Luciana "Lucky" Armstrong is a con artist and daughter of a grifter who buys a winning lottery ticket worth millions - but can't cash it or else she'll be arrested for her crimes, most recently a million dollar heist pulled off with her boyfriend, Cary (who has just abandoned Lucky in Las Vegas). On the path to redemption while struggling with morality, Lucky is faced with reconciling with her father and searching for her long-lost mother who left her on the steps of a church in 1982.

Told in a series of flashbacks interwoven with the current day story, Lucky is a quick read. I wish I could say it was enjoyable but it was just kind of...there. The storytelling lacked depth and backstory on any of the characters, most of whom are unlikeable and lack remorse for their actions. The suspense was hinted at but never really took off, and I was pretty sure from the beginning that the story would conclude wrapped up in a nice bow. As my friend likes to say "It's fine, everything is fine" - and that's how I felt about this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4478046289

Lucky was a fast paced gripping novel. On the surface Lucky, the main character, is not someone you should like or be rooting for but you definitely will. Marissa Stapley did a great job of unfolding Lucky's back story as well as where she wants to be in her life now. I will say I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and all tied up a bit too neatly but overall this was a great read,

3 for neutral! I tried to read this one on a few occasions, but it never grabbed me. It might be that I’m a moody reader, in which I will update if able to finish at a later date!

The main character of this novel, Lucky, is a young woman who has literally been a grifter as long as she can remember, as her dad was one too. The book alternates between the present, when Lucky finds herself in a tough spot when her boyfriend disappears with all their money when they are on the run for a scan, and Lucky’s childhood. It’s not really a mystery or thriller, but a character novel with a little light psychological suspense.

I enjoyed this one - a nice quick read with an appealing lead character, who you really root for despite her criminal ways. The end perhaps wrapped up a tad neatly, but yet I didn’t mind.

I think I wanted this to be either more literary or more thriller instead of somewhere in between, but I still really enjoyed the book and did not have the ending figured out in the slightest. Fans of heist movies/stories will really enjoy this one!

I received an ARC of this novel from Simon and Schuster via Netgalley in exchange for my review. Lucky has such a great concept-what do you do if you have a winning lottery ticket, but can't come forward to claim it because you will be arrested? All sorts of plotlines and characters just come rushing to mind. Marissa Stapley does a great job of exploring the options that Lucky has, except that her life has been so dysfunctional and built upon lies, that her options aren't necessarily the options that a typical character might be forced to explore. The story flies by as Lucky moves from one bad decision to another. I can't quite put my finger on what the novel was missing in order to give it five stars, but it will definitely hold your attention!

The irony of Lucky. As a newborn, she was dropped off on church steps. The crying newborn was picked up by a stranger and raised in his criminal lifestyle. She was a smooth quick-change artist, and in her young age a master manipulator to rid her unsuspecting marks of their funds. As a teen she falls in love with handsome young man, who as it turns out, is also a liar.

But this girl has the smarts, and as a big reader she is pulled to the story of Jean Valjean (the bread thief from Les Miserables, who stole to help feed his sister’s children), and her goal is to finish school and go off to college. Yes, this child who was raised by a criminal and raised to be a criminal, wants to go on to a legit life.
But living the legit life is not as easy as it seems.

So, when she lucks out and wins the largest lottery pay out, she cannot cash it in. As a criminal, the attention from winning this large sum would destroy her life for good.

Phew! After all this, it turns out that Lucky is not so lucky after all.

What I liked: This story turns into a bit of a cat and mouse chase. A whole list of criminals after each other – not to mention, out for the winning lotto ticket. But with a few chapters left, the story takes a twist and help comes from the most unsuspecting person.

Honest talk: When this book came out in April 2021 with the original cover, I was not that interested – a woman walking in a field, seen from the back, and holding a small piece of paper. This did not entice me. Yes, I am one of those people who judge the book by it’s cover. Sorry, not sorry. BUT this new cover! WOWZA! A close up of a freckled faced woman, the mirrored aviators, the bright warm colours - this is big impact.

Overall a 3.5 stars from me.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, I was just a little behind the publishing date.

Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed this title and can understand the praise that has come out about it since its release. The story of Lucky may not be a relatable one for many but her story is a compelling one that builds a beautiful character with a complicated background. I would recommend this book to everyone as it is a great quick read, perfect to bring you out of a slump.

This was a quick and easy read for me. I enjoyed the story and thought that Lucky n was a relatively likeable character. Though the story was fast passed it was not terribly compelling. This would be a great book for.someone looking to get out of a reading slump or even a reluctant reader because of its fast pace.

