Lexi and Jake have been best friends for 15 years with two other couples, the Pearsons and the Heathcotes. They spend every Saturday night together, rotating hosting responsibilities. They’ve shared takeaways, hopes and dreams, and moved home to be closer to each other. Their children are close, having grown up together. Every week they play the Lottery together as a syndicate, until one Saturday night there is an argument and everything changes. One week later, their numbers come up, and Lexi and Jake realise that they have won £17.8 million.

How would winning the National Lottery change you and your life? What would you spend the money on?

It was really interesting to read about how each of the characters reacts and how they behave after winning. Lexi and Jake receive a lot of requests for help from friends and family, as well as piles of letters from strangers. Lexi is inundated at work with requests for financial help and is forced to leave her much-loved job at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

A lot of the characters in this book aren’t very likeable. I found Jake, Lexi’s husband, especially frustrating. It seems like he was always quite selfish but the lottery win certainly makes this worse. I felt quite sick thinking about all of the money he was wasting — even buying a Ferrari before the money had even gone into their account! He also encourages their children to take the same cavalier attitude towards shopping and encourages them to buy whatever they want online.

Just My Luck starts off with a news story that seems totally unrelated to the rest of the book — about the death of a wife and young child due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Their landlady is found to be responsible for neglect. Tomas, the widow, then goes to Lexi for help and becomes gets emotionally invested. He was the only likeable character throughout the book and I was happy with how his story ends.

However, dislikeable does not mean badly written. All of the characters are unique and well-described, and I could picture them all vividly. The point of view changes between Lexi, Emily and Tomas. Emily is a 15-year-old teenager, with all the emotional turmoil that entails. Her point of view felt like the least realistic — at times it didn’t sound like a teenager talking. But I thought that her conflicted feelings about her friends and her boyfriend did sound like a teen!

The book is filled with shock twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout. I really enjoyed the story and it felt very realistic. I have read interviews with Lottery winners who have said that winning ruined their lives because the money changed things. It has some dark moments, but despite that this was a really fun read and one that kept me invested until the very last chapter (and final twist!).

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I have added my review to Goodreads and my blog with the review will go live on 23rd April. I will also post to Amazon and Waterstones when able. Thank you :)

I really enjoyed reading this book about a lottery syndicate and how it could go so wrong when your number really does come up!  The characters are all well described and how they relate, or don't relate, to each other. Some clever twists and turns in the story, right to the end,  that I didn't see coming and some quite dark bits as well.  Be very careful when you choose your lottery numbers, it could really change your life!

This was a really interesting, psychological read. I thought the premise was really interesting - what happens when a lottery syndicate falls apart before it wins? This book dives into how money changes people, friendships, and lives and how lottery “winners” aren’t always winners.

I liked that this was seen through the point of view of two generations, I wasn’t always rooting for the characters - and I don’t think I was meant to - but I enjoyed going on this wild ride with them.

Oh my goodness, what a read! 
I have to say, I found it quite difficult at times, not the book, just the storyline, as I was so nervous about what was going to happen with such a large sum of money. That's a sign of great writing I guess, and Adele Parks always knocks it out of the park. 
There were some characters that grated on me (again, well written), but I loved Lexi and the way she handled their lottery win and all the drama that came with it. 
Highly recommended. 
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I found this to be a fun read. Lots of despicable characters and lies and deceit aplenty. Some really sad parts gave the book a bit more authenticity against the car crash of the actual lottery win. Be careful what you wish for!

The premise of this book really grabbed my attention, however the actions of the family and their friends was too unbelievable for me to take. Some of the decisions they made would make sense but others too far fetched. Overall I was disappointed in the way the story panned out.

Flipping heck, what on earth have I just read?! This packs one hell of a punch and it’s absolutely bloody fantastic! It loosely crossed a couple of genres and I didn’t know quite exactly where it was going, but I never expected all the blows that kept coming. One of my favourite reads so far this year!!

I found this to be an OK 2* read. 

Lexi and Jake are a couple with secrets and who then win the lottery. Unfortunately, they should be sharing it with their friends, as they are in a syndicate....or, did the syndicate split the week before the win? And, if so, why?

The first part of the book I found really irritating, being mainly focused around the husband's reaction to the win and the lists and lists of things he was going to buy. Lexi was the only likeable character, the others came across as spoilt and irritating and unfortunately, although I read on and it did get better it was a bit of a slog to get past the initial irritation.

Having said that, there are some decent twists and drama and a side story that's a heartbreaking one and it definitely improves as it goes along.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview.

Lexi and Jake do the lottery each week with their four friends. They never expect to win, but just after the four friends pull out (apparently) Lexi and Jake win millions.
It's a tried and tested format, want ,want, want, buy, buy ,buy. I had very little feeling for any of the characters, least of all Jake who behaves like a teenager.
The ups and downs, the jealousies, the 'goings on' between the group of friends are all poured into the story.
The ending is clever. Adele Parks is such a good writer, but this is not one of my favourite books of hers.
Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

What would happen to you and your family if you won the lottery? I liked the premise for this latest book and set off into the story with interest. I just didn't like any of the characters, that was the main problem and ultimately I didn't care what happened to them, sorry. There was a good twist at the end which I really hadn't seen coming

I really enjoyed this book. It was a unique storyline full of twists and turns. Kept me hooked from the first page to the last. Loved the ending

So many twists and turns! I didn't feel empathy with any of the characters. Not an enjoyable read. If it hadn't been for Carona isolation I would not have persevered with reading this book.

