Lucky by Marissa Stapley is a grifter, taught well by her Dad. She misses having a Mom but believes her Mom left her as a baby, so she's always looking for her. She lives with Cary and she helps him with his restaurant and "borrows" money from her clients. Cary disappoints her and she goes on the run and buys a lottery ticket. Turns out it's a winner but her face is on the news for the money she took from her clients, so she can't cash it in. We follow Lucky and learn about her life and the scams and how she tries to find a way to cash the ticket and start a new life. An interesting read and I enjoyed it. Could see this as a TV movie.

The concept of this book drew me in IMMEDIATELY, but unfortunately it didn't quite live up to what I had expected.

There were a lot of moving parts to this story which made it very intriguing and the dual timelines of the past and present made me want to keep reading every time I picked up this book. One thing I would say is that the pacing seemed pretty off to me...there was virtually nothing important that happened in the first 60% of the book, then it picked up a bit, and then slammed us with several story lines and twists in the last 10% of the book.

I liked that the character was trying to understand her own ethics and values, but all of the characters were a bit cliche.

Overall, a good story but the execution was just not quite there for me.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, read it in one day, and couldn't put it down. It was an easy and smooth read.

I am always fascinated by stories about con- artists, how their mind works, the preparation, and how they felt about the people they're conning, etc. So I jumped at the chance to read it.

In this book, it didn't go into the crimes Lucky committed, conning the seniors out of their retirement money, leaving them too broke for heart surgery, stealing from the people that used her investment firm, these crimes were only mentioned in the passing, so I couldn't hate or even dislike her for what she did. Instead, I am very much drawn to her story, the story alternates between the present day Lucky, to the child her, showing us how she grew up, what made her grew into who she is. Lucky, her young self is vulnerable and desperate for love and affection.

John her dad does in some way, but he also exploited her. Cary certainly had feelings for her, but also used her and then threw her away? Did her mom, did Steph, did anyone really love her, besides her dog?

I am glad for her, that she's going to be able to have a fresh start in the end. I grew to care about her as a character.

I loved this story! Lucky is taught at a young age to be a money swindler by her con artist father. As an adult, she and her partner commit a crime and separate. As she is on the run, she hits the lottery and truly becomes lucky. Engaging and creative!

Sadly, I did not enjoy this. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Simon & Schuster Canada for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucky was such a fun, fast paced read! I really enjoyed the twists and turns and the author made the characters so vivid!

Lucky masters the art of con at a very young age. She was taught from the best, her dad. All Lucky wants is a normal life, but her grifter dad doesn’t know how to give that to her. As Lucky grows older, she tries to live a straight life, but she ends up following in her dad’s footsteps more than she would like. When Lucky wins the lottery, she is excited for a chance at redemption. But then one of her previous cons goes south and suddenly she’s the most wanted women in America.

I quite enjoyed this book, even though I found it predictable. The writing was quite good and the character development was key to me not wanting to put it down. I would have liked more suspense brought it but the ending was a nice touch. Will definitely recommend to my family and friends

Lucky has always been, well, lucky. At least on the surface. She’s beautiful, smart, and cunning. She can create opportunities out of thin air and then slip out just when things start to go south. But look a little deeper and you’ll see a life that’s been anything but lucky. Raised on the road by her father, she’s never had a stable home, a true friend, a responsible parent. As they go from one con game to the next, swindling everyone who tries to get close to them, Lucky feels the calling of a normal life. She wants to have an address, a career, a family. But how can she ever do that when she’s never learned how to make her way honestly?

I really enjoyed the book. Marissa Stapley does an excellent job of persuading the reader to root for the bad guy. Lucky is a victim, yes, but she’s also smart. Those of us who see the big picture will argue that she is not responsible for many of the messes she found herself in, but there’s also truth to the fact that she made many of her own deceitful and dishonest choices. Despite the fact that I wouldn’t have trusted her for a second, I found myself wanting everyone else to. I wanted Lucky to be okay, to get her chance. Stapley created a moving, emotionally-charged story centered around a flawed, but deserving, character. Excellent work.

This one comes out on December 7, 2021. I recommend it for a thought-provoking, but quick read.

Thanks to Marissa Stapley, Simon & Schuster, and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

I checked this out because of its TJR quote, not gonna lie, and I’m SO glad I did. It actually gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes with the way the characters developed and the story progressed as we follow Lucky throughout her life. This novel is about Lucky, who grows up with a single con artist dad, who in turn teaches her how to be a con artist as well. The majority of the story takes place in 2008, where 26-year-old Lucky goes to Vegas on a scheme and is abandoned by her boyfriend; she decides she wants to finally track down her mother who she’s never met. We also get flashbacks of Lucky’s childhood interspersed with the current story, so we really are following her from birth to 26.
This was such a fast paced book with fun, although shady, characters and it didn’t drag on too long.

This is a Suspense/Contemporary Fiction. This book has two storyline one is Lucky now, and the other one is Lucky's childhood. I guessed one of the twists from the beginning, but it did not take away from the story. This was a fun book, and the writing in this book was so great. I really enjoyed the characters in this book even through most of them have done some not so good things. I really loved the ending of this book. Great read. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Simon Schuster) or author (Marissa Stapley) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Lucky has spent her entire life running cons either with her father or her boyfriend. She has tried on several occasions to leave her life of crime but various events have kept her captive. Really, this entire book is how Lucky feels about and deals with the situation others have put her in. She is like the prostitute with a heart of gold. Can the purchase of what ends up being a winning lottery ticket help solve the everything or just add more problems? Who can she trust? I really liked Lucky's character. I liked how she didn't just whine about her situation but tried to remove herself from the cons and tried to help others along the way. I even liked the incredibly improbable story of tracking down her birth mother.

