Cover Image: So Lucky

So Lucky

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Another brilliant read from Dawn.
A great unputdownable book.
It’s funny, sad and risky and is definitely a book of the times.
Loved it couldn’t put it down

Was this review helpful?

After ‘The Cows’ I was really looking forward to this new offering and I loved it! I read it in one afternoon. I could completely relate to the characters and it made me laugh! I was in bed with flu and this was the perfect pick me up! Can’t wait for her next one!

Was this review helpful?

I read this in one sitting after receiving a free digital copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
Alternating between Beth, who returns to work as a wedding planner immediately after having her baby, and Ruby, whose hormonal condition and hatred for her own mother makes connecting with her 3 year old daughter difficult. In between their narratives, you get posts from Lauren, the fiancee of a billionaire. The main message to take away from this book is not to judge people. Everyone thinks Beth's life is perfect and she is so lucky to have a husband who is happy to be a stay at home dad; in reality, Beth's husband has refused to touch her or look at her without clothes for months, leaving Beth sexually frustrated. Everyone expects Ruby to feel luck to have a daughter; in reality, Beth has never connected with her daughter due to er fear of her own body and her lack or relationship with her own mother. Everyone thinks Lauren is living the dream, and so lucky to marry her billionaire fiancee; in reality, her instagram photos are staged and edited, and her fiancee is cheating on her.

The three characters are finally brought together towards the end at Lauren's wedding, Beth as the wedding planner and Ruby as the photography editor. As they all realise each other's appearances aren't everything, they give each other the strength to be honest with themselves and those around them.

There were some problematic word choices now and then that, to me, went against the image of female empowerment, like when Ruby judges a receptionist for wearing a lot cut job when she doesn't even work with men (like you can't dress for yourself; it has to be for others), and judging an adult woman for dressing 'too young' and trying too hard with her outfits.

Overall, the main message was uplifting. Some of the characters may have been slightly over the top (for example, how sex driven Risky was - like who gifts a used dildo?) but that didn't stop me from staying up till 2am to read it. I particularly liked the pages dedicated to Lauren's Instagram posts: a description of the photo, the caption, and some positive and negative comments. All showed the reality of social media.

Was this review helpful?

So Lucky is the first book I’ve read by Dawn O’Porter and didn’t know what to expect but I’m glad to say that this was a really good read and will be looking out for other books by this author.
The book is full of everything from sad emotional moments to genuinely laugh out loud moments and this makes it one of the top books I’ve read this year. The book is based around 4 women, all with different backgrounds but all with their own struggles and insecurities. The characters were likeable so that made them very real and had a really good depth to them making them relatable.
The book follows an event that sees them all together and it shows that no matter where you come from, what you have and where your going you still all have the same insecurities and for parts of this book dogs were made at social media.
A really good read that I really enjoyed.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Just finished this book after picking it up and putting it down and having mixed feelings about it. Many thanks to #Netgalley and #Harpercollins for providing me with an ARC version of this book.

At first I couldn't get into the book and I still cannot relate to any of the three characters the book revolves around. One is a Wedding planner, another an editor for photographs, and the third, an Instagram model. All three characters are fairly unlikeable but what kept me reading was wanting to find out how their lives would intertwine and turn out.

The book is humorous in parts though I wouldn't say laugh out loud funny and as a reader, you would definitely have to keep an open mind as it gets racy and explicit in parts. There are elements of the book that are sad without being depressing and the author helps to bring awareness to different things that happen.

I'd agree with another reviewer who commented on the language of a three-year-old and how she reacted to certain events in the book.

Overall I would read another of Dawn O'Porter's books.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley , the author and publisher for a copy of this book.
This was hilariously funny, so much I have just bought Cows. I really enjoyed this book and it is a perfect holiday read and I would highly recommend. Bring on the next one

Was this review helpful?

Frank, funny & fearless - I absolutely loved it!

O'Porter's writing style is unique and authentic from the laugh-out-loud to the raw, emotional moments I became completely invested in Beth, Ruby & Lauren's stories. Risky deserves a special mention too - everyone needs a friend like her!

These distinctive characters aren't perfect, they are flawed, they are insecure and they all have their own struggles ...but don't we all? This novel is incredibly relatable, the plot flows seamlessly and the way all the characters are brought together is very clever.