Wow, a book full of twists and turns! Just when you know what’s coming another twist is thrown your way - right up to the very final paragraph! (No spoilers!!) 

It tells the story of Lexi and her family who win the lottery jackpot of almost £18 million and, needless to say, life changes for them in many ways - but not necessarily in the ways you expect! With arguments surrounding a syndicate of friends, friendships and greed it is clear things will never be the same again for so many different reasons.

Told from the perspective of three different characters the story builds, giving you more and more clues along the way as to which direction you are heading in, twists thrown in at every angle to keep you guessing and, just when you think you’ve figured it out, throws you straight back off track again!. A few times I thought the story to be predictable but was thrown off the scent in numerous ways, right up until the very end, the writing style truly captivating you throughout!

This was the first book I have read by Adele Parks, although have heard of so many of her books over the years, and am not surprised this is her 20th book published. Safe to say I will be working my way through some of her back catalogue now after this!

Instagram: @somethingaboutbooks23

This is such a whirlwind read. I loved it and found it so compelling.  Just My Luck is about how a big lottery win changes the lives of Jake and Lexi, their children and their friends. I read it over a weekend and couldn’t put it down. Definitely my favourite Adele Parks novel so far! I enjoyed the many twists and turns, the fast-paced plot and the exploration of how money changes people. I always thought it would be fantastic to win the lottery - not any more! 

Very highly recommended if you want to lose yourself in someone else’s world.

Unpredictable, interesting and full of twists and turns.

Third is my first Adele Parks read and it won't be my last.

If you love books full of twists and turns then this is the book for you. I couldnt put it down, and when I did I couldn't stop talking about it with my husband which is a great thing throughout this lockdown. What would you spend £18m on? Who would you become?

Highly recommend, and cant wait to read more of Adele Parks books.

This book is about the problems that can happen if you win the lottery – between friends and family. As relationships gradually fall apart, Lexi’s worst nightmares come true. Pain and betrayal come thick and fast. The book reaches an exciting climax and everything is tied up by the end, although leaving the reader thinking everything through again. A highly recommended read.

This is a really good read. I have never read anything by Adele Parks before but I thought this was a terrific book. The story centres around three couples who met when they joined the world of parenthood and then a lottery win changes everything. The book makes you think about the way people respond to money, and that makes it a real eye opener. I guess we all feel it would be a dream come true but there are some pretty bad down sides as well. 
I enjoyed the story and it kept me turning the pages. There were twists in the story and at some points it made you wonder why Lexi, the main character hadn’t just kicked her husband into touch.
I would highly recommend this book. Easy to read and entertaining.

What would you do if as part of a syndicate of six you won £17.8 million?

What would you do with £17.8 million if you were part of a syndicate that the week before had broken up - because what were the chances of winning?

What if you were the one who still bought the ticket regardless?

Would life change?

Lexia and husband Jake have played the sames six numbers every week for fifteen years with their friends, Carla and Patrick and Jennifer and Fred. The six have formed a bond, a friendship, their children are all friends, saturday night dinners together,  their lives are seemingly entwined.

Until one Saturday when a rift starts and when Lexi and Jake find themselves the only winners of the £17.8 million.

Friendship and history should mean that they share it with the others.

Will the luck of Lexi and Jake hold out? Or will more people come along and try and claim what they think is rightfully theirs?

This is a book full of twists and turns which at times felt like I was watching events unfold in slow motion and I almost did not want to look as I could see where it was going. I was wrong on a number of occasions and the twists were certainly ones I was not expecting and I loved it! Of course it could have seemed obvious but the sign of a good writer to me is not to make it so. 

Adele Parks captures different parts of the characters and their reactions to instant wealth well, Jake spent so unashamedly and encouraged his children to do the same that it became boring. Lexi wants to maintain a sense of normality for everyone, her job means she knows that not everyone is now as lucky as her.

Emily their eldest child, so like her father than she wants it all but finds that it actually comes at a cost which does not involve money. Logan, her younger brother, enjoys it but like his mother, is quite happy with his friends and computer games and making sure those certainties don't change.

But it is the actions and reactions of those other four in the syndicate that start to show the differences that were perhaps always there in their friendship, that were never discussed, never mentioned. Jealousy takes many forms, of wealth, of status, of job, of home, of neighbourhood, of pretty much everything.

Every possible emotion is covered in this book through all or some of the characters and the author taps into your emotions as you waver between what you are told and what the truth really is. A great book to lose yourself in and to keep you reading long past lights out. 

The ending question is obvious - not what would you do with £17.8 million but how would you behave with £17.8 million? From this book the two answers are not mutually exclusive.

This was a great story, a lesson in what not to do if you win the lottery. I found myself despising and emphasising with the characters in equal measure. Nice plot and worthy of a read. I enjoyed it.

What would you do if you won £17.8m on the lottery?  This is the question we are invited to ask ourselves as we read Adele Parks' novel about a family who life is transformed in just this way.  This is a light, fast-paced story which explores the unexpected fall-out of an event which perhaps all of us dream of from time to time.

Parks is unrelenting in the unlikeability of her characters.  Even the main character Lexi, who sees herself as 'normal' and 'down to earth' becomes increasingly hard to root for as the novel progresses.  Perhaps this is all deliberate.  It is hard to draw any conclusion from this book other than 'money corrupts'.  But all of Parks' adults are beset by various character flaws, some more extreme than others.  The reader cannot help but feel ultimately that the lottery win is merely a 'MacGuffin', a foil against which the many dark tendencies of humans, particularly in terms of their relationships with each, other can be probed and exposed.