I've been a fan of Jenn Bennett's YA romances for years; Chasing Lucky did not disappoint!

Taking place in a fictional seaside Rhode Island town, Chasing Lucky follows two teens navigating personal and family trauma as they rebuild a childhood friendship into something new.

Bennett is a master of the slow-burn romance; her characters, while teenagers, feel human and fully-formed, with interesting hobbies and personalities, and believable foibles. (I was horrified to find that, as an adult reader, I was older than the mom in the book, but I still enjoyed reading it!)

This is pretty nit-picky, but as a Rhode Island resident, I wondered why Bennett used a made-up town as the setting. I completely understand if it was easier than setting everything in a real place, but it felt a little fake to me. I think I would have preferred fictional places, etc., set in a real-life town, like Newport.

Thank you Simon Pulse and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Josie Saint-Martin and her single mom returns to their hometown of Beauty, RI to run their family bookstore after years of moving from city to city. While in town, she runs into her childhood best friend, Lucky Karras, who apparently has earned quite a bad boy rep in the historic New England town. After Lucky takes the fall for her in an accident, she is determined to find out what happened to him during these past 5 years. Of course, she realizes that he's not quite the bad boy everyone in the gossipy small town thinks he is.

This was my first YA novel by Jenn Bennett and I don't think it will be my last. I love her writing style! This is definitely a page turner with some good banter that made me chuckle. It's fluffy but has substance. I love Josie and Lucky and appreciate that they aren't perfect characters. Josie gets a little in her head at times but Lucky is so sweet but sadly so misunderstood. I wish we got to know him a little bit more and I think I would love it more if the story was also written from his perspective. If you are a fan of Jenny Han, you will like this one. Definitely adding Jenn Bennett to my list of must read YA authors!

4.5⭐️

Who says you can’t go home? Josie Saint-Martin and her mom have been moving from town to town for the last five years, that is until they to return back to home to the picturesque coastal town of Beauty. All Josie has to do is keep her head down long enough to save for a ticket to the West Coast where her famous photographer father lives. However, she soon finds her carefully crafted plans starting to fall apart after a vandalism incident lands her in some hot water. Cue the entrance of her former best friend turned hot town bad boy, Lucky Karras. With new opportunities in front of her Josie has to decide whether to stay the course or see where the tides take her (which might be hard when you’re prone to seasickness).

I have read all of Jenn Bennett’s contemporary YA books, and this one is by far my favorite. Her writing style is so compelling that you can’t help but to keep turning the pages to see what happens next. The setting, the pacing, and the character development are all wonderfully done in Chasing Lucky. I devoured this book in a couple of days.

I absolutely loved the banter and chemistry between Josie and Lucky. Jenn Bennett writes some of the best dialogue for contemporary YA. It never feels forced and always feels relatable. They are both flawed characters with different kinds of emotional baggage, but it all feels very realistic. And I appreciate how this story doesn’t lean too much into the dramatics. Their relationship from former best friends, to strangers with a shared past, and then growing from that foundation into something more was *chefs kiss*. No instalove here, just continued growth from communication and being vulnerable. Lucky is very much worthy of the book boyfriend title.

My sincerest thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! It was just the read I needed!

I admit it - I have a huge writer crush on Jenn Bennett. Her new novel, Chasing Lucky, is another amazing novel. A little romance, a lot of family drama, and a beautiful plot that brought tears to my eyes at the end.

The protagonist in Chasing Lucky is Josie Saint-Martin. Along with her mother, Josie is heading back to her hometown of Beauty, New Hampshire, to work her grandmother's bookstore while her grandmother and aunt are off on a Peace Corps mission in Nepal. Josie's slightly-older cousin Evie is also in residence in the apartment above the bookstore to help. Josie's a photographer, whose father is also a famous photographer, and she's secretly plotting to save money to move to LA to apprentice under him when she graduates high school.

On the arrival back to town, Josie sees her former best friend, Lucky Karras, in the bookstore. Only he's not the Lucky she remembers, and he doesn't seem to want anything to do with her. Except he's the one there when Josie makes a bad decision that could get her in a heap of trouble. Lucky takes the fall for her and her mother tells her to stay far away from him.

There are a lot of family secrets in this story, and small-town gossip fuels a lot of misinformed decisions. The depiction of the town and the interplay of its residents is strong. I really felt like I could see Beauty as Josie traversed her storyline. Characterizations are fabulous and I fell into their story so easily. I love and hate a book that brings tears to my eyes, and Chasing Lucky absolutely did.

There’s a lot of books that have left me at a loss for words but Chasing Lucky really took the cake. I’ve reread it at least four times trying to figure out how to formulate how I feel about the book and failed. All I ended up with was a mushy brain. Keep that in mind as you continue reading my ramble.

