As an avid mystery/thriller reader, I was seeking to break away from the intensity and was given the opportunity to read this one. Wow! While obviously not intense nor touted as a mystery, this one gave just enough “suspense” (if you will) while staying but light-hearted but real. I loved it.

I just loved the small lake town in this book. The characters we meet and their stories that are unfolded. This book has a little bit of mystery, secrets, and a journey of finding yourself. There is also an adorable three legged dog named Potato that really won me over. Eliza has always had her life planned and map out. However, after a devastating breakup with her finances she embarks on a new journey in a new town. Moving from San Francisco to a small lake community in Minnesota was quite the change!! I love how she embraces the change and really tries to make friends with her neighbors. It’s a cozy small town story with some deep topics especially about infertility experiences.

I'll round up from a 2.5.

It's a cute read, it's just a little monotonous. There was a lot going on, from the mystery to the small romance to Eliza's own stuff she needed to work through, but the way it was pieced together was a little dull to me. I'm not entirely sure why, either, it just... felt like Eliza was commenting on every occurrence in her life like it was the weather. And as quirky as the characters were, too, it read like they had one major characteristic and that was that for them.

The mystery was predictable and easy and was fine for the story. I do wish we had more of the town aspect; most of this centralized around Eliza's neighbors and their secrets. I'm also not sure why Eliza felt that badly about digging into the mystery? She didn't cause anything and you'd think her neighbors would have been at least a little sorry they'd been lying to her when they admitted that "she grew on them" and they were actually liking her. It didn't make much sense to me why Eliza seemed to be the only one who felt bad.

thank you Netgalley and Jaclyn Westlake for the arc!

Thank you to net galley for the arc. This book was cute. Eliza had everything until she didnt. Her life is now falling apart and her engagement is off. She never thought she'd be raising her 2 children alone, near her loud Italian family.

I absolutely LOVED Lucky Break. It has a small lake town, romance, drama, a bit of mystery, and some cute pups. This is the perfect summer read (again, small lake town) and the characters were very realistic and easy to relate to. The character development was also very relatable and brought some issues that don’t get a ton of coverage to light. The mystery part of the plot was not what I expected, which I loved not being able to guess the ending.

Overall, this was a 5 star for me, and I will definitely be recommending this to friends!

A cute and cozy story on self growth with a splash of romance and mystery.

First and foremost, I loved Potato, Bubbles, and all the other dogs! Gal is like…life goals between her loving relationship and her post retirement job taking care of all the rescue dogs.

Overall it was a sweet and wholesome story as Eliza copes with infertility, breaking up with her fiancé, and the off-page death of a friend. By the end, she builds a life she is excited about. The story is full of finding one’s self, the importance of friends, and realizing not everything in life can be planned.

My biggest issue with the book was that it felt a little anticlimactic. Yes, Eliza faces her heartache from both Marco and Hannah, which is good growth. However, she still seems a bit selfish and self absorbed so there wasn’t as much closure there as I hoped. Similarly, the mystery was a fun and low stakes surprise twist. But I never really bought into why Eliza was digging into Erica in the first place (aside from being nosy).

3.5 rounded up. Closed door romance; some religious undertones.

Thank you to Jaclyn Westlake, Avon, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

a quick and easy read, the writing flowed really well! it was essentially a cute little town hallmark movie and romcom baker into one book with the cutest happy ending.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley. This is going to be a 4.5 star book for me. I picked it up not knowing what to expect at all, and I loved it.

Read this book if you want a fun summer getaway with cute dogs, a small town, and quirky neighbors. It has some depth to it (TW - infertility), some mystery, and some romance (closed door). I needed a book to read in between holds at the library, and never did I expect to devour this book so quickly. It was just such a feel good read and made me ready for summer (as well as made me want to move to a lake and become bffs with my neighbors). Perfect beach read!!!

I also loved Enzo - he deserves a shout out. I love seeing neurodivergent representation in books, and I loved his relationship with his sister. I would read a book just about Enzo, him meeting his gf, and running the bakery!

