General info

Four different ladies, all connect together in some way. All have their flaws, their insecurities and problems. Everybody else seems to think their lives are perfect. One wedding brings them together and changes their lives drastically.

Things I liked

The characters of this book are spectacular. They are all different, but strong women. They struggle in their lives, but other people seem to think their lives are perfect. They face their issues and they overcome them.
The plot of this book is also really, really good. It keeps you guessing, but still it gives you hints of what's about to happen. It also really opened my eyes to think about other people, ordinary or famous people in the moment when I'm judging them. No life is perfect and things may not always be as they seem. Instagram gives you an entirely made up version of what is really going on, most of the time at least. And this book really made me realise that. That is why I truly, love this book.

All in all, this book is amazing and it keeps you grounded. Women are strong, but every time you judge someone based on your beliefs, you might be hurting them more than you think.

* ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley

This book was a whirlwind, a fun quick read that deals with hard hitting topics affecting women today in a light hearted but poignant.

I enjoyed the fast pace, the witty dialogue and the character growth. From the beginning we are presented with three core female characters, Ruby, Beth and Lauren (who in the beginning is presented through the rose tinted glasses of Instagram posts).

Quickly we gain an insight into their personal lives and that all is not as it may seem. The book was tactful in discussing issues in marriage, infidelity and chronic health conditions and presented them in humourous way, not so funny that the message was lost.

Although the ending was somewhat predictable in the resolution of the characters problems, these 'happy endings' felt satisfactory and I was delighted for them, a further testament to the author's character building.

Some of the characters felt a little 2D and stereotypical but it didn't impact on my enjoyment too much. All in all, a witty enjoyable read.

A very funny book. Heartwarming. I liked the different perspectives and the way the story came together. Another great read by Dawn OPorter

This is not the first book to deal with the challenges of social media or body image, but it artfully brings together these two themes. I’m not of the Instagram generation but I work with young people and can see that the scenarios in this book are realistic and well-depicted. I would recommend this to readers of all ages as everyone can benefit from a better understanding of our online personae and relationships.

Loved this book and how the strong female characters all come together at the end .... Really clever current writing touching on topical issues

Second book I have read by Dawn O'Porter - again really enjoyed it. A funny, cheeky, witty well plotted read with much social comment on the impact social media has on us all, peeking behind the curtain.

This book gave me mixed feelings. I love the tone as it is so true to life. We are always comparing ourselves to others think that another person has the ‘perfect’ life when in reality everyone is dealing with something, whether that be body image, bereavement, mental ill health and many other struggles. The following of 3/4 very ‘real’ women and the daily struggles they are living really puts life into perspective. My favourite character was Ruby - she says it how it is. Although this developed through the story as at the start I thought she was rude, uncaring and a bit of a bully. Her character development slowly unravels and you realise why she is the way she is and that she is trying to change. I didn’t like the whole Beth/Risky relationship as it didn’t seem real and kind of forced. I get why it was needed in the plot but just didn’t get their whole boss/employee/friend relationship. Overall, worth a read.

I love Dawn O’Porter’s previous books so was keen to read this and it did not disappoint. Even though the three main women were totally different from each other, and myself, I was able to resonate with each of them and felt for them throughout their individual stories. Dawn gets society’s portrayal spot on, especially the feelings that women go through to present themselves as ‘perfect’ to others - especially with Lauren’s Instagram wedding storyline.

Beth, Ruby and Lauren are all women who from the outside could possibly have it all. Good jobs, comfortable lives and in Lauren's case, a very successful social media career. However, each women is suffering; Ruby from a condition causing excess body hair that she's allowed to rule her life, Beth's husband doesn't appear to fancy her anymore and Lauren is struggling with anxiety yet is being told to hide it.

This book is comedic in nature, with some real laugh-out-loud moments but also covers some important topics such as PCOS, female sexuality and sensuality as well as hiding real females and struggles behind the perfect Instagram grid. I did like each woman (though this book mostly follows Beth and Ruby - we didn't get a true look at Lauren until the end), and though Ruby is a slightly unlikeable person because of her fears and struggles with her body hair, I also admired her attitude sometimes to say exactly what she was thinking, and not put up with anyone's bullsh*t.

There were some parts of the book that appeared a bit over the top but I also think this is partly Dawn O'Porter's style. She likes to go there and isn't afraid to put her characters in crazy situations. I did think some of Ruby's descriptions about her hair were very extreme and I wonder how that could effect someone else suffering from excess hair due to PCOS and if it could help or trigger them.

I did enjoy the book and I liked the occasional laughs it gave me. I will continue to read Dawn O'Porter's books as I love just seeing where she'll dare to go with her characters, and her books are always entertaining.

Genuinely uplifting, deeply joyful and hugely funny tale. It made want to read without a pause. The stories of the three protagonists felt real and imperfect, which is what I liked most about the book.

The writing was raw and the novel is filled with life lessons that will make the reader rethink twice about their own lives.

