I’m definitely in the minority, but this was just an okay read for me. I really had to push to get into the book. For me, there was just way too many competing storylines. I felt like my attention was everywhere. While I liked Lucky’s character, Josie drove me crazy. Her decisions and the way she acted rubbed me the wrong way. The family curse was unique and interesting. I’m sad I didn’t love this one, because I have loved so many of Jenn Bennett’s books in the past.

Josie is an aspiring photographer who dreams of heading to California to work with her famous father. Unfortunately, she’s headed back to her hometown instead. Beauty is a small seaside town where the women in Josie's family are the subject of gossip, speculation, and a fair bit of slut-shaming. Josie runs into Lucky, her former best friend who is now the town bad boy. Clearly, she needs to stay far away from him …. but can she?

Chasing Lucky was soothing – just what I needed at a super-stressful time. The small town setting was completely charming and the romance was cute. I enjoy the “bad boy with a heart of gold” trope and loved watching Josie and Lucky fall for each other.

My advance reader’s copy incorporated descriptions of Josie’s photos, and I am wondering: will there be photos in the finished copy? I’m going to need to check this out.

If you love contemporary romances, small town settings and bad boys (who doesn’t love all these) definitely check Chasing Lucky out!

Josie loves to take photos of signs, but she sure can’t read them even though they are right in front of her. Aside from that, I can’t believe that Josie and some of her family members used the curse as an excuse for their immature behavior. Maybe like don't try to blame everything on the curse?

I only need to see Jenn’s name on a book and I will pick it up. I didn’t even read the synopsis beforehand.

I loved Josie. She’s a looking for stability and maybe a bit lost. Lucky is all crunchy exterior and a gooey inside. I loved reading these two together. Their history is great and it really made every interaction supercharged. I also loved all of the other Saint-Martin women.

Plot wise, it was a bit more angsty than I was expecting. A lot of this story is about a family finding it’s way back to each other and the secrets that have kept them apart. It was fantastic reading so many strong women supporting, even if it didn’t seem that way at times. Be prepared for wanting to shake everyone into having a 5 minute conversation.

Overall, I could have easily read another 100 pages of these characters and definitely wanted just a bit more from the epilogue, but I’m guessing that’s just me being greedy.

FYI: talks of stalking and several scenes of something similar to revenge porn

**Huge thanks to Simon Pulse for providing the arc free of charge**

Legit, every time I read a Jenn Bennett book, my life improves. That’s just a fact. And Chasing Lucky fits the bill, no doubt. I leave each of Jenn’s books feeling better than when I started, and that’s a gift.

This, like the author’s other books, features a very adorable romance. Interestingly, it falls into both “friends-to-lovers” and “enemies-to-lovers”, so I daresay there’s something for everyone. Josie is moving back to her childhood town, after basically running around the east coast with her mom. Her mom is a pretty solid avoider, and of course they have a lot of relationship stuff to work through. They are also all crap at communicating, which is probably my one frustration with the book. It makes absolute sense in context, but I can’t help that it is just a personality trait that irks me in general.

As such, Josie isn’t the best communicator with anyone. Her mom, Lucky, who had been her bestie before they’d moved away, her cousin, she has some rocky moments with them all. But I liked that because it is fairly normal and definitely relatable, even though it irks me on a personal level. As always, the author made me care deeply about all the characters, and root for Josie throughout. It’s sex positive as always, and features such a unique historic coastal town that I couldn’t help being intrigued by.

Bottom Line: Another hit from Jenn Bennett, who I am beginning to think is only capable of hits. A charming romance with realistic yet lovable characters, and a strong family storyline to boot.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly November New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached).

I look forward to ever new Jenn Bennett book like a junkie must look forward to their next hit. I crave them, I'm excited for them, and I do a jump of joy when they are finally, finally in my hands!

This was everything one would expect from one of Bennett's books. It had all the emotions, relatable characters and story line we have come to love from her, all set in a wonderful small town that was hard not to love, prejudices and all.

I absolutely love how raw and real Bennett's characters are and how very much you come to love and root for them over the course of her stories. Truly another wonderful tale that was every bit as irresistible as it was good.

This is only my second book that I've read from Jenn Bennett, but I think I'm going to be reading more from her in the future. I really like the plot and characters in Chasing Lucky. I loved the childhood best friends to lovers trope and the fictional town setting in Rhode Island was perfect. I could almost picture myself walking around the downtown areas with Josie and Lucky. If you want a cute YA romance, check this one out.

