Lucky in Love by Kasie West
Series: No
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: July 25, 2017
Format: eARC
Source: Provided by Publisher
Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon
She wins!
In a flash, Maddie's life was unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she's talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun... until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now, Maddie isn't sure who she can trust.
Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn't seem aware of Maddie's big news. And, for some reason, she doesn't want to tell him. But what will happen if he learns her secret?
With tons of humor and heart, Kasie West delivers a million-dollar tale of winning, losing, and falling in love.
Raise your hand if you've ever played the "what would you do if you won the lottery" game. Yeah, me too. That what if scenario is played out here in Kasie West's latest, Lucky in Love.
Maddie is a girl with her feet firmly planted on the ground. Instead of hoping and dreaming, she depends on setting goals and hard work. But when her 18th birthday is a total flop, she buys a lottery ticket on a whim - and wakes up the next day a multi-millionaire. News travels fast and suddenly Maddie is the center of attention at school and hanging out with the popular crowd. Fancy cars, parties on yachts, designer clothes... it's all possible now. This new windfall also means her brother can afford to go back to college and her parents have even stopped fighting. But millions in the bank doesn't make all problem disappear. In fact, there are all kinds of new ones - and Maddie is no longer sure who she can trust when everyone seems to want something from her.
Lucky in Love takes a lighthearted look at the highlights and pitfalls of sudden wealth. Maddie is a girl who takes on her family's problems as her own, which made her sympathetic and relatable. Unfortunately, she was mostly left floundering on her own when it came to managing her new fortune and navigating the changes that came with it. I kept wondering why her parents weren't more involved - offering guidance, advice, or at the very least, insisting on consulting with a financial adviser. Yes, Maddie was 18 years old but she was also still a high school student living at home. There were several instances where I was desperate for a responsible adult to step in and be the voice of reason.
The romance between Maddie and Seth, her coworker at the zoo, was sweet and of the slow-burn variety. And maybe it burned a little too slow, because I was never invested in their romantic relationship. Seth was a total sweetheart and, while I loved their easy friendship, I never felt any romantic connection between them.
Overall, Lucky in Love is a sweet contemporary that is perfect for YA fans who enjoy their reads on the lighter side.
Raise your hand if you've ever played the "what would you do if you won the lottery" game. Yeah, me too. That what if scenario is played out here in Kasie West's latest, Lucky in Love.
Maddie is a girl with her feet firmly planted on the ground. Instead of hoping and dreaming, she depends on setting goals and hard work. But when her 18th birthday is a total flop, she buys a lottery ticket on a whim - and wakes up the next day a multi-millionaire. News travels fast and suddenly Maddie is the center of attention at school and hanging out with the popular crowd. Fancy cars, parties on yachts, designer clothes... it's all possible now. This new windfall also means her brother can afford to go back to college and her parents have even stopped fighting. But millions in the bank doesn't make all problem disappear. In fact, there are all kinds of new ones - and Maddie is no longer sure who she can trust when everyone seems to want something from her.
Lucky in Love takes a lighthearted look at the highlights and pitfalls of sudden wealth. Maddie is a girl who takes on her family's problems as her own, which made her sympathetic and relatable. Unfortunately, she was mostly left floundering on her own when it came to managing her new fortune and navigating the changes that came with it. I kept wondering why her parents weren't more involved - offering guidance, advice, or at the very least, insisting on consulting with a financial adviser. Yes, Maddie was 18 years old but she was also still a high school student living at home. There were several instances where I was desperate for a responsible adult to step in and be the voice of reason.
Overall, Lucky in Love is a sweet contemporary that is perfect for YA fans who enjoy their reads on the lighter side.
3/5 STARS
Note: I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion of the book or the content of this review.
Oh man all I thought about after reading this was what I would do with some extra $$!! I agree the romance was definitely pretty slow. Still acute read. Great review!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Grace. And yeah, spending pretend money never gets old. :)
DeleteHa. My husband play if we won the lotto game all the time. lol... This sounds super cute. I don't mind slow burning romance, and I am curious where her parents are through all of this. I will be keeping an eye out for this one. Great review.
