Is everyone’s life as perfect as it looks? On the surface, business woman Beth has it all – an exciting career and doting husband and baby at home, Insta-famous Lauren is marrying her wealthy beau in the celebrity wedding of the year and Ruth is a straight-talking single mum who marches to the beat of her own drum… but nothing is really as it seems.

So Lucky is a brutally honest, relatable and laugh-out-loud funny tale of modern life and the issues that come with it. Dealing with confidence, body image, sex, parenting and friendship, these diverse and brilliantly developed characters highlight the ridiculous pressure we often put ourselves under and the unhealthy comparisons we make.

A fabulously funny read and a poignant reminder that us ladies are complex, flawed, thriving and bloody brilliant! Thank you Dawn! x

Brilliant and funny, un-put-downable! I read this over 2 days and thoroughly enjoyed it all. Great characters and very relatable.

Brilliant, hilarious and highly relatable I charged through this in a day. Can not recommend more highly.

I read this book in one day. The writing style and pace was perfect to keep me hooked.
The story starts with two storylines; Ruby and Beth. These two separate women have very different lives, both equally as fascinating and gripping.
About 80% of the way through the Beth and Ruby’s storylines begin to merge together and all the connections throughout become clear.
Both Ruby and Beth’s storylines touch on very interesting topics which really makes you put things into perspective. There are some beautiful poignant moments which really make you reflect. The golden thread message throughout is wonderful and uplifting.
I will not say anymore as I don’t want to ruin the experience for other readers other than I would definitely recommend this book!

Forget teenage angst, there's nothing more stressed, pissed off and downright angry than a woman and that is what this book is based around! The issues that make us grumpy, the pressures we all put ourselves under, the absurdities of life in the Instagram world we now live in - motherhood, relationships, body image, modern life - it's all here and perfectly pitched by the author in a savage but humourous story that I thoroughly enjoyed and ended up finding really touching and poignant!

The two main characters are Ruby and Beth. Both very different women, but both struggling! Ruby is struggling with motherhood - it's more downs than ups with her daughter Bonnie who she seems in a constant battle with! Ruby isn't the most patient of people so she seems to spend most of her days raging at the world and getting nowhere. As you learn more about her you understand she has always had a bad relationship with her mother which hasn't helped her confidence, and neither has a medical condition she has which means she' always conscious of her body. You can't help feel sorry for her and just want to give her a big hug at times to let her know she should go easier on herself! Her line of work sees her retouching photographs - very apt in the world we now live in where you can airbrush your lumps and bumps away - so the concept of body image is always playing on her mind. Is she being a good role model to her daughter or is just history repeating itself?

And Beth is a new mum to Tommy, and married to Michael who seems to have serious issues with sex (he's a weird one!!) and being cruel towards her about her weight and coming up with reasons not to have sex with her again. Not very happily married for a woman who is a wedding planner for the rich and famous!

Her newest client is an Instagram celebrity and this brilliantly allows that whole world be dissected and analyzed - the image doesn't always match up to the reality and I found that really fascinating to see portrayed especially as Beth starts to feel sorry for her client, Lauren, who posts amazing pictures and quotes but in reality she seems to be very unsure of herself.

As these women's lives wobble from bad to worse, I really enjoyed seeing and hearing their thoughts on issues that affect us all, and the fact that by talking to friends or a stranger in a park allows them to confront the realities in their life and how they can go about changing things, finding good in themselves and taking back control.

There were many laugh out loud moments when things went wrong, or got a little too graphic (there's a lot of sex talk going on!), but it was also very poignant when reality hits home for these women and I just loved how honest and frank it was. Nothing is sugarcoated!!

The story does a great job of showing just how complex life can be, especially as a woman, be it with relationships, friendships, work, and in general how we all view ourselves and how we all judge others. It's only when we get to know the person behind the image that we begin to understand that we're all messed up! No matter what image we try to share, there's always something that links us and shows us that the grass isn't always greener.

Whether it is society that makes us constantly pick holes in ourselves, or it's just the way we are, I found this to be an engrossing read that just got better the more it went on, and found it really empowering and thought provoking!

SO LUCKY; REFRESHING, FUNNY AND BRILLIANTLY RUDE

I’m telling you, So Lucky by Dawn O’Porter is going to zoom to the very top of all the bestselling lists as soon as it’s published on 31st October. Hilarious, candid and emotional, this book really celebrates the power of women.