Jenn Bennett certainly knows how to write a cute YA contemporary, and I think that it will be lots of peoples cups of tea, unfortunately I think I'm starting to move past the point of YA contemporary's clicking with me and that's okay!

A good choice for a cute, well-written YA contemporary.

enn Bennett is one of my favorite YA authors. Her stories always have swoons and seriousness and are amazing. I first fell in love with her books with Alex, Approximately and my love has only grown. Even when one of her books isn’t one of my favorites I still fall more and more in love with her writing. And Chasing Lucky, although not my favorite of her books, did help that love grow.

Chasing Lucky is the story of Josie, a girl that has been missing her home for 5 years. When she was 12 her mom took her away from the home she knew in New England and they have been bouncing around from place to place ever since. That is until they find themselves back where they started. Now Josie is trying to find her footing but not get too attached since she knows she won;t be there forever. But when something happens and her childhood best friend, Lucky, takes the blame, Josie find she may have something she wants to stick around for. While the two of them spend the summer rekindling their friendship and learning about the new people they have become Josie does the one thing she tried not, makes a connection that puts down some roots.

I really loved Lucky in Chasing Lucky. For me he was the best part of the book. He was a complicated guy but underneath it all he was a sweet boy that just wanted his best friend back. He went through a really rough time when Josie left, right when he needed her the most. Seeing them reform their friendship and what it became was a highlight for me. But I admit I struggled the Josie a lot. She was really frustrating. I didn’t understand some of her thought processes it was hard for me to connect with her. She did have great chemistry with Lucky which I appreciate in a good book.

Although I struggled with Josie and wish there had been a few less side stories I did really enjoy Chasing Lucky. It was a quintessential Jenn Bennett book. It had heart and emotion to it which I why I will be a fan of her stuff for a long, long time. I recommend picking this one up.

Josie is moving back to the town where she grew up and where her mother grew up. They haven’t been back in 5 years and she is not looking forward to it. Until she runs into her old friend Lucky, who has changed from the boy she remembers being best friends with.

I was so disappointed in this book. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t connect with it at all. I didn’t care for Josie, I found her to be very whiney, and I didn’t feel the love between her and Lucky. I started reading this at the beginning of March thinking it was going to be a quick read. Instead, I put it aside and read four other books before I finally finished it.

The story was fine. Josie is dealing with her relationship with her mom and her absent dad. Lucky is dealing with abandonment issues. There was a lot going on that seemed very repetitive. I felt like Josie was naiive, which, fine, she’s a teenager, but it just didn’t come off well to me. Maybe if I was younger I would’ve liked this one more?

I’m not one to write long reviews on books I didn’t like, so I’m not going to say much more. Maybe this book will be better for you than me, but I would recommend picking one of Bennett’s other books over this one. It’s not going to stop me from picking up more of her books in the future, but this one just wasn’t the one for me.

Chasing Lucky was such a fun, cute read!! I adored everything about this book!!
The characters are adorable & the book is really well written!!
I highly recommend this book & will be picking up all of Jenn Bennett's other books asap!!!

I know Jenn Bennett is one of the more known YA contemporary authors but this is actually my first read from her. The story follows Josie who returns to her hometown after 5 years. She reconnects with Lucky, her childhood best friend. I love the childhood best friends to lovers trope and I found their relationship so cute (although I admit there was miscommunication there...) I have to say I enjoyed the family aspect, especially between Josie and her mom. I also loved that this tackled mature topics.

What can I say other than, I LOVE Jenn Bennett!! She delivers #AllTheFeels. Jenn takes me back to my youth and makes me feel things I have yet to experience or re feel them again.
Josie is a budding photographer who moves around with her single mother. Her mother finally settles down to run their family’s bookstore and Josie doesn’t expect to like anyone, especially not the bad boy rebel Lucky.
Jenn has this way if knowing what you want to read. The emotions that come with love and heartaches!

A perfect contemporary YA read. Jenn Bennett always writes cute romances that also tackle some important topics and this was no different. I loved the character of Josie and really enjoyed reading her story

This was cute, even if I felt like I'd kinda read this book a lot (if you like Bennett's books, you'll like this).

Josie wants nothing more than to escape the town she's grown up in and only recently moved back to, eager to escape the rumors that follow the women in her family as being 'cursed in love'. Her plans get muddled a bit when Lucky, her childhood best friend, enters her life again and makes her question why she's been so set on seeing the wrong signs in life.