ReplyDeleteJenea's Book Obsession
Thanks Jenea. :) I'll be really interested to see what you make of the parents if you decide to pick this one up.
DeleteAnd I love spending "fantasy money." I'm so good at it. LOL
My chief complaint was that there was not enough Zoo Seth, and in that, I mean on page and romancing Maddie. That romance was a limited part of the story, but once Seth went for it, I was please. I think I let out an "AWWWWW" when it finally happened. It was what we expect from KWest and exactly what you said, sweet and light.
ReplyDeleteWhoa! I just noticed your "blogs I stalk". I am so touched and honored to be in such good company. 😘
DeleteOh yeah, I would have loved to have had more Seth time. By the time they were finally together and on the same page... it was the end. *sigh* He was such a good guy.
DeleteAnd what a nice thing to say! I know it's only been a couple months since I found your blog and started following but it quickly became one of my favorites. You seem to put a lot of yourself in your reviews and posts and I love that. :)
yup I think I definitely prefer inst-love [which works better when is presented as insta-lust that grows into love] than sloooooooooooow romance [yawns] :-)
ReplyDeleteExactly! I really don't mind slow-burn when it's done well and there's a great pay-off at the end. But sometimes it's so slow that I just lose interest. And in those cases, like you, I'd actually prefer some insta-lust that turns to love. Bring it on!
DeleteHmm... This one sounds light and fluffy and sometimes that's exactly what I'm in for... I keep meaning to read some YA contemporary and I've seen some wonderful reviews of West's books, so I'm keeping this one on the radar but I probably won't actively seek it out. It sounds good for a quick read though and three stars is still decent!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the insights in your review!
Thanks Di. Kasie West's books are extremelt popular but I've found they are hit or miss for me. Sometimes they're just what I need, but sometimes they're so light and fluffy that it feels there's not much substance. After several light YA's in a row I'm ready for something grittier! LOL
DeleteIn answer to your question: I'm flailing my hands! LOL I like slow burn, but hate when it's really slow. If it's romance, there needs to be romance! :) Nice review! ~Aleen
ReplyDeleteLOL I agree. I was beginning to wonder if the romance was even going happen. And the second it did - poof, book ended. Grr.
DeleteI wonder who hasn't done that game. LOL This sounds like a fun read even with the slow romance. This is an author I want to try, but maybe I won't start with this one. Brilly review.
ReplyDeleteThanks Melissa. I've found that Kasie West van be hit or miss for me but I can definitely recommend P.S. I Like You. That one was a real stand-out. :)
DeleteI'm sad this only scored 3 stars with you, but I'm still looking forward to it. I like slow burn romance, but in this case it doesn't sound like it was executed well. :( The zoo is an awesome setting, though. There better be cute animals described!! Great review!
ReplyDeleteVeronika @ The Regal Critiques
I'm probably in the minority, Veronika, so don't be swayed by my 3 star review. :) The zoo was a fun setting and I found it funny that Maddie's favorite animal was the anteater. LOL
DeleteCompletely agree about the romance - it felt more to me like a great friendship. But loved the zoo scenes!
ReplyDeleteJen Ryland
Right! I think I would have been perfectly happy to have had Maddie and Seth just remain close friends. That would've worked just fine. And the zoo scenes were a lot of fun. :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, this was me, but I posted with the wrong account on accident. Darn Blogger! :) (It was the same comment as below)
DeleteLast year (I think), there was a huge jackpot in our state. My husband and I have never bought lottery tickets before, but went ahead and bought some. And we talked A LOT about what we'd do with the money. Of course, we didn't win! But this book interests me because of that!
ReplyDeleteAlso, what you said about Maddie's parents is interesting and a little disappointing. I feel like the "absent parents" is a common trope in YA. Like, parents who leave their teenagers to basically figure out EVERYTHING on their own. It's always refreshing to see involved parents.
It's rare that I ever buy lottery tickets, but like you said, it's fun to imagine what you'd so with a big win!
DeleteHm, I wouldn't say that Maddie's parents are really *absent* but they just didn't seem very hands-on or involved. It was weird. I mean, an 18 year old girl still in high school wins all that money and her parents just basically leave her to it? It just felt off.