I really enjoyed reading Lucky Break! I would pack my bags and move to Juneberry Lake tomorrow if I could. It was such a great book that had all the summertime vibes. I loved the neighbors, the mystery, and the small town life. There was so much packed into this story and I loved all of it. Potato and Bubbles have my whole heart. I would gladly read any story that Jaclyn Westlake writes!

Thank you so much for the advanced copy! All opinions expressed above are my own.

A small town story and a combination of a slow burn romance, no spice, and a mystery. Eliza decides to move to a small town in Minnesota for a fresh start after her long term relationship ended. When she arrived and started meeting her neighbors she realized they had a huge secret they were all keeping, not to mention a lot of small ones. She enlisted the help of Joel, another town transplant, to help her learn the truth not knowing he had some secrets too.

I received this ARC from publishers via Netgalley
#LuckyBreak #NetGalley.

I love the thrill of a fresh start, and I got sucked into the excitement of the opportunity to change her surroundings, while knowing no one at all. It was a great balance in storylines, I enjoyed the mystery surrounding her new neighbors. Fun story!

I enjoyed my first book by this author. The setting of the book is what made me want to read it, as I am a sucker for a summer lake book. Enjoyed the storyline, with some romance and a little mystery. Would recommend.

Eliza is a planner in jail's Aspen. Actually, she sounds everybody when she up and moves across the country to a small town in Minnesota-of course it's by a lake, we have over ten thousand -- well, I was expecting more of a romance. It was definitely a book about Eliza figuring out who she is mixed in with a small town, cozy mystery and a really fun cast of characters that's super diverse. Very much like minnesota definitely recommend


Thank you, net galley for the arc.In exchange for an honest review

I have a feeling "Lucky Break" is going to be THE summer book of 2025. It has everything I love in a contemporary fiction story: a small-town setting, feel-good romance, and a cozy mystery subplot. I think this book is perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez's "Just for the Summer"!

One of my favorite things about this story is its small-town setting. The main character, Eliza, moves to a charming lakeside town in Minnesota. One of Eliza's goals is to explore her new town, which leads to her eating frozen custard at a local ice cream shop and trying cheese curds at a dive bar. As someone who has tried both, I can attest to the life-changing experience! Eliza also explores the scenery Minnesota has to offer, from going on romantic paddleboat rides around the lake to catching fireflies and listening to the June bugs. I think these go a long way in bringing the small-town setting to life!

I also like this book's close-knit community. Eliza's schemes to win over her neighbors had me laughing out loud! This book ruined biscotti for me, and I'm not mad about it. There's also a bit of a mystery surrounding Eliza's neighbors and the woman who lived in Eliza's house before her. I had to know what happened. I couldn't put this book down until the mystery got resolved!

And I have to end this review by talking about the romance. To me, "Lucky Break" isn't a magical, swoon-worthy romance. It's a realistic romance about two people who meet at a tough time and have to find themselves before they can find their way back to each other. And I love that! I love how messy Eliza's life is and her gradual acceptance that things don't have to be perfect to matter.

Overall, I'm giving this book 4-stars! I think "Lucky Break" is a perfect summer read for people who like small-town settings, relatable romances, and diverse characters. I can't wait to reread this book with a cool drink in hand on its July 15th release date. Do yourself a favor and preorder "Lucky Break" now!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

This was my first read by Jaclyn Westlake and I really enjoyed it. Eliza has a meticulously planned life, until she comes on a batch of bad luck. Moving to a new town while trying to find the truth. This story was great!

Meet Eliza, a girl with a plan...until that plan begins to fail. Her engagement falls apart and she loses her home, she starts to panic about her future when she is randomly offered a chance to start over in Juneberry Lake! A program started to bring people from everywhere over to there small midwestern town. Relocating away from all her family and friends, she moves into a cute little lake house she purchased sight unseen. As she socializes with her neighbors and those around town, she realizes her goal of befriending the "loon lane gang" may be harder than she realized when they are holding a secret not even she could have figured out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I loved watching Eliza's friendships blossom and the mystery become solved. I loved loved the little sprinkle of romance with her new friend Joel. I love a good small town novel and watching her slide right into place in the coffee shop, around the lake, and with her neighbors was so enjoyable! I will say her actions did annoy me sometimes as she is a little nosey lol.. However, I do get the need to figure out that mystery!

