I just love a Jenn Bennett book. So sweet, a smidge spicy.

Josie and her mother have been moving non-stop around New England for the last five years, but they return to their Rhode Island hometown to run the family bookstore while Josie’s grandmother and aunt live in Nepal for a year. After leaving suddenly half a decade ago, things haven’t changed much—except for Josie’s childhood friend Lucky, who is suddenly tall, dark, and brooding and riding around town on a vintage motorcycle. Or maybe things with Lucky haven’t changed all that much after he takes the fall for Josie’s quick burst of temper against one of the town’s richest residents. She tries to figure out why he did what he did while biding her time to leave again when her grandmother returns from her sojourn, and soon Josie and Lucky are inseparable once more.

I really liked Chasing Lucky, and I enjoyed getting to know both Josie and Lucky. I thought that the ending was a smidge rushed with multiple HUGE things happening over the course of an evening, but it definitely did not take away too much from my enjoyment of their journey.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Pulse for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a sweet and swoon-worthy romance. Perfect escapist reading for the current world. The book gave me Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen vibes. Looking forward to sharing this book with our subscribers.

It's a great book, and Bennett fans will love it. My only struggle is the conclusion felt rushed compared to the rest of the book

Another delightful YA romance from Jenn Bennett! I have adored all of Jenn's YA romances to date, and this one was no exception. I loved the unique setting -- and how much the setting of her book becomes a "character," in a sense, within the story -- the characters, their history, and all the little mysteries that help the plot chug along. Lucky and Josie are such a wonderful duo, and I loved seeing them reconnect after being separated for several years, rekindling their childhood friendship, and then falling in love.

I really enjoyed digging into the little idiosyncracies of the town of Beauty, and the people in Josie's life. The characters in this book are so beautifully flawed, but lovingly written. They each felt fully realized, never cartoonish (even the villainous ones), and all-so-very real. I loved getting lost in this book.

Josie Saint-Martin relocates back to her hometown with her flighty single mother to care for the family bookstore while her aunt and grandmother are away for a year. Josie reunites with her former childhood best friend turned local bad boy, Lucky Karras.

Chasing Lucky was an okay story, but I found the characters lacking so I didn't really connect with it in the way I wanted too. I liked Josie and her photography, and I liked seeing her reconnect with Lucky, but everything else was just kinda blah. Nothing really stood out or has stayed with me since I finished this a couple days ago. And I really didn't like Josie's cousin Evie, or her scumbag boyfriend Andrew. Definitely a deadweight in the story. But overall, this was still an enjoyable read overall, just a bit forgettable.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

2.75 stars

This is a decent young adult romance, but I never felt like anything new or even moderately unpredictable was happening. The characters, setting, and plot are...exactly what you think from the start. There is no discernable growth, and for me, there was very little pay off to what felt like a way too long version of a story I've read too many times.

Aside from the predictability, I really struggled with the portrayals of women and sex, which were strangely traditional - and at times disturbing - for this setting.

Overall, this left me feeling like I was not that lucky for having read it.

This book had it's moments that were enjoyable and heart warming, but other times it was frustrating. The characters had their moments, I liked Josie and Lucky, Evie was great as well, and the grandma was amazing. I liked how it gave a twist to don't criticize everyone, even family, when you don't know the whole story. I wish we had gotten to see more of the grandma and the back story there. Sometimes the dialogue was too much and didn't cover anything worthwhile. Like I said, it had it's moments and there were enjoyable things, but overall it was just an ok book.

Thanks to Negalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and SImon Pulse for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've been a huge Jenn Bennett fan for years. She's become one of my auto-buy authors. Every time she releases something new, I need it in my hands ASAP. I'm super grateful I got to read this one in advance.

Chasing Lucky is cute and honestly, a little bit steamy read. It's deep and heavy, yet lighthearted and charming. I'm a fan of the former best friends to lovers trope. If you are too, then this book is for you!

There was a lot more depth to this novel than I expected, and I really liked that. I loved how this book covered how important communication is with loved ones. I love how the relationships (both family and first love) weren't perfect. Also, Jenn Bennett knows has to write a satisfying ending.

Overall, this is a great read. I recommend it if you love a good coming-of-age YA novel.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

OK, this was CUTE. I'm inevitably a sucker for the misunderstood bad boy/loner and this delivered in that department. The writing and characters are solid. Add in a bookstore and I'm sold. It's a very cute, very fun read for the YA genre.

3.75 stars
I really enjoy Jenn Bennett's romance books so I was really excited when this was announced and it lived up to my expectations when it comes to her stories. It isn't my favorite book of all time but it is sweet and the romance is cute and it is what I wanted from this book. Josie is a fun protagonist and I really felt for her and her struggles with her family and how she feels she can't speak openly with her mother the way she wants. I really liked the family dynamics and even though they were often complicated, there is no doubt there was a lot of love there and their development throughout the story was really great. Lucky was a little bit of a stereotypical bad boy character but I still really liked him and like all people, he has depth and layers once you get to know him and I thought his story and motivations were really interesting to read as well. I liked the two of them together and I'm always a fan of former friends coming back together after years and reconnecting again. I like that they have history and help each other in different ways. All in all, this was a very nice romance and I enjoyed it a lot.

Josie Saint-Martin has never had much stability in her life as she and her mother traipse up and down the East Coast. A life on the move from her problems seems to be Winona Saint Martin’s M.O. but Josie longs for something more. That’s why when her mother commits to returning to her hometown for a year to manage the family bookstore Josie knows she has to seize this opportunity to lay groundwork for her ultimate dream. A dream that includes moving out West to learn professional photography from the father she barely knows but whose fame and family hold an unspeakable lure. For that to happen, Josie will have to keep her head down, avoid gossip, develop her photography portfolio, and get a coveted magazine internship. It does not include getting on the wrong side of small town royalty or falling in love with the town bad boy (who used to be her best friend). When her plan gets turned upside down and new truths are revealed, will Josie turn tail and run or sink down some roots?

VERDICT is that this is a cute YA novel that I think many readers will enjoy. While it is very reminiscent of other YA novels I have read, Josie is an engaging protagonist and I enjoyed the incorporation of familial relationships in this novel which makes it a little different than the typical YA romance. Josie’s mother and cousin bring in a special element as I think we get to know them fairly well as side characters. One of my few critiques of this novel is that all of the side characters (Lucky, Winona, and Evie specifically) all have such interesting backgrounds and side stories that are alluded to I wanted to know more about each of them! I enjoyed reading about how Josie fell into various pitfalls within each of these relationships and grew over the course of the novel.

I read an ARC of this novel and will be interested to see the complete publication - I love the idea of including Josie’s photos in the novel (in the ARC there were only descriptions of what I assume will be photos that are included in the final version).

Lucky Karras is not your typical bad boy. He dresses and acts a part because he thinks that’s what others expect of him. How bad can a bad boy be if he’s taking the fall for a girl he says he doesn’t care about and barely knows anymore, rescues cats from burning buildings and helps people regardless of what rumors will ensue if he’s seen with certain crowds. He’s a voracious reader and he’s known as the Phantom of the bookstore that Josie’s family owns. He haunts the store every day to read but never buys anything. A swoon worthy heartthrob 🥰

Josie on the other hand had her own struggles growing up with a single mom who’s dating record was secretive but plentiful, constantly moving around due to her moms sassy attitude at work or a relationship gone wrong. Josie was more like the parent, but not where it mattered most, on deciding when and where they’d move to next. Her relationship with her mom and the rest of her family was very raw and honest. It wasn’t a perfect situation, it wasn’t even an imperfectly perfect situation. Nothing was ok or right about how she was raised and when they moved back to their hometown to run the bookstore unexpectedly all their past caught up to them.

I loved seeing Josie’s ambition with her photography. She saw beauty where others didn’t so it’s no surprise that she would be intrigued by Lucky. But I also love how the author didn’t just make this about a teenage romance, it went far deeper than that. The revelations that each character had was deep and meaningful, each one had their own struggles ranging from depression, mental abuse, childhood trauma, the fear of never being loved and bullying.

This is my third book that I’ve read by the author and it may be my favorite... so far!

First of all I hated that the guy’s name is Lucky. Like so much. Now that we got that out of the way, the review.

