Whirlwind of a thriller! I loved it. This author has a knack for writing the perfect thriller and delivering it at the perfect pacing. I am immediately identified with the main characters. I was completely engrossed in the story from start to finish…

**spoiler alert** three and a half stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟

jessica payne’s new novel describes the tale of norah silverton, a former mma fighter turned coach who boldly declares “i’ll never be a victim again” and in true thriller fashion, she does. not only does she become a victim again those closest to her do. the ending doesn’t promise a happy ending but instead what could be. norah will be left with the scars that hansel left her and the ghosts that he so kindly gave her.

while i do feel like the premise has been reused again and again, payne does put an interesting spin on it, just how unique will be for the individual to decide.

while exactly what the novel was trying to do could be debated, the mediocrity cannot.

i did quite enjoy reading the book and while in hindsight the ending was guessable, i did quite like the journey to getting there as i feel it was an interesting way to reveal the killer.


payne’s other book make me disappear seems promising so hopefully it won’t be a gone girl knockoff.

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me an ARC and letting me read this delightful book.

3.5 stars rounded up!

The Lucky One was an enjoyable mystery/thriller overall, but I felt blah at times like something was missing. It needed a little more depth and excitement in my opinion. I liked the characters and strong female lead in Norah. It was also a quick read, which is always a plus. There were a few characters that I would have loved having more information on their back stories as well as what happened to them prior to the end of the book. I was also able to guess the culprit early on, but that didn't take away from the mystery much. It was a good read, I just didn't love it.

Ten years ago on prom night, Norah and Ashley were abducted by the notorious serial killer named Hansel. Norah watched her friend die that night, but the killer let her go. Norah survived and is dubbed as "The Lucky One" by the media. She is now a famous MMA fighter and trainer out in LA. When she receives a call that her father died, she dreads making the trip back home to Kansas City to deal with his funeral arrangements. Shortly after arriving, another one of her friends is murdered and left at the end of a trail of breadcrumbs. Is Hansel back? Is he coming after Norah to finish what he started? Norah is scared, but she is ready. She has trained for this moment for the past ten years and is ready to finally fight back.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for allowing me access to this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book that I have read by this author and I've enjoyed them both.

The Lucky One is tightly spun and utterly immersive, Payne delivers a deliciously twisty story.
I was hooked from the first page, full of tension and suspense that kept me glued right until the end.
The Lucky One was everything a psychological thriller should be.
The characters are enjoyable and well written the story itself is amazing.
This is a fast paced read that flows nicely.
Overall an absolutely addictive, mind blowing page turner that will keep you up with a racing heart until you've finished!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Bookouture,
Thank you for your generosity and gifting a copy of this approved eARC!

Over a decade ago Norah escaped a serial killer known as Hansel on prom night, after witnessing her friends brutal murder. The killer was never caught and seemingly just disappeared after that. Now ten years later, Norah, a coach and amateur MMA fighter, is back home after her father's death. On the night of her return, a murder occurs and it looks like Hansel is back. But this time with years of training under her belt, Norah is ready to fight back.

This was such a different read with a strong female protagonist, so different than the usual damsel in distress. I figured this out pretty early on but it didn't take away whatsoever from being such an intense, great read. The writing style excels at sucking you and making you want to finish this in one sitting, dying to know what happens next. Not one moment in this felt dragged on or dull, which is a great feat for any book.This is my second time reading this author's work and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next. Four Stars.

Thank you as always to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

“…[T]he chance of falling victim to a serial killer is .00039 percent. The chance of being the victim of a serial killer twice is so small as to be… nearly impossible.”

Norah escapes being the victim of a serial killer on prom night. Can she escape twice?

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, short chapters, kept me on the edge of my seat at times. I did guess the whodunnit, but that didn’t take away from the book. I wanted to see how the author would bring everything together in the end, and thankfully I was satisfied.