It was a solid read for me and I would definitely pick up more books from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Publishers, and Jaclyn Westlake for allowing me to read an eARC for this book!

Eliza is a planner. She has her whole life mapped out. And it's all going according to plan, until it's not. She and her fiance, Marco, have called it quits and then Marco tells her he is subletting their apartment. On a whim, Eliza decides to leave San Francisco behind and move to Juneberry Lake in Minnesota as part of their initiative to bring more people to the community.

Eliza purchases a home, sight unseen, right on the lake. Her goal is go immerse herself in community life, and she sets about that very quickly. Eliza is desperate to fit in, especially with the group of neighbors who live on her cul-de-sac, but it seems like they are resistant to open up to her and she can't figure out why. And then there is the mystery of the woman who lived in the house before her, Erica, who seems to have left mysteriously and who the neighbors are reluctant to talk about.

Eliza enlists the help of Joel, another implant to Juneberry Lake, to help her fit in. The book is full of a wide array of characters and they were all quirky but it worked. The book does contain a story related to infertility so keep that in mind if that is sensitive for you.

There was a small element of romance, but I would consider this more a women's fiction book. It was a light, easy read, and sometimes that just fits the bill. I definitely wanted to figure out all the secrets and see how it ended. I also enjoyed the story of empowerment that came for Eliza as she forged her own path even when it didn't make sense to others.

Thank you Net Galley and Avon Publishers for the chance to read this eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review this advance copy of Lucky Break by Jaclyn Westlake.

This is the second book by Jaclyn Westlake. To be honest, I couldn't remember the genre of the book when I began reading it since it had been a bit since I had put in the request. I really enjoyed the story and was a little sad when I got to the epilogue because I was not ready to have the story end. My complaint was that the author did not seem to have a clear idea of where she wanted the story to go so the different plotlines were a little thin. Still, I could not put the book down and read it in 2 evenings.

Eliza Colletti is from a very close knit Italian family in San Francisco. Her family owns a bakery which is run by her parents and brother while she works in online promotions. Eliza has her life totally planned out and so far everything is going according to her timeline, until she and her fiancé breakup due to her coming to terms with her infertility while he was unable to do the same. I really enjoy cozy books that include restaurants or cooking as a main backdrop and was initially surprised when the bakery was not a major part of the book. Instead Eliza decided she needed a fresh start and looks to the Midwest. I was very pleased when Minnesota was mentioned, a favorite quote by one of her friends paraphrased as "It might even snow!" I had to laugh because 1) Duh! and 2) I read this a day or two after New Orleans received more snow in one day than MN had received all season. Once settled in her new town, Eliza discovers a mystery tied to her home. She pulled in her friend Justin who was also fairly new resident to the town in order to solve the mystery. I was excited to see where the mystery would lead but in the end it did not feel like there was enough substance to make the book a mystery.

After finishing Lucky Break I decided it was a very enjoyable, light, women's fiction about re-examining friendships, life choices, and how to make a fresh start without losing the past. The book is set to be released in July 2025. If you are looking for a quick summer read you will not be disappointed. I am interested to see how the author's writing will evolve as she continues to publish additional books.

Lucky Break is a heartwarming and charming read that feels like a comforting hug on a cloudy day. Jaclyn Westlake weaves a delightful tale of second chances, self-discovery, and the magic of starting over in an enchanting Midwestern lake town. Eliza’s journey from heartbreak to healing is relatable and inspiring, with just the right mix of humor, emotion, and charm.

Westlake’s vivid descriptions of Juneberry Lake will make you want to pack your bags and move there yourself, and the quirky, lovable townsfolk will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary and Sophie Kinsella, Lucky Break reminds us that even when life doesn’t go as planned, there’s beauty in embracing the unexpected. This is a delightful pick for anyone in need of a feel-good story.

Lucky Break is a fun, lighthearted read! I enjoyed the summer lake setting, the quirky neighbors. and the mystery component! However, the writing and dialogue fell a little flat for me, and the romance felt a little forced.

My favorite part though would have to be Potato. 😌