3.5 STARS - Lucky is the story about a young grifter who was taught by her father at a young age how to deceive people to make a living. As an adult, Lucky buys a winning lottery ticket but, due to her nefarious past, she cannot claim the massive winnings.

Told using two alternating timelines - Lucky as a ten-year-old and Lucky as an adult - the plot moves quickly, and I enjoyed getting a peek into the fascinating world of grifting. I didn't expect to be sympathetic to a grifter, but ten-year-old Lucky had a vulnerability and a complicated sense of morality about her that endeared her to me. Her dear 'ol dad? Not s'much. The pacing was good, and I liked the bit of mystery surrounding Lucky's early life, but things started to waver for me in the last third when the plot took on a far-fetched feel and concluded with a neat, if a bit rushed, ending.

This was a fun, quick, escapist kind of read with short chapters that kept the story moving. Lucky is an interesting character-driven story with a bit of mystery and a look into the life of a grifter. Look for this book in stores April 6, 2021!

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for my advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

an engaging tale of family, money, lies and deception.
an easy and enthralling read that kept my attention throughout.
i really liked the main character and could tell she had a good heart - her unconventional upbringing may have seemed difficult at times but her strength and perseverance led to a successful outcome.

i liked the little surprises along the way
and i always love a story with a cute dog!

Recommend!

Wow, what a ride! Every moment of Lucky is suspenseful. I did not want to put this one down and am giving it 5 stars.

Lucky is a grifter, taught by her father, who changes names and appearances moving between scams. While her father and her are in a new town Lucky meets Cary and falls in love with him. Cary has also been raised on scams. Together the pair is unstoppable but what Lucky really wants is to be a normal person, living a normal life and has hopes of finding her mother who gave her away at birth. When in a gas station convenience store one day Lucky buys a lottery ticket and puts it in her bag to look at later. Like many of us who buy lottery tickets, Lucky thinks about what she would do if she were the winner and came into all that money. Would she leave the fast life for good? The name Lucky comes true when she sees the numbers on her ticket match the winning numbers. Now the problem is how does she cash it in without identifying herself because if her name gets out there she will be arrested for several crimes and be looking at several years in prison.

The unique story was tight and moves between the early 80’s to 2008. The characters were gritty with lots of swindling going on among the characters as well as of innocent people. The only thing I would have loved to have seen added would be a prologue. Oh and did I mention a rescue dog even features in the story!

Thank you to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Lucky publishes April 6, 2021.

Entertaining, fast-paced, & compelling!

LUCKY by MARISSA STAPLEY has an original and interesting premise with a fabulous heroine that held my interest right from the very start. I was immediately hooked and intrigued in finding out what would happen to Lucky and that winning lottery ticket.

MARISSA STAPLEY delivers an intriguing, well-written, and plot-driven tale here that is told in equally compelling timelines. The converging alternate dual narrative is probably one of my most absolute favourite storytelling techniques. When both storylines begin to merge it is so darn exciting and makes the book absolutely unputdownable! I was totally invested in Lucky’s character and was rooting for her all the way.

I was thoroughly entertained and found this to be a very good, fun, enjoyable, quick and easy read. The ending was packed full of nonstop action and things were tied up neatly. I thought the whole story came together really well for an exciting and satisfying end.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Marissa Stapley for my review copy!

Canadian author, Marissa Stapley is a sorta new author to me. I've only previously read one of her books, The Last Resort which I enjoyed. I also had the privilege of attending the author event upon its release - boy I sure do miss those events.

Lucky is told by Lucky herself as she tells her story both in past and present day settings. I loved getting to know her with an upbringing so contrary to what I think as normal.

Deserted by her boyfriend and holding a winning lottery ticket that she can't cash in sets her off on an adventure showing her skills as a grifter on one hand and the desire for a normal life on the other. How that was even possible, with her history kept me reading just one more chapter.

This book moved at a nice pace, it was entertaining and kept me guessing. The might have seemed a little rushed and tidy but still one I liked.

Look for Lucky on bookshelves April 6th. My thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read from Marissa Stapley! I really enjoy her writing style and this was a very fast paced book. I read this one in two days! It was a good page turner and one of those books that's quick and easy to read while still being entertaining.

I really enjoyed the main character Lucky. She was very interesting and complex and I actually found myself rooting for her throughout the story.

