Member Reviews
Jenn Bennett feeds me and for that I thank her.
Thanks to NetGalley / Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.
DNF--Tried with this one to the 30% mark. I usually on go to 20% but because of the other good reviews, I wanted to keep trying. I just really didn't like the main character. And I enjoy reading books that are character-driven. I NEED to love the main character.
Unfortunately, this wasn't a win for me.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.
this was just an okay read 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. But I didn't love this as much as I had hoped to.
This was such a cute romance! I really enjoyed the writing and the characters. I will deff check out some more books by Jenn Bennett
I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A cute, well-written contemporary ya book, though it was lacking a bit for me. Out copy is often checked out.
Chasing Lucky is an underwhelming contemporary romance novel. While it aims to be reflective, it misses the mark by only skimming the surface level of the book's themes. Josie has spent half her life moving because of her mother's complicated relationships with everyone from boyfriends to her own mother. At times her mother does not seem capable of communicating or frankly being a responsible parent, but for Josie, who wants to be a photographer like the father she barely knows, it's all temporary; her future is in L.A., with him. When she and her mom head back to Beauty, the New England hometown they left when Josie was young, it's just another stop on the road. She doesn't expect to re-encounter Lucky, the childhood best friend who's now the town's resident bad boy and to become embroiled in town drama.
I found Josie to be very irritating and really hard to connect to as she had tunnel vision in becoming 'worthy' to a parent who she has never known and met. She is also very passive by letting her friends and family make her choices for her instead of herself. I really wished Josie's character had more growth. I also had issues with the book's pacing in which there isn't much happening in the plot until the last half where big family secrets are uncovered and the necessary miscommunication that tears Josie and Lucky apart come quickly without much time given to its resolutions. Attempts at discussing the #MeToo movement and unhealthy relationships are not successful. The only thing that kept me reading this book is the character of Lucky, who is the only fully developed character in the whole book. He is seamlessly vulnerable and strong. The last two YA books by Jenn Bennett have not worked for me at all, but I'm hoping her new book, Always Jane, which comes out in March 2022 will turn it around for me.
Heavy topics handled in a sweet way. This one wasn't necessarily my favorite edition from Jenn, but I still really enjoyed it. She alway has a way of perfectly balancing fun with with the harder topics and this one wasn't an exception of that talent
I enjoyed this one but I honestly think it's probably my least favorite Jenn Bennett book so far. Maybe I'm just (finally) outgrowing the YA book world but I don't seem to connect to the books the same way I used to. Or maybe I've just read too many of the same kinds of books. Either way, there wasn't really anything different in this one. Neither character really stood out to me and I felt like the relationships between Josie and her mom (or Josie and her cousin and grandma or her mom and her grandma, not to mention anything with her father) weren't ever really examined very deeply. I know that this is a romance, but I really wish there had been more focus on the relationships, even the past best friend relationship between Josie and Lucky. It seemed to me like there was a lot that could be explored there but it was really just skimmed and easily resolved. I guess what I'm really looking for is a family drama story and there was so much here we could have really gotten into. So that's on me. The relationship between Josie and Lucky was cute. I just never really felt much of a spark between them. I think I maybe wasn't in the right mood to read this one. It was a cute and fast YA romance. But if you want something deeper or a stronger connection, I don't think this will satisfy you.
This YA title is a such a heart-warming with lovely characters. While it does include heavy topics, it does so in such a caring way. Great addition to a library collection that is looking for YA romance and also a great read for adults.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
Josie Saint-Martin and her mother have lived an itinerant lifestyle ever since they left the small Rhode Island seaside town where they lived with her grandmother. Now, as her senior year approaches, her grandmother and aunt have left to work in Nepal, leaving Josie's mother in charge of the bookstore which has been in the family for ages. Her cousin, Evie, will also be with them. One of the first people Josie meets when she comes back to town is her former best friend, Lucky Karras. The two had been inseparable, but when Josie left town suddenly, Lucky's life spiraled downward. He was involved in a bad fire, and carries scars from that, although his family's fortunes have improved and they now run a successful yacht repair service. There are some priveleged kids in town who go to a private school, and one of them, Adrian, shows up at a party showing a nude photo of Josie's mother as a teen. The Saint-Martin woman have a reputation, and also a "love curse" that seems to follow them, and Josie feels awkward and angry. When she and Lucky leave the party together, she ends up throwing a rock that accidentally shatters a large window at Adrian's family's department store. Lucky takes the blame, and Josie feels guilty. She tries to help him pay for the window, even though she's not making a lot of money herself. Most of her income comes from a photo hosting web site where she displays her art work; this also leads to rumors that the nude photo came from her site. Josie and Lucky spar back and forth, and both have a lot of anger about the way their lives have gone. Josie worries about her mother's erratic behavior, her cousin Evie's choices of friends, and her own future. Her father is a successful photographer in California, and Josie hopes to graduate from high school and go to join him when her mother fulfills her own wish of moving to Florida. Josie doesn't speak much to her father, but hopes to impress him, although she is unable to get an internship. When her relationship with Lucky takes an interesting turn, will it jeopardize her future?