Like all of Jenn Bennett’s books this contemporary was full of emotion and a quick read. I enjoyed it, but it did not stand out to me. I do think if I was in the height of my YA contemporary love, I would have enjoyed it more. But, I am not a big fan of “we want to be together, but we are standing in the way of that, plus there is a curse”. It just was a lot in a way that I wasn’t not the biggest fan of.

I liked Josie and Lucky and the family plots were great, and I honestly wish they had been explored more. I think seeing another POV from Josie’s cousin would have made this book better since we could have explored the curse more. As always, Bennett’s writing is strong and makes this novel stand out from many more generic YA contemporary romances, but I needed something more.

I enjoyed my time reading this one and would recommend it if you love YA contemporary and Jenn’s other’s books, it just did not stand out to me. 3.5/5 stars

I had such high expectations for this book because Jenn Bennett is one of my favorite YA contemporary romance authors. She usually writes such authentic characters in such vivid, descriptive settings. This book, unfortunately, did not live up to those expectations. It ended up being a fine contemporary romance, but did not have anything particularly memorable about it. If you are looking for a cute YA contemporary you may enjoy this book, but I still recommend Bennett’s other books over this one.

The story opens Josie Saint-Martin and her mother moving to her childhood New England town. Josie has moved from city to city with her mother without ever settling down. There is some tension between Josie’s mother and grandmother that is hinted at throughout the story as a reason for their departure from Beauty when Josie was a child. In Beauty, Josie runs into her childhood friend Lucky Karras – but is Lucky the same boy she left behind?

Both Josie and Lucky were a bit lackluster as main characters. Josie was an aspiring photographer and anxious to leave Beauty to go move to California to live with her birth father after she graduates high school in an attempt to escape from her mother’s nomadic lifestyle. Lucky comes from a large Greek family and is not the same person that Josie left behind all those years ago. As Josie and Lucky’s relationship grew, her impending departure was the main source of tension on their relationship. I just didn’t feel like the stakes were that high and had a hard time connecting to this couple. They were very cute and had their moments but I was unfortunately not as invested in their relationship. I did really appreciate the friends-to-lovers romance as it made their relationship much more realistic since they were coming from a place of childhood friends.

While this was ultimately a contemporary romance, I found myself most invested in the relationship between Josie and her mother. One of the main conflicts in the story is that the Saint-Martin women do not communicate well. While this was frustrating, we see that Josie’s mother was really trying to protect her. It was heartbreaking to learn more about her mother’s past and how that affected her life today. Seeing them start to share with each other at the end was beautiful and gave me hope that they would start to mend their relationship.

Chasing Lucky is a YA sweet contemporary romance about family, loss, first loves and trust. While not my favorite Jenn Bennett story, I did still enjoy parts of it and found the story engaging.

CW: sexual abuse, stalking, bullying

Review posted here: https://hapabookworm.wordpress.com/2020/08/16/arc-review-chasing-lucky-by-jenn-bennett/

Having read and enjoyed three other of Jenn Bennett's contemporary YA romance novels (Alex Approximately, Starry Eyes, and Serious Moonlight) I was delighted to be approved on NetGalley for this book. Unfortunately, when I started reading it, I was very disappointed and put off by... everything.

Josie Saint Martin, the main character, is trying her best. Her main goals are to get through this stint in her mother's hometown of Beauty before leaving to go to California to peruse her dreams of photography with her estranged famous photographer father. I liked Josie and her drive to follow her passion. The other character I liked was Josie's cousin Evie, who along with Josie, has terrible taste in men.

The novel opens with Josie explaining that the women in her family are cursed, Practical Magic style, to always be unlucky in love. Josie's mother, Winona, and Aunt Franny are both single mother's, Evie keeps going back to her truly awful boyfriend, and Josie has Lucky.

Lucky Karras was Josie's childhood best friend turned resident bad boy, complete with a a leather jacket, a motorcycle, plenty of rumors swirling around him, and a brooding nature. Too many tropes rolled into one character, Lucky's attitude seems to be the personification of Judhead Jone's "I'm weird, I'm a weirdo," monologue on Riverdale. He stares at Josie a lot, but is angry with her and refuses to tell her why for a long time. When he does finally admit what his issue with Josie is, it's something entirely out of her control and rather more his fault than hers- he's mad that she had to move away at age 12 and didn't return her many emails. Lucky basically spends most of the novel being mad at Josie for things that he, Lucky, has control over.

