Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, Jaclyn Westlake, and NetGalley for the ARC of Lucky Break in exchange for an honest review.

Lucky break was a book that I was reluctant to put down. It is labeled in the romance category (closed door), but had a mystery or two of various characters history that kept me engaged. The MFC Eliza moves to a cute little town in Minnesota to add some variety to her life that stopped going as she had meticulously laid out plan.
Being a Wisconsinite myself, I loved this story a little extra because it was depicting our way of life that we sometimes take for granted, when compared to other areas of the United States. The joy as simple as small town coffee shop, boating, and cook outs with your neighbors.
Overall, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 star and in the category of mystery/closed door romance. I would even recommend this book for Young Adult readers as well. Definitely going to look up Jaclyn Westlake and TBR other books written by her!

After going through a traumatic breakup, Eliza makes the move from California to a charming midwestern town. As Eliza tries to find herself, she comes across some interesting neighbors and finds herself in the middle of a small town mystery.

My thoughts: I absolutely loved this book! It was the perfect book to start off my summer reading. The character development kept me engaged throughout the entire story and I definitely found myself growing fond of some characters. I loved that it had a romance element but my favorite was definitely the mystery behind the quick departure of Erica, the previous owner of Eliza’s small cabin. I definitely did not see that conclusion coming. I also adored the relationship between Eliza and her rescue pup, Potato! 🥹 This was definitely a five star read for me and I recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute, yet meaningful, summer read. I can actually see myself rereading this book in the future! Jaclyn Westlake has become one of my new favorite authors.

Publication Date: July 15, 2025.

Spice: 🌶️ 1 out of 5 (kissing only)
⚠️ trigger warnings at the bottom (don’t read if you don’t want spoilers)

What a delightful light, yet meaningful summer read!! Come for the cute summery small town and rescue dogs, stay for the incredible character development and cast of characters. This book is about embracing the unexpected when life doesn’t go according to plan.

I’ll admit I was a little disappointed in the first half because I was expecting it to be a typical contemporary romance where the romance is the main plot. However, once I adjusted my expectations I ended up loving it! I’d describe this as women’s fiction with a low-stakes mystery and a romantic subplot - similar to Mary Kay Andrews.

Eliza is grappling with a traumatic breakup and decides to embark on a new adventure. She finds herself in the middle of a mystery as she tries to settle into her new phase of life.

Like every good small town book, there is a fantastic cast of characters - both people and dogs! I fell head over heels for Potato the 3-legged dachshund mix! I loved that Eliza made friends with such a diverse group of people- different races, ages, sexual orientations, and abilities - all coming together. Eliza’s Italian heritage is also a big part of the book which was lovely. Eliza grapples with her friend group back home changing, which felt so accurate to my experience being in my 30s. I also loved her brother Enzo (autism spectrum rep)!

Like I said, I didn’t super connect with the romance. Joel felt a little cookie cutter and vanilla. I fell for the bond between Eliza and Potato more than the relationship between Eliza and Joel! 😂 However, it wasn’t a huge part of the book so it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book overall.

Where Lucky Break really shines is Eliza’s story and growth. As the book progresses, we learn more about why her world feels so upside down. It was heart wrenching at times. She goes to therapy, which was really great to see. She feels like a real person that I want to be friends with!

I enjoyed that there was a mystery element without it being too sinister. It ended up being sweet and heartwarming even though the characters are flawed. Be prepared, though - it’s not a Hallmark movie. There is a reveal that came like a gut punch and had me tearing up.

What a gem! Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc!

Out July 15!
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⚠️ trigger warnings: infertility (described in detail), death of best friend in car accident (not described in detail)

Eliza decides she needs a change of scenery and she moves from the big city to a small Midwest town where she doesn't know anyone. When she gets there she tries to fit in and find her place while also trying to solve the mystery of where the previous home owner went. This was a fun, easy read and would be the perfect read for a summer vacation.

