Adele parks has done it again, creating believable characters in a story that could affect anyone of us: what would you do if you won the lottery a week after your “friends” pulled out of of syndicate?

I have been reading Adele’s books for years and I think this is the best one by far. Absolutely brilliant, 5 stars!

What would you do if you won the lottery? Its something everyone dreams of, what they will buy, where they will go, who they will help. When Lexi and Jake win £17.8 million on the lottery, their lives are changed as well as the lives of those around them. Secrets are revealed and friendships tested.

I liked this book, the premise is one we can all relate to, a family win big on the lottery and their lives change. The book is told from the perspective of Lexi, Emily (her daughter) and Toma (one of Lexi's clients from work). I thought that Lexi was meant to be seen as a pushover and her husband Jake certainly sees her as such. Oh I found Jake really annoying, one of those characters that just didn't gel with me from the get go!

The story was well written and fast paced.

Another great book by Adele Parks. The characters were easy to relate to and I felt as if I knew them personally. My favourite part was the ending as there were so many twists and turns, you never knew what was going to happen next. I really was surprised by the ending. I usually have an inkling of what might happen, but not this time.! I look forward to Adele Parks next novel, as I already know I will like it.

This book highlights the trouble that a sudden win of money can bring. The characters were realy well described and so real to me a a reader. Basicallt the story revolves around the relationships between 3 couples and 3 children It is certainly very thought provoking and demonstrates how nasty people can be in new circumstances. I loved Lexi ut throughout I foound her a little ttoo perfect for words.
The last two pages were totally unexpected and really made the book complete.

Ever wanted to win the lottery? Lexi and Jake do just that but find out it isn't the dream they imagined. For a start off this win isn't straightforward. They've previously been in a syndicate with their long term friends but an argument leads to the two other couples dropping out - just before their winning numbers come up. Neither couple are prepared to accept that they are not entitled to the money and war ensues. Will this big win make or break their lives?
I really enjoyed this story with all its twists and turns and the conflicts, not only with their friends but also between themselves about how to use the money. It was great to see how money changes people and rocks the relationships that matter most. I had a good idea of how it would end but this was not predictable enough to ruin my enjoyment and there were some shocks along the way. There was just enough darkness to go beyond the normal summer read and I would highly recommend this, especially if you've enjoyed any of Adele Parks other books.

The author here describes the ugly side of human nature.
A huge lottery win divides a group of friends and leads to many unforeseen events and revelations. To begin with, I disliked this book - greed, dishonesty and disloyalty were vividly illustrated - but as I read on, I became gripped by the plot and found the book hard to put down. There were some more sympathetic characters in the book, but even these had their dark sides.
A graphic tale of how good fortune does not always lead to happiness

This one got me pondering the definition of a psychological thriller. I expect drama, action, tension and most-importantly a mystery to solve - I want to try and work out 'who-dunnit' and why. So, in that respect this was quite slow paced as it was nearly two-thirds of the way in before there was any drama to unpick.

However, the definition of a psychological thriller is more about a story which emphasises the psychology of the characters and their emotional states and behaviour. So, from that respect this was totally a psychological thriller but it's definitely more a compelling tale of relationships, secrets and the dark sides of human nature. And, in hindsight I think that's what author Adele Parks is known for and the focus of her books - her astute observations of human nature.

Even without the drama and mystery that I was expecting the concept of winning the lottery and how much that would/could change your life was totally fascinating and more than enough to hook me in during the slow start. The question being would you be like Lexi who wanted to continue doing the job she loves, live in the same house and simply buy Teapig tea bags instead of own brand? Or would you be like Jake who wanted the biggest, flashier, most expensive or everything from clothes to Ferraris and houses just because he could.

You never truly know who you'd react and that's why Lexi is shocked as Jake changes from a loving family an into a frivolous, arrogant, self-obessessed man. I guess (hope) I'm more of a Lexi and that's why I took to her character - down-to-earth, kind and loyal. As the narrative is also mainly Lexi's point of view, with a few chapters from her fifteen-year-old daughter Emily, I also got to know and understand Lexi better than the other characters.

