Very, Very Lucky by Amanda Prowse is a must-read book!!

In Amanda’s latest book, we are introduced to Emma who is constantly running around after her family like the proverbial blue-arsed fly, while Thurston is devastated by the passing of his wife. Can a chance meeting bring hope and friendship between the two families?

Amanda’s straightforward writing style immediately captures your attention and keeps you invested until the very end. Each character is relatable in their own way, making this a story that will resonate with any reader.

Don't miss out on this incredible read – Very, Very Lucky is Amanda’s best work yet!

One thing I love about this author’s books is the way she is able to create such realistic characters and circumstances, and because of this, it is easy for the reader to get sucked in and feel all the emotions. In each of her books, including this one, I am able to put myself in the same shoes as the main character and though I may not agree with their actions, I can either relate, commiserate, or understand the thought process behind them. In Very Very Lucky, we experience troubled times, struggles, and loss; but love, friendship, and support carry the characters through and help them cope. Also true to this author’s nature, there is dry humor sprinkled in making the book all that much more enjoyable. Another great novel written by Amanda Prowse!

I love a good story featuring unlikely friendships, so I was intrigued by Very Very Lucky as soon as I read the blurb. Add the fact that I've been meaning to try Amanda Prowse's books for quite some time now, and I was excited to finally start reading this story. I've seen nothing but praise for this book so far, and I fully expected to add my own glowing review to the mix... But in the end it just wasn't ment to be. It almost felt like I was reading a completely different story than everyone else, and I confess that I struggled to keep reading. I'll try to explain why briefly below.

First of all I have to stress that Very Very Lucky is by no means a bad story; it just wasn't a right fit for me at all. What I thought was going to be a mostly uplifting unlikely friendship contemporary actually turned out to be a more family drama focused plot... And it's no secret that stories with a lot of family drama simply don't seem to work for me anymore. There was SO much drama going on, and it just felt way over the top to me; like the author wanted to lay it on thick only to have a nice happy ending wrapped in a big red bow at the end.

I think one of the things I struggled with was with the main characters, who I just couldn't connect with at all. I understand that Thurston is grieving his wife, but his POV is just so depressing with his constant mention of his suicide plans. That and the fact that he just lets June walk all over him... The whole walking-over-someone seems to be a theme here, because there is plenty of that going on with the other character Emma as well. She is basically a human doormat slash slave, and lets everyone commandeer her time and life without standing still for a second and think about her own needs. I ended up being SO angry and frustrating with her character, and I've lost count of the times I said to myself 'are you serious?! really?!'.

I was also very surprised to see that the characters don't even meet until more than a third into the story. The main reason I wanted to read Very Very Lucky, the unlikely friendship element, came just way too late for me... Because by then I was already ready to give up on these characters and I had started to skimread. Between Thurston's suicidal thoughts and Emma being railroaded into doing things, I just couldn't take it anymore... Especially with her toxic relationship with her mother and the way her children treat her. The changes later on were just too little, too late for me, and it couldn't change the way I felt about the story as a whole.

Before I end this review, I have to stress that I seem to be the outlier here, and most people seem to love their time with this story. Just make sure to prepare yourself for a lot of family drama and a LONG introduction before the unlikely friendship appears... I was definitely a wrong fit for this book.

An amazing story of friends and family members from soon to be born babies to elderly widower. widowers. Never underestimate your value to someone else, your importance to someone else, your ability to be a beacon, a lifeline. This heartwarming story is filled with lovable relatable characters & it brought me from tears to cheers and back again. It made me laugh out loud and touched my heart. Readers will be Very Very Lucky to enjoy this story ❤️

This is another heartwarming book from Amanda Prowse.
There are alternating chapters from Emma who is a frazzled Mum and is also caring for her own Mum. Then there is Thurston who is recently widowed and is struggling to cope without his wife.
Emma is constantly running around after other people and barely has any time for herself, but Thurston is finding life too quiet without his wife.
The two of them meet by chance and immediately strike up a friendship.
This is a lovely story about two very different people but both need each other at this time.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Love and longing is so hard to recreate in a book, but Prowse is a master at it. As her tale unravels, strong women usually prevail. In this one, so much of what we come to think of as a mother vs. a parent is depicted in a bright and complex way. One can only know how to write like this if she has lived through extraordinary drama, pain, and passion. Kept my interest the whole way, and it made me realize why, each and every time, I always enjoy her books.

