Just My Luck

by Adele Parks

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER!
What if winning means losing everything?
‘A gripping story of greed, lies and dark family secrets’ Lisa Jewell
‘Utterly engrossing and brilliant’ Lucy Foley
‘Addictive, provocative… brilliantly crafted’ TM Logan

It’s the stuff dreams are made of – a lottery win so big, it changes everything.

For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends, the Pearsons and the Heathcotes. Over dinner parties, fish & chip suppers and summer barbecues, they’ve discussed the important stuff – the kids, marriages, jobs and houses – and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything more than a tenner.

But then, one Saturday night, the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone doesn’t tell the truth. And soon after, six numbers come up which change everything forever.

Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth £18 million. And their friends are determined to claim a share of it.
 
Sunday Times Number One bestseller Adele Parks returns with a riveting look at the dark side of wealth in this gripping take on friendship, money and betrayal, and good luck gone bad…

Praise for Just My Luck:

‘Adele Parks never takes her foot off the gas, every book is tighter, faster, better than the last. Just My Luck is a gripping story of greed, lies and dark family secrets. I read it in a two-day frenzy’ Lisa Jewell

‘Utterly engrossing and brilliant’ Lucy Foley

‘A compelling take on one of those “what if” scenarios that we’ve all wondered about. Addictive, provocative and thoroughly relatable – a brilliantly crafted reminder to be careful what you wish for’ TM Logan

‘An absolute joy: gripping, shocking and surprising. A cautionary tale about what one couple’s sudden wealth can do to old friendships’ Jane Fallon

‘Fabulous… her best yet’ Daily Mail

‘Stupendous! I read this totally compelling modern-day morality tale over a weekend – I couldn’t put it down. As ever, Adele Parks does not disappoint – you’ll love it’ Ruth Jones

‘Like a deft magician, this book reveals its twists only at the very end, I was completely astonished’ Rosamund Lupton

• ISBN13: 9780008386139
• Publish Date: 14 May 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 12 January 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HQ
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Do you play the lottery? What would you do if you won £17.8 million? Would you share it, keep it all for  yourself or would spend like there is no tomorrow? Just My Luck by Adele Parkes demonstrates a few of the scenarios likely to occur in such a situation. All I will say is, I am glad I don't play the lottery.

Just My Luck by Adele Parks was all sorts of crazy.  From start to finish it had me wracking my brain, trying to come with words to describe these characters. Greedy, deceitful and evil would be the most fitting words.  They had no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and the deeper the reader got into the story the worst they got. Thank goodness not all were like that. 

The heroine, Lexi despite not being like the others got on my nerves for the majority of the story.  The story  portrayed her as someone without a backbone, who allowed her greedy and conniving husband to run roughshod over her. Then the ending revealed her in  light that ran contrary to what was previously portrayed.

This story acts as the perfect guide as to what one should not do when playing the lottery and the pitfalls to avoid if by chance one wins.  The actions of  the main characters shocked and dismayed me. The lengths they went through to get their hands on the money. Mind you these people were friends for fifteen years and all it took was £17.8 million to destroy it all.  The person who actions proved to be most shocking of all was Jake, Lexi's husband.  His greed came to light early in the story, but his actions near to the end shocked me to the core. 

Conclusion/Recommendation

Despite my not being a huge fan of the characters I could not put the book down. I had to know how it would all end, and what an ending.  Everyone got what they each deserved.  Just My Luck is a well paced thriller, which  will have you turning the pages. Fans of domestic thrillers should consider adding it to their shelves.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

[Quirky Cat]

Just My Luck is a fun and thrilling read, one that is a poignant reminder of why one should never mix friends and money.

Lexi has picked the same numbers for the lottery – for fifteen years straight. They were her lucky numbers, even if they never won her or her friends any money. That is, until the day their numbers were pulled.

They say that money can't buy happiness – and that's a lesson Lexi is about to learn the hard way. What it can buy is a whole lot of trouble, betrayal, and heartbreak. Not exactly what Lexi had in mind when she started this tradition all those years ago.

“The numbers glare at me from the computer – 1,8,20,29,49,58. Numbers I am so familiar with, yet they seem peculiar and unbelievable.”

The premise in Just My Luck is an enticing one – a dream gone wrong. Lexi (and her friends) had a special bond over the numbers they repeatedly used for the lottery, and it's that very bond that got torn apart because of it all.

There's irony there, sure. But it goes deeper than that as well. I was shocked by how far events went in this novel. It's easy to take in the summation of this story and create opinions and expectations on the matter – both of which will get twisted up along the way, as Just My Luck brings about many thrilling surprises.

Growing up, I was always told never to mix friends (or family) with money. 'It never ends well,' I was told. Well, I feel like Just My Luck is the embodiment of that sentiment. Or perhaps it's better to say that it grabs that sentiment and stretches it to the farthest points possible. Either way, it made for a fascinating read, one that really drove that point home!

Thanks to HQ and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks