Well, wasn't this just the sweetest read. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect going into this but I fell hard and fast for this book that messed with my emotions.. The characters in this were beautifully written and I enjoyed the way the author explored different types of relationships. Grief is a key theme in this book and I thought the author did a wonderful job of exploring this complex emotion wonderfully. Overall, a solid read that features great characters and an adorable romance.

I was not prepared for how much I was going to enjoy The Lucky List; the characters were so earnest and genuine they won me over very quickly. I haven't had a lot of luck with ARCs and YA lately, so this was a delightfully easy and enjoyable read.

Emily is struggling with a lot; her mother has passed away, she's on the outs with her boyfriend, and she's hiding truths about herself from her friends that she can't even admit to herself. Now, her best friend is away at summer camp, her dad keeps getting rid of her mother's belongings, and they're moving away from the home she grew up in. Luckily, a family friend is moving back to town, and Blake may be just the person to help Emily deal with these overwhelming emotions.

Emily and Blake's reunion and the growth of their friendship is sweet and innocent. They're supportive of each other without judgement and seem to know how far to encourage sharing and change without pushing too far. I loved getting to know them as they got to know each other and enjoyed the writing style that allowed this to happen naturally.

The Lucky List is a refreshing addition to the coming-of-age LGBTQ+ genre with a rarely told story of discovering your own sexuality and accepting yourself despite (both real and perceived) familial and societal pressures. With a slow burn romance and a small town setting, there's a lot to love about this book.

This was such an enjoyable read! It's a fantastic YA contemporary about finding yourself, friendship and grief.

I loved the characters and thought they were all well written. The storyline itself is entertaining, and captured my interest the entire way through.

I finished this book in one sitting, because I couldn't stop reading.

I really recommend this one to those who enjoy the genre!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for sending a copy of this book my way.

The Lucky List is the perfect summer read. We meet Emily in the summer before her senior year - three years after the death of her mother. Blake has just moved to town (the daughter of her dad's best friend in high school) and when she helps Emily pack up her house, they discover her mum's bucket list from high school. As Emily ticks items off the list to feel closer to her mum, she also feels closer to someone unexpected.

Lippincott has created a wonderful YA novel in The Lucky List. Firstly, Emily was a great protagonist and I loved following her journey & development over the summer. Lippincott graciously handles Emily's grief and healing as she comes to terms with the loss of her mom three years later. I also loved the setting - I felt like I was spending my summer in small-town Pennsylvania. Finally, Blake is just the best love interest in this slow-burn situation. She's fun and charming while also being considerate and understanding.

YA fans, I highly recommend bingeing The Lucky List this summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Children's UK for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I'm grinning like an idiot right now just thinking about this book. It was just so cute and deep too! I honestly think this is my favourite Rachael Lippincott by far and I can't wait to read her next books in the future.

The Lucky List follows the main character Emily who is still grappling with her mother's death three years ago. Since then, she's felt stuck, afraid and alone, feeling as though her luck has run out. When looking through her mother's box of senior year memories, Emily discovers her summer bucket list and goes on a quest with her newfound friend Blake, to recreate her mum's list for an invincible summer.

I'm not going to lie, this book gave me all the feels. I feel like Rachael Lippincott is amazing at putting in all these emotional anecdotes and really pulling at the raw emotional elements of her characterisation. Every character was dealing with grief in their own way, even though most of it was seen with Emily's character arc. Even the writing style complemented it, being poignant and emotional yet still raw. I loved how we got to see Emily slowly overcoming her grief and opening up more to become the version of herself not only her mother, but Emily herself wanted to be. I'm so glad Rachael made the decision to tell this story in a slow, emotional and delicate way and how the romance really complemented the pacing of the novel too. I reckon that if the romance was fast paced then the book wouldn't have had the amount of complexity it did. I'm glad things were not rushed, that events and realisations took time and I'm glad that the book really focused in on that.