My only small complaint is that the ending felt a tiny bit rushed. There was so much buildup to the ending - and honestly, it was pretty cool - I just felt like I needed a little bit more. I felt like it ended a bit too abruptly for my tastes. But this did not take away from my enjoyment of the story as a whole! Overall, a good read!

Lucky has learned everything she knows from her father. Her Dad is a con artist, a grifter, and they never stay in one place for any length of time. Her mother left them both. Now Lucky has just won the lottery, but she cannot collect her winnings as she is wanted by the police. Her father is in jail and her boyfriend is missing! I enjoyed this story. Very quirky chactacters and an interesting turn of events about 3 quarters through the book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this story. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

What if you had the winning ticket that would change your life forever, but you couldn’t cash it in?

Marissa Stapley’s, “Lucky,” to be published April 6, 2021, explores the power of a second chance.

Lucky Armstrong is a complicated girl and talented grifter who, with her boyfriend, Cary, has just pulled off a million-dollar heist. The plan was to head for the sunshine, but things went sideways and Lucky is left alone and penniless. Remembering the lottery ticket in her back pocket, Lucky checks it, and, as her name suggests, she’s won a heap load of money. The challenge is that if she cashes it, she’ll be arrested for her crimes and go to prison unable to redeem her fortune. Trying to avoid arrest, this unconventional heroine embarks on a thrilling road-trip with the goal to find out where she came from and experience independence before her luck runs out.

Stapley writes about truth, personal redemption and survival in this superb novel that has strong potential for screen adaptation. Think ‘Thelma and Louise’ meets ‘Catch Me If You Can’ and you’ll have the essence of this captivating novel.

Thank you to Marissa Stapley, Simon and Schuster Canada, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this superb advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this one - all opinions are my own.

I LOVE a good book about a grifter as a central character - I find the grifter angle so fascinating, and honestly, Lucky quickly became one of my favorite grifting characters.

I've really enjoyed the shorter books to pop in between some of the more intense reads I've been diving into in 2021, and I did love the pace of this story. Lucky is such an interesting and fun character to read, I would have been thrilled to read another 100 pages of her story.

Which brings me to the only downside of this story for me - I felt like the ending was a LITTLE rushed. There was so much incredible build up in the first 2/3's of the book, only to hit the last few chapters and have everything rush straight through to the final conclusion. I wanted to see more of the grit of Lucky from the first half of the book in play in the end.

Otherwise, I totally enjoyable popcorn read style book - light, easy and utterly devourable.

Lucky is an emotional roller-coaster ride that follows the life of a young woman who, raised by a conman father, becomes a scam artist of the highest quality until a series of events, some strictly chance, others beyond her control, lead her to question exactly who she is, who she loves and exactly what she wants to do with her life.
This is a coming of age story, a story about family and an edge-of-your seat thriller that combines moments of breathless suspense with a few laughs, a lot of sorrow and a message of hope and forgiveness that will warm your heart.
I loved Lucky, in spite of all of her failings, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys a really good stories with characters who are imperfect enough to be lovable.

Thank you to Marissa Stapley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for sharing this title with me for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It begins with a young couple who are fugitives. When the young woman, Lucky, wakes up alone, the story follows her. You learn about her beginnings, the latch-key childhood she had and how she became who she is today.

Though Lucky finds herself on the wrong side of the law she’s a likeable character. You cheer for her throughout the book hoping she makes the right decisions.

This was an easy read. I would recommend.

Lucky by Marissa Stapley : Book Review

This is a story about grifters: con artists, swindlers, those who might charm you and leave you with nothing. A converging dual time line narrative (one of my favourite storytelling structures) in the voice of Lucky, a woman who grew up as her father’s “business” partner, on the road, often on the run, and wondering about her origin story as her father has always been closed-lipped about her mother. When she gets into a lot of trouble, desperate and holding a winning lottery ticket she can’t cash as she’s in hiding, she seeks to finally find her mother - maybe she can help?

This is a fast paced story, a quick read that made me empathize strongly with Lucky, despite her criminal activities and cutthroat manner of survival. I think the short chapters going back and forth between her childhood and present day troubles was so well done - the plot moved quickly as it’s revealed how Lucky became the person she is today. Her father was a character I loved & hated in equal measure - just when you give up on him he charms his way back into your good graces again.

While I though the plot was pretty far-fetched and a bit over the top, it was still fun. I couldn’t help but cringe and feel dread & anxiety at every new hustle. The tension of “will they finally get caught this time?” was real! Lucky is realllll lucky though. The last bit of the book certainly packed a lot of (rushed IMO) action and things were tied up quite neatly.