Warning! This book is rude, so rude but in a comedy, honest way. It had me howling, and I mean really howling with laughter! It’s fun, refreshing and powerful. It’s simply brilliant.

So Lucky tells the story of Ruby, Beth and Lauren. Ruby is scary and hard; a prickly bitch. Beth has it all; the loving husband, the baby and the successful career. And then there’s Lauren, the celebrity who is just about to marry her gorgeous, famous and very rich fiance.

Oh, and I have to mention Risky who is one of my favourite book character’s of all time. She’s hilarious, loyal and truly believes in female empowerment. She also has the perfect cure to beat the afternoon slump which is apparently better than a Mars Bar. 😉

But believe me, not all is what it seems.

In an authentic and very funny manner, So Lucky skillfully examines why many women in today’s society feel the pressure to portray the mirage of the successful, beautiful life. Ultimately as we try to hide the things we’re ashamed of from ourselves and others (whether that be excess body hair or a husband not wanting sex etc), we beat ourselves up more and more, further enhancing our self-hatred.

Furthermore this frank, comedy read brilliantly exposes the role social media plays to further perpetuate the filtered, fake perfect image.

Dawn O’Porter doesn’t shy away from difficult complex issues – she examines them in a beautifully frank way. Yes So Lucky made me laugh loads, but it also brought a big massive lump of emotion to my throat.

This book is definitely one of my top reads of the year! It is such an intelligent read full of important messages. It reminds us not to judge our fellow women. “When women come together, the world gets better. We don’t know our own power sometimes.”

Different stories of women who lead very different lives and whose lives lead to them meeting each other.
Such a wonderful mix of emotions; funny, sexual, heartbreaking and moving.
We often believe that other people's lives are perfect and they are So Lucky, when in reality there is often more to their lives than meets the eye.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I had never read anything by Dawn O'Porter before but had heard great things so I just had to request this when it popped up on NetGalley and it did not disappoint.
Beth has the best husband and a new baby. She is also currently arranging the biggest showbiz wedding of the year.
But her life is far from perfect and she can't even bring herself to confide in her over-sharing assistant/friend, Risky, about it.
Ruby is neglecting her 3 year old daughter because she is obsessed with hiding something from the world that unfortunately defines her and stops her living her life the way she'd like to.
Lauren is marrying one of the biggest celebrities in the public eye. Her upcoming status and overbearing mother mean that she lives a lie through her Instagram photos.
They are connected by one thing that hugely impacts each of their outlooks on life.
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I found this quite a slow read but that didn't stop me enjoying reading it and getting to know the characters so much.

A masterpiece for women of today
This book celebrates all women in particular 4 in this book all of whom have their own insecurities and sensitivities
Beth, Ruby, Risky and the ever so perfect Lauren
Alone they are ashamed of who they are or of their past but thrown together they learn that the one thing you can rely on in your life is another woman or in this case 3 other women
They unite into a fierce sisterhood who together talk openly for the first time ever and in that soul searching they see where their future lies and how they need to get there

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are strong and there's plenty of intrigue about their backstories to keep me reading. I also appreciated having the satisfaction of everything being tied together somehow.

I love the themes of Insta-life vs real life, and issues with body image. Very important to be addressed at this time. Some of the characters are despicable, and I really like that too!

There were a couple of scenarios I felt were on the unbelievable side, and some of the dialogue seemed like it was just there to push the story along. But other than that I can't fault the writing at all.

Three women; Ruby, living with an embarrassing medical condition struggling with self loathing; Lauren, living her best life through social media and Beth, married to a man who hasn't left his mother despite being married.
Dawn O'Porter weaves together the lives of these women in a story about body confidence- or lack of it, finding love and learning to live in the real world warts and all. Funny, poignant and so readable I loved this book.

I’ve been seeing this book everywhere and hearing so much about it. I was absolutely over the moon to receive an advance copy and had such high expectations. I was not disappointed one single bit. The characters were honest and raw, the story just so relatable and just a joy to read. I’d happily Recommend this to anyone

I loved this book. I was gripped from the start and luckily read it at the weekend because I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting (and my line manager would have had something to say if I'd done that during the working week).

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So Lucky
Author: Dawn O’Porter
Publisher: Harper Collins Uk
Publication Date: 31/10/19

A story of modern women and the battle for acceptance in a world of social media and body shaming. Sharp and witty, I wasn’t sure how the character arcs would connect but when they did, it all came together in a powerful and satisfying conclusion to complete a great story. A fantastic holiday read. I read it in 2 sittings.
Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I loved it!
Funny, poignant and relatable I loved how the characters evolved and interlinked unexpectedly.
Even though the characters are all quite different I loved them all by the end and it was a very easy book to read. It was slightly graphic in places, just in case you're easily offended!
I'd definitely recommend it and can't wait to read more of her books.

