I Died." Alice's harrowing journey to solve her own kidnapping as a child is weaved into a complex plot that involves family, secrets, and confronting old fears--all set in Chicago and the rural Midwest. I loved it!

This had a very interesting premise and a successful resolution. At times I felt like there was too much going on. Also I didn’t care for the sections that incorporated group chat.

4 stars

The book had a slow start, I had to start it a few times and I’m glad I did. After I got about 30% in I was hooked. I ended up finishing it in 2 days!

The Lucky One is told from 2 point of views and they eventually intertwine with each other. The build up is quite an interesting story, and a bit sad at some points. I enjoyed this book, it was well written and kept my attention after getting through the first couple of chapters. If you don’t get sucked in right away, give the book a chance!

Lori Radar-Day stuns again with another thrilling novel, The Lucky One, which centers around Alice, a young woman who sees the face of her childhood abductor on a missing persons page. Through broken memories, Alice begins a dangerous journey to find the truth, culminating in a soul-shattering revelation. If you have not read any of the Edgar Award-nominated and Anthony and Mary Higgins Clark award winning author Lori Radar-Day’s novels, RUN RUN RUN to get this one! Radar-Day deftly takes you on a non-stop mystery cleverly constructed to keep you guessing until the end. Her genius storytelling does not disappoint!

Intriguing and mysterious, this book grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let me go. I was invested in the characters and rooted for them. I thought I knew how the book was going to end, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Definitely a must-read.

This was a slower read. There were a lot going on and it didn't really blend well.. It seemed that all of the characters knew something, except Alice.

I just couldn't get into this book. I read the book description, but the story seemed to start in a very convoluted way. Loads of unnecessary descriptive language without any meaningful direction. I simply kept falling asleep while reading it and forgetting what it was about. I'm afraid I had to abandon.

I would like to start off by saying that I am not a great writer. Not even good. Honestly, I don't even write. And any author who creates a story out of ideas in their head and puts it out there for my potential reading enjoyment is awesome. Believe me, I couldn't do it. But, I've got to say that this book was just a lemon for me. I loved the premise and description of this book. I even liked the cover. But, I somehow just kept trying to push through this story to merely get to the end of it.

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy parts of it or that it didn't have admirable features. As I mentioned, the premise is cool. Alice, the main character, having been kidnapped as a child herself, works with a website organization that tries to identify missing Jane/John Does. One day she sees a John Doe posted that she identifies as her kidnapper and it is abruptly taken down. Cool concept, ripe for mystery and drama. It's just that I felt like the mystery was too darkly cloaked and erupted randomly. The drama involving the characters seemed to see-saw as well. At one point they feel this way about this important aspect of the story, nothing arises to really drop you any clues that they should feel another way about it, then they precede to completely turn a 180 on the topic into another emotion or mentality about the same story aspect. I will say that I didn't guess the ending, but I don't know if that was because I wasn't paying enough attention in the story or that it was pulled out of the hat abruptly without any context until the end game was revealed at last. Even the end game wasn't explained enough for me. Maybe I'm just being picky.

Did I feel that the dialogue was clunky at times? Yes. Were the characters too mysterious and sketchy to really pin down enough to care about? Sometimes. Was this a cool concept mystery/thriller that had some snazzy scenes sprinkled inside? Of course. I won't say that I loved it, but if you're looking for a good basic mystery to pass your time, give it a try. Sometimes you want some razzle dazzle, but sometimes a good warm meal can satisfy. I give this a 3 out of 5 stars mainly because I didn't truly guess the ending. Take of that as you will.

I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an eGalley of this book.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!

A nice addition to the crime genre. A solid purchase for collections where thrillers are particularly popular.

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Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
I have heard alot of great things about Lori Rader-Day and I jumped at the chance to read her latest book, The Lucky One. I love a good thriller and this book was very interesting, complex, well written, addictive and it had me second guessing myself the whole time.
I would definitely read another book by this author.

I sit down to write this review. Instead I read the Sunday New York Times. I sit back down to write this review. Instead I take a nap. I sit down to write this review, instead I make potato salad. Why? Because the book is so darn good I am afraid my poor words will not serve the reader of this review.

As a rule I do not read thrillers. I am more the type who looks both ways 4 times before crossing a street. No one who loves me will throw me a 'surprise' party. When an author opens her work with the sentence "This thread is getting long and tedious already and you jerks are starting to repeat yourselves." I say, oh please more.

Rader-Day tells us about Alice, who works for her father, Some say she is only taking up space, living the life of privilege . Others might dig deeper, and remember her as someone who survived a childhood abduction. But no one, not even Alice, is willing to dig deep enough to find her true center. Rader-Day contrasts her with Merrily. Tied to a dead grind job complete with hungry eyed "Billy", She lives in the city; but feels still tied by an umbilical cord to her mother. Her birthday has come and gone, with no word from Rick. Rick the plot hangs on Rick. Who is he? Good guy? Bad guy? Alive? Dead? Rader-Day kept me guessing, and reading quickly. I don't reread often, but look out, this story should be ready for a slow satisfying re read.

Reader, you be The Lucky One, choose this thriller next.