Paperback: 304
Published: 2021
Rating: 5 / 5 stars
I can sit all day long and talk about this pure master piece of a book, but if I do, my review will probably end up longer than the book itself, so let's capture the important parts.
The first time I heard about this book was when my best friend started it and I did as well at her recommendation. She loved it very much and hearing all the lovely words and praises she had about it afterwards, I just had to get my hands on it and read it myself.
And, of course, who would pass up the opportunity to simp over a favorite book with their favorite person? Cause I sure am not passing that up.
The book follows Emily Clark, a girl who's life has been turned upside down by the tragic and premature loss of her mother. Three years later, Em has successfully locked away her adventurous side and confined herself into a safe little bubble. Instead of seeing opportunities, Emily started seeing risks everywhere she looked.
One day, while cleaning out her mother's closet, she stumbled upon an old bucket list, one that her mom made before her own senior year of high school.
And this was it for Emily, it was decided. She was going to complete this list in the hopes of feeling close to her mother once more.
To be completely honest with you all here, this part wasn't my favorite from the beginning. It felt like she wasn't really trying to discover herself as much as she was trying to become more like her mother. It felt like she misunderstood the whole idea of a bucket list, but it turns out I was quite wrong on this one.
We'll get there in a moment however.
The Lucky List opens on a bingo night, a beautiful tradition for the town and a bitter one for our main character. This night though promises a good time, because this is when we meet Blake Carter, a childhood friend of Emily's and the daughter of her father's best friend.
I think it's safe to say that we are in for quite a bit of Blake content.
Now, when she was first introduced, she was a complete ray of sunshine that caught the attention of the entire room, especially Emily's.
"It's safe to say Blake won the puberty lotto a million and one times over. (...) And I'm not the only one noticing. Literally everyone is looking at our table right now."
Blake is our main character's polar opposite in many ways. Where Em is a very closed off character, an introvert who nearly gave up on all, she is outgoing and doesn't back away from any challenge coming her way. I would go so far as to say that it's obvious from the very first page how she is the change Emily needs in her life, her motivation to live again.
"We're all lucky, not because everything works out, but because we get to wake up in the morning and take chances and make mistakes and keep trying not to."
The very foundation of this book is built on raw feelings of grief and loss, on anxiety and depression and a lot of hiding. The author managed to capture a bit of everything when building both Emily and Blake, thus making the story line cogs work in perfect sync.
The ending of the book proved me that our main character wasn't content to remain in the past and live a shadow of her previous life. It showed, however, how she matured, and with the help of the right people, she became her true self.
And made her own bucket list, finally.
I think the most accurate thing I can say about this book is that it's the perfect comfort read. And if you ever happen to lose track of who you are, never hesitate to use this book as a help guide to finding yourself again. In my opinion, it seems like a good start.
I fully recommend this book to anyone interested in reading the sweetest and most wholesome story ever written. I promise it is fully worth your time!