After Josie accidentally breaks a window of a story, Lucky takes the blame for her. Josie doesn't ask him to do this, and Lucky resents her for his own choice. Josie tries multiple times to make amends for this, and while it's true that Josie could have done more to make amends (like telling her mom or the police), it's ridiculous of Lucky to be angry with Josie for a decision he made on his own.

There's also a weird emphasis on sex. Josie blurts out that she's a virgin when she and Lucky are taken into the police station for questioning, Josie investigates rumors that Lucky fathered a child, there's a giant subplot about Winona's old nude photographs being used as revenge porn against Josie, and after Josie and Lucky have sex, Josie's mother freaks out about it which Josie points out is hypocritical since Winona is a serial dater. While there was totally valid reasons for Winona to be concerned for her daughter's sexual health, and her reaction fueled by trauma felt in character, the way the book handled all the conversations about sex felt strange and it was a departure from how well sex was handled in Bennett's previous novel, Serious Moonlight.


Chasing Lucky was a pretty big disappointment for me. All of the men were unlikable and obnoxious, a rough fate for a romcom novel, and the plotlines swung wildly between cliche and strange. I still recommend Bennett's other YA contemporaries; Alex Approximately, Starry Eyed, and Serious Moonlight, but Chasing Lucky is a skip.

Words cannot described how much I loved Chasing Lucky. Jenn Bennet has become one of my favorite authors and I will keep reading anything she continues to publish. I enjoy reading best friends to lovers and Josie and Lucky were amazing together. I adored Lucky!! I loved the way he treated Josie! I can’t wait to get a physical copy and add it to my collection because this has been the best read of the year so far!

As much as I will always love Jenn Bennett's writing, something about her more recent releases just hasn't clicked for me, and Chasing Lucky was no exception. I thought the setting was very well-done, and I appreciated the exploration of complicated family dynamics, but I wasn't sold on the romance. I never felt a connection to our main character or our love interest, and unfortunately the pacing of this one also lost me at times.

Content: non-graphic sexual situations, mature themes (including abusive relationships).
Ages 16+

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a solid YA romance novel with a story line that gives it depth. I read it straight through in an afternoon. I always enjoy the friends to lovers stories. I loved the way family is explored and discovered by Bennett. The way the strength of women and wins out in the bad times, and the patience and loyalty displayed by Lucky.

Things I didn't like:
1. Way too many question marks. Like, way too many. Although that could easily be solved before final printing.
2. As an electronic arc, the photo footnotes were nothing but distracting and irritating. If the pictures had actually been present, they may have been interesting and added to the story.
3. In spite of all of the depth you see developing in Lucky and Josie's relationship, their shared history, and the ease with which you can imagine them really making it...the reader never gets the satisfaction of reading those three little words exchanged between them. Yeah, they're young. The same age as I was when I met my husband of now 26 years. But if they're old enough, and committed enough to have sex they're old enough and committed enough to say I love you.

I am a sucker for any Jenn Bennett YA romance. While not my favorite (I think I will always like Alex, Approximately best), Chasing Lucky was a sweet, slightly steamy read. Josie has lived all over New England with her wild-child mom. She finds herself back in her childhood hometown right in time for the summer before her senior year, and wouldn't you know that her childhood best friend, Lucky, whom she accidentally abandoned, works right next door? Of course, sparks fly and frustrations abound for our Lucky and Josie, and I was here. for. all. of. it.

I honestly don’t have much to say about this one. It was a very formulaic contemporary YA romance. Maybe I’m starting to phase myself out of the genre? I’m not sure. But I didn’t love this book. It was a little bit overly corny and some of the language felt juvenile. Like, saying “puh-wease” was one that really stuck out to me. It just felt a little bit too cheesy and campy for my tastes. I can understand why some people would like it, but it wasn’t for me. Granted, it was still a cute and fun story that was fast paced enough to get me to finish. I just found that I didn’t particularly care.