Ames‘ guest review of Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell
Lucy Parker wins the lottery on the worst day of her life. But can all the money in the world make up for a cheating boyfriend, a derailed career, and ending up in the middle of a media circus? Everyone wants a piece of Lucy.and all she wants is to escape from it all.
After life as she knows it falls apart, Lucy heads off to Palm Beach to hide out at the home of an old college friend. There, living in a tropical paradise of millionaires, Lucy acquires a new hair color, a new social set, and enough anonymity to put her notoriety behind her. Soon she’s courted by two men who don’t know her history. But just as Lucy begins to envision a new life for herself, the past catches up with her. Lucy would give up every penny to have her old life back – but just as she’s ready to cash it all in, fate has one last surprise in store for her. One that will show her exactly what she’s worth.
Reason for reading: No freaking clue. Let me tell you what I do – I lurk on blogs, see an interesting review and then go see if my library has the reviewed book. If they do, I request it and then by the time I get it, so much time has passed I forget which blog the book came from. Sometimes this backfires, because I’ll get a book and think “Self, why did you request this?” Fortunately, that wasn’t the case with Good Luck.
Summary: Lucy Parker has just been fired from her teaching position at a posh prep school in Ocean Falls, Florida. Why has she been fired? Weeelll, a student that she gave a failing grade to is accusing her of sexual harassment. The parents won’t sue the school if the school dismisses Lucy immediately. Lucy is furious because she knows why the student is saying that and now her career is in the gutter, because who will hire a teacher who propositions her students? But things only go downhill from there. When she gets home early, she discovers her boyfriend enthusiastically in bed with someone else.
Lucy wakes up the next day with a killer hangover and a winning lottery ticket. How much has she won? 84 million dollars. Lucy quietly claims the prize money and turns down any publicity the lottery company wants to throw her way. But the story gets picked up and before she knows it, Lucy is the Lottery Seductress and everyone is upset that she has won the lottery. Not exactly everyone, her sister is trying to plan the wedding of the year so she’s overjoyed with this news. And her cheating ex-boyfriend quickly turns up with an engagement ring.
Freaked out, Lucy seeks refuge with her good friend Hayden. Hayden knows what it’s like to have money as she grew up rolling in it. She quickly gets Lucy fixed up with a stylist and a new wardrobe and Lucy is living it up in Palm Beach. She even starts dating a great guy. Unfortunately, Lucy’s money has brought out the worst in some people in her life…
My Thoughts: I enjoyed Good Luck. I think it presents (although I’m just guessing here) what could possibly happen to someone who wins the lottery. People are going to want your money and some people are going to think that you don’t deserve it. And that’s what happens to Lucy. Lucy is a pretty plain jane characters – she’s a teacher, she’s engaged and she has a dog. Her life is simple and that’s how she likes it. Once she wins the lottery, she’s thinking she’s not going to change and that she’ll basically continue on the way she has been, only minus her job and her guy.
That plan goes haywire fast and Lucy hides out with her friend who is the exact opposite of simple. She leads an extravagant lifestyle and pretty soon Lucy is changing. That’s why I liked GL. Lucy goes on a this path of self-discovery and she learns hard truths about herself and those around her.
Written from Lucy’s POV, Good Luck is funny and I recommend it if you’re in the mood for some light reading.
4 out of 5
This book is available from Bantam Discovery. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
Whenever I hear about the “win the lottery” plot line, I inevitably think of that Nicholas Cage/Rosie Perez/Bridget Fonda movie…..and am immediately disinterested. 😉 Maybe I should give the lottery plot another chance….this sounds interesting.
this sounds interesting, but frustrating. I can imagine Lucy so frustrated about the false charges. Can you imagine if she didn’t win the lottery, how her life would suck?
Mollie – I remember that movie. Fortunately, Good Luck isn’t like that.
Nath – Her life would suck for a while, but there’s something that goes on that makes me think it wouldn’t be so bad all the time.
another really interesting lottery book is ‘Lottery’ by Patricia Wood. Written in first person POV about a cognitively challenged man whose beloved grandmother has just passed away,and whose mother and brothers have nothing to do with him. He wins and suddenly everyone has an opinion of how he should spend the money.
I have a habit of choosing books in a very similar way. I have this long list of books I plan to read, and when there is a spot on the nightstand I either head out to the books store or the library with my list in hand. Now I’ve added another to the list.
M – That sounds really interesting!
Mama – LOL I’ve got a long list myself! I hope you like this one whenever you get a chance to read it. 😛