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adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Goddammit Chuck, how dare you consistently be this brilliant! I just finished reading the last page, and I'm tearing up but with happy tears because that was a damn near perfect ending (I'm still going to re-listen to the ending via the audiobook because why not listen to Mara Wilson read all of that awesomeness as an extra treat for myself).
I will admit there were times during the middle of the book where I wasn't as in love with Lucky Day as I had been with Camp Damascus and Bury Your Gays, but I was still enjoying myself and happy to go along for the ride. Part of it could've been down to Vera's despondency and nihilism (understandable but it did get wearing at times), but I was very much still in serious like with the book even then. The beginning was very strong, from the confrontation with Vera's mother (when she said the big hurtful "bisexuals don't exist" it felt so much like a knife to my little bisexual heart that I gasped aloud) to the raining of fish and the further craziness of the LPE. And then the ending came in with a huge bang to match the beginning hit for hit; heck, the way Vera stood up for herself against the Void thing reminded me a bit of the end of Labyrinth when Sarah stands up to Jareth (though Vera's was better written, obvi). And then Vera's quick thinking after she escaped the Void? Gah! It was all just so flippin' good!
If you're looking for a new kind of horror that's also a bit hopepunk despite the main character being steeped in nihilism for most of the book, Lucky Day is the book for you. Trust that I will be rec'ing this book to any and everyone I come across for the next few forevers because we all need a little more love and chaos in our lives.
I will admit there were times during the middle of the book where I wasn't as in love with Lucky Day as I had been with Camp Damascus and Bury Your Gays, but I was still enjoying myself and happy to go along for the ride. Part of it could've been down to Vera's despondency and nihilism (understandable but it did get wearing at times), but I was very much still in serious like with the book even then. The beginning was very strong, from the confrontation with Vera's mother (when she said the big hurtful "bisexuals don't exist" it felt so much like a knife to my little bisexual heart that I gasped aloud) to the raining of fish and the further craziness of the LPE. And then the ending came in with a huge bang to match the beginning hit for hit; heck, the way Vera stood up for herself against the Void thing reminded me a bit of the end of Labyrinth when Sarah stands up to Jareth (though Vera's was better written, obvi). And then Vera's quick thinking after she escaped the Void? Gah! It was all just so flippin' good!
If you're looking for a new kind of horror that's also a bit hopepunk despite the main character being steeped in nihilism for most of the book, Lucky Day is the book for you. Trust that I will be rec'ing this book to any and everyone I come across for the next few forevers because we all need a little more love and chaos in our lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Car accident
Moderate: Biphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent
If you've read Chuck before, you probably won't be surprised that there's a good amount of gore and violence and blood in this book. Most of it happens in a few big scenes, but in those scenes there's a lot of death and violence going on. The car accident occurs near the beginning of the book and involves Vera's mother getting hit by a truck and stuck between it and a wall, killing her pretty brutally. Towards the end of the book, due to a flashback from the Void being, it's revealed that Agent Layne and his brother were the ones in the truck, and that Agent Layne's brother Ben was driving and was hit and killed by a large salmon slamming through the windshield, leading to Layne grabbing to wheel to avoid crashing into another car, which caused the truck to veer into the wall, and Vera's mother.
The biphobia largely involves a scene with Vera trying to come out to her mother and tell her that Vera and Annie are engaged, but her mother replies that "Bisexuals don't exist," and generally dismisses the idea that Vera is bi and engaged to Annie. This leads to them fighting and Vera's mother running out of the restaurant and eventually dying during the LPE. Later, the Void being brings this up a few times, telling Vera that she doesn't exist and should just take both of the Void creatures back so the world can be destroyed.
When we see Vera again 4 years after the LPE, she is depressed and having suicidal ideation, often contemplating using the gun she left on the dinning room table to follow through with her ideation. At times while she is with Agent Layne, she also has suicidal thoughts, but also finds herself wanting to live.