Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. I was super interested in reading this book and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. I would definitely read more from this author!

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had an amazing plot, but I felt the characters were a bit hard to connect to.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Just Our Luck is an incredible book and if it does not ever get picked up in the future to become a Netflix tv show, I will personally riot! Not literally....Maybe! Anyways, I enjoyed this contemporary and feel that anyone of any age can pick up this lighthearted read. It was so interesting to learn more about the Greek culture and I really loved Leo's story, his journal entries and his relationships with others, such as his grandmother yia yia. Definitely a book that after you finish it, you will not stop thinking about!

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

This book sadly felt a little.. disjointed to me. I wanted to like it, especially since it has a mental health focus, which I think we need so much more of in the world, but it just didn't hold up as much as I would have liked. I am very glad to see that my opinion isn't held by all, as this book got a lot of good buzz and good reviews. I just think it was missing that extra something that would make it a smooth read, rather than the bumpy road that it was.

That said, it's still something I would recommend to readers, but it does need some trigger warnings. Still, it's popular for our book displays, and gets good circulation, so it's an excellent purchase for our system.

'Just Our Luck' is interestingly compelling, detailing the story of Leo and how he struggles with his anxiety and the passing of his grandmother, Yia Yia. While I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, I can definitely see it appealing to other people.

After a fight with a classmate convinces Leo's dad to sign him up for a self-defense class, Leo finds himself agreeing to anything Evey Paros will have him do, as long as she gets him out of it. Evey Paros, as in the daughter of the family his grandmother told him to stay away from. But as it turns out, Evey is on a mission - one that just might change things for Leo for the better.

I think that one of the best parts of this book is actually what drew me to it: the anxiety rep. It was incredibly realistic and moving, to the extent that even if you have never experienced anything close to what Leo goes through, you can't help but sympathize with and understand what he's going through.

Additionally, the friendships that Leo makes over the course of the story as he connects with different people and learns to put himself out there were excellent. I loved reading about the dynamic between Leo and all of the other characters, as well as how Leo began to trust others more, and gradually opened up.

That being said, however, as wholesome as this book was, there were some issues with it that I simply couldn't stand.

The first being the romance between Leo and Evey. It just felt very unnecessary to me? And I say this as someone who enjoys almost all romance. I think that the two of them could have shared a platonic relationship and it wouldn't have taken away from the story at all, but rather have shown that Leo had a solid support system he could count on.

I also felt that the end of the book was extremely rushed. A few things that had been hidden from the reader for the sake of the plot were revealed, and lots of things happen as a result, to the effect that it feels vague and murky. I wasn't completely aware of everything that was happening and things were happening fast.

The whole book and everything that it had been building up to felt robbed of the ending it deserved, as everything resolved itself as well, with no real involvement on Leo's part, in an extremely convenient way. I definitely think that if the ending were in the same style as the rest of the book, or if it just wasn't as rushed, then I would have certainly enjoyed the book as a whole way more.

Overall, while I do feel that this book will certainly appeal to some, it simply didn't live up to everything I was expecting of it. I would, however, recommend it if you want to read good anxiety rep or something with teenage shenanigans.

this book was fantastic, and i really really enjoyed it! i think its perfect for new adults and young adults to read, especially when going through a difficult time!

This book was wonderful. After reading the synopsis of Just Our Luck, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. I thought maybe this could be a rival family situation where two members on opposite sides secretly fall in love (i.e. forbidden love, one of my favorite tropes). It wasn't exactly that, but it was so much more than I could have hoped. Julia Whalton has the ability to weave a beautiful story with the reality of living with anxiety, something I struggle with daily. The depictions of anxiety felt so real and were hard to read at times...because it felt so raw. Another favorite theme of mine is when a story with a romance also focuses on the importance of friendship. Being witness to Leo and Drake's development as friends was a breath of fresh air. I recommend this book for anyone looking for insight on what it's like to live with generalized anxiety or anyone wanting a story with characters to root for.

I just loved this one. Leo was such a loveable and relatable character. I just wanted to hug him. Evey and Drake are also great characters and had so much growth in this book. The story immediately pulled me in and I couldn’t put it down. It handled the issues of mental health and anxiety really well. This was such a great book. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this book and highly enjoyed the ride! I loved that we got to know so much about our main character Leo but still had a good plot to propel us through the story. Leo is so multi-faceted and has multiple different hobbies and things going on throughout the story, which I really appreciated. The one qualm I have is that I feel like the “big struggle” that YA contemporaries have (you know what I mean, when everything is going perfectly and then it all comes crashing down around the MC) wasn’t...big enough? I didn’t feel like there was enough to lose. Still, I highly enjoyed this novel and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!