I will say the ending got a little long for me. And I did find myself yelling at the main character at times. Let’s just say If you ever go into the woods to search for a serial killer, then you probably want to take a weapon for protection. I would still 100% recommend this book!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Yet another fantastic thriller going on my top-reads list for the year!

Told in the present with flashes back to one fateful night, The Lucky One tells the story of a girl who escaped a serial killer, and has spent her life looking over her shoulder for him to come for her.

I relished this story. What separates Jessica’s books apart from a lot of commercial thrillers is the emotional depth and struggle of her MC’s. Norah’s spent her adult life ensuring she’ll never be a victim again, and with that newfound strength comes massive weakness—a struggle I think will resonate with anyone who’s been a victim. There’s not much I can say without spoilers—but I will say that I loved the breakneck pace, the investigation-fueled romance, and the climactic showdown that had me chanting FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT.

I also may or may not have thrown the book across the room at one point (iykyk).

If you love layered characters, fast-paced thrillers, and reading about that feeling that someone might—or might not?—be watching you, I highly recommend The Lucky One.

Abounding gratitude to Jessica and the publisher for the arc!

-A

We were all there that prom night, but one of us didn’t make it home.
Ten years ago We laughed together on the dance floor that night, our dresses glittering in the swirling lights. 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 the thing I’ve been running from all this time. How I escaped.
Back in my hometown a decade later the place I’ve avoided I can feel the questioning eyes on me, the whispers. The rumors.
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.
I should have known I couldn’t run forever. I want to feel safe surrounded by my best friends. But everyone has something to hide, and I don’t know who I can trust.
Someone out there won’t let me forget what really happened that night, what I promised. What if, this time, I’m not so lucky.
Read in one sitting totally gripping and totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture
I just reviewed The Lucky One by Jessica Payne. #TheLuckyOne #NetGalley

It’s been ten years since Nora has been home. She walked away and lived to tell about being with a serial killer-Hansel. Now her father has died and she thinks it’s murder. She feels like someone is watching her and lured her back to Kansas City. she keeps looking over her shoulder for Hansel after a promise made long ago.

This was a good pace but some of the plot didn’t seem to fit together for me.

The lucky one by Jessica Payne
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

When a small town teen bests a serial killer and escapes, she returns 10 years later to the same town it all happened. Everythings the exact same, stuck in a time capsule. Except, that night 10 years ago, the killer took her best friend from her . And promised he'd wait for her to . Now returning to her home town, to bury her father , she's forced to start uncovering the truth of who her "could be killer" is .

I absolutely loved this book . And I think it was better than the first ! If possible! This book had you feeling like it could be anyone . It had a deepening love connection. It had twists you won't see coming and the an end that will leave you thinking about it for a while after you finish.

This was the perfect start August reading !
Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for an early copy of this book !

Im so excited for whatever shes cooking up next !

This was my first read from Jessica Payne and it will not be my last! Fast paced and had be hooked from the beginning! Norah gets the news that her father has passed and she needs to go back to her hometown. The place 10 years earlier she escaped from a serial killer while her friend did not survive. Now the past is back to haunt Nora.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Jessica Payne for letting me read “The Lucky One” on exchange for an honest review

The chance of being a victim of a serial killer is slim. Being a victim of a serial killer twice is nearly impossible but Norah is still living like it could happen. Norah has escaped from the serial killer who killer her best friend and made a life for herself as a MMA fighter and coach. When her dad dies, she has to go back to her hometown to bury her dad and confront her past, putting herself in danger once again.
The Lucky Ones is a thrilling action packed twisty story. The plot keeps you guessing and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I read this book in less than a day because I had to know who the killer was. I recommend this book if you like serial killer novels or stories about characters overcoming adversity.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutre for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

(3.5 stars rounded up.)

Ten years ago, Norah survived an attack from a serial killer. She spends the following decade learning how to fight and becomes a famous MMA coach. When she’s pulled back to her hometown after her father dies, the past seems to be repeating itself, and Norah readies herself to survive again.

