The Lucky One by Jessica Payne took a bit for me to get invested in but once I did I was on board. Norah hasn’t had it easy and you can feel her guilt coming off the pages. She was such a strong character and while I felt the ending was a bit far-fetched, I still enjoyed this.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ebook arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fast-paced book where the main character survived a serial killer previously and when a close friend is killed, she wonders if the killer is back. The book keeps you on the edge of your seat, trying to guess who the killer is and who might be next. This story is wildly twisty and fun to read.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery. This is the first book I read by Jessica Payne and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

After surviving being kidnapped by a serial killer (Hansel) Norah Silverton return to her home town ten years later following the death of her father. She returns to a bar to see her friends Janie (the twin of August who didn’t survive the serial killer kidnapping) and Esme. That night, Esme is found murdered and Norah can’t help to think that Hansel is back.

Make Me Disappear has been on my TBR list for a while so when I saw The Lucky One on Netgalley, I couldn’t help myself!!

I don’t give books 5 starts lightly. I absolutely loved it! The story line is so creepy. I had to race through it to get to the end to help me sleep better at night!

The Lucky One
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 9/14/22
Author: Jessica Payne
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 376
Goodreads Rating: 4.29

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and 376 and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Ten years ago: We laughed together on the dance floor that night during prom. One final night of fun before the rest of our lives. We couldn’t have known that for one of us, it would be our last… Now: They say that I’m the lucky one, the survivor. But no one knows the truth. I can’t shake the feeling that I am being followed, the shadow of a reflection in the glass storefronts, the murmur of footsteps before I turn to look. But no one’s ever there, and I tell myself it’s all in my head. Then the anonymous messages land in my inbox, overly familiar and insistent: I’m watching. I’ve been waiting for you.

My Thoughts: I read Payne’s first novel, Make Me Disappear, and loved it. I knew I had to get a hold of this one. I was fortunate enough to get an arc. Payne does it again with this gripping, addictive, psychological thriller! The chapters were short, which I love. The story is narrated in an alternating timeline from 10 years ago and the present. The book opens up with a bang and hooks you from page 1. I love how Payne cultivates her chapters with ending in a cliffhanger or a more to be revealed spot, it makes you want to keep turning the pages. The characters are well developed with depth, mystery, tension, and creatively written. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, twisty, intriguing, and kept me engaged. I love that Payne was inspired by an actual life event for the plot of this story. I am a fan of Payne and will always put her books on my TBR! I highly recommend you preorder this gem that hits the shelves next week!!

Norah survived a serial killer ten years ago. The perpetrator was never caught. Since then she’s left her home town and become a MMA fighter. She returns when her dad dies, and soon realizes that her attacker seems to have come home too.
This is a great, page turning thriller. The characters felt real, and I really enjoyed trying to figure out who the killer was. I’ve definitely become a Jessica Payne fan and will be reading her other book!

The second book published in 2022 by Jessica Payne, The Lucky One is another standalone psychological thriller. Ten years after escaping a serial killer, the death of her estranged father sees Norah return to her hometown. Now a popular MMA fight trainer and influencer living in Los Angeles, she is happy to see Janie and Esme, her childhood best friends. When Norah discovers a trail of breadcrumbs leading to the body of Esme, it appears Hansel the serial killer is back. Moving forward and backward in time, we learn how Norah once escaped and yet is again caught up in a cat and mouse game. With plenty of action, more bodies and lots of twists, makes for a three star rating. With thanks to Bookouture and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

4.5 rounded up
A quick, easy to read mystery perfect for fans of authors like Frieda McFadden, Karin Slaughter, Lucinda Berry and Lisa Gardner. A fast-paced page turner that you can read in one sitting, mostly because you won't be able to put it down. I've not read this author before but have seen her books around and its a genre I enjoy so I picked up this latest one to serve as my introduction. I am excited to now go back and read her past works. The Lucky One was well written, full of twists & turns, and delivered up an explosive ending that I did not see coming. If you love thrillers, mysteries or just books about women overcoming horrific odds then I'd recommend picking this one up. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an early copy.

