I am pretty sure I wrote this in my last review of Jenn Bennett’s novel Serious Moonlight but really, this woman must have sold her soul to the devil. I just don’t understand how she could consistently write these charming, remarkable novels that keep me entertained but also make me question certain things I’ve always taken for granted. Honestly, Jenn, just tell us your secret. Please!
Anyways, let’s talk about the actual book.
This time around, we dive into the world of budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin, who has spent most of her life fleeing from one city to the next with her single mother. The Saint-Martin women are said to have been cursed when it comes to love and so far, Josie can’t help but agree. Everywhere they go, her mother leaves behind a trail of distraught men, forcing the both to up and leave. When the both of them return to their hometown, Beauty in Rhode Island, to run the family bookstore, Josie knows that it’s only a matter of time until her mother will make them relocate again and Josie is counting down the days.
For the first time ever, though, it’s not because of her mother. Josie has her own plans that will take her far away from this place – becoming an apprentice to her father, the famous photographer, to be exact. Cue the run-in with the resident bad boy, Lucky Karras, who used to be Josie’s childhood best friend and is now considered the outsider and most definitely not willing to let her go again. When fate puts the both of them together all these years later, sparks begin to fly and Josie has to ask herself whether fleeing town at the end of her senior year really is the right decision.
Chasing Lucky, like all of Bennett’s books, has the magical trifecta: atmospheric writing, a tension-filled will-they-won’t-they-storyline, and banter that will make you crack up.
To no one’s surprise, this book drew me in from the very first page when Josie talks about the Saint-Martin’s curse. Josie has her own plans on how to get out of this town and out of her mother’s difficult trysts with love and I was rooting for Josie all the way, from getting the internship with a magazine to develop her photography skills to getting out of Beauty where she was only seen as her mother’s daughter (read problematic) instead of the young, fierce woman she actually is. Her love for photography was also mirrored in the little excerpts at every chapter describing what she had photographed around Beauty and added a lot of nostalgia and whimsicalness to the story (I don’t know if there will be actual photos in the finished copies but that would be amazing!).
The love interest, Lucky, is mysterious and snarky but also kind and selfless. Taking the fall for Josie, he doesn’t care what the town thinks about him as long as Josie knows he is one of the good ones. There is a lot of back and forth between him and Josie (and I wouldn’t expect anything different from this author) but even though we all know these two lovebirds will get together, Bennett still manages to infuse the “chase” with tons of tension and anticipation. With uncanny and eccentric side characters, not to mention the fact that I am waiting for a spin-off on Josie’s mother’s wild years because that would be so interesting to read, this cast of characters just up and stole my heart.
Still, what I love most about this book is the atmospheric writing. It felt like I was right there with Josie in Beauty, watching tourists window-shop and sit in between the stacks of the St. Martin’s bookshop. Can you be homesick for a place you’ve never visited? Because that’s what I’m feeling when I think about Beauty, Rhode Island.
Charming as ever, Bennett dives into universal topics such as falling in love and trying to reconcile your family’s expectations with your own dreams for the future. With a deft hand for storytelling, Bennett proves once more why she is one of the most sought-out YA contemporary authors out there. A wonderful and emphatic YA romance perfect for long-time fans and those new to this author alike!
Chasing Lucky is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of November 10th 2020.
Will you be picking up Chasing Lucky? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown years later to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever. Her dreams are on the opposite coast, and she has a plan to get there.
What she doesn’t plan for is a run-in with the town bad boy, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend. Lucky makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the newly returned Josie. But everything changes after a disastrous pool party, and a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in some big-time trouble—with Lucky unexpectedly taking the blame.
Determined to understand why Lucky was so quick to cover for her, Josie discovers that both of them have changed, and that the good boy she once knew now has a dark sense of humor and a smile that makes her heart race. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not quite the brooding bad boy everyone thinks he is…
