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hannairene3's review
1.0
I simply didn't like it. The story didn't go anywhere. I don't know if this was the author's intention, but in any case, it was a poor choice. You can write a book about nothing! Go ahead! But please please at least make the writing itself enjoyable. Or maybe the characters? And by enjoyable, I don't even mean likable, but if not one of your characters has a single redeeming(or even interesting) quality, I just can't listen to them whine and carry on. For such an underwhelming book, it wasn't even realistic. I mean, come on. They just vibed on a mountain rent-free for a year? No one had jobs, but they had an endless supply of drugs? And everyone was immediately in love with Ellie despite her bland yet pretentious personality?
Overall; Lucky You was not the worst book I've ever read, and that is definitely the worst part.
Overall; Lucky You was not the worst book I've ever read, and that is definitely the worst part.
em_harring's review
3.0
This book is the type of book you'll read in one or two sittings. It's easy to get through, the characters are interesting (though no likeable--so if you need likeable characters in your novels, you might want to pass), and I found the overall premise of "The Project" to be interesting. However, there's not a lot of character development, and it would have been nice to have gotten to know the characters a bit more--they're pretty superficial.
kayceslitlife's review
1.0
Could not get into this at all. The characters bugged me and I just wasn't feeling it.
mariaeespinal's review
3.0
The writing was really good but it was frustrating that the characters didn't evolve at all during the story. At the end of the story they were the same sad, troubled girls they were at te beginning. If it had had a better conclusion I would've probably given it a better rating.
readingbecs83's review
2.0
My first book of the month club disappointment. Didn't like the characters and the writing was just ok.
njlanzetta's review
2.0
The first Book of the Month pick I ever got and the only one so far I’ve ever given two stars to. It was a book with no real plot as it follows three girls who work at the same small town bar and they move to a farm to live “off the land” for a year. Every character was flawed, but insufferable, and I really didn’t care what happened to anyone. It was disappointing that they all ended up pretty much at the same spot in the beginning with little (or no) real character growth. There was something about the writing that I really enjoyed though, which was what kept me reading.
ink_and_ash's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this novel. Carter's writing was witty and engaging. At its core, this is a story about three twenty-something girls finding themselves while making fairly stupid decisions.
I've seen many readers take issue with the novel's lack of character development as the story progresses. However, this aspect of the novel was, in my opinion, both effective and realistic. And because of this, I think Carter purposefully did not have the three girls learn that much by the end of the story.
Chloe, Rachel, and Ellie are three "friends" who end up in a cult-like experience called "The Project" with Rachel's boyfriend. The three girls are somewhat unlikeable...but in a way their flaws make them either relatable, or make the reader think "I know someone like this." So I personally enjoyed the three characters and rooted for them. Though some of their decisions bothered me...this is apart of life for twenty-somethings as you talk to various friends and are extremely frustrated by their decisions (both romantic and otherwise).
Then, I think the lack of character development after the disaster that is "The Project" comes to a close is - again - realistic. Young, twenty-somethings don't always learn any profound lesson after a particular experience concludes. Rather, it takes time and several more life experiences for a young twenty-something who is "finding themself" to really learn something and really discover who they are and that their destructive behavior is actually destructive.
I would not recommend the book to every reader, but I think people in the twenty-something age range would enjoy. I will definitely read Carter's next novel.
I've seen many readers take issue with the novel's lack of character development as the story progresses. However, this aspect of the novel was, in my opinion, both effective and realistic. And because of this, I think Carter purposefully did not have the three girls learn that much by the end of the story.
Chloe, Rachel, and Ellie are three "friends" who end up in a cult-like experience called "The Project" with Rachel's boyfriend. The three girls are somewhat unlikeable...but in a way their flaws make them either relatable, or make the reader think "I know someone like this." So I personally enjoyed the three characters and rooted for them. Though some of their decisions bothered me...this is apart of life for twenty-somethings as you talk to various friends and are extremely frustrated by their decisions (both romantic and otherwise).
Then, I think the lack of character development after the disaster that is "The Project" comes to a close is - again - realistic. Young, twenty-somethings don't always learn any profound lesson after a particular experience concludes. Rather, it takes time and several more life experiences for a young twenty-something who is "finding themself" to really learn something and really discover who they are and that their destructive behavior is actually destructive.
I would not recommend the book to every reader, but I think people in the twenty-something age range would enjoy. I will definitely read Carter's next novel.
tararenee3's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you BOTM for the early release, and I can understand why it was chosen as one of January's selections. I enjoyed Ericka Carter's writing style, but at the same time I found myself wanting a little more with this book. The setting was wonderful and I appreciated Carter's descriptions of Arkansas and the Ozark Mountains. Ellie, Chloe, and Rachel are the center of this story and the chapters alternate between each of their perspectives. Each of the women were fairly unpleasant, with their own demons and struggles. I typically appreciate an unlikable character, but I want to at least connect with them in some way and care what happens. None of the characters had much of a backstory to help you understand what led them to become who they are. So in that sense, this book for me was just an endless cycle of not so great people doing nothing with their lives with no reason as to why. Reading this book felt as though you were dropped in the middle of a plot with no beginning and no ending (maybe that was the point though??). The ending felt abrupt with no real resolution, but that is probably a more accurate reflection of real life and the lack of growth in the characters.
What I took away most after reading this book was that a year will not make or break you, and changing your circumstances will do nothing to fix the broken bits on its own. The book did do a great job of laying out the post-college, pre-adulthood confusion which I found relatable.