The protagonist, Josie Saint-Martin, moves back to her old town, Beauty, with her mom after going from town to town every few months since she was 12. Josie’s grandmother left to Nepal for a year, leaving them, along with her cousin Evie in charge of their family bookstore. Unfortunately, Beauty is still the same old town, prone to gossip and lots of rumors. For better or worse, her former best friend, Lucky Karras is still there, still reeling from from Josie leaving him suddenly.

Lucky is different, more emo and dark (and it’s clear Josie is attracted to him), but Josie’s mom reminds her of the supposed Saint-Martin curse: none of them have ever had a successful relationship.

Lucky and Josie grow close again after a bad party where Adrian Summers, son of the town’s richest man, humiliates Josie while drunk, causing her to angrily throw a stone at a building the Summers own, landing her and Lucky in the police station, ending with Lucky taking the blame for her. Appreciative but surprised, Josie takes it upon herself to figure out why her ex-best friend, who supposedly hates her, would do such a thing.

Josie is confused and frustrated with the way her life is going, and I honestly can’t blame her. Her mom is always on dating apps, constantly hooking up with men, on top of them never even being able to stay in the same place for long. She wants to move to Los Angeles the second she’s out of high school to intern under her father, Henry Zabka, a famous photographer who she hasn’t seen in years but misguidedly believes still cares for her.

Lucky doesn’t want to run his family’s boat business like his father wants, nor does he want to go to college like his mother wants for him. He’s still hurt that Josie left him five years ago while he was severely injured and recovering in a hospital. Though he might be the town’s “bad boy”, most of the rumors about him aren’t true and he truly does have a heart of gold (p.s. I definitely have a crush on him and would die for him but that’s a discussion for another time).

Lucky and Josie grow together over the course of the summer – both in terms of their relationship, but also as individual people. Everything between them felt natural, like they’d been together forever.

I'm a big fan of Jenn Bennett's YA romances and this one did not disappoint. Follows the author's typical story format/formula but is very sweet nonetheless.

I have been waiting for this book for MONTHS and I honestly screamed when I saw the approval come through to read it prior to release.

I. Was. Not. Disappointed.

I LOVE that it takes place in Rhode Island, a state I personally fell in love with a few years ago. The beach town, the water, the cute street names, I loved it all.

Jenn Bennett is an amazing writer. She knows how to grip a reader and keep them interested. I didn't want this book to end.

Thank you, Jenn Bennett, for another amazing novel!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC!
Unfortunately I was only able to read one chapter of this book. The formatting was such that it was not compatible with my kindle, so I had to read it on my phone. I fancy myself to have great eyesight but WOW... talk about small font! When you zoom in on a page- it only allows one size change (still not as big as I needed it to read) and then you had to exit the zoom in between flipping each page. I also attempted to read this book on my microsoft surface (that's how badly I wanted to read this book! I LOVE Jenn Bennett!) but alas the format to flip the pages was impossible to navigate. Really frustrating because I spent over an hour researching what I could do to make any changes so that I could actually read this book. I will be getting this when it comes out because I love all of Jenn Bennett's books! Here's hoping that next time the publisher allows the ARCs to be sent to a kindle!

Another beautifully crafted novel from Jenn Bennett- I annihilated this book. I could not put it down. Especially when thinking about sweet Lucky, book boyfriend.

Is there a single thing I didn't like about this book? Absolutely not. I fell in love with the characters from the moment I started the book and loved them through the end. I completely connected with them and felt like I was watching from the outside in. Josie and Lucky are ridiculously perfect. It isn't insta love and I appreciate that out of a young adult standalone. You never really can tell what it is going to be like but with this author's books. it never feels forced. I think that this would be a great book to read in the summer, even though I read it in the budding spring. There is a questionable storyline about Josie's mother but the kid's story definitely overshines that and it becomes a story about both family as well as love. 

I can't say I disliked anything! I like that Jenn's books are standalones and this was a wonderful story to break up a ton of fantasy reading that I have been doing lately. It was sweet and powerful and fantastic. 

RATING

I would recommend this book to those who are fans of contemporaries as well as romances! This is fluffy, but not too fluffy, and has the perfect amount of plot.

I was so lucky to receive an ARC of this book!

Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett follows Josephine “Josie” St. Martin when she settles back into her hometown after five years of moving around the New England area with her mother. Back in town, Josie runs into her former best friend, Lucky Karras, who wants nothing to do with her. However, a bad decision brings the two together again.

