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suzyq436's review
4.0
This is one interesting concept. I've never read a domestic thriller with gambling as the main concept.
What I loved:
- Seeing Etta's downward spiral. Chasing the ever-elusive carrot. It was interesting to see the inner-workings of a gambling addict's mind. I mean, granted, Etta made so many dumb decisions. Telling a random online nobody details about your life? That is 'How to get Scammed 101' right there but hey who am I to judge.
What I didn't love:
- The over-use of non-lexical vocables. The dialogue is filled with 'heh', 'hehehe', 'o' etc. It's such a huge turn off for me in books.
- The writing style is different and something to get used to but once I got into the story, this didn't bother me anymore.
- The ending?! I felt the story ended so abruptly. I would have liked to see how Etta attempted to recover because let's face it, an addiction doesn't just disappear at will. Also, what about the consequences of her actions, not only legally but with the scammers? How does that end? It didn't feel like she showed any remorse for what she had done. She was more afraid of getting caught then her actions.
So a very interesting concept and this book has great potential to be absolutely brilliant!
What I loved:
- Seeing Etta's downward spiral. Chasing the ever-elusive carrot. It was interesting to see the inner-workings of a gambling addict's mind. I mean, granted, Etta made so many dumb decisions. Telling a random online nobody details about your life? That is 'How to get Scammed 101' right there but hey who am I to judge.
What I didn't love:
- The over-use of non-lexical vocables. The dialogue is filled with 'heh', 'hehehe', 'o' etc. It's such a huge turn off for me in books.
- The writing style is different and something to get used to but once I got into the story, this didn't bother me anymore.
- The ending?! I felt the story ended so abruptly. I would have liked to see how Etta attempted to recover because let's face it, an addiction doesn't just disappear at will. Also, what about the consequences of her actions, not only legally but with the scammers? How does that end? It didn't feel like she showed any remorse for what she had done. She was more afraid of getting caught then her actions.
So a very interesting concept and this book has great potential to be absolutely brilliant!
adamskiboy528491's review
4.0
A gambler's heaven is a gambler's hell. Lucky by Rachel Edwards has stakes that are raised with every chapter, & just as you think you’ve got a grasp on what’s happening, the rug is pulled from under you in the most gut-wrenching ways. On that note, what I’ve described barely scratches the surface of what is really going on here. This book has to be read to understand the whole picture.
The protagonist of this tale is Etta; she wants more; a better life, marriage & happiness. She has a job plus a boring & soul-destroying fiancé. He promises much but never delivers. She wants to kickstart things for a better future. Easy, peasy solution; online gambling. Just a big win or two would make dreams come true, & how difficult could that be? So it’s no surprise that this turns out to be a slippery slope. She plays in secret - she wins, loses, & is lucky one day & not the next. The more she loses, the more she convinces herself that she’ll win it back & hit the jackpot in the next round.
Edward’s prose is very lyrical & alliterative. It’s just so well written; I was swept from one page to the next, desperate in my hope that things would work out for Etta. It’s been a while since I’ve read such a roller-coaster novel. It considers the issue of a woman seeking to attain her goals & mixes in some comedy with its drama, has elements of suspense & is subtly hard-hitting in terms of the various social issues it considers.
heatheradoresbooks's review
3.0
3.35⭐
Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV
This one was very slow going for me and I considered not finishing it, but I chose to stick with it. It did ramp up about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way in and I was eager to finish it quickly.
Told by Etta in 2018 who lives with her boyfriend, Ola. She's eager for him to propose, but he wants more money in their bank account first. Thus sets forth Etta's addiction to online gambling. It's so easy to get sucked in and have a feeling that the next round will be the jackpot win. As Etta sees the winnings go up and down and back again she gets sucked in even further and reaches out to a fellow gambler. Soon she realizes that that's not the only mistake she'll make.
She was really frustrating me with all the crazy decisions she was making. Not only was she addicted to gambling, but her need for alcohol was taking over her life too. She was losing friendships and her work was suffering.
There are some chapters that are labeled Risk I - VIII that I was totally lost about for quite some time. Some of the phrasing was difficult for me to understand too. I didn't see the twist coming, but thinking back I should have smelled something fishy.
Overall, I'm not too sure about the ending, but I'm happy I stuck with it.
*Many thanks to Sophia at Harper Collins 360 for sending me a paperback ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
Featuring ~ single 3rd person POV
This one was very slow going for me and I considered not finishing it, but I chose to stick with it. It did ramp up about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way in and I was eager to finish it quickly.
Told by Etta in 2018 who lives with her boyfriend, Ola. She's eager for him to propose, but he wants more money in their bank account first. Thus sets forth Etta's addiction to online gambling. It's so easy to get sucked in and have a feeling that the next round will be the jackpot win. As Etta sees the winnings go up and down and back again she gets sucked in even further and reaches out to a fellow gambler. Soon she realizes that that's not the only mistake she'll make.
She was really frustrating me with all the crazy decisions she was making. Not only was she addicted to gambling, but her need for alcohol was taking over her life too. She was losing friendships and her work was suffering.
There are some chapters that are labeled Risk I - VIII that I was totally lost about for quite some time. Some of the phrasing was difficult for me to understand too. I didn't see the twist coming, but thinking back I should have smelled something fishy.
Overall, I'm not too sure about the ending, but I'm happy I stuck with it.
*Many thanks to Sophia at Harper Collins 360 for sending me a paperback ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Follow me here ➡ Blog ~ Facebook
sunnys_shelf's review
4.0
3.5 stars. Let me start by saying wow, this book stressed me out--in a good way! The story follows Etta, who is a woman in her thirties living in England. Etta and her boyfriend, Ola, have been together for years, and a Etta has been waiting for a proposal. But Ola insists that they need to save 30,000 pounds for a down payment on a house before they can even think about getting engaged. Etta is tired of waiting and decides that she is going to try her luck with an online bingo website, hoping to win some extra cash to push up the timeline.