What I took away most after reading this book was that a year will not make or break you, and changing your circumstances will do nothing to fix the broken bits on its own. The book did do a great job of laying out the post-college, pre-adulthood confusion which I found relatable.
stephaniebookish's review
2.0
Here's the thing, Carter writes beautifully, but that's about it. This story led up to and amounted to nothing, truly no real story line going on here. I thought it might turn into a cult story, then it was like nope, you wish, and proceeded to do a 180 tail spin into this other story line. I think the only reason anyone finishes this book is to see if something will just happen already... but nope.
Honestly, the fact that there was a possible rape and it's never actually addressed except in passing baffles me. After the weird situation where we are left in the dark about the severity of the night before, Ellie thinks to herself, "Thank god they used condoms"... Okay, Ellie, so was this a rape, because I'm really hung up on this particular detail and you're not resolving anything for me. If anything you're talking about it like it's not a big deal. Although I understand, as a reader, I don't deserve to be given all of the details right away, except Ellie goes as far as to actually admitting she was raped, much later in the book, to her "friends" who, by the way, say NOTHING about this bomb of a secret, other than it would be good for the book they were writing. So, it was at this point where I began to loathe the book I was already not enjoying.
But let's discuss how this book was sold to me as a book with "deadpan humor" and almost a coming-of-age type of story ... hm, okay? I must not be humorous, because I found nothing funny, and I mean nothing, about this book or the so-called jokes Rachel and Ellie shared. I guess the funny part was how damn tragic this whole story was and in the end, none of them really changed for the better, they continued all the same pretending they had moved on and became better or moved on to better, yet they just remained stuck in their habits surrounded by new people. Maybe change and growth were true for Chloe, but Chloe was kind of a separate entity, I'm not even sure why she was given chapters other than to briefly discuss a clinical form of mental health. And I guess, to show how Jim and Chloe came to be, but in the end, it really did not add or take away anything from the story. And let's top it off with a band of horrible characters, where the only one who was seemingly decent (Ran) was portrayed as obnoxious and unwanted.
Are you kidding, we are told Ellie slept with her best friends boyfriend, very briefly, as if it is no biggie... I can't. I just can't, I'm not even going to waste my time discussing the disgusting idea of friendship and relationships this novel presents. But I suppose what made this book 2 stars for me, besides the writing style, was the fact that the characters are realistic and flawed, as we all are. But this doesn't make a story redeeming.
Last, I want to address the aspects of mental health trying to tell a story here. I am assuming that a big part of this story was supposed to call attention to mental health in many forms. I mean we see an eating disorder, alcoholism, schizophrenia, depression, and so forth. To be honest, I was really intrigued with this aspect because I felt like the nature of this book was going to show mental health as a raw and gritty part of life, but I don't think she took enough time to flesh this aspect of the novel carefully. It was almost as if it was a passing thought, but what I have come to assume is we are getting the realities of mental health and the fact that most issues are pushed aside and self-treated. Chloe ended up serving as the one person to actually deal with her problems clinically, yet the after-effects seemed to point to the fact that those who get real treatment, especially in the form of a prescription, become a zombie, void of life and feelings.
Honestly, the fact that there was a possible rape and it's never actually addressed except in passing baffles me. After the weird situation where we are left in the dark about the severity of the night before, Ellie thinks to herself, "Thank god they used condoms"... Okay, Ellie, so was this a rape, because I'm really hung up on this particular detail and you're not resolving anything for me. If anything you're talking about it like it's not a big deal. Although I understand, as a reader, I don't deserve to be given all of the details right away, except Ellie goes as far as to actually admitting she was raped, much later in the book, to her "friends" who, by the way, say NOTHING about this bomb of a secret, other than it would be good for the book they were writing. So, it was at this point where I began to loathe the book I was already not enjoying.
But let's discuss how this book was sold to me as a book with "deadpan humor" and almost a coming-of-age type of story ... hm, okay? I must not be humorous, because I found nothing funny, and I mean nothing, about this book or the so-called jokes Rachel and Ellie shared. I guess the funny part was how damn tragic this whole story was and in the end, none of them really changed for the better, they continued all the same pretending they had moved on and became better or moved on to better, yet they just remained stuck in their habits surrounded by new people. Maybe change and growth were true for Chloe, but Chloe was kind of a separate entity, I'm not even sure why she was given chapters other than to briefly discuss a clinical form of mental health. And I guess, to show how Jim and Chloe came to be, but in the end, it really did not add or take away anything from the story. And let's top it off with a band of horrible characters, where the only one who was seemingly decent (Ran) was portrayed as obnoxious and unwanted.
Are you kidding, we are told Ellie slept with her best friends boyfriend, very briefly, as if it is no biggie... I can't. I just can't, I'm not even going to waste my time discussing the disgusting idea of friendship and relationships this novel presents. But I suppose what made this book 2 stars for me, besides the writing style, was the fact that the characters are realistic and flawed, as we all are. But this doesn't make a story redeeming.
Last, I want to address the aspects of mental health trying to tell a story here. I am assuming that a big part of this story was supposed to call attention to mental health in many forms. I mean we see an eating disorder, alcoholism, schizophrenia, depression, and so forth. To be honest, I was really intrigued with this aspect because I felt like the nature of this book was going to show mental health as a raw and gritty part of life, but I don't think she took enough time to flesh this aspect of the novel carefully. It was almost as if it was a passing thought, but what I have come to assume is we are getting the realities of mental health and the fact that most issues are pushed aside and self-treated. Chloe ended up serving as the one person to actually deal with her problems clinically, yet the after-effects seemed to point to the fact that those who get real treatment, especially in the form of a prescription, become a zombie, void of life and feelings.