Leo knits when his anxiety becomes too much for him to handle. No matter where he is; school, home, the cemetery. On this specific day, Leo’s knitting got him in a fight and now his dad wants him to take a self-defense class that Leo has no desire to take. Lying to his dad, he ends up taking the yoga class that takes place at the same time as the self-defense class. To add to his punishment, Leo must spend a period of time every day in the consoler’s office with Drake, the guy that punched him in the first place. 

Leo is also a skilled photographer, but of course, his father thinks photography isn’t a ‘manly’ profession so Leo keeps his work hidden in his portfolio. When his portfolio goes missing, and he gets a strange text from Every Paros, his life only begins to change.

I liked this book almost as much as I liked, Words on Bathroom Walls, which is by the same author. This book is also written kind of similar, in which both main characters tell their story by writing in some kind of journal. I happen to really like this writing style, so I really enjoyed it.

The story itself is really relatable. I mean I think everyone has some form of anxiety, whether it happens often or it that happens very rarely. We all also have our own ways of dealing with said anxiety and I believe that as long as someone isn’t hurting anyone else or themselves, you should let them be or try to help.

I loved reading this book and seeing Leo’s character grow and gain confidence in himself and make friends. On top of being really relatable, Leo’s character is really funny and easy to care about. I really enjoyed his story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing I like about this book is Leo. He's not traditionally "masculine." He doesn't like sports or fighting. He knits and crochets to cope with his anxiety. And when he does get in a fight, the jock who punches him ends up his friend. Their conflict comes more from a mutual lack of understanding than any judgment or true bullying. They can be friends and have different interests. They can find each other frustrating or mildly annoying but still likeable. And that relationship with the jock parallels Leo's relationship with his father. Sure they are different but neither one makes much of an effort to find common ground. They make assumptions about each other rather than attempting to communicate. These side relationships are, to me, more compelling than the main plot of Leo and Evey and their revenge plot, which has a couple of hard to believe turns. Still, this is an entertaining read with some heart.

I am so sorry that I cannot do a review. I read this book for consideration for the Schneider Award. While I am allowed to give starred reviews, I cannot give analysis reviews. But thank you for allowing me the chance to read it!

TW: revenge porn, anxiety, panic attacks, alcohol usage, bullying, instance of slut shaming

Just Our Luck follows main character, Leo, who battled anxiety and has landed himself in some interesting positions. He is being forced to eat lunch with the kid who punched him, struggling in a relationship with his distant father, grieving his grandmother, and is also finds himself entangled in Evey Paros’ grand scheme to get back at her ex-boyfriend. Leo’s Greek heritage and knitting hobby are also large aspects of the book.

I was a little bit disappointed, actually. I was sure that Leo’s anxiety would be heavily discussed and would be a central element to the plot, given the description of the book, but it was more of a background element. The plot would drag, pick up, then drag again. For Evey’s ex being the central issue in the book, he did not get as much page-time as you would think. Evey and Leo’s budding relationship also seemed quite dry, as they really showed no chemistry or personal growth TOGETHER. Now, I absolutely adored Drake and Leo’s relationship. They went from disgruntled acquaintances to best friends and that development was one of the better parts of the novel. In reality, I loved all the characters. It was just that some of the relationships seemed underdeveloped.

The ending is where everything comes together and boy do I wish it would’ve been like that the entire book. Some more sensitive topics are brought in and resolved within the last 80ish pages. I think Just Our Luck needed a bit more intricacy in its plot to spice things up, more chemistry between Leo and Evey, and more commentary on Leo’s anxiety!

Overall, Just Our Luck barely missed the mark for me, but the relationships between characters can make this an enjoyable read.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

I picked this book since I read her other book, Words on Bathroom Walls, which was an excellent book. I liked this story of Leo and his journey through friendships, anxiety and loss. Unfortunately the flow of the book was confusing for me and sometimes I couldn’t focus on the story. The story also jumped locations many times that I couldn’t follow what was going on. I feel bad about stating this because I LOVED her other book so much.