THE LUCKY ONE is Jessica Payne’s second novel, and while I enjoyed it more than MAKE ME DISAPPEAR (Norah was fantastic as a lead character!), I still found some faults within the story.

Let’s start with the good: I LOVED that we get multiple timelines in this book, that our main character is a badass woman who just wants to fight back, and the serial killer element is always a wild one when it comes to thrillers, and it was so well done in this book!

However, I figured out who the killer was pretty early on (always a bad sign for me as someone who nearly never guesses whodunnit), and that made the last quarter of the book extremely frustrating for me. There were also a few too many red herrings in the form of characters that we never got to see fully fleshed out.

I’ll continue to pick up Payne’s work as I’ve had an overall fun time with both of her books, and I think a lot of readers will really enjoy this one!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: September 14, 2022

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Jessica Payne for letting me read “The Lucky One” on exchange for an honest review.

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

This was a great one! I never read anything by Jessica Payne. She has an easy, fluent style that sucks you in easily. I liked all the characters, which is rare, even the unlikable ones had something about them.

Norah Silverton is back in Kansas CITY, where she ran from ten years ago. She and one of her best friends, August, fell into the hands of a serial killer, Hansel. Hansel left his own version of breadcrumbs for his victims. Norah escaped, August did not. Ten years later she returns to hold the funeral of her alcoholic dad. A true crime reporter hints that he has been murdered. On top of that one of her good friends was killed, Hansel style. It’s Norah and her friends against time and possible Hansel. Will there be a next victim?

It’s a page turner, that’s for sure. I was mad at myself for figuring the culprit out at 31% already. It was not too obvious but the thought just hit me and I found out I was right. But I still think the whole thing was very well done. Apparently a bit predictable and the whole was not invented again. But it was a very solid story that I enjoyed a lot. Norah was very real and relatable. I also liked Rob and Janie a lot. I am really happy that I was approved for this one! Awesome job with that book, Jessica.

This was a tense thriller with a strong willed heroine and a group of devoted friends. Norah survives a serial killer and is determined to never let that happen to her again, becomes a fighter. When she returns home for her friend's wedding it starts happening again, her friends are being killed and disappearing. While I guessed the twist, it didn't take away from the story

On Prom night, best friends Norah and August are kidnapped. August is murdered but Norah is the lucky one who manages to escape. Every moment since, she trains for the moment she will see her captor, Hansel, again. She becomes an MMA coach and ten years later, her father dies so she returns home for the funeral. In the midst of this, a book about her kidnapping comes out and interest in her case surges. When August’s twin Janie also disappears, Norah realizes she’s in for the fight of her life.

I really enjoyed this book! The reader was thrown into the story head first from the beginning and the short chapters and alternating past and present timelines kept me on the edge of my seat. Although I figured out who the killer was early on, I still very much enjoyed Norah’s journey to essentially solving her own case.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Jessica Payne for the ARC! “The Lucky One” releases September 14th.

This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly 😊

The Lucky One is a fast-paced and an exciting ride.
I managed to read in two sittings.
If you enjoy an action packed then this is for you.
Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced copy.
Loving this author.

This fast paced thriller immediate grabs you from the beginning with the alternating timelines and progressing suspense. Norah is not your typical survivor. She became a trained MMA fighter/coach and is totally bad ass. But does this make her invincible to repeat when she goes back home to bury her father and sudden things unravel… This page turner will keep you on the edge of your seat, holding your breathe, just waiting to find out what happens next. Everyone is suspect and there is danger in every turn of the page. If it weren’t for the fact that I had to adult (you know feed the kids, work for a living, and actually sleep) this would have been read in one sitting.

I really really enjoyed reading this book! It hooked me from the very first chapter and kept me hooked the entire time!

Jessica Payne is an amazing author! This is the second book of hers that I have read and loved!! This was an expertly crafted book with so many twists and turns. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time reading this! I’m happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wasn’t able to figure out the ending. I would definitely recommend this one to others. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the ARC. Looking forward to reading more by this author soon!