This is so much more- and so much better and meaningful- than the trope-y novel it appears to be. Emma's stressed to the max trying to take care of her mother, her kids, her husband and she holds it all in until, surprisingly to her, she loses it in Thurston's truck. Thurston's beloved wife Mary has just died and he's planning his own departure, worried only about the fate of his loyal dog Rhubarb. Emma's troubles escalate when Rob, her BFF since childhood, tells her that her cancer is back and then when she discovers that her mother's carer really has been as awful as her mother says. It feels like one thing after another piles on top of Emma but if there's a bright spot, it's Brendan, her husband who, unlike the spouse in this sort of novel, is actually helpful and kind. In fact, there's a lot of kindness in this novel. Emma is incredibly relatable (right down to how she gnaws at her nails at times) and Thurston, oh Thurston. That vicar! Everyone in his life is also more than they seem at first. I went into this thinking it would make a nice light read and found myself totally wrapped up in the story. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Great read.

Excellent character depictions as always from Amanda Prowse. A good storyline about real people and real issues.
It made me smile and even chuckle out loud at times. It made me sad at times to see the loneliness of the older people living without their spouses. But there was also hope and the continuance of life and friendships.
Overall an enjoyable read. 4 stars.

Another beautifully written, heart-warming and brilliant book with characters you feel a deep connection with.
My thanks to the author and Netgalley for my Arc copy, in exchange for an honest review.

All the feels: marvelously moving😌

What a fantastic and super emotionally-charged story and I feel so very, very lucky to have read it! Sad, with grief aplenty and the hard knocks of life, but imbued with themes of friendship and family love and support that ultimately carry the day. I can't say enough good things about it!

The author takes a grief-stricken, childless, recent widower named Thurston and plays his life alternately side by side with mother of three Emma, who's swamped with family concerns, exhausted and torn up by her best friend's illness. Every thing that these two experience is so relatable, so true to life and eventually Thurston and Emma meet and become sounding boards for each other's challenges. Thurston's omnipresent memories of the 62 years spent with love of his life Mary were pure, romantic magic. There are some comical moments as well, like a Friday night dinner that's family pandemonium that can't be curbed.

This is inspirational writing at its best and another gem from a writer who has challenged and inspired me over and over with her work.

No question: highly recommended.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Very Very Lucky is another gloriously well-written novel by Amanda Prowse.
It is beautifully written with very real characters who I will miss. The characters and storyline were fantastic.
I found this book to be completely compelling and extremely thought-provoking.

Thank You NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I adored this novel. Love, family, strangers becoming family, and deep friendships are central to the story. I laughed so hard at one part, I started to cry. Such a wonderful novel. Not to be missed!

A very entertaining and emotional read. I laughed and cried on multiple occasions during this book, it certainly put me through the emotional wringer!

Emma is a busy mum, with little time to herself, carrying the weight of many problems. Thurston has just lost his wife of many years, and decides enough is enough. When Emma and Thurston accidently meet, what follows is a beautiful story of unlikely friendship.

The book is packed full of struggles, but it shows us that sharing them is often the way forward.

This book will make you realize that life is truly precious and we are lucky to have people to love in our lives. Two unlikely characters develop a really good friendship. Life can be hard for all of us and sometimes we have no idea what is going on with other people. A really good read that will make you think.

I’d like to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Very Very Lucky’ written by Amanda Prowse in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Emma Fountain’s life is full with too much to do in too short a time as she looks after her adored but often neglected husband Brendan, children Reggie, Alex and Martha who lives away from home, caring for her elderly mother and supporting her best friend Roz. When Emma arrives for work at the shop of the local greengrocers one morning she starts a conversation with the elderly man, Thurston Brancher, whose truck is blocking her parking space. They immediately feels a rapport and she tells him things she wouldn’t normally mention to anyone and as Thurston listens an unlikely friendship starts to grow between them.

