Emily and her mother use to be lucky…that is, until Emily’s mother died of cancer three years ago. Now, Emily is spending the summer before her senior year donating her mother’s things to Goodwill and getting ready to move into a new house. On top of that, nobody (other than her best friend who is away at camp) is talking to Emily because of what she did to her on-again off-again boyfriend Matt. But things get interesting when Emily’s childhood partner in crime, a beautiful and adventurous girl named Blake, moves back into town and the pair discover Emily’s mother’s senior year summer bucket list. In the hopes of “fixing” her life and feeling closer to her mother, Emily decides to complete the bucket list with Blake’s help. While ticking off the bucket list items, Blake, who has also lost her own mother, helps Emily to overcome her fears and deal with her grief. Eventually, the line between friendship and something more starts to blur.
This is a young adult coming-of-age novel dealing with themes such as LGTBQ+, love and loss, change, death, grief, overcoming fear, family, identity, expectation versus reality, and small-town living. I highlighted a quote from the book, “live your life how you want to live it…tomorrow is never guaranteed”, because I thought that it nicely summed up the main takeaway from the story. The Lucky List really reminded me of You Don’t Live Here by Robyn Schneider, Any Place But Here by Sarah Van Name, and Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson, so if you were a fan of those YA books, then The Lucky List is definitely worth reading.
Firstly, I loved Rachael’s previous two co-written novels, Five Feet Apart and All This Time, and The Lucky List did not disappoint! The cover is so cute and fun with the big sunflower on the cover fitting the plot of the book perfectly. The concept of the novel seemed unique and reading about all the cool adventures that Emily and Blake ended up going on for the bucket list was enjoyable, which included simple things like buying a book in another language, finding a four-leaf clover, and trying a new food as well as daring things like skinny-dipping at the local pool, getting a tattoo, and conquering a fear of heights. The bucket list helped Emily to overcome her fear of loss and finally become brave enough to go after what she really wants (instead of just going along with what everyone expects her to want). Additionally, it was great to see how Emily learned more about her mother as well as her own self because of the bucket list. Without giving anything away, I thought that the book ended perfectly, so you’ll just have to read to find out how it ends!
Overall, this was a fast and easy read with it engaging right from the start because you’ll just want to find out what went wrong between Emily and her boyfriend along with looking forward to what kind of hijinks Emily and Blake got up to while completing the bucket list. On the other hand, since this book was relatively short, I would have liked it if some of the scenes went into a little more detail; for example, the chapters with the Huckabee Lake trip as well as Blake and Emily’s adventure in New Jersey could have been longer.
All in all, this book was well-organised, engaging, and easy to follow, so The Lucky List is a must-read for fellow YA lovers!
The Lucky List is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 1st 2021.
Will you be picking up The Lucky List? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From the #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Five Feet Apart comes a gripping new romance, perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
Emily and her mum were always lucky.
But Emily’s mum’s luck ran out three years ago when she succumbed to cancer, and nothing has felt right since.
Now, the summer before her senior year, things are worse than ever – Emily has wrecked things with her boyfriend, Matt, and her dad is selling the house she grew up in and giving her mum’s belongings away. The only person she has to talk to is Blake, a girl she barely knows since she and her dad moved back to town five seconds ago.
But that’s when Emily finds the list – her mum’s senior year summer bucket list – buried in the back of her closet. When Blake suggests that Emily take it on as a challenge, the two set off on a journey to tick each box and help Emily face her fears over losing her connection to her mum. As she starts to feel closer to her mother, so too does Emily’s bond with Blake deepen into something she wasn’t expecting.
And suddenly Emily must face another fear: accepting the secret part of herself she never got a chance to share with the person who knew her best.
A captivating, heartfelt love story about learning who you are, and who you love, when the person you’ve always shared yourself with is gone.