Really excellent. Highly recommended.

Absolutely Laugh out Loud funny. This is not my usual go to genre, but I could not put this book down. It had me gripped. Relatable content, believable characters. Just a really good, funny with serious tones read. Thank you Netgalley for my advanced copy. Dawn 'o Porter fab job.

After having mixed thoughts on Dawn's previous novel, The Cows, I couldn't resist reading her latest release, So Lucky. From the synopsis, it sounded like my type of novel.

So Lucky follows three women - Ruby, Lauren, and Beth - and the story is told through alternating perspectives from Ruby and Beth, with Lauren's story told mostly through Instagram captions. Each of the women are pretending their lives are amazing, with outsiders feeling that they're ~so lucky~ when actually, things aren't as rosy as they appear.

I read So Lucky within 2-3 hours and I am not sure whether that's a good thing.

I'll start off with saying that the synopsis doesn't quite match the actual story. You would have thought Lauren would also have her own perspective but instead her story is told mainly through cringey Instagram captions or from someone's perspective. If anything, Lauren is the most interesting character and she barely gets a look in. Ruby has a condition, a condition that isn't as dramatic as it was portrayed, with Ruby mysteriously alluding to her condition without actually naming it for several pages. I guessed what it was, and even after finishing the book I'm not sure why there was so much drama about it! She ended her marriage after her husband made a joke about her condition, and hides herself away so no one else gets close. Her relationship with her daughter is difficult because of the mental abuse she suffered when she was a child from her own mother. Beth had her first child, and is struggling to become intimate again with her husband. Juggling work with looking after her baby, she becomes jealous of her young and promiscuous assistant, and turns to some risqué actions in order to satisfy an ever growing need.

To be honest, So Lucky felt like a third draft, not quite there and could have done with another round of edits. I will applaud Dawn O'Porter for her no-effs-given attitude to approaching topics such as motherhood, female sexuality (to put it lightly) and mental health. It did make me laugh, but there were also parts that made my toes curl with embarrassment. The ending was quite rushed, although I would bet there will be a sequel. If there is, I hope Lauren gets more than some Instagram captions.

Brought together by the wedding of the year are three women. Beth seems to have it all, a new baby, a successful business and a husband who doesn't want sex. Ruby seems to have it all, an amicable ex-husband, a burgeoning career and an embarrassing body. Lauren seems to have it all, thousands of instagram followers, the perfect body and a fiancee who is a serial cheat. Each woman learns to work through her hang-ups to become a more knowledgable person.
Although this is definitely at the 'chick-lit' fluffy end of my reading range I do think O'Porter is a talented writer and there was enough black humour and sarcasm running through this to keep me entertained. It's not going to change the world, it's not very challenging but at times it is laugh out loud funny.

This is a story about perceptions. Three strong female characters who appear to have it all but have insecurities just like everyone else. Sad, funny and risky. A book about self acceptance which is always relevant

This was hilariously funny and relatable.
I've not read any Dawn O'Porter before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it certainly lived up to its hype.
Well written and engaging.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to read and review.

Dawn O'Porter is known on TV for her programmes, How to look good naked, Naked Attraction and work with schools looking at body image and self esteem. So this story focuses on body image. Although the characters are a little 2D and generic, it was thought provoking. Especially clever was Beth, the working mum with her husband at home with the baby.
As well as thought provoking, it reminded me that image is not always as it seems and also we often view ourselves in a harsher light than others do. Parents should be careful in perpetuating poor body image to their children..
I really liked this.

Really readable and enjoyable. I hadn't read one of Dawn O'Porter's books before and I had incorrectly thought it would be a chick-lit-y holiday read (I think perhaps because of the cover?) but it felt like a lot more than that. Whilst it's still an excellent book to whizz through, it has a lot of depth and soul to it and you really empathise with the characters. I think maybe there could have been a little more introspection on the modern day relationship with social media as I feel like that's what the marketing geared us towards but it's still a great read.

So Lucky is such a readable, immersive novel, with tropes and questions that are very pertinent to the modern age. I read this over the course of one day, which is such a recommendation in itself, but although I found the novel entertaining and interesting enough - with characters you can definitely root for - I have to say that I agreed with some reviewers about finding the book somewhat shallow in its approach. The characters verged on stereotypical and a bit unsubtle, and a lot of the points that Dawn O'Porter makes aren't exactly new or challenging in any way. Still, I'd give it 3.5 stars and I would definitely recommend it if you fancy a quick, immersive read about modern women.

Very funny story of 3 women with their own insecurities. Describes different situations that I’m sure most of us can relate to at some time and on some level. Insightful into events

Such a unique and funny read. A fast paced story with an array of characters. It's not a book for the fainthearted but a gritty story of three women and a few sidekicks who come together at the ending in such a fantastic way. A very honest, direct and sometimes cringingly awful account of the drama's of these three ladies. No holds barred from this book. A great weekend getaway for me.