This is the second book I’ve read by Parks, my first was last year’s Lies Lies Lies , which was similar to this one as a domestic thriller. She has a way with getting to the heart of a person’s motivations, which aren’t always happy and pretty.
Just My Luck is an April 2021 release from MIRA Publishing
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more detail.
About the Book:
Be careful what you wish for…
After spending happy hours, parenting classes and barbeques together for the last 15 years, Lexi and Jake Greenwood have celebrated and shared almost everything with the Pearsons and the Heathcotes, including their lottery numbers. Then one night, the unthinkable happens. Someone has been telling lies – lies dark enough to burn bridges and tear the tight group of friends apart. When the Greenwoods win a stunning $23 million in the lottery with their group’s numbers shortly after their dramatic falling out, the Heathcotes and Pearsons believe they’re entitled to part of the prize… and the three couples will do anything to claim what is theirs.
Reader beware: the last chapter will change everything.
A compulsively readable portrait of the fragility of friendship, the corrosiveness of sudden wealth, and the dark side of good luck, Adele Parks’ latest domestic thriller will make you think twice about trying your hand at the lottery.
My Thoughts:
I gave this book 3 stars
This is an interesting domestic drama about the trials and tribulations of winning the lottery. . As the new winners struggle with everything that such a windfall means to their family and to everything around them, lies and secrets come to light.
I liked this book, but it is fairly predictable. Most of the events and situations I called way before they happened, however as a cautionary tale for the pitfalls of such a huge win (and in the UK the winnings aren’t taxed! Wow!) I found the entire premise intriguing. I didn’t care for Jake at all, I thought he was immature and I also thought that Lexi did not stand up for herself or to him strongly enough. She was too much of a doormat with all of his schemes and purchases. I did like the ending up until the very last section, which I thought was quite odd in light of the rest of the book.
The pacing of the novel is a bit uneven at times, with some flashbacks thrown in occasionally in places that didn’t really make sense. A regular back and forth would have been fine within the context, but the random flashbacks pulled me out of the story because I didn’t know whether I was in the past or the present.
All in all, this is a decent read with some moments that will make you gasp and moments that will make you think. If you ever thought you wanted to win the lottery, this is a great book to let you know why you don’t.
About the Author:
Adele Parks is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of twenty novels, including Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck, as well as I Invited Her In. Just My Luck is currently in development to be made into a movie. Her novels have sold 4 million copies in the UK alone, and her work has also been translated into thirty-one languages.
Social Links:
Twitter: @AdeleParks
Instagram: @adele_parks
Facebook: @OfficialAdeleParks
