A swoon-worthy story of first love, making mistakes and finding out who you are, from the author of Night Owls.
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 to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it's not forever, so there's no reason to change her modus operandi-keeping to herself, dreaming of the day she can leave.
But after a disastrous summer party, a poorly executed act of revenge lands her in big-time trouble. As in, jail...alongside the last person with whom she'd want to share a mugshot: the son of the boat mechanic across the street, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel...and her former childhood best friend.
Josie and Lucky become the talk of their coastal small town. But during a summer of secrets, everything changes, and the easy friendship they once shared grows into something deeper and more complicated. Can Josie and Lucky swim past obstacles that come with rough waters, or will they both go down together?
Initial thoughts: The main character’s given name is Josephine, she loves photography, and she moved around a lot as a kid. Seeing how these apply to me as well, I felt hard-pressed not to rate Chasing Lucky 5 stars. Haha. It was an enjoyable read, no doubt but it also was very, very predictable. I had hoped for a more multi-faceted story.
Still, I think Bennett captured the complicated nature of familial ties so well, it’s worth picking up the book just for that alone. And growing up, I had fantasised about moving back to places I’d lived before and reconnecting with childhood friends. This book brought to life something I never got to experience in real life. That makes it really special to me, even if it didn’t turn out to become a favourite of mine. Perhaps if this main character had gone by Jo instead of Josie, I might have reconsidered. (Not really, though.)