Okay, I really enjoyed this book. It had a wonderful story about a girl growing up with a con artist for a dad. Her life's education was learning to swindle others, but then she finds herself alone, on the run from the police, and in possession of a winning lottery ticket that she can't cash in without being caught by the police.

The story is told through alternating timelines both present day, and different times in Lucky's past that helps to tell the story that has led up to present day. Lucky is a compelling character to read about. You want to know how things are going to go for her. You want the best for her, and she keeps you turning the pages. I really enjoyed her.

The story was great for about 85% of the book. Then, it felt like a complete change happened, and we were rushed at 100 mph to the finish line. I would have liked a little more depth and development for the ending. It was a good ending, and I would have liked to enjoy it a bit longer.

Overall though, this was a great story, and I would recommend it!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

This started so strong!! I enjoyed all of it but groaned as the further I read the quicker the plot started adding details in a silly way that felt beyond rushed and incomplete. It reminded me of when I know I’m having people over In a week and I have all week to clean my house - I start off strong truly sorting and putting things away and deep cleaning and then because I misjudged my time I end up throwing piles of clothes into my bathtub and drawing the curtain around it to hide everything. This felt beyond rushed, and, because it’s as if the author ran out of time, too unrealistically buttoned up. Great start - still a fun read - but not one that lived up to its potential. Heartfelt thanks to Simon and Schuster for the advanced
Copy.

Want to know that quickest way for a book to lose a star from me? Wrap everything up in a nice neat bow. Ugh.

The premise of this book held a lot of potential: a multi-million dollar scam falls apart and Lucky is trying to cash a winning lottery ticket without being discovered. There are dual timelines where we learn how Lucky became the con artist she is and the present timeline where we watch her repeatedly scam and be scammed across the country. I enjoyed watching her struggle between the only lifestyle she knows and wanting to be a good person, making good decisions. This book really fell apart when the big bow attempts to wrap things up in the most convenient way possible.

This is rumored to be the December pick for Reese Witherspoon’s book club. If you like her usual picks, you will probably like this one too. It’s a short, quick read.

Lucky tried, she really tried, not to become a grifter like her father. Now, though, she's on the run from an embezzlement charge, her boyfriend has disappeared, and she's got a winning lottery ticket she can't cash. This is an interesting portrait of woman who tries time and again to make the right choices. It moves back and forth between her childhood and the present, giving you a more complete view of a complex woman. She's on a quest not only to cash the ticket but also to find the woman her father claimed was her mother but what will she find? I liked this for Lucky and the small details of a life on the lam. The other grifters around her- Cary, Priscilla, Reyes (there's more to her than it appears) are well drawn. If I have a quibble, it's the implausibility of part of the ending. That's not to say, however, that I didn't read this in a gulp and close it with a sense of satisfaction. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This book started off strong and I liked the idea of a grifter pair whose luck changes. We meet Lucky and her father John who are swindlers. We alternate past and present with Lucky on the run in the early 2000s and then we peek into her upbringing from the 80s onward. I was hoping we’d see Lucky strike it rich with a lottery ticket and how that would change her life but instead it was a story about finding the truth and true family. Some of it was a bore honestly. I’d probably give it a little more than 3 stars but it’s probably one I’ll forget about pretty quickly.

Lucky is a fast paced thrill ride full of over the top villains and feels like a telenovella. So much fun

As a baby, Luciana "Lucky" Armstrong's mother abandons her on the steps of a church, but Lucky's father finds her and they make a life on their own, grifting and drifting their way across the country. The story alternates between key moments in Lucky's past, growing up with a con artist father and a lifestyle that makes it impossible to have friends or be normal, and the "present" (2008), when Lucky is on the run after bilking senior citizens out of their life savings. She ends up in possession of a winning lottery ticket worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but can't cash it in since she is a fugitive. It becomes a talisman of sorts, representing the potential for redemption and a new beginning. Lucky is a complex character: she knows she does bad things but justifies them (stealing from the rich who, can afford it), and it is the only life she knows. A very enjoyable read.

I enjoyed this book very much. Short, engaging chapters and an atmosphere that reminded me of the Oceans franchise films, which I really love. I felt very much for Lucky as a child—she was kind of doomed from the start so I don’t know how much she can be blamed for her actions as an adult. I enjoyed the dual timelines a lot. I think I wanted a little more action maybe, but it was an easy, quick read and it was actually pretty heartwarming at times.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance reader’s copy.

2.5 rounded up-

Lucky grew up with her Conman father, always on the run and unable to establish roots. She wanted nothing more than a traditional life and vowed that future for herself. But Lucky falls in love with a Conman and finds that she can’t escape the only life she’s ever known. But then Lucky finds herself conned by her love and in trouble with the law, and is forced to be on the run alone. She holds a multi million dollar winning lottery ticket and the chance for everything she’s dreamed of but if she cashes it, she will get caught. Who can help Lucky?

I wanted to like this more than I did. I was intrigued by the premise of a Conman raising a daughter, who wanted to live a wholesome life but couldn’t shake her upbringing. I really enjoyed the chapters in Lucky’s childhood and felt for her, but I had a hard time connecting with our protagonist in the present. I felt like in the present, I was told a lot more than shown emotions and everything heistwise was overly complicated. The ending was very neat and wrapped in a bow, which made it very unrealistic. (I also found myself rolling my eyes when Lucky got a perfect 1600 on her SATs despite her lack of education.)

All in all, this was a quick read that held promise but ultimately missed the mark for me.