Read if you like:
⭐ Cozy Mystery
⭐ New Beginnings
⭐ Small Town
⭐ Found Family

Thank you to the publishers and NetGally for this Advanced Release copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Lucky Break starts off as a typical rom-com with a breakup and a slightly neurotic main character making a wild decision to upend her life. While falling in love with a small lake community in Minnesota, a mystery starts to unravel. I appreciated that the mystery wasn’t clearly laid out and there were actually clues to help solve what happened along the way.

I also appreciated how the main characters dealt with serious issues such as infertility, adult friendships, and infidelity. While many other books skirt over these issues and wrap them up neatly with a bow at the end, I was happy that the main characters didn’t resolve every issue perfectly by the end. Their flaws made them more realistic.

Beware - you will want to hop on the next flight to Minnesota after reading this!

First, let me shout out Netgally and author Jaclyn Westlake for providing this ARC.

I've bumped it up to 4, but really it was more like a 3.75 star for me.

Now, where to begin.... overall, this book was nice? The low stakes, little bit of hallmark romance paired with mystery, was a decent vibe, but this was definitely a read once type piece for me. There were great things about this read, don't get me wrong! For starters, there is a large crew of diverse characters (love a read that has a relatable crew). Also, the cozy small town setting (my Midwestern-girl self, currently transplanted on the coast felt some homesickness for sure!), as well as the authors heartfelt representation to infertility. Buuuuut the romance left me a bit wanting (there was a little bit of fun, snappy, chemistry dialog where I was wishing for more) and the final "hurrah" of the mystery resolve fell a bit flat for me. While I'm not disappointed that I spent time with this read, I also felt like it took an unusually long time to get myself to finish it for no longer than it is. All in all, its cute enough; and if slow, cozy mysteries are your thing, you'll probably enjoy it.

3.5 stars.

Slow and sweet: I didn’t feel hugely invested in the characters but I enjoyed the hallmark vibes. If Christmas movies had a summer equivalent… this might be it.

Thank you for the ARC! In full transparency, I am DNF’ing the book at 42%. The beginning of the book was really strong for me and I felt like I could really see Eliza uprooting and beginning anew — learning to let go of the preconceived plans she set for herself. I’m now almost half way into this book and I am struggling to see the real plot of it all. So far, Eliza has been far too worried about her neighbors liking her and far too curious about the previous tenant, Erica. I, as the reader, just do not care about what happened to this gal and struggling to really connect with the FMC.

Again, thank you for the opportunity to read Lucky Break and to provide my personal feedback on this book.

“Lucky Break” by Jaclyn Westlake was such a charming book! It touched on some serious topics but had a wonderful ending. It was inclusive for all types of people. I loved getting to see the main character explore a new relationship and her learning to be more open about her past. I can’t wait to read more books by this author!

ALL the stars for Jaclyn Westlake’s second novel, Lucky Break! Dear Dotty soared to the top of my favorites of 2024, so I had very high expectations for this one. It did not disappoint! I love her writing style and the flow is captivating. Easy to read and enjoyable. I’ll be imagining myself in Juneberry Lake the rest of the summer. What more could you want in a book or an author? Very excited to have had the chance to read this early. Big thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy. Publication date July 15, 2025.

This was such a good summer read! I had such a good time reading this and I absolutely recommend it to anyone who needs a summer read!

I read this book in one day. There was so much more intrigue than I expected and I didn't want to wait to see it all come together. While a good bit of it was predictable, there were still a few things I didn't see coming. The characters were so quirky but realistic, which is a hard balance to strike. It also tackles some hard, real life struggles in realistic ways, like growing apart from long time friends, among others. There's not a lot of melodrama.
I felt things along with Eliza. Her confusion and frustration with her neighbors was mine. Her curiosity and relief, too. She was well-written and easy to sympathize with.

