I loved this!! The premise of Lucky Night was what drew me to it originally: two people having an affair in a Manhattan hotel room, where there may or may not be a fire, causing them to be exposed to their families. While it starts off slow, and the writing style definitely takes some getting used to, by about halfway through you cannot put it down! The premise is so unique, and the way Eliza Kennedy writes about marriage, motherhood, work, and relationships is great.
I can see the writing style (no quotations, a little unnecessarily dense at times) could rub some readers the wrong way, but if you can get past that, this is well worth your time!

I have to admit I was really irritated with Jenny and Nick for the first full half of this book. I came close to not reading more. But as the situation in the hotel became more and more dire, their confessions and discussions became much deeper.

I’m still mad at these characters for focusing so much of the precious time they had left on themselves. I would be thinking of nothing but my child and these self absorbed people don’t get to that point until it’s nearly over.

So my feelings were wrestling. One part of my thought: they are cheaters and karma comes for everyone. Another part was more empathetic thinking: this would be terrifying and who am I to judge what someone else thinks or talks about when in a situation like this.

I ended up feeling lots of feelings with this book so I can’t say it wasn’t good or didn’t deliver for me. I just thought the main characters were pretty awful.

I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the author, Crown Publishing, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy for review

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I found the writing trite and the story not well thought out. Thank you for your consideration and the opportunity.

Unique, compelling, suspenseful in a wholly original way. Would make for a great book club read ( but trigger warning of intensity)

DAAMMMNNNN. I had no idea what I was getting into when I cracked open LUCKY NIGHT but it was not what I expected. I often say I couldn't put this book down but that can sometimes be an exaggeration. This time? No. I legit could NOT put this book down. Like, "hid my iPad under my shirt to sneak into the bathroom to read a few chapters it at work" could not put down.

And it's a pretty simple premise for a book like that - two people, who are having an affair (major CW for adultery) are in a hotel room for the night in Manhattan. Then, a fire alarm goes off. Seems like a drill, nothing to worry about. But then all hell breaks loose without them even leaving their room.

I truly don't want to give much more away because I had such a blast just riding the waves of this incredible book. It as fun, emotional, romantic (yes! romantic!) and completely suspenseful. I think this is my favorite book of the year so far and I see myself recommending it to a lot of people so smash that pre-order button folks! Trust me on this one!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

I am sorry but I had to DNF this book at 15%. It was just to hard to read for me and I couldn’t get into at all.

As some reviewers have said, Lucky Night, by Eliza Kennedy, is a bit of a slow read at times. Only so much action can happen in a night in a single hotel room. While they are guests in this exclusive hotel, there is a stay-in-place order due to a possible fire and they are not to leave their room. As the night progresses, they find things aren't adding up and realize it may be worse than they have been led to believe. During this night, we get to know the main characters as they finally realize what is happening and come to terms with their pending demise. Those last lines...OH, MY!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

This book had both really really good parts and very very slow parts. When it was going good, I was really invested. I have never read a book written quite like this, so that was fun! Overall it was good! I would read another by her definitely!

The premise of this book is interesting and reminded me of the scaffolding of a play. (I sense that it could also be a fascinating premise for a film if the book is optioned). Very character driven in the best way.

Thank you NetGalley, for this uncorrected ebook ARC of 'Lucky Night' by Eliza Kennedy, in exchange for an honest review - expected release date 03/25/2025

Even at 288 pages, this book was too long, and the whole first chapter was written with such exaggerated, pretentious verbiage, which wasn't necessary. It took way too long to get anywhere. The first 3/4s was so surface level I had a hard time connecting with the characters and storyline. The two main characters finally started getting deeper after that, but by then, it was too late. This book lost me early and I couldn't get into it.

The synopsis and cover for LUCKY NIGHT had me fascinated to see what might happen, especially as someone who loves literary fiction…however, I think the execution fell a little flat for me in some ways. This is more of a personal preference, but I don’t usually love the lack of quotation marks in books—in this case, it made it a bit tougher for me to fully follow the story. I also struggled a little with the pacing at first, but that definitely improved further in, as the tension built up throughout. The highlight for me was the character-driven narrative. I think Eliza Kennedy does a great job of developing these characters, all their flaws and complexities! Even in their more unlikable moments, Jenny and Nick were so compelling to read about. While this one wasn’t fully a hit for me, I’d still be interested to see what Kennedy writes next! Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC.

Lucky Night completely pulled me in. The entire story takes place in a single evening inside a luxurious hotel room that’s—get this—literally on fire. Jenny and Nick, tangled in a six-year affair, are forced to confront everything: their secrets, frustrations, and the messy, complicated feelings they’ve buried for years. The tension is real, both from the fire and their unraveling relationship, and I couldn’t stop reading.

Jenny and Nick are such messy, flawed people, and yet I still cared about them. Their banter was frustrating at first—like they were stuck in the same argument on repeat—but then it shifted into something deeper. The way their thoughts contradicted what they actually said to each other was fascinating, and it made their conversations feel so raw and real. By the end, I felt like I’d gone through the emotional wringer with them.

