There's something consistently warm and enjoyable about Jenn Bennett's books even though I'll admit, they don't end up becoming favorites. (Truth be told, my favorite book of hers is still The Anatomical Shape of a Heart). In Chasing Lucky, Josie Saint-Martin and her single mother are finally returning to their New England hometown to run the family bookstore after years of living like vagabonds. Josie doesn't expect they'll stay long and instead of focuses on her dream of moving to the West Coast to pursue photography. But coming home has this unexpected effect. She reunites with a cousin she hasn't seen in years. She has a run-in with her former childhood best friend and current town bad boy Lucky Karras who acts like he doesn't want anything to do with her. But when Josie impulsively acts out, he's the one to step in and take the blame for it. As she tries to make it up to him, they learn about what each has been up to during the years apart and before you know it, they become friends and then more. I'm a sucker for the childhood friends to lovers trope so I did find their relationship very sweet once they got past the drama. In fact, that's probably my main complaint about the story overall. It was overwrought with too much drama, which ranged from the incident with Josie to family issues to small town prejudices and the list goes on. I think one main point of conflict with maybe a side plot would've sufficed. Because since it was a bit all over the place, it was hard to really connect to Josie and the different relationships she had in her life (familial and otherwise). I would've liked to see a lot more of her family come into play instead of rushing it at the end and more growth from Josie as well.

5/5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, like I have every other Jenn Bennett romance I've read. Her characters, everyone from protagonist Josie to love interest Lucky to Josie's family and even her antagonists, were well-rounded and fully fleshed-out, life breathed into them. They were frustrating and amazing and had quirks and failures and flaws and were just very real in so many beautiful ways.

The setting is absolutely incredible, too — a small town in New England during the summer, with lots of shenanigans on boats and in the water and surrounding the water. And the bookshop where Josie and her family work (and above which they live) was painted in such a real manner I felt as though I were there.

I enjoyed the various conflicts, as well. At one point during the "dark moment of the soul" I wasn't sure I liked the direction the book was taking, but Bennett turned it around and the ending hit me in all the feels, making me so emotional (in the best way).

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book!

The book starts out with Josie traveling back to her home town with her mom after traveling from town to town since she was little. Once Josie returns to her small hometown, she realizes she left some pieces of her childhood behind. One of those pieces is Lucky. Lucky is now the towns “bad boy” and has yet to talk to Josie, even though they were best friends before she left. Once their paths finally cross, Lucky and Josie both find a certain level of comfort in each other and discover how powerful their relationship can be.

This book was so touching and was exactly the kind of read I needed right now. I also found myself laughing at some of the jokes in the book, which is very rare for me! I HIGHLY recommend reading this story, especially if you like YA romances! I flew through this book so fast. It was one of the best YA books I've read in a while.

Jenn Bennett, The reigning YA Contemporary queen of my heart, and a definite auto buy author for me, has dazzled me once again with her latest novel.

I was ‘chasing lucky’ (why yes, pun totally intended) when I took the plunge and requested this arc, and I guess the lucky stars were on my side (okay i’m done) because I was somehow granted access to an early copy, and my heart is still singing a happy tune over it!

This book was everything I expected and more from a Jenn Bennett novel. It had her signature, easily flowing and charming writing style, and I was head over heels in love from start to finish.

Chasing Lucky was filled to the brim with quirky but realistically flawed characters which really brought them life, a light, fun plot, and a romance that will give you butterflies. Josie and Lucky had a swoon worthy romance with sizzling chemistry and excellent banter. Their relationship was the perfect blend of sweetness and fire, and romance fans will be swept off their feet by the cuteness overload!

Aside from the romance, this book also focused a lot on family dynamics, as well as Josie’s personal growth and journey throughout the story. It was very well done and developed, and I loved seeing her progress and following her journey throughout the story. Josie is a quirky, funny, and relatable character, and I enjoyed getting to know her.

This story takes place in an idyllic, coastal small town, and Jenn Bennett did an amazing job of painting a vivid picture of it. I felt as if I were right there alongside the characters, transported into the pages of the story.

Unique, funny, charming, and utterly delightful, this was yet another highly enjoyable read from Jenn Bennett!