The romance in this is cute, and it dominates the plot, but it wasn't what I was left with at the end. I've always admired Bennett's inclusion of sex positive teen relationships, and there was nothing wrong with it, I just preferred (like picking a favorite flavor of cake) the aspect of this book that was whispered throughout: the theme of classism and sexism in small towns.

Now, I grew up in a somewhat small town and when I was adopted at 13 my school found thousands of reasons for why it happened that were both untrue and cruel. You never shake rumors like that, and it impacts every interaction you have. The idea that Josie's paranoia kept her from wanting to put roots down, that her cousin was willing to let boys mistreat her behind closed doors because she thought it was what she deserved, that her mother wouldn't want to try for serious love because she never thought a good man would want her? That's some powerful shit to put in a YA, and I think it will help a lot of people who feel the shadow of misinformation that no denial will quell.

There's also this idea that men - and especially rich men - can cast the stones against women without repercussions. That any wrongdoing on their part will be written off by their good image, by their prospects, and the woman is inherently suspicious: the Eve with her bitten apple. I would have liked more of that, even though I'm probably in the minority (I just love to read men getting DRAGGED, please Jenn).

I will say that I've liked protagonists more than Josie. I think it really stems from how disgusted she was thinking that people might mistake a nude photo of her mother. It didn't feel embarrassing - it felt slut shame-y and resentful, and I'm sure it was written that way on purpose, but it was early on enough that it took me a while to get over (No one holds a grudge against a fictional character like me, I was Team Mom).

Read if looking for a cute teen romance with a sprinkle of social commentary.

Even with the usual Jenn Bennett trademark ingredients: artsy teen girl - check, darkly mysterious local guy - check, absent or oblivious parent - check, Chasing Lucky fell a little flat for me. Unfortunately, the romantic sparkle in Serious Moonlight (my fave); Alex, Approximately; and Starry Eyes, was subdued, dragged down by too many secrets and family drama.

Stuck living in her grandmother's house and tending her grandmother's bookstore with a mother struggling with depression and wanderlust, Josie only wants one thing: to flee with her trusty Nikon to apprentice with her famous photographer, and long absent, father. Unfortunately, instead of working on her art, Josie finds herself stymied by secrets: A mother who can't stay in one place or tell her about her father. A boy who was once her best friend but now doesn't speak to her. A cousin who lies. A grandmother who hides.

So many secrets and half-truths, Beauty soon became really claustrophobic when Josie is targeted with the leaking of a damning photo. I stopped caring about Josie and Lucky together and only wished for her to escape that small town. I normally finish a Jenn Bennett YA with a goofy smile as the two young lovebirds walk off into a rosy sunset, but in this case, I found myself worrying about Josie and Lucky stuck in that town. With the prejudices and gossip piled on them, and their lack of opportunities, the future didn't look that rosy to me.

The lack of humor or sweet moments hurt. I know it's impossible to love every work by an author equally, so this one will have to be my Jenn Bennett outlier. Still looking forward to her next romantic YA adventure.

I've tried to get into this one several times, but my heart just isn't in it. YA is so tricky for me, I feel like most of the time I'm just not in the headspace to enjoy or appreciate it, but I love Jenn Bennett's writing so I hoped this was an exception. Loved her previous YA, but this one isn't sparked anything in me. I'm moving on after 30%.

A copy was kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was definitely different from what I normally read. I'm used to swords and magic and danger forests with deadly fights and wars that could change the fate of the world. This book was none of that. However, that's not a bad thing. I felt like I needed a change of genre so I got this book from netgalley when I saw that it was available for review. A huge gamble, as I had no idea if I would hate the genre or not, but one that was worth it.
I loved it! It was a quick, easy read that put me in a great mood. Although, at times, it was pretty predictable. I hold nothing against it for being that way, I still enjoyed it quite a lot. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in dipping their toes into contemporary. It's a great starting point, in my opinion.

Sadly, I think I have reached the point in my life where I am too old to enjoy Jenn Bennett books. This one sounded so good, but it just wasn't for me. Don't get me wrong, I love a good YA contemporary, but this one was just way to angsty for me. The teenagers were way to over dramatic for my liking.

From a stand point of an educator, I think this would be a wonderful book for my students to read. I would love to get it for my classroom one day.