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A review by friendlydisaster101
Just Our Luck by Julia Walton
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
'Just Our Luck' is interestingly compelling, detailing the story of Leo and how he struggles with his anxiety and the passing of his grandmother, Yia Yia. While I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, I can definitely see it appealing to other people.
After a fight with a classmate convinces Leo's dad to sign him up for a self-defense class, Leo finds himself agreeing to anything Evey Paros will have him do, as long as she gets him out of it. Evey Paros, as in the daughter of the family his grandmother told him to stay away from. But as it turns out, Evey is on a mission - one that just might change things for Leo for the better.
I think that one of the best parts of this book is actually what drew me to it: the anxiety rep. It was incredibly realistic and moving, to the extent that even if you have never experienced anything close to what Leo goes through, you can't help but sympathize with and understand what he's going through.
Additionally, the friendships that Leo makes over the course of the story as he connects with different people and learns to put himself out there were excellent. I loved reading about the dynamic between Leo and all of the other characters, as well as how Leo began to trust others more, and gradually opened up.
That being said, however, as wholesome as this book was, there were some issues with it that I simply couldn't stand.
The first being the romance between Leo and Evey. It just felt very unnecessary to me? And I say this as someone who enjoys almost all romance. I think that the two of them could have shared a platonic relationship and it wouldn't have taken away from the story at all, but rather have shown that Leo had a solid support system he could count on.
I also felt that the end of the book was extremely rushed. A few things that had been hidden from the reader for the sake of the plot were revealed, and lots of things happen as a result, to the effect that it feels vague and murky. I wasn't completely aware of everything that was happening and things were happening fast.
The whole book and everything that it had been building up to felt robbed of the ending it deserved, as everything resolved itself as well, with no real involvement on Leo's part, in an extremely convenient way. I definitely think that if the ending were in the same style as the rest of the book, or if it just wasn't as rushed, then I would have certainly enjoyed the book as a whole way more.
Overall, while I do feel that this book will certainly appeal to some, it simply didn't live up to everything I was expecting of it. I would, however, recommend it if you want to read good anxiety rep or something with teenage shenanigans.
'Just Our Luck' is interestingly compelling, detailing the story of Leo and how he struggles with his anxiety and the passing of his grandmother, Yia Yia. While I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would, I can definitely see it appealing to other people.
After a fight with a classmate convinces Leo's dad to sign him up for a self-defense class, Leo finds himself agreeing to anything Evey Paros will have him do, as long as she gets him out of it. Evey Paros, as in the daughter of the family his grandmother told him to stay away from. But as it turns out, Evey is on a mission - one that just might change things for Leo for the better.
I think that one of the best parts of this book is actually what drew me to it: the anxiety rep. It was incredibly realistic and moving, to the extent that even if you have never experienced anything close to what Leo goes through, you can't help but sympathize with and understand what he's going through.
Additionally, the friendships that Leo makes over the course of the story as he connects with different people and learns to put himself out there were excellent. I loved reading about the dynamic between Leo and all of the other characters, as well as how Leo began to trust others more, and gradually opened up.
That being said, however, as wholesome as this book was, there were some issues with it that I simply couldn't stand.
The first being the romance between Leo and Evey. It just felt very unnecessary to me? And I say this as someone who enjoys almost all romance. I think that the two of them could have shared a platonic relationship and it wouldn't have taken away from the story at all, but rather have shown that Leo had a solid support system he could count on.
I also felt that the end of the book was extremely rushed. A few things that had been hidden from the reader for the sake of the plot were revealed, and lots of things happen as a result, to the effect that it feels vague and murky. I wasn't completely aware of everything that was happening and things were happening fast.
The whole book and everything that it had been building up to felt robbed of the ending it deserved, as everything resolved itself as well, with no real involvement on Leo's part, in an extremely convenient way. I definitely think that if the ending were in the same style as the rest of the book, or if it just wasn't as rushed, then I would have certainly enjoyed the book as a whole way more.
Overall, while I do feel that this book will certainly appeal to some, it simply didn't live up to everything I was expecting of it. I would, however, recommend it if you want to read good anxiety rep or something with teenage shenanigans.