What I loved about this one was the midwest vibes. Juneberry Lake was a wonderful setting. What I didn't anticipate was the layers of this story - While it was a quaint Midwest town, it was full of so many emotions and secrets in both depth and breadth. For me, what I thought I was getting into was a light read, and I found this to be much, much deeper. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this July 2025 release.

This novel was cute and heartwarming, with a deeper flashback story than I expected. Overall it was an easy read with a delightful cast of characters. The romance was more of a subplot which felt a little like false advertising, but I still enjoyed it. Pub date July 15, 2025.

For fans of Sarah Penner, Witch You Would, Sarah Adams

4⭐️ When I started reading this book, the cover made me think I was going into a contemporary romance, but I was wrong, in a good way. This book has so much to tell , and I enjoyed it. You will find romance, but you will also read about other challenging topics that our FMC faces. It does contain so much inclusion; you meet so many great characters that make the story flow so well. It is a small town, found family, even a small mystery aspect story.

The book follows our FMC Eliza who has decided to take a leap of faith and move across the country to a small suburb and start fresh after a horrible break up. Eliza loves to always have set plans with specific timelines, which she of course creates one to make sure she makes her new place a true home. But, it doesn’t work out as she would have hoped.

The mystery aspect had me intrigued, but I did feel it was dragged a bit too long. Loved so many of the twists thrown through out the whole book that connected all the characters. My favorite part had to be the romance between Eliza and Joel. It was so sweet and wholesome. He was exactly the person she needed to come into her life. This is a close door romance. The ending felt to quick. Left some topics open for so much more.

Overall enjoyed the story. Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager as well as Netgally for the ARC

Reading Lucky Break felt like a vacation! It was everything you needed for a great getaway from reality! Cozy with a little mystery and romance added in for your enjoyment.

Eliza desperately needs change in her life, so she ups and moves to the quirky town of Juneberry Lake with a cast of characters and backstories that live up to the name. Juneberry has secrets, misunderstandings, illusions and flaws, just like life. And circumstances often determine our perceptions and reactions. Eliza eventually realizes that life is not always an orderly “to-do” list. You might need to adapt and reorganize.

This is a heartwarming story of friendships, family and trust. It’s never too late to reinvent yourself, no matter the circumstances. I loved Lucky Break and think you will too.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5. I liked it but wasn’t always sure what tone it was going for. I was expecting a lighter rom ala hallmark but at times it seemed it was going for a slightly heavier one ala hallmark mystery/lifetime. I did like them teasing a mystery and while reading I really wasn’t sure if it wasn’t going to go a darker mystery than I anticipated. Again this isn’t a major criticism it just kind of confused me as I was reading it.

A little bit of romance and a little bit of mystery? This book was not at all what I thought it was going to be, but the more I got into it, the more I liked it. I'm not a huge fan of overly spicy books as I feel like it gets repetitive, and this book definitely does not have the spice factor.
It was a very cute, cozy, summer easy read.

This one really wasn’t for me. I didn’t care for the FMC at all. Her ex-fiancé was so rude and disgusting that I had no respect for her heartbreak. The neighborhood pals didn’t draw me in, and I wasn’t intrigued by the mystery surrounding the “missing” ex-resident.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

2⭐️ I had a really hard time getting into this book. Lucky Break follows Eliza as she flees life in the city to move Juneberry Lake Minnesota. She’s ready for a quiet small town life but soon realizes there are big secrets all around her. I enjoyed the inclusivity and representation within the characters and appreciated the look into Eliza’s struggles in her relationships with fertility and finding community. Unfortunately, I felt so disconnected from the characters and the plot, while a bit chaotic, was just so low stakes that I honestly didn’t care what the big secrets were. I found it to be predictable and a little boring. The romantic subplot felt awkward and lacked chemistry. This book just wasn’t for me but if you enjoy cozy mysteries and a book with a little bit of everything but, in my opinion, not enough of any one thing, this is for you.