I recommend this for a quick, fast-paced read. It’s fun, a bit different, and gives some surprises along the way. I wouldn’t really describe it as a thriller. I liked it! 3.75⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for access to an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. She never set out to hurt anyone, they only ever stole from people who could afford it. At least, that's what her dad taught her they were doing. Lucky is a grifter, a con artist, and the life she was raised in, the life she is living now, makes it impossible for her to cash her lotto ticket.

Wanted and on the run for scamming the elderly out of millions, Lucky has to revisit her past to try and fix her present. Every step of the way, she learns more about where she came from, and about who is the only family she knows, but there is always a missing piece.

Suspenseful, and fast paced, and only slightly predictable.

A con who has been conned by everyone in her life. Lucky has a good heart but has had an upbringing that has never truly let her follow it. Her luck does change.... a fun book to read with interesting characters and backstory.

A very enjoyable novel about a woman with a big dilemma. I was engaged by Lucky's personality and my heart went out to her so many times. The author did a great job of portraying her grifter father as both manipulative yet loving and in many ways a victim himself. I found the story arc a bit uneven, with the first part weighted down with unnecessary detail and the second part a bit rushed, but that didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the story.
#ireadcanadian
Thanks, #netgalley!

Lucky is a book about finding oneself in a world of lies and deceit. Lucky is raised to con people out of their money and processions. Lucky comes to realize that she must change who is she is and repaid the people she has conned. This is a well written book and I would highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy for an honest review of the book.

Lucky tells the story of a young con artist who wins the lottery and is faced with a dilemma - does she claim the multi-million dollar winnings and risk being convicted?

I have to admit, I had trouble getting into this book. One of the difficulties with books of this type, where the main character is a con artist and/or criminal, is creating empathy towards the main character, considering that the reader is likely not a criminal or con artist themselves. This book starts off alternating scenes between 10-year old Lucky and adult Lucky. The problem is that the opening scenes are very short, so you don’t really get spend enough time getting to know 10-year old Lucky or adult Lucky to fully develop some empathy for either of them. Certainly 10-year lucky feels remorse and wants to get away from that lifestyle, but evidently doesn’t move on when she gets older. So by the time you’re a third of the way into the book, you haven’t really developed a lot of empathy for the character, and don’t have a good understanding what her motivations are.

One thing that I thought was a bit unrealistic was how someone who has been a con artist and has likely been on the run for most of her life, seems to get conned herself a lot more than she should. And people seem to be able to sneak up on her a lot.

The story does get better in the middle, when the two time lines begin to merge. But then the ending seemed a little rushed. I don’t say this about many books, but I think this book could stand to have been a bit longer - slightly more to the scenes in the beginning and more detail at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reading Copy.

#Lucky #NetGalley

Lucky by Marissa Stapley is the story of a con artist with a heart of gold and a whole lot of luck.
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For starters, Marissa Stapley is a fellow Canadian, and although I have not read her previous novels, I've heard her name about a million times. I'm almost positive our paths crossed at U of T while I studied there, but my university days were so long ago that I can't remember how for the life of me.
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As for the novel, I enjoyed it! Lucky was brought up into a life of cons and scams, but she maintains an intrinsic goodness that does not falter, no matter what she's been through. I especially enjoyed the younger years of Lucky's flashbacks, as she learns to understand the world as it pertains to her way of life.
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As much as I enjoyed the build-up, I did find the ending a little rushed. I was savouring the pace and enjoying how events unfolded, but suddenly it felt like everything was all happening it once. I liked most of the twists and turns, but I would have liked them to have been a little more drawn out and a little less convenient.
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WARNING: Once you start this book you won't want to put it down. I really liked Lucky. Sometimes I was happy for her and others sad. She had nothing to do with how she was raised. I highly recommend this Author and this book. Thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is an interesting one. I have never read anything like this before.

Lucky and his father are grafters. They do not have permanent home, or fixed income. After Lucky’s father locked down in jail, Lucky wins a lottery and wants to have a normal life. With her past crime, does Lucky will find a way to turn her life around?

The story grips my attention from the first page. Fast pace, lots of twist and turns, but not scary. When the story gets to 75%, things start to get tension. I can’t to put it down . have to say that most of characters in the book are not good people, but I enjoy it.

The ending is a little bit rush for me; I want to see Lucky’s life after the whole thing.