So Lucky follows the stories of two women, Beth and Ruby, both going through a difficult stage in their adult lives and dealing wth relationships, childcare, sex and body confidence. Through Beth's work as a wedding planner we also meet Lauren, a famous instagrammer, whose reality is somewhat different to the media images she presents.

The book tries to explore the difference between image and reality, particularly relating to social media and has a positive message about female identity. There is some nice honest content about sex and desire.

The use of hashtags and Instagram posts would sugggest a light contemporary novel, but actually it is rather a joyless read as a whole with some quite dark and disturbing scenes especially featuring Ruby and her daughter. The themes are hammered home reallly at the expense of subtleties of character or plot. I do think O'Porter can write, but this was definitely missing the fun factor

The Cows was one of my favourite books that I read last year so I was really excited to read O'Porter's new novel.

It was a super quick read so definitely a good one for a holiday or to get you out of a reading slump. I appreciate any book that has a feminist message and this book genuinely made me laugh out loud a couple of times.

Unfortunately this wasn't a five star read for me, like The Cows. I found pretty much all of the characters unbelievable and extreme. I liked how it tackled sensitive subjects like mental health, polycystic ovaries and... dogging(!) however I found the characters quite intense at times. Also the way the characters came together at the end was too convenient.

Perhaps this was needed to get the message of the book across but I think it means more when it's at least slightly believable.

However if a quick funny, feminist read sounds good to you then I definitely recommend it. Plus Dawn O'Porter is awesome.

4.5 stars.
I loved The Cows when I read it a while back so I was quite excited to get my hands on this one which basically revolves around the lives of three women. Lives that differ vastly from outward appearances.
There's Beth, a successful wedding planner who has a solid marriage, a young baby who is currently being looked after by her lovely husband. Lauren, an internet star who is about to marry the love of her life and very eligible bachelor. And then there's Ruby, single mother and photo editor who has rather strict rules about everything.
The book then proceeds to expose the above lies and masks, and peels back the layers of these women's lives to expose certain brutal truths. But, what's really clever is the way that the author weaves these women's lives in and around each other seamlessly until, finally, their worlds collide, with spectacular repercussions...
I think I ran the whole gamut of emotions whilst reading this book. But it never got too heavy at any time. The author managed to keep the book on an even keel whilst also dealing with some quite brutal issues, mostly by the injection of humour. Not laugh out loud humour, mostly the wry smile, nodding grin type this time. But enough to keep the balance.
The characters were amazing. Initially a bit on the caricature side but they all became more real as they were exposed. It was a good example of masking, playing the game, and only showing people what you want them to see. Oh, and the techniques employed to keep up appearances! Fabulous stuff indeed.
All this does sound a bit bland and disjointed but, as already mentioned, the author has woven all this around a really great storyline that eventually, well, I think I should probably leave it for you to discover what happens when they all come together. And the fallout thereafter! That bit did make me giggle!
All in all, another winner from this author. I can't wait to see what she serves up next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

If I have to say one thing - literally devoured this book and felt like a book addict with my next hit wanting more and more! Cleverly written.

I think a TV series or film needs to be made!

We hear of the 3 very different lives of Ruby (single mother, thinks she is a hairy gorilla, a refreshing take on being a mum and not fully liking it), Lauren (famous for her celeb partner, social media influencer, touts mental health awareness), Beth - (working mother, lacking sex, horndog, trying to balance it all).

A hilarious read, which raises some topics people find taboo, letting the unfiltered versions of the 3 women be heard... However I also have no filter 😂 so love all this, maybe that's why I love Dawn's writing style, a refreshing read.

So glad I got to review this book as I will now be on the hunt for her others as this is the first one I have read.

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Well, what can I say?

Absolutely fantastic book!
I urge all women to read this and know that none of us is perfect. No one has a perfect life. No matter what is portrayed on the outside, there is always some inner struggle beneath.
We follow three women, each with their own secret, struggling to make life work, and trying to make sure no one on the outside is aware of their issues.
From body image to mental health to marital issues, so much is covered in this brilliantly written story.
Honestly, I have already recommended it to a couple of friends with whom the whole concept will resonate.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.