Once the mystery part got going there were a few twists and turns, but honestly I preferred the way it was going to the actual reveal. Disappointingly the author leaves a few questions unanswered with Lexi even saying "I guess that will remain a mystery for ever". I also didn't really understand the final chapter- I'm not sure if I just didn't get it or did but didn't see the point.

All-in-all an enjoyable, thought-provoking read but I wanted a bit more drama and mystery.

I've only read one other Adele Parkes book - I Invited Her In - and it was a reasonable read.
Just My Luck had a storyline everyone who isn't rich can identify with. A lottery win. At first the reactions of the family to the win and the fallout (literally) of the friends relationships, were expected and clichéd.
I didn't think the characters were very well developed as I couldn't diferintiate betwen the women and men friends. Who was who, who was married to whom.
I couldn't understand why the author had the daughter's narration at first but it became clear as time went on, especially relating to the end events.
I'll give Adele Parkes credit for fooling me into thinking who was the culprit in the latter scenes but it was not a satisfying end to a rather frustrating read.

Just my Luck by Adele Parks was the most infuriating read! I loved the storyline and the characters were very well developed. Lexi was definitely somewhat, (i.e. off the scale), too sweet to be wholesome. Trusting, long-suffering, a bit of a doormat to her family, their friends and in work. Once Jake started spending it was intensely frustrating that she allowed everything to just happen and major life decisions to be taken without her input. There were some great twists in the tale and a very satisfactory conclusion on many levels. I almost really, really, loved the book but if only Lexi had a little bit of backbone it would have helped my engagement and tamped down my extreme frustration with her compliance and her abdication of taking some control throughout.

I love this book and author. You think it would be just a lovely chick story, but has a wicked twist to it! Loved how the lottery shows it would change people

Wow! What a ride!
This book has made me think twice about ever entering the lottery again. Gasp-including, heart pounding and all together brilliant, Just My Luck is probably Adele’s best novel to date. I loved it.

Another great book from Adele Parks!

The story centres on an ordinary couple who live with their two children in an ordinary house, a few miles away from their couple friends with their children. The story starts with a lottery win than threatens to demolish their friendship of 15 years....

The story evolves quickly and takes some dark twists - par for the course with Adele - before concluding.

I couldn’t put the book down and read if in a day. Would recommend.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. I could not put it down. There are so many twists and turns. Just when you think you know the outcome something else happens. It shows how money does not necessarily bring you happiness. I highly recommend this book. It is the first one I have read by Adele Parks and it won’t be the last. She is a brilliant author

Who hasn't dreamt about winning the lottery? What would you do - would you go on a mad spending spree, or be a little cautious? It would be nice to have the choice... wouldn't it?

After reading Just My Luck, I'm not so sure. Lexi and Jake have played the lottery as a syndicate with their best friends for fifteen years, until rows at a dinner party see the other two couples withdraw from the syndicate. Of course, the following weekend, their numbers come up...

I found Just My Luck a great read; about society, greed and friendships, showing you should never mix friends with money. The plot line wasn't quite as far-fetched as I thought initially, reading on, it made me think 'What would I do?', and actually made me feel quite uncomfortable. It really got under my skin!

The characters made me squirm, with their greed and avarice, and somewhat dodgy morals, but then who could say in all honesty that they wouldn't feel the same? I think that is what is so disquieting, and so good, about this book. It could be you!

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HQ for the ARC.
Well, what a read - thoroughly enjoyed it!
For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends, Patrick and Carla Pearson and Fred and Jennifer Heathcote.. Over dinner parties, fish & chip suppers and summer barbecues, they’ve discussed the important stuff – the kids, marriages, jobs and houses – and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything more than a tenner. at their get-togethers on Saturday nights.
But then, one Saturday night, the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone doesn’t tell the truth. And soon after, six numbers come up which change everything forever.
Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth £18 million. And their friends are determined to claim a share of it.

Told from several points of view - Lexi, a down-to-earth worker at the local Advice Bureau; Emily, her 15yr-old daughter whose boyfriend is the Heathcote's son, Ridley, and Toma Albu - whose wife and child died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a slum flat 5 years before.