Chasing Lucky was an incredibly cute rom-com. I’m a relatively new fan of Jenn Bennett, but I love her writing style. All of the characters were unique, quirky, and humanly flawed which made it so easy to connect with them. Josie’s voice as the narrator was very distinct, funny, and relatable and brought her character, and the others, brilliantly to life. While the plot was pretty light and fun, the relationships took the forefront of the story. Josie and Lucky had a ton of chemistry, and their banter was butterfly inducing. I loved the sweetness in their relationship as well as the fire. In addition to the romance, the family dynamics and relationships were just as, if not more, important to the story and Josie’s journey. All of this takes place in an idyllic, small-town, coastal setting to which I was transported with how vividly it was painted. This book definitely gave me beach-read vibes with the setting and its light-hearted nature, yet it still had a great amount of depth, which can often be lacking in YA rom-coms. To anyone looking for their next sweet, romantic read, Chasing Lucky is the full package.

4.5 stars = Loved it! Would re-read.

This was delightful! The romance here is supremely satisfying. The couple was a great fit for me - I loved their bantering, Lucky's protective instinct, and the way the couple grows from a fractured friendship into something more than friends.

The relationships between the women in Josie's family were fascinating. The journey here was as delightful and satisfying as the romance was. I loved both pieces equally. I would have happily kept reading about these characters for many more chapters. (Language, sex, TW: harassment)

After spending the last five years on the road, Josie returns to Beauty to finish her senior year of high school and hopefully save enough money to head to LA to move in with her famous photographer father. The last person she thought she would run into while working at her family’s bookstore was her childhood best friend, Lucky.

This had all the makings of a perfect me book—reunited old friends, dark and brooding guy with a heart of gold, summer romance. It reminded me of classic Sarah Dessen books and other romantic contemporaries. I could read this book all day long and be happy.

Bennett displays a lot of depth in her characters and this is no different. I wanted to dig even deeper into Lucky’s character, into the history of Winona (Josie's mom) especially with her own mother.

I seriously can't say enough good things about this book and Jenn Bennetts' other books.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Chasing Lucky is the newest contemporary young adult novel from author Jenn Bennett. The story centers around Josie St. Martin, who returns with her mom to their family hometown determined to simply get through her senior year and then get out of this place to go and live with her father. But when she’s reunited with her childhood best friend Lucky and he takes the fall for something she did, Josie realizes that her future might not be just like she planned. Chasing Lucky was an enjoyable slice of life story set in a small coastal town in the Northeast. I enjoyed being immersed in the lives of Josie and the women of her family, from the minute we first meet these unique individuals and see how complicated their relationships (with each other and with others outside the family) are. While there’s not too many big inciting incidents, there are catalyst events that really force Josie to see the situations and people in her life through a different perspective. I appreciated that journey nearly just as much as I enjoyed seeing the rekindled relationship between her and Lucky (which had its very sweet moments, as well as misunderstandings and misconceptions that felt true to both characters). All in all, I really liked Chasing Lucky and can recommend it to fellow YA contemporary fans.

I love a good contemporary YA romance, and Chasing Lucky really delivered! This was such a fun, cute story and I loved Josie and Lucky. I really liked how they started out as friends, and it developed from there. It gave the romance some depth, which is sometimes missing from YA romance in general.

I really enjoyed how Josie’s love of photography was woven into the fabric of the book. It was such a huge part of who she was, and it was really fun to see her grow and evolve as the story went along. I also liked how her character did the same. She had beliefs at the beginning of the story that definitely changed over time. I love a well constructed character arc 🙂

I addition to her relationship with Lucky, which I really enjoyed, I also really loved watching Josie’s relationship with her mother change over the course of the novel. Even though Josie has a small family, and she wishes she had a bigger, more traditional family, it was such a great thing to see her relationship with her mother. Again, often in YA romance you don’t really see much of the family, who are often on the periphery of the story but not really part of it. Josie’s mom, Winona, was very present in the story. It was a welcome change of pace.

I really enjoyed this book. It was well done and highly entertaining. Once I got started I didn’t want to put it down. If you are looking for a contemporary YA romance that has a little more depth to it, this is a great pick!

My Rating:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I gave Chasing Lucky 4 STARS!

