Lucky Girl

by Amanda Maciel

Lucky Girl is an unflinching exploration of beauty, self-worth, and sexual assault, from the author of the acclaimed Tease.

Rosie is a beautiful girl - and it's always been enough. Boys crush on her, men stare at her, girls (begrudgingly) admire her. She's lucky and she knows it.

But it's the start of a new school year and she begins to realise that she wants to be more. Namely, she's determined to be better to her best friend, Maddie. So, when Maddie connects with a football player who Rosie was hooking up with, she's prepared to get over it in the name of friendship. Plus, someone even more interesting has moved to town. Rosie is drawn to Alex in a way she's never experienced before - and she is surprised to discover that, unlike every other guy, he seems to see more to her than her beauty.

Then at a party one night, in the midst of a devastating storm, something happens that tears apart Rosie's life and forces her to face uncomfortable truths about reputation, identity, and what it means to be a true friend.

Amanda Maciel unflinchingly explores ideas of beauty and reputation, as well as issues of slut-shaming and homophobia, in this story of a girl learning to truly see herself and her world.

'An emotional, deftly paced and heartbreaking first novel.' Kirkus Reviews on TEASE

• ISBN10: 1444918745
• ISBN13: 9781444918748
• Publish Date: 4 January 2018 (first published 25 April 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Hachette Children's Group
• Imprint: Hodder Children's Books
• Edition: Digital original
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bianca]

I can see what he sees. A girl who drinks, who wears short skirts. Who gets dressed up so that people will look at her, think she’s pretty. A girl everyone does think is pretty. A girl who likes attention and dark rooms and boys and parties and dumb, flirty conversation.

It’s my fault he sees me like that—I am like that.

But it’s not my fault he doesn’t see that I’m a person, too.

— An exploration of beauty, self-worth, slut-shaming, and rape culture. It’s a relevant read, but the plot was kind of all over the place. I wish it focused more on the issues that mattered.