It's impossible to put into words just how much the wonderful novel ‘Very Very Lucky’ has affected me. Throughout the novel I wept through every one of Thurston’s chapters as the loss of his wife mirrored how I felt after losing a daughter this year, but despite the despondency there was a lot of humour too starting with Emma’s unexpected sleep in Ikea that had me laughing out loud a lot of the time. I loved all the characters who were perfectly described and appeared so real it was difficult to believe they were fictional. As Emma experienced quite a few unexpected and hilarious surprises I’m really pleased that she learnt that she didn’t need to shoulder all the responsibility herself. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel although it didn’t take long to get through my supply of tissues and I was disappointed when I reached the end as I’d have loved to know what happened to Emma and Thurston.

Although the subject matter of this book is grim, I enjoyed the contemplative moments and the ending is just perfect. A really poignant moment, which ultimately left me feeling uplifted. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars. I will admit, this was a slow read for me. The complex topics of grief, money issues, and an overworked mom actually stressed me out. This means, the author did an incredible job writing about these issues if it brought out that kind of emotion in me. I am so glad I did not give up on this read! The last quarter of this book had me literally laughing out loud. The story wraps up in a beautiful way. Family, friends and love can leave you with a full heart. It's all about the perspective you choose to have.

Emma Fountain is currently drowning under her responsibilities, she has an ageing mother that needs lots of care, children that are stretching her financially and emotionally and a husband who she's trying to make time for too and the only thing that's keeping her grounded in all of this is knowing her best friend is there for her, so when Roz delivers some devastating news to her Emma is no longer sure what the future holds. Thurston Brancher is an octogenarian who has recently lost the love of his life, his wife of 62 years, Mary and he doesn't want to go on without her, but then he meets Emma and they strike up the most unlikely friendship where they immediately feel able to tell each other their troubles and woes. Could they each be what the other needs to see them through their darkest times?

Very Very Lucky is the latest work of this best selling author who, once again, puts pen to paper and creates something that is so relateable to many people. Told in alternating chapters this is the story of Emma and Thurston, who form an immediate friendship like no other from the minute that they meet and it could just be what they both need to stop them from unravelling. I absolutely adored both these characters, Emma because she always put everyone else first and never seemed to find a minute for herself and Thurston because he was such a lost soul without Mary and I just wanted to give him a great big hug and tell him he wasn't alone and these two proved that, with the right support network around you, anything is achieveable. This is another fabulous story of family, friendships, love, loss and grief told with the compassion and sensitivity that we've come to know and love from the reigning Queen of Drama and that crown is going nowhere anytime soon.

I'd like to thank Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

I’m a huge fan of this author, and this book was so well written
As someone who is living parts of the life that Emma is I instantly related to her
Raising children, and an aging mom and trying to carve out time for yourself is a lot harder than it seems
I enjoyed this book and you will not want to miss it

Touching story

Emma Fountain is tired. She is tired of being stuck in the middle, sandwiched between taking care of her aging Mom and her own family of a husband and 3 kids. So tired that she falls asleep in an IKEA display and is discovered by her Mom's neighbor. That's where the story starts, but the distance between there and where it ends are miles apart.

I feel like Emma's character is representative of so many women these days who are in the same position (but not in the IKEA bed). I recognized her guilt as something I've felt myself, did she do enough for her father when he was alive, is she doing enough now for her mother? On top of all that, her best friend Roz has found out that her cancer is back, long after the "all clear" celebration that she and Emma enjoyed, and at this point, she is not going to try any more.

I completely understood Thurston's frame of mind, as my father went through a similar time after my mother passed away. I don't think I fully appreciated it until reading this perspective, so thank you, Ms. Prowse. I recommend this book for any woman who feels stuck in the sandwich, or simply has or is struggling with life's challenges.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.