10 years ago Norah and her friends danced together at the prom. 2 of them left early but one of them didn’t make it home. Haunted by her past and what had happened to her Norah moved away and trained as a fighter then onto an instructor but now she’s back.

When Norah returns home after hearing of her fathers untimely death she dreads going back, having escaped a serial killer in her home town she is flooded with fear and painful memories and from the minuet Norah gets back she can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her.

No one knows how Norah escaped the serial killer known as Hansel but someone out there clearly knows what she promised him before she fled. With messages landing in her inbox Norah begins to wonder if Hansel has found her.

When a series of events take place it becomes clear to Norah that either Hansel has found her or there is a copycat on the loose. Norah knows the only way to escape her past is to confront it even if it means confronting Hansel himself for the second time.

Thank you to NetGalley the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review. The lucky one is a fast paced, compelling and twisty thriller with a twist at the end which I did see coming but at the same time I love to be proved right as much as I love a shocking an unexpected surprise.

Firstly thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in return for an honest review.
I'm annoyed that I can't give my total opinion on this book, because a massive part of it is in the conclusion and that would ruin it for anyone wanting to read it.
So anyway, I really enjoyed this book from the beginning when Norah and August are kidnapped and Norah has been let go by a serial killer and she then returns home to Kansas City for the first time since it all happened. I did think that it all kicked off too quick, she was only back a minute and another person was killed and it was obvious 'Hansel' was back and back for Norah.

But it was fast paced and action packed, plenty of drama with more friends going missing, inept police detectives who once again thought Norah was guilty of something and handsome old friends helping her train and much more. I really liked Owen and so wanted them to get together, if only Norah would let her defences down in the beginning.

There where a lot of characters and so a lot of suspects, any one of them could realistically be 'Hansel'. I loved the suspense of finding out who he was and I really wanted it to be good. By this point your so invested in who the killer is and you don't want to be disappointed when you discover who it is. I did think it was this person at a point and then changed my mind, but I'd thought it was many of them at different times so that was normal.

I surprisingly liked the ending.

A beautiful follow up to Jessica Paynes first Novel. This was such a bingeable read with a strong female lead. You'll be rooting the whole way through and won't be able to put this one down. Jessica has quickly became a go to author for me.

And Jessica Payne hits it out of the ballpark yet again! I loved this book so much! I was constantly texting a friend who had read this book with my wild and outrageous theories and they were all wrong! I love the nonlinear timeline and first person perspective. I love Norah so much and I still feel so protective of her! Highly recommend!

Well she did it again! Another great book with so much to offer! This book really does suck you and keeps you wanting more. I can’t wait for her next one!!

I rate this book 4.25 stars.

“Three Friends. Two deaths. One terrible secret.”

This book starts off with a BANG. Norah, junior in high school, is kidnapped, along with her best friend (who also happens to be someone's twin), August Taylor. Their car broke down on the side of the road, following a lackluster evening at their junior prom. Initially, the girls were relieved when they saw a man coming from within the woods, hoping he would help them.

Things took a turn when the man held the girls at gunpoint and forced them back to his cabin. While there, the serial killer, known as Hansel, killed August and Norah had to quickly think about her survival. She escaped and ever since, she has been living life as if someone is always around the corner, waiting for her. Hansel was never caught and the case went cold. Norah leaves her hometown and flees to the west coast.

10 years after that horrendous tragedy, Norah is called back to her hometown due to her father's passing. Shortly after her arrival, one of Norah's good friends is murdered, with clues pointing to her former captor, Hansel, as the responsible party. Time is not on her side, as she is determined to figure out who Hansel could be once and for all-- before anyone else can get hurt.

The entire time I was reading this novel, I kept coming up with different theories. It was extremely fast-paced, easy to read, and hard to put down. The author continuously leaves her readers guessing and ensures there's a certain distrust amongst the characters. Each key player is a suspect at some point throughout the story. The serial killer's "thing" was to leave a trail of breadcrumbs at each crime scene, providing clues to the discoverer/law enforcement. The author takes on this theme herself when writing the story. I would highly recommend reading this story if you're into psychological thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. It was a pleasure reading this book.