This wasn't my favorite of Jenn Bennett's, but I did still enjoy it. I appreciated the setting, especially the bookstore, and liked the emphasis on the family conflicts; it wasn't just about the romance. I didn't like how long our MC kept her secret about the "crime" and who really did it, but that kind of device always bothers me.
I thought the relationships, both familial and romantic, were well-done and believable.
I loved Chasing Lucky! I’ve been a long-time fan of Jenn Bennett, and this might be my new favorite book of hers. It has family drama, humor, and romance. I loved getting to know Josie and Lucky and follow their adventures through Beauty, RI!
Not exactly my cup of tea. The premise of the book was good, and the chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts, but a lot of the plot and dialogue just seemed over dramatic (and not in the usual YA sense) so it was a little hard to get into. Might be a good ready for YA fanatics.
Beauty, Rhode Island: where family curses, long-ago secrets and a childhood friend are waiting for the St. Martin women.
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Josie, a junior in high school, and her wanderlust mother have moved back to her childhood home to work at the family bookstore. But to be honest Josie can’t wait to get away from her mother’s constant lack of roots and go to LA to work for her photographer dad. What Josie doesn’t count on is running into Lucky Karras, the boy from her youth that was her best friend. After both of them getting arrested for a crime Josie is responsible for, she might come to realize that Lucky isn’t everything everyone thinks he is and maybe Beauty isn’t as bad as Josie thought too.
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I’m slowly becoming a huge fan of Bennett’s YA books. Every single one I’ve read is more than just a romance. They all have such depth where the characters are dealing with serious emotions and issues. There’s something special about Jen Bennett books.
This book is a super cute YA novel that grabs your attention right from the beginning. I quickly fell in love with the characters, the quant setting, and the reconnecting of childhood friends. Great book!
This was not anything new to the genre therefore I will not be buying it. No reason to add another unoriginal romance. I did not think the relationship seemed very healthy either and I would not recommend it to teens.
Jenn Bennett once again crafts a beautiful story complete with family drama, teenage love and angst, and coming of age realizations. Beauty, Rhode Island, seems to be a cozy place, complete with various family owned shops and stores, all of which play an important part in the storyline. After sometime away from the area, Josie Saint-Martin and her mother, Winona, find themselves returning "home" to help run the family bookstore, Siren's Book Nook (bonus points to Jenn Bennett for giving us a beautiful, welcoming bookstore to geek out about!) with cousin Evie, while Grandma Diedre and Aunt Franny travel to Nepal to teach.
In coming home, Josie is reunited with her estranged childhood bff, Lucky Karras. Last time Josie and Winona left Beauty, Lucky was recovering from an accident...and Josie and him haven't spoken since, so things are a little contentious between the two, as we begin. Josie hears things about Lucky and how he has changed and matured and many rumors are swirling about the shenanigans Lucky may or may not be involved in.
As the two rekindle their friendship they find themselves in the middle of a situation which could pin them against each other, but Lucky willingly takes the blame and pays the price, which leaves Josie slightly relieved, but confused.
Meanwhile, facts about Winona's mysterious past in Beauty and why she was so on-edge in returning, come to the light. What will this mean for Josie, Winona, Lucky, and all the other inhabitants of Beauty, Rhode Island?
To close, Jenn Bennett, once again writes a story that will sit with you for a very long time. Her setting and her characters leap off the page and the reader feels blessed for having been able to go on this adventure. I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys YA novels and or anybody who wants to read about relatable family dynamics; the highs and lows of life which can be so much better when we come together.
A coastal town, a mother/daughter bookshop duo, and Jenn Bennett's writing? Of course, I loved it. I ADORE the way that Jenn crafts family dynamics, romantic relationships, and friendships. She never lets me down, ever. I have loved every single one of her books, and this one is no different. Lucky shines in this story! The pain of a mother/daughter relationship on the rocks makes Josie so relatable to a lot of teens. A highly recommended addition to my obsession with Bennett's books.
I loved this book!! Jenn Bennett does a great job connecting with readers and taking us on a magical journey!
I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is a young adult book but tackles a lot of adult issues. I feel some aspects would be a little inappropriate for younger readers but I enjoyed it. Lucky was a sweetie and his family was wonderful. Enjoyed Josie’s family making up