Well that's a few hours of my life I'll never get back. Don't waste your time with this book. Dumb, senseless go-nowhere story about three stupid, idiotic, weak girls. Total waste of time. Was a BOTM book. Bad choice. One star was too much but I couldn't do any less. Dissapointed. ( )

****Spoilers Below****
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Sometimes you just need a book about life. Not necessarily your life, or a life with out of the ordinary circumstances, but a life that is different from your own. That is what Lucky You, by Erika Carter, is for me. There isn’t a big plot twist that screams “got ya!” at the end, or an event that is a catalyst, or even a happy ending. It is just the life of three young women, and all of their flaws, mistakes, and strengths.

I can see how there could potentially be mixed reviews for this, and this is not a "everyone must read this now!" book. Ellie, Rachel, and Chloe do not have charmed lives, and by most standards, do not seem to redeem, themselves at the end. They do not seem very likable, and some readers might find it hard to connect or find sympathy for them. Add in an ending that does not seem to have any resolution or change, you might wonder what was the point of living off the grid for a year?

This is exactly what drew me in, however. While my life was different from all of them, I could still see pieces of myself in Ellie, Rachel, and Chloe. Those broken pieces, that with different actions and decisions, could have placed me to a more similar life as one of them. Living of the grid did not seem to bring any piece of mind or change, but it showed me that a year will not make or break you, and that all things you can move on from. It might take awhile, but there is hope. The three young women seemed to pick up their life exactly how they had left it, with the exception of Chloe (and I’m still uncertain if I feel like her change is a happy one...a needed one maybe, but not necessarily the right one). Her ending, out of all, I might need to think on some more.

Lucky You is a quiet, lonely book that just seems to float on for a little over a year. The writing is beautiful and raw, and all the story-lines leave you conflicted. The bad things that happen in life are not always the boogeyman, not always black versus white, but are indifference and small changes that eventually grow dark.

Ps - Thanks to the Book of the Month subscription service for the chance to read this before publication. ( )

I couldn't connect with this book and there was absolutely no resolution which drove me mad. ( )

Can you ever disappear from your life? And if you do, can you ever be truly a different person that who you are? Rachel and Autry are living off the grid in his grandmother's house. They are attempting to live off the land and be as healthy as possible. Ellie is self-destructive, blowing up her relationships by never seeming to care about the other person and drowning her life in alcohol. She has already walked away from her life once in an attempt to start over and be better. And yet, she falls into her same self-destructive patterns. Eventually she wants to walk away again, and turns to Rachel and Autry. She moves in and detoxes. Chloe, a bartender that used to work with Rachel and Ellie, is also tired of her life. So she, too, moves in with Rachel and Autry. But what sounded like a fantastic, idyllic experiment turns out to be something much more prosaic. They truly live off the grid when their power is shut off from non-payment. Chloe is the only one who cares enough to wash the clothes. Nobody takes care of the garden and the vegetables shrivel up. The water turns a rust color but nobody bothers to call the plumber. And still, in the midst of living off the grid, their lives catch up with them. They remain who they are underneath their desire to be "healthy." Their idyllic environment rips at the seams. And eventually, these unlikeable characters must decide who they are and what they want out of the life. Erika Carter does a wonderful job bringing these characters to life and showing us their destructive tendencies, their pain, and the ways they find to cope. Lucky You serves as a great reminder that idyllic things are not always as they seem, and that, eventually, we must all reckon with what we have done in our lives. ( )

I can see why so many people have given this book lower reviews. The characters felt realistic but were not always likable - it was hard to want to relate to them. And the plot was not conventionally driven. There were plenty of opportunities for conflict between characters, but the narrative largely skipped over all that to resonate in the quiet internal conflicts within each character. It's not a long book, and it doesn't come to a firm - or necessarily satisfying - conclusion.

And yet, there's something remarkable about this book. The narrative voice is luscious and lyric without being overwrought. The momentum is incredible, alternating points of view and skipping through time with each chapter to focus on set-piece moments that define each character's experience. It was funny but serious at the same time, making me cringe, laugh, reflect, and keep turning the pages until - just like that - it was over.

Many thanks to BOTM for the recommendation and for the opportunity to read a gorgeous early release of Lucky You. This is Erika Carter's debut novel, and I can't wait to read what she publishes next. ( )