This was such a sweet read and definitely the first of many I will be reading by this author. I found all the characters relatable in their own way. The romance aspect was written so well.

Jenn Bennet is one of my Insta-buy authors. I adore the chemistry and tension in her contemporary romances and this one was one of my favorites. I love a good misunderstood cinnamon roll bad boy. I also loved the setting and cast of quirky characters.

I really liked the book ! The main character was liakable and I loved the plot ,I wish it was longer tho ,to enjoy it a little bit more

Bennett is great for a good time, and Chasing Lucky is no exception! While this didn't overall feel super fresh, since I've read quite a few Bennett books by now, it was still cute! As long as you don't read too many of her books all in a row, I feel like it doesn't necessarily get too overly repetitive!

This book did feel like it had more drama than other Bennett books, though, and sometimes it got to be a bit much for me. The farther I get from high school, the less fun I have with these sorts of plots, so it hurt my enjoyment a bit here, unfortunately. Everything in the plot was so focused on lies and secrecy, and piles of assumption, that it made the story a bit more frustrating to read than some of the other Bennett books I've read, unfortunately.

Overall, though, the romance more than made up for what didn't work for me, and I found myself enjoying my time with this book nonetheless! It was adorable and I ended up really liking both characters, and I really enjoyed seeing them grow as the book went on.

Contemporary Romance reads are a popular choice in my school library. I have students who did not consider themselves readers until they fell in love with this genre. I am quick to recommend Bennett's books and Chasing Lucky is no exception.

This is a fast-paced and sweet summer romance. It’s a quick and easy read perfect for the beach or a spring break trip. Recommended for those who enjoy ya romance.

DNF
I tried to read this and lost interest. I ended up DNFing this novel; however, I do still want to try to finish reading it at some point in the future! I just don't think that now was the right time for me and this book.

A Seattle romance between two unlikely folks. Bennett provides wonderful atmosphere and lovely characters, with satisfying happily-ever-endings.

3.5 stars

I was really excited to receive an e-arc of this book so I'm not sure why it took me so long to finally read it! Better late than never though!

I really love the way Bennett writes settings. Beauty felt cozy and quaint and I could completely visualize it in my head.

There was a lot of family drama and angst in this book, which was fully explained and resolved by the end.

I enjoyed the characters and I love that Bennett always writes realistic teenagers and incorporates sex positivity and safe-sex practices.

I’m not the right demographic for this book and I wish I had Bennett’s catalogue to read when I was a teenager. For that reason, I felt a bit disconnected and not as invested as I could have been. I definitely enjoyed the story but I don’t think it’ll be one I re-read or fully remember!

Josie Saint-Martin and her mother have lived an itinerant lifestyle ever since they left the small Rhode Island seaside town where they lived with her grandmother. Now, as her senior year approaches, her grandmother and aunt have left to work in Nepal, leaving Josie's mother in charge of the bookstore which has been in the family for ages. Her cousin, Evie, will also be with them. One of the first people Josie meets when she comes back to town is her former best friend, Lucky Karras. The two had been inseparable, but when Josie left town suddenly, Lucky's life spiraled downward. He was involved in a bad fire, and carries scars from that, although his family's fortunes have improved and they now run a successful yacht repair service. There are some privileged kids in town who go to a private school, and one of them, Adrian, shows up at a party showing a nude photo of Josie's mother as a teen. The Saint-Martin woman have a reputation, and also a "love curse" that seems to follow them, and Josie feels awkward and angry. When she and Lucky leave the party together, she ends up throwing a rock that accidentally shatters a large window at Adrian's family's department store. Lucky takes the blame, and Josie feels guilty. She tries to help him pay for the window, even though she's not making a lot of money herself. Most of her income comes from a photo hosting web site where she displays her art work; this also leads to rumors that the nude photo came from her site. Josie and Lucky spar back and forth, and both have a lot of anger about the way their lives have gone. Josie worries about her mother's erratic behavior, her cousin Evie's choices of friends, and her own future. Her father is a successful photographer in California, and Josie hopes to graduate from high school and go to join him when her mother fulfills her own wish of moving to Florida. Josie doesn't speak much to her father, but hopes to impress him, although she is unable to get an internship. When her relationship with Lucky takes an interesting turn, will it jeopardize her future?

DNF - did not finish. I checked this one out and did not connect with the writing style/plot. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy.

If you liked Ginny & Georgia on Netflix, you'll probably really enjoy Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett. This is my second book of hers and I'm still on the fence. The first half was really slow and descriptive, but it picked up and I flew through the rest of it. I was going to rate it 4 stars but the fallout happened and it made me roll my eyes because it was so stupid (in my opinion). Will probably give her books another chance though.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook copy in exchange of a honest review.

I read Chasing Lucky a while back and keep forgetting to come back here and leave my thoughts on it. As with each new Jenn Bennett title I was super excited to read it as I just love her stories and Chasing Lucky was no exception. A friend described this book as a cozy sweater and I couldn't agree more as a Jenn Bennett book is exactly that. I loved reading as Josie reconnected with her childhood best friend show she was forced to leave when her mom decided to leave town on a whim due to a fight with her own mother. My heart ached for these two as they were both dealing with hurts from childhood and learning new ways to reconnect years later and also how now they might also be something more. Bennett weaves in some serious topics but the big theme of second chances is clear. I had trouble putting this one down and immediately raced out for a finished copy for my shelf!

