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A review by bethanymiller415
The Lucky Kind by Alyssa Sheinmel
4.0
High school junior Nick Brandt has every reason in the world to be happy. He has two parents who love him and each other. He goes to an exclusive Manhattan private school, and he’s finally gotten up the nerve to talk to Eden, the girl he’s had a crush on for the past two years. Then one day his father gets an unexpected phone call, and Nick, who always believed that he was an only child, finds out that he has an older brother. Nick’s father and his high school girlfriend had had a child when they were both in college and decided to give him up for adoption. At first, Nick does not have a strong reaction to the news, but this revelation about his father’s past plants a seed of doubt that grows over the next few months. He wonders how his father, who has always seemed so solid and dependable could have done something so irresponsible. He also begins to resent the fact that his father hid this secret from him for so long. Meanwhile, his relationship with Eden has grown more serious, and when they have sex for the first time using a condom of unknown expiration date, Nick begins to wonder if he is destined to repeat his father’s mistakes. This causes him to withdraw from Eden without fully understanding why. Nick’s growing resentment and anxiety come to a head when he finally comes face to face with the brother he never knew he had.
The beauty of The Lucky Kind lies in its simplicity. Many of the books, television shows, movies and video games directed towards a teen audience are so filled with “drama” that they become unrealistic. In this novel, Sheinmel depicts a relatively ordinary family dealing with an unusual (but not unrealistic) problem. The characters are well-developed, and the family dynamics and interactions are realistic. Though they are going through a tough time, it is clear that Nick has loving and attentive parents especially by comparison to Eden’s parents, who seem to be on the brink of divorce, and Stevie’s parents, who don’t seem to have time for their son. Teens will be able to relate to these three realistic family situations. The book’s resolution is well done, providing closure without tying everything up too neatly.
The beauty of The Lucky Kind lies in its simplicity. Many of the books, television shows, movies and video games directed towards a teen audience are so filled with “drama” that they become unrealistic. In this novel, Sheinmel depicts a relatively ordinary family dealing with an unusual (but not unrealistic) problem. The characters are well-developed, and the family dynamics and interactions are realistic. Though they are going through a tough time, it is clear that Nick has loving and attentive parents especially by comparison to Eden’s parents, who seem to be on the brink of divorce, and Stevie’s parents, who don’t seem to have time for their son. Teens will be able to relate to these three realistic family situations. The book’s resolution is well done, providing closure without tying everything up too neatly.