Soon Etta has spiraled into a full blown gambling addiction. I thought Edwards did a wonderful job of getting into Etta's head as she is sinking deeper and deeper into her addiction. I felt for her and was right there feeling the highs and lows of her wins and losses. I said to my husband multiple times when reading this that I'm so glad we don't gamble because I couldn't handle that stress.
I thought this book was great and well written. I was captivated early on and couldn't wait to see what would happen to Etta. My main criticism, which affected my rating, was I felt like the story ended abruptly. The plot twists were interesting, and I would have liked to see those twists play out a little more.
Soon Etta has spiraled into a full blown gambling addiction. I thought Edwards did a wonderful job of getting into Etta's head as she is sinking deeper and deeper into her addiction. I felt for her and was right there feeling the highs and lows of her wins and losses. I said to my husband multiple times when reading this that I'm so glad we don't gamble because I couldn't handle that stress.
I thought this book was great and well written. I was captivated early on and couldn't wait to see what would happen to Etta. My main criticism, which affected my rating, was I felt like the story ended abruptly. The plot twists were interesting, and I would have liked to see those twists play out a little more.
sorrel29's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
Minor: Sexual violence
ollyboston's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
julie7's review against another edition
3.5
3.5 ⭐ Quite Good.
It sometimes puzzles me as to why a book is given a certain title...not this one. A perfect title. Although the protagonist is about the farthest away from lucky that you can get.
Quite a complex book and a couple of times I had to re-read what I had just read.
This is unlike anything that I have read before and I think this is why I quite enjoyed it. I certainly gasped out loud on more than one occasion, due to decisions made by protagonist. This just shows how easy it is to get on that slippery slope of gambling addiction. Something I hadn't really thought about before, as it thankfully has never touched mine or my family's lives... and hopefully never will.
Sometimes there was a bit of repetition that I felt unnecessary and in my opinion, the book didn't need to be as lengthy.
It sometimes puzzles me as to why a book is given a certain title...not this one. A perfect title. Although the protagonist is about the farthest away from lucky that you can get.
Quite a complex book and a couple of times I had to re-read what I had just read.
This is unlike anything that I have read before and I think this is why I quite enjoyed it. I certainly gasped out loud on more than one occasion, due to decisions made by protagonist. This just shows how easy it is to get on that slippery slope of gambling addiction. Something I hadn't really thought about before, as it thankfully has never touched mine or my family's lives... and hopefully never will.
Sometimes there was a bit of repetition that I felt unnecessary and in my opinion, the book didn't need to be as lengthy.
frombethanysbookshelf's review
4.0
Genre: Adult Fiction | Mystery
Release Date: Expected 24th June 2021
Etta wants nothing more to marry her boyfriend, Ola. And while he says he does too, he's always focused on the next step and insists they need to save enough for a house before they even think of walking down the aisle. Etta is a sensible woman, working a steady office job, volunteering for a charity helping people facing deportation and injustice - but they still don't quite have enough.
So she tries something new - online gambling. And she likes it. Pretty soon she's playing all the time and lying to Ola about it - but she's sure the win is coming soon, even if there's a few losses along the way. And her new friend on the site, StChristopher75 seems to be supportive. He's won big recently ... and he thinks she's hot. Etta knows she's going to get lucky soon. She has to.
Lucky took me totally by surprise - this was so much more than it appeared to be. It was a an enthralling, tense story about the terrifying decent into addiction, as we watched Etta succumb to the temptation of gambling and trying to convince herself she's okay. It delved into the world of scam artists and conners and just how devastating they really can be.
Brimming with betrayal, deception and desperation - this story felt almost like being inside Etta's head and feeling every twisty emotion she did. While not much happened in the story until the end, the journey of the characters was where the spotlight was through the whole thing.
Alongside the very real dangers of gambling addiction, this gave a very real insight into the terrifying truth of deportation and racism that just isn't given enough gravity.
Lucky is Edwards second ever release, and I definitely can't wait to see what literary gold she brings next.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Rachael Edwards, Fourth Estate and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.
Release Date: Expected 24th June 2021
Etta wants nothing more to marry her boyfriend, Ola. And while he says he does too, he's always focused on the next step and insists they need to save enough for a house before they even think of walking down the aisle. Etta is a sensible woman, working a steady office job, volunteering for a charity helping people facing deportation and injustice - but they still don't quite have enough.
So she tries something new - online gambling. And she likes it. Pretty soon she's playing all the time and lying to Ola about it - but she's sure the win is coming soon, even if there's a few losses along the way. And her new friend on the site, StChristopher75 seems to be supportive. He's won big recently ... and he thinks she's hot. Etta knows she's going to get lucky soon. She has to.
Lucky took me totally by surprise - this was so much more than it appeared to be. It was a an enthralling, tense story about the terrifying decent into addiction, as we watched Etta succumb to the temptation of gambling and trying to convince herself she's okay. It delved into the world of scam artists and conners and just how devastating they really can be.
Brimming with betrayal, deception and desperation - this story felt almost like being inside Etta's head and feeling every twisty emotion she did. While not much happened in the story until the end, the journey of the characters was where the spotlight was through the whole thing.
Alongside the very real dangers of gambling addiction, this gave a very real insight into the terrifying truth of deportation and racism that just isn't given enough gravity.
Lucky is Edwards second ever release, and I definitely can't wait to see what literary gold she brings next.
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you to Rachael Edwards, Fourth Estate and Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.