Chasing Lucky was a very cute YA romance. It was cheesy at points, but it would definitely make an incredible movie. The book contains a lot of my guilty pleasure tropes -- childhood friends become lovers and good girl falling for the bad boy.

I really liked that it wasn't *just* a YA romance. Jenn Bennett added in family drama to the mix, which made the story more enjoyable. She wrote the characters in a way where they were both likeable, and I found myself rooting for Josie and Lucky to be together.

I have long been a fan of Jenn Bennett and always look forward to a new book. Chasing Lucky did not disappoint and solidified my position in the author’s fan club.

Lucky and Josie were best friends as kids, but are strangers when she returns to town 5 years later, and it almost seems to Josie that Lucky hates her, or at least wants nothing to do with her.

Josie feels like she doesn’t have any connections. Not with her mom who is constantly moving her from one place to another. Not with her grandmother who is the reason she and her mom had to leave town in the first place. She yearns for family connections. But she also hides her feeling from everyone around her. She’s learned not to make friends because who knows when she’ll have to leave again.

Lucky harbors a lot of hurt from Josie leaving like she did, especially since it was during an already traumatic time in his life. He carries both visible and invisible scars from that time and has a hard time trusting that Josie won’t leave him again, especially since that is exactly her plan.

I love that both of these characters are so flawed. They both build walls to try to protect themselves which results in them pushing each other away and hurting each other all over again. It’s only by knocking down the walls between them, and for Josie, between her and her mother, that they can truly begin to heal and find a way forward.

Lucky and Josie have certainly found themselves towards the top of my list of favorite Jenn Bennett couples… (along with Lennon & Zorie from Starry Eyes and Porter & Bailey from Alex, Approximately).

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publishers {Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon Pulse} in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh, I really enjoyed reading this book! I don't tend to want to read contemporary YA, but I trust Jenn Bennett's writing, and it was really well done. I really enjoyed Josie and Lucky's story! It was a really fantastic read, and I just devoured this book!

This was a story about a girl from a family with a love curse on them, or so they think. And it was a boy and a girl who were friends, but after the girl moved away, they cut contact, but now that the girl is back, well, they aren't the same people anymore.

I loved the back and forth of the money, of Josie trying to pay back Lucky for him taking the fall of something that she did. It was just so adorable, and lead to them spending more and more time together, which was just so sweet.

Josie had some learning and growing to do, from her knowledge of her family, and why her and her mom left in the first place, to her opening up, taking down the barrier. And it was really great to watch her go on this journey, and seeing the differences from the start of the book to the end of the book was fantastic.

I had a great time reading this book, and I really need to read more of Jenn Bennett's books!

I’ve been wanting to read Chasing Lucky for quite some time and I’m glad I finally did! The fact that the family had a bookstore made it a lot of fun. The main characters were really interesting and I loved that there was a backstory. Also, family played a big part in this book and I loved how we slowly learned more about everything. I need to read more by this author.

Thanks to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for an eARC that it took me forever to get to!

This is a sweet entry into Jenn Bennett's book list. Come for the Gilmore Girls vibes (plus boats), stay for Jenn Bennet's take on the mysterious loner dude (TM Forever Young Adult).

This wasn't my favorite of Bennett's books, but I still enjoyed these characters and their little town. Fans of Sarah Dessen, if you aren't reading Jenn Bennett, WYD?

Josie Saint-Martin is back in her hometown with her mother to help run the family bookstore while her grandmother and aunt are in Nepal. Josie is eager to stay in one place for a while, but isn’t sure that’s going to happen when her mom and grandmother can’t get along. Eager to finish high school, get an internship and move to live with her dad, Josie is trying to make it through this time period and then she runs into her childhood friend, Lucky.

The thing I enjoy about Bennett’s books is that while it still may be romance heavy, there is a lot going on that isn’t just related to the romance. Characters are fleshed out through their problems and struggles that they have. It allows the characters to leap off the page and feel like real people.

Josie and Lucky were a fun pair to watch grow. Lucky was very open with his feelings to Josie while Josie struggled to do that. It was interesting to see them navigate that, but beyond that they did have good banter with one another and really seemed to complement each other.

What I really found myself enjoying was the family dynamics here. The Saint-Martin women are truly a mess. Years of not communicating with one another has hindered their relationships and prevented them from really creating the bonds that they want with one another. It was wonderful to see how Bennett tackled this issue.

<i>Chasing Lucky</i> had such a beautiful complicated family and with a wonderful romance on top of it.

I am a big fan of this author and all the books she has created, be it YA contemporary or YA historical-almost-fantasy. She creates great characters I root for and convoluted plots that snag my attention and everything feels and seems so real. Chasing Lucky was another great addition to her books, a story about a girl who has been searching her whole life for a home and a boy who is much better than he thinks. This was swoony and adorable, as well as full of a lot of hard emotions that also make up life,

Not only was there a great friend to enemies to friends again and then finally lovers romance, the family relationships were just as important in the book. We have a group of five ladies who have a rocky relationship and this story helps to smooth out the rough edges and filled my heart (as another review mentions, this would be like the book version of the television show Gillmore Girls). We have a strained mother daughter relationship, a combustible mother daughter relationship in a different generation, sisters who don't relate to each other, and a great cousin friendship. I loved the interactions between these ladies maybe even more than the romantic aspect of the story.

Overall this was an incredibly enjoyable read that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys engaging quick paced YA contemporary reads, communication failures, secrets, sweet slow relationship development, and the importance of having a family in your corner. I can't wait for another standalone story from this author.