I have received ARCs for now three out of four books recently released by Jenn Bennett. While I was unsure of my thoughts on Jenn Bennett’s books after I read Alex, Approximately, each time I read a new book by this author, I love her writing even more. Out of the three books that I have read by Jenn Bennett, Chasing Lucky is hands down my favorite.

One of the highlights of books by Jenn Bennett is her writing style. The descriptions of Beauty, Josie’s hometown, were so descriptive that I felt like I was there. Her characters have distinct personalities that are shown through their actions rather than told the reader. Every time I read a new Jenn Bennett books, these characteristics of her writing seem to constantly improve, so I am consistently impressed by her new works rather than reminiscing about her old ones.

I also greatly enjoyed the relationships and relationship dynamics present in this book. The characters, their pasts, and their personalities truly carry the story. While there is miscommunication between the characters, it isn’t thrown in haphazardly to generate some drama, but all makes sense within the context of the characters in the story. While I guessed some “mysterious” or “secret” details of characters and their relationships in the book, this didn’t seriously impact my reading experience because I overall enjoyed each character and their role in this story.

I think Chasing Lucky is a sold contemporary. It reflects real life with its characters, relationships, and setting, but also provides an interesting story that will hook readers from beginning to end. Jenn Bennett has slowly become an auto-buy contemporary author from me and I look forward to her next release. I give Chasing Lucky five out of five stars.

I received a copy of Chasing Lucky via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jenn Bennett never disappoints! This was another fun YA romance from her and I love how each of her stories manages to feel unique and special. Josie and Lucky were two compelling MCs, the small town setting was delightfully cozy, the banter and romance were perfect. I just couldn’t love it more. Always looking forward to whatever Bennett does next!

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It would be a perfect, quick summer read. It is full of cute moments, twists and turns, and even some sorrow. I really like a book that takes me on an emotional roller coaster ride and keeps my mind engaged for hours on end, and this novel certainly does not disappoint.
I would have liked a little more character development, as I feel like the relationships between the characters were a bit choppy. Otherwise though, the characters were relatable and easy to love!
Again, all in all, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick and fun novel. I was able to read it over a weekend!

Usually I really enjoy Jenn Bennett’s books, but this one was very disappointing. I didn’t like any of the characters, the plot failed to keep my attention, and I found parts of the story a little ridiculous. Some parts were still really cute and I enjoyed, which is why I didn’t completely hate it, but it was definitely not my favorite and fell short to the other stories I’ve read by this author.

I am a sucker for all things Jenn Bennett. I just love the way she writes relationships and builds characters that are very relatable. Someone suggested it for fans of Gilmore Girls, and I agree! It's a well written contemporary YA filled with good angst, characters, and romance.

Anything with Jenn Bennett's name on it is bound to be gold. I have fallen in love with all of the ya books she has written, and now I'm adding this to that list. She is SO good at relationship building and making imperfect characters. They all have realistic flaws and are relatable to the reader. The story is realistic, but quirky enough to be a fun escape from reality. There were definitely some tropes, but the rest of the story was so amazing that it negated the cliches. 10/10 would highly recommend

Read this through edelweiss, absolutely loved it but I'm not surprised because all of Jenn's books are so swoony! The chemistry with her and Lucky!!! Love me a bad boy and I love the cover

Review will be available on my blog on May 2nd.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion. 

TW: Burns, death of a family member (mentioned), near-death incident, leaked nudes, hospitalization, sexual harassment, car accident, abortion, teen pregnancy, absentee parent, depression, grief (mentioned)
Rep: Black Side Character, mentally ill side character (depression)

"But it's okay. We can break the curse ourselves. No magic spell needed. No special charm. All we have to is decide that we're ready to small down a few invisible walls."

I kinda have been not a dying fan of Jenn Bennett's work, because I have my reasons. She has always been an okay author, but I have to admit; once in a while, I'll pick up a rom-com since her rom-coms are always so good in one way or another.

I requested Chasing Lucky on a whim; knowing that I'd probably won't get accepted but I somehow magically did. I'm still confused by how that was, but I am not complaining because it kinda means that the publishers actually like me on that, and not Edelweiss. I think it's hilarious that Netgalley likes me more than Edelweiss. 

This book was good. It wasn't as good as some of her novels that I really liked, but it had the Bennett charm to it.

I always liked books that deals with "art" such as, photography, music, art in general. I think this is what made Chasing Lucky so interesting is that we have someone who deals with art. In this case, Josie who wants to be a photographer and just got denied from a summer internship.

I loved the way Bennett has described the ambition & passion of photography that Josie has. It makes me value the pictures that my mom does, and how interesting it is despite it being time-consuming and how editing can be a bitch at times.  But this is just pure magical, and reading the book, made me feel like I had this passion like Josie has.