Leo was a great person and I wanted great things for him. He got into a fight in school and his father decided he needed self defense classes. His classmate switched him to a hot yoga class instead but only if he helped her out. I loved how much he wanted to help others and be a good friend. The potential love interest was okay but I liked her towards the end when she treated him better. Drake was a great friend to Leo and I would love a story of him next. Overall, it was a good story about friends, family, self confidence and love. I would pick up her next book!

I received this Arc from the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy

Honestly, this book was <em>exhausting</em>. Julia Walton's <em>Just Our Luck</em> was a book I'd genuinely been excited to read but somehow managed to fall flat in nearly every way once I finally opened it up. To say this book <em>dragged</em> would be an understatement, in my opinion. To tell you the truth, there's not a lot that was <em>bad</em> about it other than the fact that it was just <em>so boring</em> and the main character had, like, zero chemistry with the love interest.

<b>That's the Tea<b>

Okay, so there's a bit more to it than that. <em>Just Our Luck</em> is basically the story of a boy with anxiety and no support system who, by sheer circumstance, gets blackmailed--yes--into pranking an asshole jock with <em>yarn</em> at the "request" of the girl whose ancestor supposedly cursed his family.

Throughout the course of the book he goes on to build his own support system, primarily because he starts to befriend his bully in detention. And then there's this bit about rich jocks and using revenge porn as a manipulation tactic...that was, decent? I don't even entirely know how to categorize this, but yay for accountability, I guess?

<b>Yoga vs. Self-Defense</b>

Why not both?

Anyway, this book's biggest crime was simply how dull it was. I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of it. I literally liked the bully character more than <em>anyone else</em>. And even then, nothing really saved this book for me. At about 70% it got better and admittedly I did giggle at <em>one thing</em>. But, I dunno. I just feel like I wasted <em>far</em> too much time trying to get through a book that I absolutely <em>hated</em>.

It doesn't help that the supposed romance was so dry. I don't know how I was ever supposed to believe that these two cared about each other. She was using him and he was allowing himself to be used so he could hide something from his father. That does not a good relationship make.

And the anxiety commentary? Bland. The father/son relationship glitch? Concerning.

So, in the end, there was nothing to write home about and the rest of the book dragged like hell and was boring as shit. I'm just annoyed.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC. This book just pulled at my heartstrings and I sped through it. I related so much to both Leo and Evey and loved how their characters developed. Lots of uplifting messages! I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

I find Leo relatable with his anxiety disorder and really liked him. I found myself rooting for him as soon as the story started. He was hands down my favorite character.

I really appreciate the way the author wrote about mental health - acknowledging the struggles and importance of help no matter which direction that comes from.

The Greek undertones in this book were really well written.

Julia Walton does a great job with Just Our Luck, which gives a good look at what it’s like to have an anxiety disorder.

I really liked that Leo, the main character mimics the author's real life. Walton has anxiety; she is Greek, does yoga, and knits. I liked that the book focuses on Leo and his anxiety and how he is managing it, but I didn't really connect with Leo. I was rooting for Leo to get a handle on his disorder and for him to find people who could support him after the death of his grandmother.
I wanted more scenes with Leo and his new friend Drake connecting and a little less of Evey.

I do think this is a great look into what it’s like to live with anxiety, the book is a success, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for some insight into the condition.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

[ARC REVIEW] This lucky little YA is my first review of the new year!
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Just Our Luck begins the way any classic YA novel does, in high school. Leo is our knitting high school hero, who starts the novel by getting into a fight caused by his anxiety. As a consequence, he must enroll in self-defense classes at the local gym. Enter Evey Paros, local gym receptionist and descendant of a man who cursed Leo’s family with bad luck. Evey makes a deal with Leo that ends with him secretly taking hot yoga classes and learning a bit more about this mysterious girl.
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First and foremost, this is a story about high school. But perhaps more importantly, this is a story about living with anxiety. Leo’s story isn’t one of “overcoming” or “conquering,” as so many stories about mental health can be. Instead, he is learning to live and manage his anxiety so that it doesn’t define him. I loved this healthy attitude toward mental health. The story also explores masculinity, and takes a really healthy attitude towards what modern masculinity can be.
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This YA novel is so much more than just a fun high school story. I would have loved to read this book while I was actually in high school, but I’m so glad it exists now. This is a definite four star read for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Just Our Luck is available now! Thank you to @penguinbooks for sharing an e-arc with me in exchange for my honest review. You can purchase your own copy of Just Our Luck on Bookshop.org through the link in my bio!
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CW: anxiety