Three complex, contemporary female stories are interwoven to produce an insightful, poignant, and often humorous story that delves below the glamorous outer shell shown to the world.

The messy reality of Beth, Lauren and Ruby’s life is sensitively written, the final plot twists make the ending positive and uplifting.

Easy to read but thought-provoking.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins UK - Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I requested this book on Netgalley quite while ago and hadn't gave it much thought since. However, this week I craved an uplifting read, something not too heavy and this was perfect. The perfect isolation read.⁣
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Beth shows women that they can have it all, Ruby lives life by her own rules and Lauren is living the dream. But is anyone's life as perfect as it looks?⁣
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Dawn O'Porter explores the shame and self-hatred women place on themselves, and delves into how social media can paint a false reality. The book is told from the three women's perspectives, with Lauren's 'chapters' being what she chooses to post on Instagram. Each character is likeable, despite their flaws and I found them all to be completely relatable. As a woman, I know how it feels to be self conscious of your body and to feel like somebody on Instagram is living a better life than me. So Lucky is a welcome reminder that social media is not always what it seems, and you should not pit yourself against other women.⁣
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Throughout the story I found myself nodding along to how the women were treated in various aspects of their life, both online and offline. O'Porter hits the nail of the head when it comes to portraying women in the 21st century. It's also funny and uplifting and the ending left me feeling all warm and fuzzy. As I said before, this is the perfect book to read at this strange time, as we all probably have spent a bit too much of our time on social media.⁣

I loved The Cows and this did not disappoint. I love Dawn's writting, her characters are well observed - completely normal and fascinating all at the same time!

Just like 'The Cows', O'Porters second novel is unputdownable and such a great read. She is such a brilliant, funny writer who deserves all of the accolades! I cannot wait to see what comes next.

So Lucky – Dawn O’Porter

IS ANYONE’S LIFE . . .
Beth shows that women really can have it all.
Ruby lives life by her own rules.
And then there’s Lauren, living the dream.
AS PERFECT AS IT LOOKS?
Beth hasn’t had sex in a year.
Ruby feels like she’s failing.
Lauren’s happiness is fake news.
And it just takes one shocking event to make the truth come tumbling out…
Fearless, frank and for everyone who’s ever doubted themselves, So Lucky is the straight-talking new novel from the Sunday Times bestseller.
Actually, you’re pretty f****** lucky to be you.

I’m sorry to admit that this is one of the ARCS that I requested immediately when it popped up on the list and then I just ignored it… It’s been out for MONTHS. Any, I love Dawn O’Porter, her characters are just so real and fleshed out – it sounds weird, but she really knows how to write women, dealing with women’s problems without sounding preachy or contrived.
This one is much in the same vein as The Cows, where we have three women all with their own stuff going on and then their lives intertwine and again like The Cows, I loved every single character. The narration swaps between Beth and Ruby with Lauren coming in via her Instagram posts. Like the tag line suggests, don’t just a woman by her cover, especially those that promote the perfect life style because there is always something going on behind the facade. This was smart, funny and bitter sweet in equal measure. If you’ve not added any Dawn O’Porter to your reading lists yet, what on earth are you waiting for??

Dawn O’ Porter is the queen of writing books that are uncomfortable yet enjoyable to read but portray an important message.

I found So Lucky a difficult read in places with regard to the frank discussion of how hard it can be to be a parent. I also didn’t like any of the characters as people, however, that doesn’t stop the book being impeccably written and a good story.

So Lucky is funny and heartbreaking in equal measures and also asks some important questions about the role of social media in our lives and the importance of not believing that everyone else has it better than us.

I loved this story a lot- I’m always cautious reading novels where I feel like I know the author from social media, but I enjoyed this so much I downloaded the audiobook a few weeks later and “reread”! I like that the story is very contemporary and marked by elements of day to day life in 2020, sometimes the characters exasperated me or annoyed me a bit but I also found the story to be funny and really comforting. A great read!

A great read from start to finish. It’s so well written with fabulous, strong and poignant characters with a really clever story line. It had the perfect mix of fascinating back stories, angst, humour, strong females plus a smidgin of sex. Ruby, Beth and Risky will stay with me for a long time to come! .I hadn't come across Dawn O'Porter before but will definitely be reading more from her.

So Lucky was a really enjoyable read with three female main characters; Beth, Lauren and Ruby. From the outside looking in, these women seem to have everything but each woman is haunted by her own demons, insecurities and a hidden deep-set loneliness.

The characters are all likeable but very different from each other. I enjoyed gradually finding out about their lives and their truths as the book progressed. The story was well-paced and getting to know the characters was enjoyable. I liked how Dawn O'Porter brought the women together. Although vaguely predictable, we're given a feel good little ending that helped to wrap up these characters' stories. At the point where the women were brought together, I felt it became a (tiny!) little bit cheesy for me but still enjoyable. The real message of So Lucky is one of female empowerment, friendship in unexpected places, building each other up as women and generally being strong, independent women who feel free and secure enough in themselves to voice their wants, needs and desires.