I just finished Jessica Payne’s “The Lucky One” and I need to go ahead and rave about it right now! I have a feeling this is going to be the big talk of the Fall. How could it not be? I was completely on edge the entire time. My heart raced at every turn, every new piece of info that pointed to someone different as responsible for the chaos brought upon a hometown by one of their own.

Norah and her bff said “Good-bye” to their friends and headed home early from prom to jump-start their traditional all girls sleepover. Unbeknownst by the friends who were to join them soon after, the girls were taken by a man who would soon be known by the town as “Hansel”: a serial killer who drops breadcrumbs for clues.

10 years ago, Norah escaped from Hansel’s grip after he murdered her best friend during their kidnapping. She’s never told anyone exactly how she managed to get him to release her, unharmed - but this secret is one that could get her killed, as she inevitably faces him once again. He’s been watching her. Waiting for her to return to him, as she promised she would; because, yes - she could love someone like him…

When she returns home to deal with her recently deceased father’s estate, Norah runs headlong right back into her past. Another friend, dead. A mother who left her so long ago. A father who’s life ended so suddenly. Why? True crime lovers who won’t leave her be - what’s the truth behind her escape all those years ago?

Hansel has returned after 10 years of silence. He’s a sociopath, a serial killer, and he never really let her go.

You absolutely do NOT wanna miss the story of how the truth is unraveled by friends, stalkers, and a murderer who swore he could change. Who do you think will survive the final face-off?

I lost sleep over this book! Absolutely UNPUTDOWNABLE!!

Nora and her best friend are kidnapped on prom night by the serial killer known as Hansel. Her friend is killed, but Nora survives, and then she moves to LA and becomes an MMA fighter and trainer. She returns home ten years later, when her father dies, and her past comes back to haunt her when another friend goes missing.

I liked 75% of this book. I love that it was (loosely) inspired by a true story (assuming it is Lisa McVey’s incredible survival story). I loved the MMA fighting aspect - it was refreshing to read about a female character who you knew could kick someone’s ass. It got a little long in the middle -- I think a 50-100 page trim would have helped better convey Nora's panic and frantic energy. Payne did a great job muddying the waters and keeping the reader guessing, but the final explanation was a little much.

Overall, this was an enjoyable thriller, and I’d definitely read another book by Payne.

[NOTE: this review will be manually posted to Goodreads because of the following error message: Unable to find book with ISBN "9781803146584" on Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Kept me guessing with the twists and turns! As I kept trying to guess who it was there was another twist. Definitely recommend!

This was such an addictive story! I loved the pacing, the cast was fantastic, and the mini-cliffhangers at the end of each chapter were spectacular. One thing that really worked for me with this story was the dual timeline and alternating chapters. I would love to see more from this author!

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Lucky One’ written by Jessica Payne in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When Norah Silverton’s father dies she returns to her home in Kansas City where ten years ago she was held captive by serial killer Hansel, so-named due to him leaving a trail to trap his victims. Norah only managed to escape his clutches by telling him she loved him, and she’s the lucky one as her friend August didn’t survive, but she knows he’s still out there somewhere watching for her.

The first chapters of ‘The Lucky One’ were gripping and the ending was so exciting that it kept me turning pages, but I thought the middle fell short and dragged a bit. I liked Norah who came over as a strong and determined female character who’s loyal to her friends, and although I have no interest in martial arts and skipped a few pages, it was still involving and an enjoyable read.

