Chasing Lucky By Jenn Bennett | ARC review

Title: Chasing Lucky

Author: Jenn Bennett

Series: N/A

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publication date: November 10th, 2020

Pages: 416

My rating:

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Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown years later to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever. Her dreams are on the opposite coast, and she has a plan to get there.

What she doesn’t plan for is a run-in with the town bad boy, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend. Lucky makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the newly returned Josie. But everything changes after a disastrous pool party, and a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in some big-time trouble—with Lucky unexpectedly taking the blame.

Determined to understand why Lucky was so quick to cover for her, Josie discovers that both of them have changed, and that the good boy she once knew now has a dark sense of humor and a smile that makes her heart race. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not quite the brooding bad boy everyone thinks he is…

I feel Jen Bennett can do me no wrong at this point. I’ve picked out almost everything she has come out with and enjoyed every single book to the point she has become and auto buy author to me, so I was so excited to read her new upcoming release. Turns out, I really enjoyed Chasing Lucky just as much as her other books, and though it hasn’t topped my favorite book by her, it has a close spot on my list.

Something I really like about Jen Bennett’s books is that there is a nice balance between plot and romance, and usually she explores the different characters and their friendships and interactions before a romantic relationship starts, and that’s something that I really appreciate. I think, especially in this book, that some background information was needed for the reader to become attached to the characters and root for them and connect with them, and that’s something that I think she did amazingly.

The plot was actually pretty unique and interesting, and I had so much fun not only getting to know the different family relationships, but also piecing their histories as I kept reading the story. I tend to enjoy books that are set in small towns, and I feel Chasing Lucky gave me that vibe and had that small town atmosphere that I adore, so I was so happy to see that.

When it comes to the characters, I have to say that though at the beginning I was as attached to them as I expected, as I kept reading the story I started to connect with them more and more. That may have to do something with the fact that I was in a major reading slump and it took me more than it usually does to get into a novel, but nonetheless, I ended up loving them so much.

Our protagonist was actually pretty real and flawed, and made a few mistakes throughout the story and some decisions that I didn’t agree with, but I actually understood the reason why she acted a certain way or why she did the things she did, and I ended up really connecting with her. I liked her evolution throughout the novel and her interactions with the different members of her family. Usually I like a structured and caring family, but I enjoyed the author’s take and how she wove the different relationships between the family members.

I also adored the romance! The love interest was such a pure being, and I cannot express how much I love the though-guy-on-the-outside-but-is-actually-a-softie trope, and I haven’t come across many romance books that have it, so I was so pleasantly surprised, and I think she did it pretty great. They both had a very good chemistry and dynamics and I just loved how that friendship slowly turned into much more, and the way the were together.

The only thing that I wish I’d seen more is a little bit more romance, because though it was quite an important part of the novel, it was pretty slow burning and it took a while for them to be together, and it was more towards the end when that happened, so I would have loved to see more of them together.

Overall, I’m pretty sure Jen Bennett can do no wrong at this point, because I’ve loved everything she has written, and I for sure will be picking up everything that she will publish in the future. She writes such fluffy and cute contemporary romances, and I cannot wait to see what her next book is going to be.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This doesn’t change my opinion whatsoever. All thoughts are my own.

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