The writing is unique, with stream-of-consciousness thoughts mixed into dialogue (no quotation marks, which took a second to get used to). At first, I wasn’t sure about it, but it ended up making the story feel more immediate, like I was right there in that room with them. And the tension—both emotional and literal—was almost unbearable in the best way.

If you like character-driven stories that dive deep into messy relationships, or if you’re into books that take place over one intense night, this is for you. It’s not for everyone, but I loved it. The ending? Perfect.


Huge thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for letting me read this one early—I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

DNF at 20%-Jenny and Nick are having a clandestine meet up at a high rise when a fire breaks out in the building. They have been seeing each other for 6 years. He is sex obsessed and doesn’t really want much more from the relationship. She is worried about her husband and kids at home. I started the first chapter and immediately did not like the writing style. It is a lot of run on sentences without punctuation to show the character is speaking. Nick is so damn arrogant, and so damn unlikeable. Jenny is freaking out about the fire and he is wondering how he can convince her to give him a blow job. I thought maybe this will get better, so I tried. But the whole book is these two people, this night…and a whole lot of wasted words. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for the honest review. All opinions are my own (I really wanted to like this one…)

Wow. *Lucky Night* is a masterclass in stunning, thought-provoking writing that grips you from the very first page. Set in the claustrophobic confines of a $2,000-a-night hotel room, the novel follows Jenny and Nick, two adulterous lovers who have been carrying on a six-year affair. As their situation spirals into increasingly dire territory, the walls around them—and their secrets—close in.

What makes this story so compelling is how it uses this confined space to explore enormous questions. As Jenny and Nick slowly unveil their darkest truths to each other, the tension builds with every revelation. The novel dives deep into the murky waters of morality, free will, and the ways society dictates what’s “right” and “wrong.” Their raw, unfiltered dialogue about love, guilt, and personal freedom feels as explosive as it is introspective.

Claustrophobic and tense, *Lucky Night* is a riveting exploration of human imperfection and the choices we make when no one is looking. It’s a story that lingers, asking readers to question their own assumptions about morality and the paths they’ve chosen. Truly unforgettable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown for this advance reader copy, in exchange for an honest review. This book is set over the course of one tense evening, as the nearly six-year affair between Jenny and Nick metaphorically implodes, as they share secrets, frustrations, and other hidden feelings while they’re trapped in a burning hotel building. Yes, a literal burning building.

The author did a great job at building up the tension and anxiety in this book; I think that in the large part is what kept me turning the pages. The two main characters were on the unlikable side and their back and forth, almost circling the drain, banter became frustrating after a while. Theirs is an exemplar of a messy, disastrous relationship that you almost can’t look away from because you need to see what direction it will take next. However, I will say that by the second half of the book, the conversation between the main characters did shift away from the surface-level, irritating banter to deeper, heartfelt discussion (as you might expect when you think death is imminent). I appreciated this much more and think that this is really when the book shines.

The writing style of this book was unique and I did need to work a little bit in the beginning to get in the groove of the format. It had a very stream of consciousness style format, with the thoughts of both characters interspersing with the dialogue (which also had no breaks or quotations). However, I did find that the stream of consciousness thoughts felt very realistic, which I appreciated. So, again, while this took a bit to get into, I think this style largely contributed to the overall high stakes atmosphere and feelings of frustration that were boiling over, as these characters reconciled with their complicated feelings toward each other and the real life threat of the burning building they were trapped in.

While this book probably won’t be for everyone, I enjoyed it! I would recommend it to those who enjoy stream of consciousness narratives and those who enjoy character driven books. Will be interested to see what others think when this publishes.

Gripping and unexpected! What a perfect suspense/thriller with some romance and humor! Kept me on my toes and wanting more. What more could you want in a book?

I was not able to stop thinking about this book whenever I had to put it down for about 50% of the story, after that it started to slow down a bit, but it was not necessarily a bad thing because the story warranted it.

Jenny and Nick’s conversations turned more serious as their situation got more dire and it forced them to let go of their fears and confront what this affair really means to them. I felt that the author was able to transmit the tension and the seriousness of the situation beautifully throughout the book.

Loved!

this one was so….not for me.

I felt it was a bittttt too long and much of it could have been shortened without the incessant dialogue that went in circles & accomplished nothing.

also, the pacing of thebook caused so much unneeded anxiety. why the back & forth, okay and then not okay, it was annoying to me, an already anxious reader.

and don't even get me started on the whiny characters of jenny & nick. they deserve each other.

just didn't enjoy this book much at all. sorry!

many thanks to netgalley & the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The lack of punctuation paired with tons of internal dialogue made Lucky Night unnecessarily confusing. I enjoyed the examination of the personal relationships and decisions made by the two main characters, and there were some compelling themes throughout. I feel like a better edit could have made this a great book.

Admittedly, I went into this novel completely blind. I really got it because I loved the cover :) The entire novel takes place in one hotel room, in one night. It would make a FANTASTIC stage play. While it dragged at times, I found the study of this relationship to feel incredibly lived in and authentic. I also found the sexual language to be a little jarring at first, but the further I got into the book, the more it felt organic to this situation and this couple. Marriages are tricky and so are relationships and I found Kennedy's insights to be very wise and thought-provoking. This was much more of a thinker than I expected! It's going to stay with me!