I admire that Dawn O'Porter has written something that highlights the increasing misconceptions we as women (and people) often have of others; the grass always looks greener - how we compare ourselves and feel like others have better lives than us. In a world where social media throws perfection at us 24/7, So Lucky reminds us to look beyond the illusion of perfection and consider that you never really know the battles someone else is facing.

The story is good, the characters are good and So Lucky is really quite enjoyable. Definitely worth a read for true chic-lit fans but also for anyone out there who just enjoys an amusing, feel good MPV with a message to its readers that is becoming increasingly important in this social media-heavy world.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dawn O'Porter and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dawn O'Porter's own description of her writing is that she writes "...about women who step away from the ordinary...[and]...the heart-stopping power of female friendship".These two themes literally leap out at you from the pages of So Lucky. This is the second of her novels that I've read (the first being The Cows - pick it up immediately if you haven't read it) and I loved it.

What is particularly great is the way in which you the reader are invited to step into the lives of women in different scenarios and at different stages of their lives. They're all facing the ups and downs of life but in a way that doesn't feel forced or unnatural. These are women you know, are, work with, may be related to.

You're invited for a short time to be a fly on the wall, completely immersed in their worlds. If you're anything like me, you'll be hungrily devouring page after page to find out what happens next. Like its characters, this book is hilarious, shocking, sad and a lot deeper and more complex than it might first seem.

As you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you shouldn't label anyone as being 'so lucky' - because you never know what is going on inside their head or what's behind their immaculate makeup or seemingly 'perfect' life.

Would recommend this, and the podcast of the same name. Eagerly anticipating Dawn's next book!

My first book by this author and I couldn’t put it down. 4 women, whose lives intertwined, in unexpected ways, all so relatable in today’s world of social media. Loved it

What an unexpectedly funny book. The author is good at reminding us all of how the perfect lives of people on social media need to viewed with one eye on reality.
A fantastic mix of characters who I recognise from my own life.

Beth is a wedding planner with an employee called Risky. They are planning a celebrity wedding. Ruby is a Photoshop genius who 'retouches photographs to make the person in the photo look amazing, whether they are or not. Both of these women have issues and we follow each in turn until their lives entwine. As a mid fifty year old I found some of the sexual imagery used to be graphic. I don't think I'm a prude but found it a little excessive. That said the story is fast paced and well written with more than a touch of humour. The ending is exactly what the reader would wish for each of the characters without being twee.

An excellent chick lit book with relatable characters who were really brought to life by Ms O’Porter. I really enjoyed this book and I loved the Instagram post sections and how these are not a true reflection of someone’s life. Highly recommend reading this, perfect for beach reading this summer.

Three Different women with three different lives, but are they really all that different!?
A great novel about women and how we see ourselves, others women around us and how we perceive them.
I really like this book, we all have our battles and we need to support one another rather than tear each other down!

She's good, this Dawn O'Porter. I loved her previous book, The Cows. It was hilarious & tragic & heart warming & thought provoking & so much more, on reflection, than the sum of its chick lit-esque parts. So I was looking forward to a treat with her latest offering. And, I love it just as much if not more!
I have to invent a new term for Dawn's writing or at least one aspect of it during certain key scenes. It's 'excruciatism'. That level of cringe that is equal parts horror & glee. Like a particularly gruesome car crash you are compelled to rubber neck. It makes your toes curl till your joints turn to dust. It makes you chew your knuckles down to a bloody pulp. And laugh and/or cry because you never want it to happen to you/It happened to you just last week. It's brilliant, painful, raw, awful, hilarious, wicked, relatable, terrifying & touching. She can do all that stuff with characters that can be so readily identified with & scenarios that are so natural & ordinary & yet put all together all these feelings are so close to the bones, all the mishaps that are so embarrassing (yet mundane), all of it is just excruciating to read. But also rather wonderful. I'm a huge fan & would highly recommend.

I took a while to get into this book but I’m
Glad i did. The characters were a twist on your normal stereotypes. I liked how it all came together in the end and you saw how the characters were linked. I would look for another book by the same author

I absolutely loved Dawn O'Porter's previous novel 'The Cows' and I had high expectations for So Lucky. I wasn't disappointed, and think I actually enjoyed this novel even more than the aforementioned.

Beth is happily married with a young child. Although 'happily' might be stretching the truth a little. The fact of the matter is that she hasn't had sex with her husband for over a year.

Ruby is struggling as a single Mother. Feeling like a failure, worrying about people's perceptions of her, but not realising just how amazing she is.

Lauren has it all. Or so it seems. Engaged to one of the hottest men around, with her own social media 'career' ever on the up. But deep on the inside she is battling insecurities like the rest of us.

Three totally different women, whose lives are about to become entwined due to an unthinkable and totally unexpected chain of events.

People's lives are never as perfect as they appear to be, and we all have our own battles to fight. Dawn O'Porter has a way of making her characters so damn real and relatable, that we can see a little bit of Beth, Ruby and Lauren in all ourselves.

I do hope there is another Dawn O'Porter novel in the making, because I for one cannot wait to read it.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars then I would. It's superb from start to finish. Laugh out loud, cringingly funny.
I love how it is told the points of view and then merges.
Dawn O'Porter, you are a legend!