It's bold, brilliant & thought-provoking. The characters stayed with me long after I'd turned the last page, a must-read!

Thanks to Harper Collins for sending me this novel in exchange for an open and honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Was this review helpful?

I'm a big fan of Dawn and her writing so was really excited to read this and it didn't disappoint. The characters are lovable and their individual self doubting about their lives is so relatable. The journey to self acceptance that each of the characters go on is lovely to read and shows that everyone has their own fears, insecurities and worries no matter how good their lives may look to the outside.

Was this review helpful?

Beth's just had a baby and her husband won't have sex with her. Ruby has a three year old who seems to hate her and a big secret about her body. Lauren seemingly has the perfect life and is about to get married to a huge celebrity. All their lives are about to intertwine in ways you never expect.

I really enjoyed this book! It was so real and honest an fresh. The last 25% had me gripped as the three stories came together. A great read!

Was this review helpful?

I did love reading The Cows so I have been really excited to read Dawn O’Porter’s new novel, So Lucky. The protagonists are three women. Ruby feels she is failing as a mother, she is angry all the time, and she is ashamed of her own body because of a rare condition. Beth has just had a baby, but she went right back to work to organize the wedding of the year. She feels guilty not only for leaving her son at home, but also for her dreams of sleeping with other men as her husband doesn’t seem very interested in having a more intimate relationship with her. And then, there is Lauren. A model with millions of followers on Instagram and about to marry her gorgeous billionaire fiancé, but is her life as perfect as it looks on Instagram?

What I really love about Dawn O’Porter’s novels is the authenticity of her characters and her stories. With their problems, their insecurities, and their dreams, these women feel realistic and relatable and the readers feel connected to them. I liked Beth, Ruby and Lauren, even if there were times when I found them irritating or I didn’t like what they were doing. I sympathized more with Beth and Ruby because we get a complete and honest picture of them. Lauren remains more of a mystery. We meet Lauren through her Instagram posts and through Ruby and Beth’s eyes who are both involved in the organization of her wedding. The self-assurance she shows to her followers is shadowed, in real life, by her overbearing and bossy mother and her too-perfect-too-be-true fiancé. I think that my favourite character is Risky, Beth’s assistant. She is so outspoken and brazen and she often made me laugh out loud.

So Lucky is thought-provoking, compelling, and captivating and I stayed up late at night to finish it because I couldn’t stop reading about this three fantastic women!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book to review.

Having read Dawn O'Porter's last book, The Cows, I was really looking forward to reading her next novel.

It definitely didn't disappoint! I finished this in a matter of hours and absolutely flew through it.

The novel is mainly centred around Ruby, Beth, and Lauren, three women with very different lives but all considered 'so lucky' for various reasons.

The characters are fantastic, so well done and you really get involved with them and their lives. Initially, I didn't warm to Ruby as I found her stand offish and Lauren made me roll my eyes as she appeared to be a typical 'Instagram influencer'.

However, by the end of the book I loved them all and just wanted the best outcome for them.

Although I'm aware a lot of what's posted on social media is posted purely to come across as the 'ideal life' and the reality is nothing but, this book made me think that it isn't all about social media. Judgements of other people's lives based on the snapshot you see can be very far from the truth.

Really funny at times yet very relatable and quite emotional.

Great book and can't wait for the next one! Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Fab book,. Loved it from cover to cover. great story, loved the characters, the way the book went descriptions and the story line.

Was this review helpful?

A great book about women’s attitudes to love, body image and friendship. I loved this book, thanks NetGalley!

Was this review helpful?

What a book! I’ve been looking forward to reading So Lucky for a while and I haven’t been disappointed; I lost count of the number of times I snorted out loud with laughter whilst turning the pages!

Accurate to a tee; So Lucky is a searingly relevant read.  I found myself continually nodding in agreement as I read about Beth, Ruby and Lauren.  It’s fiendishly funny yet thought provoking in terms of the perception we have of ourselves, and SO full of sass!

This book oozes power with its cast of three fantastic women, and their stories were both honest and touching, producing a compelling tale which is absolutely made for binge reading.

I found So Lucky to be hilariously addictive and scintillatingly smutty! Bravely bearing filth on almost every page  - this book is not for the prudish!