Lexi is a dedicated mother, wife and 'fixer' for all her clients at the bureau but she befriends Toma and is determined to seek out the slum landlord she holds responsible to his family's death. Meanwhile Jake goes on a spending spree which Lexi really doesn't understand nor like at all. Their children, Emily and 13yr-old Logan are devastated by their new-found wealth when they find out who really are their friends at school.
It all gets out of hand when their friends have a different recollection of their last Saturday gathering to that of Lexi and Jake when it came to paying into the lottery kitty.

This is a gripping read - very well-written with good dialogue, and, you'd better hang onto your seatbelts for the major twists coming your way! Excellent plotting. Wow!

Thoroughly recommended.

I haven’t read anything by Adele Parks before so was intrigued to read this one. It was a real mixed bag. It took a very long time to get going but then when it did it was really gripping with a couple of really good twists, which I didn’t see coming (I usually spot twists but I didn’t with these, which was a nice change).

I’d say this is the sort of book to read on a sun lounger, by the beach or on a plane. I’m glad a pushed on through the first quarter.

Thanks very much for the free review copy.

I've always enjoyed Adele Parks's writing and here she takes a slightly different approach to her earlier romances, keeping the pacy style of I Invited Her In and A Stranger In My Home. A well-written story about a couple who win the lottery and its effects on their friends and family.

It has been a long time since I have picked up a book by Adele Parks so I was looking forward to stepping back into her literary world and getting caught up in one of her gripping storylines.
Lexi and Jake’s lives are about to change forever, no more struggling to make the bills each month, they can finally get that new sofa they need and add to that all the luxuries they can now afford! The pair have won 18 million on the lottery and life is looking bright, but things begin to cloud over when their friends are out to get a share they feel they are entitled too.
I can not tell you the last time I picked up a book and read it from start to finish without moving my butt once but I was so engrossed in this storyline I couldn’t put this book down. I thing I can safely say that for the majority of us the idea of winning the lottery is like a dream come true so this is definitely a storyline that will all get our thinking caps on working out how we would spend our winnings but I am also sure that a lot of us have only ever thought of the pro’s of winning the lottery and not taken into account the negativity which is something the author has researched for this novel and it has opened my eyes.
I found I liked Lexi from the start of this novel she was a very down to earth, caring, kind and thoughtful character and as the storyline progressed her nature remained the same and she didn’t seem to let the huge win go to her head which can not be said of others. I found myself getting so wound up and uptight reading about the pure greed and seeing the personalities of certain characters change.
I have rewritten my review for this book a number of times because I wanted to be so careful not to give anything away because I feel that the reason this book made such an impact on me was the utter disbelief and shock that I found myself in at a certain point in this book, I actually found myself re-reading a page to make sure I had read it correctly as I felt like the wool was well and truly pulled over my eyes.
This was a thoroughly gripping read that I would definitely recommend if you are looking for something exciting, dark and unpredictable. This was full of betrayal, greed, negligence and abuse. It has definitely reminded me why I loved this authors writing all those years ago and I can not wait to go back and read some of her latest books.

It has been a while since I have read anything by Adele Parks and when I saw this I was intrigued by the storyline. It was well written with plenty of twists and an ending I did not see coming. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I feel like I need to apologise before carrying on, to all the other Adele Parks fans out there, this just didn't do anything for me, I didnt like it.

I'm a huge Adele Parks fan, I've read SO many of her books and pretty much loved all of them .. apart from this one.

I got 47% in and really had to question whether to carry on, I did but felt like I was wading through treacle. I just could not get to grips with it at all.

Don't get me wrong, I think every person on the planet has that "what would you do if you won the lottery" conversation BUT it was so clichèd on how they would and were going to spend it.

I found the characters unlikeable (Jake is a complete a**hole) and their behaviour just unbelievable.

I'm sorry, it just wasn't for me. I think this book is definitely going to have very mixed reactions!

Thanks to netgalley and HQ for the ARC.