Just like Jessica's first book this one starts off like a bullet. Jessica had a way of really throwing you into the plots and makes you forget about the world around you until you finish. Her writing style is very refreshing and addictive. I cannot get enough of her work because all of it is amazing and if this book is any indication of her next ones then I know that she will knock it out of the park. This book was full of suspense and mystery that had the reader trying to guess who was behind such a terrible ordeal before our main character, Norah did. This is a quick read that will grab you from the start and just hold on tighter until you get to the end. This book is all about our main character Norah. When Norah was a teenager her friend was murdered by a serial killer named Hanzel  as they returned from prom but somehow Nora managed to escape. Fast forward ten years and Nora is now an adult and dealing with her fathers passing. Things are hard enough before she gets a clue that Hanzel is back and watching her again. I loved how fast this book read and how the author really captured her audience. The part I loved the most about this book was it didn't read like a murder mystery with lots of cop jargon. This story was written more like a thriller of our main character trying to get to the bottom of what is happening with her. This made it a much more exciting read. Well Jessica proves with this book that she is a top thriller writer and even hard subjects are no match for her mighty imagination. The ending of this book was way better than I could have ever imagined. Great read and I cant wait until this book is released. This is the book that will turn anyone into a die hard fan of murder mysteries even the skeptics like me.

✔️ definitely kept me guessing as to who “Hansel” was which isn’t always easy to do. It really could have been anyone the way the author set the story !
✔️ I liked that Norah was a strong female character and that she had taken up MMA as her career and a means to defend herself ; although at times her “self sufficiency” as a bit annoying !
🔘 I generally prefer books with a single POV but I wish we got Hansel’s POV to add a bit more suspense to the story .

Payne knocked it out of the park with her sophomore book! The Lucky one starts with setting the atmosphere quickly – creepy and uneasy. The book continues that way, fully of suspense and keeping the reader guessing. That is, until a certain part – I was able to narrow it down between two of the characters and one of them was right. I found it a little too easy to figure out the serial killer prior to the reveal of the serial killer, but this didn’t happen until I neared the end of the book.

Payne also did something else with this novel – she really made me think. I like true crime things – podcasts, documentaries etc… But she really brought up another perspective, the victim behind the story. While I had thought about this in the past, reading it from the character’s first-person point of view made it hit a little different.

I didn’t love her first book, but this one was MUCH better. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a fast-paced, suspenseful thriller.

Smoothly written compelling story. There is also a killer twist! Jessica Payne is easy to read with another hit!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

I would firstly like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I was so excited to read this book mainly because the author’s other book which was released earlier this year received amazing reviews.
This book is a psychological thriller and it definitely lives up to its genre. A serial killer has let a particular victim walk free; but does the victim have something to hide about how she was allowed to live?

This book made me question every single character. I trusted no one and yet, the plot twist still managed to surprise me because the identity of the serial killer was who I least expected it to be.

I read this book in a little over 24h. The writing was flawless and one chapter just flowed into the next seamlessly. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves psychological thrillers but even if you are new to the genre because this book is capable of completely taking over your life until it’s over. I cannot wait to read more books by Jessica Payne.

Wow!!!! What a great read. I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning because I had to know how this book ended. Can you imagine escaping a serial killer not once but twice. This book showed how immersed in society a serial killer can be just waiting in plain site. It really makes you think and consider those around you. I will be reading more from this author in the future. Thank you NetGalley Bookouture for this ARC.

A page turner with enough twists that I didn't guess the serial killer until nearly the end. The characters were described well and the plot, though jumping between past and present, made for fast reading

I really enjoyed Make me disappear by this author and looked forward to her next book. The Lucky One is about Norah Silverton who survived a serial killer by pretending to ‘like’ him. Her best friend didn’t fair as well and was murdered before her eyes. The serial killer, Hansel was never caught. Fast forward 10 years, Norah is forced to return to her hometown after the death of her estranged father. But there is more to this story than meets the eye. Norah’s mother went missing before she was assaulted and she’s never gotten over that either. And now another of her friends winds up dead. Is it Hansel or a copycat? Only Norah can find out.
I rated this book a 3⭐️. Though it was enjoyable, I wanted to know more about her Mothers disappearance and her relationship with her father. I felt those parts were very vague.
I would definitely read another book by this author, loved her debut!