So Lucky is wickedly witty, side-splittingly funny and deliciously dirty; a joyous romp of a book which will be enjoyed by many.

Was this review helpful?

I received an ARC copy of this book from Harper Collins UK via net galley.

I started this book not really able to get into it and feeling like giving up but it turned into a riveting read.

Ruby, Beth and Lauren three women who outwardly look in control but underneath all have unresolved issues. Ruby has a condition which affects her body image, Beth is a new mum with a husband who seems to want to do anything but have a sexual relationship with his wife, Lauren seemingly has it all fame, fortune and upcoming wedding to the sexiest monied man on the planet.

Told through their individual voices this is a book about accepting who you are and unleashing the power in yourself. It is once you get over the start a fabulous pacy read which it was difficult to put down. Real moments of Humour and indeed pathos

Was this review helpful?

Fab book,. Loved it from cover to cover. great story, loved the characters, the way the book went descriptions and the story line.

Was this review helpful?

‘So Lucky’ was a fabulous book. ‘So Lucky’ tells the story of three different women and their very different lives.

Ruby, Lauren and Beth are all wonderful characters and I loved getting to know each one as the plot unfolded. I was desperate to see if, or how, the three women would meet or if their lives would intertwine as the story developed further. This was a wonderful book that tells of a special kind of feminism and community in a world where some of us have lost our way.

I read this in one sitting as I just could not put the book down. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone.

Was this review helpful?

Ok, so erm, I have decided that I will not be doing a review for this book. I don’t want to and it doesn’t deserve one from me. No, no, no, hear me out a sec. That is not a negative comment from me at all, in fact it’s totally the opposite.

I formally known as the Book Geek Wears Pajamas or PajamaBookGirl in the book world, or just Natalie in the normal world, or Mum (none fucking stop) in my kids world, could never ever do So Lucky justice with my words. I don’t have them and I certainly can’t articulate them like they deserve.

So Lucky deserves unlimited praise. It deserves it for making women feel beautiful regardless of their faults/conditions/jobs/thoughts/looks/life. It deserves it for making reality what it is and what it should be. For keeping life real in a fictional world. For making sure that a fictional world created gives back to people in need. People that deserve it. Characters we connect with and want the best for.

It’s a fucking decent read my friends. It’s funny, sad, stupid, diverse, harmonious, sexy, fun and REAL! And we know for sure that right now in this shit world we all need that. We all need the love. And that my fabulous book geeking fabulous friends is what So Lucky is. It’s self love that’s what it is.

Do I recommend? Abso-fucking-lutely!

Do I resonate with the characters given to us by O’Porter in SO? More than you will ever know.

Do I feel better about myself being a hairy bastard who can give my husband and his beard a run for his money? Yes, actually, I do.

Am I embarrassed to be telling you all that and owning up to the fact that I am part of a female world that is silent and ashamed and yeti-like? Well, I’m proper beetroot and overheating writing this so am taking that as a big fat yes!

However, I am writing it and I am telling you all, and that my friends comes down to So Lucky. It helped me in realising that we are all not perfect, we all have problems and issues, but we are not alone even though we feel we are. So Lucky helped me see that and I went searching on Instagram and found hundreds and hundreds of people just like me. And for that tiny bit of confidence it gave me will always be why I can never do this book justice with my words.

Thank you Dawn for SO and for keeping it 109% real always! The world needs that and the world needs your books and love.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5/5

P.S… I have not and will not be editing this post. Why? Because I wrote it from the top of my head and from my heart. If it’s wrong in any way, I do not care. If it doesn’t make sense or doesn’t flow, oh well! Fuck being right. I like being wrong sometimes 🤷🏻‍♀️

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book although it took me a while to get into it. The characters were really interesting and it was a humorous but humane tale.

Was this review helpful?

A fresh and funny look at modern woman-hood, this book was a fun and thought-provoking read. It made me think about the relationship women have with their image and how we choose to represent ourselves. A serious topic explored through very different characters, with a dose of humour that prevents it from feeling too 'heavy'. The laugh-out-loud moments did lean on the slapstick at times, but the commentary on social media influencer-behaviour and millenial-speak was sharp and spot-on. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to my friends.

Was this review helpful?