I always start by thanking NetGalley as well as the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. I also will never do a synopsis here, this is a place for a review. Wow, what a fast paced intense read! This was my Christmas read and l so enjoyed it. The strength of the main character, you bind yourself to her always wishing for a way out, even after she gets sucked in again and again. Then adding a background story only left me with yet another strong hope for an ending that just might put everything back together. A must read for anyone looking for fast paced suspense.

First of all, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a super fun and easy read! Usually, going back and forth between different timelines grows tiresome, but not for this book. It’s a story of a grifter named Luciano (aka Lucky) who is a grifter/con artist. Her father is in prison and she doesn’t know her mother. She ends up winning a mega million lotto but she doesn’t know how to cash it since she’s on the run for extortion and racketeering charges.

The story be-bops from Nevada, New York, the Midwest…. the characters are not very likable, but it’s hard not to admire the gusto. It’s fun, and sometimes those books are the best kind.

An interesting premise, unconventional heroine, quick moving plot and Oceans 11 vibe make this an entertaining read. Luciana (Lucky) Armstrong was raised by a con artist father whose money making schemes kept them always on the run. She was trained, encouraged and praised by him for her successful participation in these scams. This lifestyle follows her into adult hood as she falls in love with a man similar to her father. When things go bad with their latest con, Lucky is left alone to take the blame. Once again on the run, she realizes she holds a multi—million dollar winning lottery ticket. Claiming her prize however, would result in her being captured for her crimes. This twisty tale of a grifter on the run shifts between past and present (2008), detailing her upbringing with her father and the absent mother whom she’s never met and always wonders about. The fast paced, action packed ride to redemption leaves the reader routing for the heroine despite her criminal exploits.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun and fast paced novel that follows the story of a young lady - hopping between past and present with each new chapter - who gets caught up in a life of crime. I enjoyed this book; I haven’t read anything like it before which was refreshing. It was also interesting because you can tell that Lucky was accidentally bred and led into the scheming lifestyle by being left at a nunnery and scooped up by a man who insists he was the girls father. You get glimpses of Luckys goodness and purity beneath her criminal actions and it begs the question - can we really break free of the chains we bind ourselves? An entertaining read that gets tied up nicely at the end. I would definitely recommend this book!

Lucky is a con-artist who had just pulled off a huge heist with her boyfriend when he disappears and she realizes there’s a warrant out for her arrest. She then finds out she has a winning lottery ticket, but how does she cash it in without getting arrested?

This was a very unique story that was really compelling. Despite Lucky being a con-artist, I found myself rooting for her and even feeling sorry for her at times. I enjoyed that this went between present-day and Lucky’s childhood so we could really see her journey and what led her to become the person she is.
This one was a quick read that I ended up finishing in a day.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

First of all, this cover! I don't care what the book is about - I would have picked it up no matter what!

I love a good grifter story and Lucky's is intriguing and entertaining. With a dual timeline, we watch as she tries to do the right thing even though she's been brought up to do the opposite. It's a page turner that kept me guessing and delivered a heroine you can't help but root for.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the copy to review.

Con daughter and father living the life. Stealing from people and having everything they could want in life. Until lucky wants something she cannot have - to stay. Will her father agree? Amazing writing. Loved this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a great story! Fast paced, anxiety inducing at times, with a satisfying ending (although it was a bit abrupt and left some details to my own imagination). I really felt for the main character, Lucky, would love to see a part 2 to this story to see how her life unfolds from here.

Thank you Netgalley, Simon and Schunter Canada, and Marissa Stapley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

BOOK REVIEW: Lucky by Marissa Stapley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pages: 252

T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books of 2021
Reese's Book Club Pick

Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Heist Thriller
Time Period: Multiple Contemporary
Location: Multiple USA

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
Movie: Paper Moon

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Lucky is a con artist with a heart of gold. She finds herself high and dry with only a winning lottery ticket that she can't cash in on as a wanted person. Who can she trust?
This is a thriller that's not very thrilling. I liked Lucky (although she and the storyline were completely predictable.) This book will not stress you out but it is also completely forgettable.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance readers copy.

I was so excited to read this book based upon the summary and while I ended up loving it anyways, it was not what I was expecting!

I expected a light hearted book about a con artist trying to find a way to claim their winning lottery ticket…this book ended up being so much more than that.

The main character, Lucky, was full of layers and I would find myself rooting for her one moment and then cringing at her naivety the next. Ultimately she was the victim of her upbringing but yet we still have a soft spot for her father.

This book forces you on a roller coaster of emotions and empathy.

My only criticism is that I felt the ending was a little rushed and a little too wholesome…but at the same time I was very happy with the outcome.