Lucky Caller

by Emma Mills

When Nina decides to take a radio broadcasting class her senior year, she expects it to be a walk in the park. Instead, it’s a complete disaster.

The members of Nina's haphazardly formed radio team have approximately nothing in common. And to maximize the awkwardness her group includes Jamie - a childhood friend she'd hoped to basically avoid for the rest of her life.

With the warmth, wit, intimate friendships, and heart-melting romance she brings to all her books, Emma Mills crafts a story about believing in yourself, owning your mistakes, and trusting in human connection. Fans of Jenny Han and Morgan Matson will find a new favourite in Emma Mills.

• ISBN10: 1250179653
• ISBN13: 9781250179654
• Publish Date: 1 February 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 18 March 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Henry Holt & Company Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 3.5 Stars rounded up

Not my favorite Emma Mills book, unfortunately. In fact I think I liked this least of all her books. Thats not BAD though. Just... I felt the least amount of connection to the characters in this one. It was pretty damn great though. It was enjoyable as all EM’s books are. Lovable characters, cute, fun plot, great familial relationships, new friendships.

Sugary sweet. It was wonderful!

:-)

______________________

So— i just bought this (yay!), but can’t help but feel a little robbed (boo!) of the cover of this book that never was. Idk wtf kind of switcharoo is going on with emma mills’ covers but I do NOT like it! Is it wrong of me to have gotten attached to her faniciful, artwork in their own right, découpage & mixed media style art that graces her other covers?

Why now???

I feel like they were what was setting her apart from a stormy sea of confusing, indiscernible YA contemporaries; each Mills book a large, bright star, with its starshine reflected on the surface of the water, creating something not unlike a beacon for us readers out there that happen to have grown sick of the monotony, the misrepresentation, lack of representation, the sorrow, etc., of the common YA contemporary.

*dramatically weeps into the murky YA contemporary oceanic waters*

[katie]

Full review to be published on January 8 at http://kaitplusbooks.com as part of the blog tour by Rockstar Book Tours

In the meantime, just *heart eyes forever*

[Sam@WLABB]

There are many reasons why Emma Mills is one of my favorite YA authors, and this book is just one of them.

Once again, I have finished reading an Emma Mills book, and I was left floating on a cloud of happiness. Seriously, this was me, after reading Lucky Caller:



I guess, the plot of this story was Nina's radio show, and how a plan to attract more listeners sort of took on a life of its own. It was quite hilarious, did a nice job driving the story, and, you know, o, what a tangled web we weave and all that, but as always, I was won over by the characters and the relationships that Mills depicted within the story.

The book opened with Nina celebrating Christmas with her mother, two sisters, and her mother's new fiancee, the Dantist. Right away, I could tell I was going to adore this family, because the sisters had a great vibe with each other and enjoyed an easy rapport with their mother, while it was obvious how hard Dan was trying to show his affection for the girls. I love seeing positive YA families, and this one warmed my heart.

Not only did Mills give us great families, but she also assembled quite a wonderful group of friends for Nina. Chance, and a mandatory group of four, brought Nina, Joydeep, Sasha, and Jamie together. They had such a great dynamic, and the scenes featuring all four of them almost always left me laughing and grinning. I never imagined them gelling so well, when they were first introduced, but they were a perfect squad, and I had so much fun on and off the air with them.

Speaking of Jamie, Nina had quite a complicated relationship with him. They had grown up, side by side, and were very close friends until an incident in middle school forced a wedge between them. Mills slowly revealed the details over the course of the story, and obviously, it made me sad, but you know what made me happy? The fact that the radio show pushed them back together, and that they renewed their friendship. I'm getting all warm and fuzzy just thinking about the moments they shared, and the mushy exchanges they had as they were growing closer and closer to each other, once again. It was a wonderful thing to watch, and Mills let it unfold quite beautifully.

There were also all these wonderful and subtle life lessons in there. One thing, which came up in a few different ways over the course of the story, was about endings. Marriages, friendships, and other relationships may end, or simply have some bad parts, but it doesn't erase or devalue the entire experience. I think sometimes it's hard to remember that, when you are hurt or hurting, and it's good to remind yourself that all experiences hold some sort of value. It could be something that we keep in our heart or something that serves as a learning experience, but it has value and always will.

Things to love in this book:
✓ Fabulous family
✓ Fantastic friendships
✓ Sisterly bonds
✓ Radio fun
✓ Kingdom and Prince Hapless
✓ M&M filled cakes
✓ Mills fandoms - TION, Megan Pleasant
✓ Friends-to-more romance
✓ Sweet unicorn boy love interest
✓ Unexpected and wonderful surprises
✓ The Dantist
✓ The ending ❤️

As always, Mills gifted me with a hartwarming story, which touched me and left quite a bit of sunshine in my heart.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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