Josie has spent the last five years moving around with her mother, dreaming of living with her father and wondering why her best friend, Lucky, never emailed her back. When she moves back to Beauty and runs into him, all they can do is cast eyes at each other and walk away. The family curse has kept her from her best friend. When they finally get back together, feelings are more than they were before but everybody seems to get in the way. Can Josie and Lucky make a go of it?
Opinion
This has got to be one of the best young adult romances I’ve read in a while. The two MCs each suffer from the past and are trying to overcome it. Both lean on each other but don’t know if the can trust the other. All of the drama in Josies family is ridiculously funny (but not for her.) From the curse, to a separation between mom and grandmother, to something going on with her cousin, it’s no wonder Josie has trust issues. I fell in love with Josie and Lucky and surely you will too.

Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett is a young adult romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet and leave you wanting more. I think this was the perfect story for me right now at this time.  A lovely story that is sure to take you away to another place full of drama, family, and romance. Jenn Bennett's writing has the right balance of swoon and depth to pull me right out of a reading slump.

I’ve been loving Jenn Bennett’s books for a little while now and Chasing Lucky wasn’t an exception to this rule. Thinking about it again, I feel like it’s one of my favorite books by hers, now. Always on the move with her mother, Josie returns to her small hometown in New England to take care of the family’s bookstore and finds herself confronted both to her past relationships and her family’s tumultuous past.

There’s just so much to love about Chasing Lucky. The childhood friends to strangers to friends again to more trope, my favorite ever. The adorable New England small town setting, where you can feel the salt in the sea and cobblestones. The complex family and mother-daughter relationship. The way Jenn Bennett manages to juggle between romance, family and self-discovery in a well-rounded contemporary overall.

Definitely recommending this one to all fans of YA contemporary reads.

This was such a fast and fun read. Almost Romeo and Juliet with less death. :) Loved the lighthearted story and predictable romance. It was exactly what I needed during these awful times.

The first Jenn Bennett book I read was Serious Moonlight, and I adored it to no end. So when I saw Chasing Lucky was up on Netgalley, I had to jump at the chance to read it early! And I am SO GLAD that I did. This was an amazingly sweet book, with a fantastic main character and love interest, and I adored all the relationships - even through all the tension and conflict. It was very well written and I couldn't put it down! I will have to pick up more of Jenn Bennett's books, and keep an eye out for any upcoming ones, as well. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early!! Highly recommended!

After years of moving from place to place, Josie Saint-Martin is moved back to her hometown of Beauty by her flighty single mother to take over the family bookstore while her aunt and grandmother are away for a year. After all the moving she's done, Josie knows they won't be here forever either. But she can't help but be drawn back in by her former childhood best friend, Lucky Karras. He's changed in the five years she's been gone, but Josie can't help that her eyes follow him whenever he goes by. When Lucky takes the blame for some unfortunate vandalizing gone wrong, Josie is determined to pay him back and more importantly, why he would cover up for someone he hasn't seen in years.

Chasing Lucky was a fine story, but I didn't connect with it in the way I hoped I would. There was a lot of miscommunication and unnecessary drama in a book where, at the end of the day, not much really happens. Lucky is the most compelling character and I wish the story had been from his perspective. Josie is hard to like. Her communication issues affected her narration of the plot just as much as they did her relationship with Lucky.

A Jenn Bennett book about Josie, a teen photographer, reconnecting with her childhood best friend, Lucky, who’s now the town’s bad boy? Sounds like a great read, right? But unfortunately, as much as I liked it, it fell a little flat for me.

To be fair, I had high expectations (did I mention it features an old childhood friend who’s now the bad boy?!?), and I was stuck in a pretty bad reading slump. But Chasing Lucky just — ugh, I wanted it to love it so badly, but I just couldn’t.

The first quarter was sooo hard to get through. I have a pretty well-documented problem with secondhand embarrassment (it’s a “me” problem), and let’s just say Josie, our lovely main character, did not help with that. At all. I wanted to shake some sense into her so badly! In Josie’s defense, I do feel like some of my issues with Chasing Lucky, and my annoyance with all the secondhand embarrassment is related to the age of the characters. I might be getting a little too old for YA contemporary – there’s a bit of a disconnect between me and the characters (it’s like a five year age gap) that I can’t seem to get past.

Still, the secondhand embarrassment was so bad that I had to put off continuing this book for a few days. I thought this would be a short and sweet read, but it ended up taking me (who usually prefers to read books in one sitting) over a week to finish this.

Part of why it took me so long to read Chasing Lucky (by my standards) is that I feel like it’s missing something. Despite her rash behavior, I actually did like Josie. And as far as love interests go, Lucky is a pretty good one. But there was just something to keep me from becoming fully invested in their story. They had me smiling and laughing so much my cheeks hurt (when I wasn’t too busy being embarrassed). And I had a great time reading it; it just failed to draw me in and keep my attention during the first half (the second half had less awkward and embarrassing moments and had more things going on).

IN CONCLUSION…
Chasing Lucky was a cute read that had me grinning until my cheeks hurt. But it was missing a little extra spark and had too many awkward and embarrassing moments for comfort. Out of the three Jenn Bennett books I’ve read, this would be my third favorite (Starry Eyes has the top spot, followed closely by Alex, Approximately).

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

CW: [scarring due to fire, slut-shaming, bullying, toxic relationship (romantic and family), public display of a nude photo without consent (hide spoiler)]

3.5 stars

I tore through CHASING LUCKY because I love Bennett’s writing. I could’ve done with 90% less slut-shaming. It is A LOT and I don’t know how I feel about this Scarlet Letter-esque storyline. YMMV because I don’t think it’s offensive or anything, I just don’t like slut-shamey storylines.

That being said, Josie and Lucky’s relationship ex-BFFs-but-now-reunited pining angst? *chef’s kiss* perfection. I am trash for melodramatic angsty love stories, even if both MCs are making spectacularly bad decisions the entire time. Maybe *especially* because both MCs are making spectacularly bad decisions the entire time. I like what I like, okay? Lucky swooped in with his black kitty and scars and motorcycle and smirking and hot abs while metalworking and bad-boy-but-really-a-heart-of-gold act... and I said yes, please. 😭 I even liked the relationship when the bleak moment was caused by the dumbest catalyst ever. I can acknowledge when things are dumb even if I enjoy it. 😂

I don’t deny my love for the relationship, but the plot surrounding it was meh. Less slut-shaming, more kissing while stranded in islands during thunderstorms, please. God, that scene was hot.

So... 3.5 stars? That sounds about right. Definitely a recommendation with caveats, but try it if you like the tropes involved.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

How does Bennett manage to slay every rom-com she's ever written? They just keep getting better and better and this one was no different.

First, I loved getting to experience this story through the eyes of Josie. She was hilarious with her exaggerations, but also extremely relatable. I found myself nodding along or laughing multiple times during the book when she would be overthinking an issue because I've done the same thing countless times! Any encounters later into the book with her love interest, Lucky, were picked apart and examined by her and I know I do the same thing.

Speaking of romance, this book was slow-burn central!! Although they are incredibly frustrating, I love slow-burns. They build up the tension and make me root for the couple that much more. Many of Bennett's other book couples begin their romantic relations early on in the book, but this one didn't and I appreciated that.

As well, the sub-plots in this book were amazeeeee. They didn't feel scattered or distracting at all as sub-plots sometimes can. These felt relevant and necessary in getting our main character, Josie, from point A to point B. Plus, it helped me, as the reader, to get to know a few side characters better. I always love an opportunity to learn more about side characters.

And, as per usual, the comparisons and humor in this book were on par. Bennett just has a way of describing things that is very light-hearted but makes complete sense. And, they all fit right in with the quirkiness of the two main characters.

Something that I think set this book apart for me from other similar rom-coms was the family issues that were covered. Josie goes through real challenges during the book and talks about past challenges she's had in her life. Most of these are family issues and I appreciated that Bennett explored these. While many readers may not go through Josie's exact experiences, many will still be able to relate to moving frequently, or living on little to no money, or family estrangement. While some family issues aren't completely solved during the book, there is enough hope and guidance given that things feel okay and I really love that about Bennett's books.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend checking out this rom-com whether you're a long time Bennett fan or newcomer. The humor, the life-lessons, and romance are only a few reasons to read this sparkling novel. I promise, you won't regret it.

Jenn Bennett truly knows how to write a perfectly charming contemporary with the right balance of swoon and depth to pull me right out of a reading slump. This woman has never let me down and Chasing Lucky was no different. The characters were great, the romance was adorable and the story grabbed at my heart in a multitude of ways.

Another winner by Jenn Bennett! It was a great book to read during quarantine lock down! We are definitely adding this to the library collection.