This was an interesting read! I love the author’s writing style, I recently read her first book and enjoyed it so I was looking forward to this one and was not disappointed! The storyline was entertaining, it is one of those books that makes you put yourself in the character’s shoes and think about what you would do. Highly recommend!

This book is about Norah, who survived being kidnapped by a serial killer by convincing him she loved him. She manages to live a normalish life until she has to go back to her home town, and a close friend is killed again. Is the serial killer back?

Payne has said she was inspired by reading about a woman who managed to escape a serial killer this way, and it surely is a riveting beginning to a novel. The book was fast-paced, but I struggled with believing in it. I felt more lenient after realizing someone could escape from a serial killer this way, but I don’t quite buy that a serial killer would be so besotted to change his ways or to not realize after such a long time, that she might not have loved him.

The author did a good job ‘throwing breadcrumbs’ for the reader to follow, and it made the novel enjoyable. I was curious about who the serial killer could be, Payne managed to keep my interest despite my misgivings about the future plot itself.

I will read more books by the author, she is a skilled writer and with the right plot I will be overjoyed like I was with make me disappear.

This was a page turner with all the sinister cat and mouse serial killer vibes to make me feel a little uneasy at night while reading it! This story is well written with plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing until the very end. Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on September 14, 2022

Another fantastic book by Jessica Payne. I loved “Make Me Disappear” and hoped this one was as good, and it definitely is. Norah has survived many traumas in her young life. The disappearance of her mother, who supposedly left of her own accord, even though many never believed it. Then after a school dance her and her best friend are abducted and she against all odds is able to get away even though many of this serial killers victims have not. Then ten years later after Norah has left town and started a new life she is called back after her father has passed away. Extremely fast paced and addictive, one of the best thrillers I’ve read in ages.

"Ten years ago, I survived a serial killer. They called me the lucky one, but they don’t know the truth I’ve been hiding ever since…”

Having really loved Jessica Payne's novel Make Me Disappear I was so excited to receive her newest novel, The Lucky One as an ARC

The good: I really loved Norah and all of her friends. She was a strong female lead who didn't feel "fake" or "cliche". The first part of the book was super engrossing and I loved the alternating timelines

That being said, this book DRAGGGGGED in the middle. There were just too many words and I found myself skimming because of it. But i pressed on because I really wanted to finish

Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Payne and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review

Seventeen-year-old Norah Silverton was on her prom night where she barely escaped the clutches of serial Killer Hansel. Her Friend August wasn’t so lucky. She was dubbed the lucky one. Ten years later Norah is back in her home town in Kanas City to sort out the effects of her father who died recently. The cops say he committed suicide, but Norah knows that he was against it. Norah is now an MMA fighter after what happened all of them years ago. Hansel was never found and so Norah has become a fighter. She is now prepared if Hansel shows up again. But there also might be crazies out there as a book has been published about what happened to her all of them years ago.
So, when she comes back to her hometown and meet up old friends’ weird things start to happen and Norah, she starts getting messages from someone on Instagram and her friends start going missing. Could this be Hansel returning where he left off?
Thank you Bookouture for a copy of ‘The lucky one’ by Jessica Payne. I had read the authors previous and debut novel Make me disappear which was a great start, but Wow I wasn’t expecting how good her latest novel is. ‘The Lucky one’ Is a fast-paced addictive read, with a lot of red herrings along the way to keep you guessing throughout. I liked the character of Norah. She is a tough cookie, and she is determined to catch the killer before he kills again. I liked the twist at the end which I didn’t see coming. 5 stars from me.

A mind-blowing, action-packed psychological thriller that promises to keep you hooked till the very last page.

At the age of seventeen when Norah Silverton survived an attack by the serial killer 'Hansel,' she was dubbed 'the lucky one.' Following a botched investigation and suffering from severe PTSD, she left her hometown, vowing never to be so weak or vulnerable ever again. Ten years later, an MMA fighter and coach, Norah has returned to Kansas to bury her father who was found dead in his home. But Hansel is back too and has begun attacking her friends one by one, inorder to send a message to Norah. She realizes that he intends to collect on her promise - the one that she made in exchange for her freedom ten years ago. But this time, she is ready - after all, she has been preparing for their showdown all this while.