Pacing and writing style aside though, I loved the technical elements like the world building. I know lots of contemporaries don't really have that, but I loved the sense of community and country-style living that small-town Huckabee had. I liked that touch and I think it added to Emily's innermost thoughts and feelings and the reason why she hadn't come to terms with a lot of self-realisations. I felt like that had a lot to do with Emily's identity too. A lot of her personality was built up by her friends, her family and the environment around her. I liked how Blake helped to make Emily become more introspective, more analytical towards what she wanted rather than other people's expectations and because of that, I could empathise with her.

I also loved the romance aspect of this book. Whilst it was a romance, The Lucky List was more so about identity and finding yourself rather than getting with the "love interest." Romance wasn't a big part of the book, not as much as I thought, and not as much as you would think. I'm so glad Rachael made that decision, because without the emotional unpacking, the self reflections and realisations, the romance wouldn't have made any sense. It wouldn't have felt right if you know what I mean, I think it would've felt too sudden, too rushed and maybe too forced (as I've seen in some books where the romance aspect was done too abruptly).

That being said, I loved how the romance wasn't about sexual attraction, it was more centred around chemistry and connection, about getting to understand one another on a deeper and more spiritual level than actually doing any of the physical stuff. That's what makes a good romance for me, The Lucky List got all the ticks from me on that part.

In terms of negatives, I didn't really have any pressing ones because I felt like this book was already stellar to begin with. I felt like towards the end where Emily was kind of avoiding those big self realisations, I wanted that part to have been pulled out a little bit more because the parts that followed that one would've made more sense, it would've made me, as a reader, sympathise and empathise with Emily even more. But that being said, I'm being really picky right now and even though that one part wasn't teased out more, I still loved this book in all its raw and emotional glory.

ACTUAL RATING: 4.3 STARS

Emily and her mum always seemed to have good luck - bingo games, raffles, you name it. But that luck ran out when Emily's mum got sick and passed away. Now estranged from her friends and ex-boyfriend, Emily is facing a lonely summer and a move into a new home with a father she can't talk to. But everything changes when an old friend moves back to town and Emily discovers her mother's bucket list for a perfect summer. After reconnecting with Blake, the two girls start to tick off the items on the list from skinny dipping in the public pool to getting a tattoo, but as the summer goes on, Emily starts to realise that she doesn't have to follow in her mother's footsteps to feel closer to her.

For the author's first solo book, this was such an easy read. The writing style is comfortable and well paced and I found myself flying through it. I really connected to Emily's character and felt all her emotions as she discovered who she was, tried to deal with her father giving away her mother's possessions, and navigated her relationship with Blake. I'm also a sucker for any books with a bucket list! This book had some very sweet moments and also some that downright made me cry!

This book was an absolute joy to read - Rachael Lippincott I adore your stories and can’t wait to see wha let you do next! I finished this one quickly as I was hooked from the start and I would have to say that this is one of my favourite YA reads of the year. I loved Emily and Blake and how their adventures unfolded (I am already wanting to create my own bucket list) and I found myself laughing and crying alongside them all the way through. A definite must read for your TBR list!

The lucky list by Rachael Lippincott was a sweet, heart felt story of two young females finding their place in life.

Emily looses her mother to a brain tumour and becomes lost in her life in the small town that she has grown up in. An old friend returns to town and they begin to grow close again. The story started out a little slow for me and I was not captured, although I'm glad I pushed through. Emily then starts to work through a bucket list left by her mother in order to start growing her confidence and finding her true happiness.

I just finished five feet apart and absolutely love it! I feel this new debut would definitely be more appealing to the YA readers which is something I have started to move away from. Without giving away any spoilers I did not see the ending of the book coming, therefore was caught by surprise a little of the whole theme of the book and the struggles that Emily was facing. The writing style was easy enough to read, but I felt it only hit the cute mark for me, I feel like it could have given a bit more into the emotions of the characters. That being said, Rachael Lippincott has a way of writing that looks as though it would always transfer seamlessly into a screenplay.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This is be another hit for Racheal Lippincott. A heartfelt YA that yet again finds your heart and gives it a squeeze.. You will again read this in one quick reading and smile, cry and swoon.

This was all the right amounts of cute, tearful, and swoony! It was just perfect. I loved all the characters and thought that the storyline had all the heart expected of a YA contemporary. This was my first book by this author and also her debut without another co author. I’ll definitely be reading more of her work.