I didn't really mind the characters too much. They were interesting and had a certain charm to them especially Lucky. Though he did fall under the cliche, Bad Boy with a heart of gold. I don't mind because they are interesting, but sometimes it gets a little too much. I'd rather read a softie boy than a residential bad boy who the girl falls for. Or you know, actually add POC and/or Queer cast, and I'll be screaming about that forever. 

Josie was certainly an interesting character. I adored her passions and ambition like I've mentioned before, but honestly I kinda do feel like her personality isn't developed. I enjoyed quite a few things about her, but my god, her backbone is weak. And she is also a very frustrating character. 

I think this is the main reason why I'm not a huge fan of Jenn Bennett novels. The characters always feel like their stale and not as developed as much as I would like. I can't seem to get in their heads and actually get a grasp of personality. I can't enjoy novels too much if the characters are not developed like everything else.

I kinda feel like these characters need help. Yeah, that is saying something if I'm unable to get help. Screw doctors. They are so unhelpful when it comes to mental illness which is already kicking my ass in everything. They have had a lot of issues and the fact that some of their behavior is twisted.

I always enjoyed Bennett's writing. There's just something about it, where I can't find in any other rom com books. This book was no different than the rest of the novels. There was the charm, the wonderful descriptions of photography and the small town. The writing was magical, nothing less than what I expected.

The romance was really cute. I always fall hard for the romance in Jenn Bennett's rom-com books. The romance was well done and really slow-burn. I loved the fact that Bennett intermingled some tropes that I'd die for. Childhood Best Friends-Turned Enemies-Turned Lovers. Tell me does that not sound entertaining?

I could rave about the romance for a long time, and for a long review, but I won't. Believe me, it will melt your soul and would easily become of the cutest books you have ever read.

Can I mention the sex-positivity Bennett adds in her books. She always adds sex in her books, and shows that teenagers are doing these things and I always loved that about her novels. I kinda was getting a little concerned about there being no sex involved, but at least my fears were eased, because I want to read more books that deals with this.

I did feel like this book didn't have a plot whatsoever. This book had nothing special going for it, and I got confused on what the plot was. It brought it up in the beginning, but than nothing for a good chunk before addressing some of the plot-holes that was in the book, but there was still quite a bit of plot-holes that Bennett never addressed.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
The overall Tory was cute, and the characters were well-fleshed out. I hate sappy insta-love and was happy it wasn’t in here. However, I wish it had not followed the usual roadmap of YA love with the minor conflict added in right when things are going well. That was too predictable for my taste. Full review on Goodreads.

**Review scheduled to post (on my blog, Instagram and Goodreads) April 29th. I will update the links here on that date!**

I’D CHASE LUCKY TOO.

This was a more mature YA book. That’s what I kept thinking every time I was reading this. The main character was a high school senior and I kept picturing her as a college girl home for the summer. Take that for what you will, I still enjoyed the book.

There’s a lot of depth to this novel. It isn’t a super fluffy YA rom-com. The further I read, the more of the inner story unfurled in front of me. And I really like what I got from it. That communication is critically important to maintaining the bonds we value.

And usually, I hate when communication is clearly an issue and a brief conversation would solve all the problems. Bennett does a great job of not making me feel this way. While yes, I got frustrated with them (mostly Josie’s mother), I also understood the pain and heartache that each of the Saint-Martin women were struggling with. Another highlight, the fact that this was also heavily about a group of women in a family learning how to be together and not let differences tear them down. I liked the way reveals and emotions came out towards the end as the real picture of everyone’s past came to light. Josie took in a lot of information in a small amount of time. Did she make some mistakes? YES. Did she also learn from them? YES. And that’s what really sold this book for me.

The trope of choice for Chasing Lucky was childhood friends. Lucky and Josie knew each other back when she still lived in town, but after moving away, lost touch. Enter Josie coming back, enter cute Lucky 2.0. I, for once, dare say, I liked the way this trope was written. There was good banter, a little bit of angst as they figured each other out again and I felt the connection between them. I WILL ALSO SAY, I have rolled my eyes at love scenes in Bennett’s previous books, this was not the case this time. Oh it was so much better, and so much more realistic. I definitely adored this story a lot more because of it.

I constantly found myself wanting to pick this book up to read it. It was a solid YA book and I love the journey this story took me on. I appreciate the sentiments that were expressed and thought the conclusion was everything it should be.

Overall audience notes:

YA Contemporary Romance
Language: some strong
Romance: kisses; one little detailed fade to black scene
Trigger warnings: someone being arrested for destruction of property; a secondary character posting and showing off a nude photo of Josie’s mother and using it for revenge; car wreck (no one is critically injured)