This was a well written, twisty, bendy tale that is simply unputdownable. The suspense grips one in a chokehold as you flit through a plethora of suspects. The author has chucked so many red herrings throughout the plot that even with the antagonist staring you in the face, you tend to look every which way in search of the killer.

From the scared teenager who used her wits to stay alive, even as she witnessed her friend's murder, to the formidable MMA fighter who could outrun and outfight the monster that hunted her, Norah's character arc was just splendid. My one beef with the plot would be the lack of backstory for any of the other characters. I also wasn't a fan of the shoddy police work which seemed like a convenient way to get the story moving forward; even worse when the incompetent cop gets redeemed at the end.

Overall, I loved this book and highly recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Very good read highly recommended. I totally recommend this book to friends and family it does not disappoint. Hope to read more books by this author in the near future.

My thoughts: The premise of this book had me gripped and it didn’t not let me down at all. I am such a huge fan of books that go between the past and present so that was an amazing bonus. I liked how all the characters were so diverse that it was so easy to remember everyone as soon as you meet them. Every time you think they’ve got it, because it makes sense with how the pile up the evidence, you find out it might not be them. I loved how fast paced this book was and how I didn’t want to put this book down!

What a page turner! This was my first Jessica Payne book and it won't be my last. I was hooked from the first sentence!

"The Lucky One" centers around Norah, a MMA fighter/ coach, who escaped a serial killer, Hansel, ten years ago after prom. Sadly, her friend, August, was not as lucky to escape and was murdered. Everyone since has wondered how Norah escaped, and she kept it under wraps until she mistakenly trusted a true crime author.

Now, ten years later, Norah's father has died, which has forced Norah to return to her home town. After another murder Norah begins to question if Hansel is back? Is there a copycat? Does she know who Hansel is? One thing is for sure, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time!

If you like fast paced serial killer books, this one is for you! I really enjoyed it and it kept me guessing until the very end. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! This is a 4.5 star read for me!

This was a fun, fast paced, cat-and-mouse thriller, and my first read by this author.

10 years ago on prom night, Noah's best friend August was killed by 'Hansel,' a serial killer, and was almost a victim herself. Her quick thinking allowed her to fool Hansel, and she managed to escape. Now, after the death of her father, Norah returns home only to have another friend fall victim to a killer in a manner similar to Hansel's old ways. Is there a copycat out there? Or has Hansel tracked Norah down to finish what he started 10 years ago?

I enjoyed this read a lot. I did pick the culprit early on, but there were quite a few red herrings thrown in that made me second guess myself until the big reveal. There were perhaps a couple of small plot holes that weren't explained, which prevented me from rating the book higher than I did. Overall, I'll certainly check out more from this author.

The stories main character is an MMA fighter and coach, and you will not forget this since it's mentioned in every chapter in some way. Regardless of that over information the story is about a girl who escaped a serial killer after Prom, and now 10 years later going back childhood hometown. Someone dies and now is the serial killer back? Or is there a copy cat? Overall good story and nice few twists. Called the ending half way thru, but twists to throw you off were nice to keep the guessing going.

Genuinely one of the best thriller books I’ve read! The short chapters kept me more captivated and hooked than other books with longer chapters and the plot was incredible. I didn’t see the twist coming at the end and it just made an already brilliant book even better! Will definitely recommend this to absolutely everyone I know and will 100% read any other books by Jessica Payne. One of those books where I wish I could erase it from my memory and read it fresh from the start over and over again.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the first book I have read by this author but it won’t be the last. I liked the pace of the book as well as the characters and the availability and variety of the suspects.

Norah is coming home after 10 years; this is the last place Norah wants to be. Her father has died and she is coming to sort out his house and visit her two friends. There used to be three friends, until her her friend August was brutally killed in front of her 10 years ago and she escaped. When a murder is committed the day she arrives she has to wonder; is the killer back, is it a copycat? Norah is determined to get the answers, she is not the weak young girl she was back then and she is ready to protect herself and her friends if necessary.