Lucky by Marissa Stapley
What if you had the winning ticket that would change your life forever, but you couldn’t cash it in?
Lucky Armstrong is a tough, talented grifter who has just pulled off a million-dollar heist with her boyfriend, Cary. She’s ready to start a brand-new life, with a new identity—when things go sideways. Lucky finds herself alone for the first time, navigating the world without the help of either her father or her boyfriend, the two figures from whom she’s learned the art of the scam.
When she discovers that a lottery ticket she bought on a whim is worth millions, her elation is tempered by one big problem: cashing in the winning ticket means the police will arrest her for her crimes. She’ll go to prison, with no chance to redeem her fortune.
As Lucky tries to avoid arrest and make a future for herself, she must confront her past by reconciling with her father; finding her mother, who abandoned her when she just a baby; and coming to terms with the man she thought she loved—whose complicated past is catching up to her, too.
This is a novel about truth, personal redemption, and the complexity of being good. It introduces a singularly gifted, complicated character who must learn what it means to be independent and honest…before her luck runs out.
Review: Luciana or Lucky Armstrong was raised on her dad, who was constantly on the run from his latest scam. While Lucky had hoped to get away from the grifter lifestyle, she ends up with a boyfriend who also loves a con. Together, they pull of a million-dollar heist and Lucky is looking forward to a new life and identity. But things don't go as planned and for the first time in her life, Lucky finds herself having to make her way on her own. When she realizes she is holding a winning lottery ticket, she is crushed to realize cashing it in will mean being arrested for her crimes. While she tries to find someone to help her cash it in, she tries to come to terms with her past and find the mother who abandoned her as a child.
This was a wild ride. I liked Lucky and her story of redemption and striving to live a good and honest life when all you've ever known is dishonesty and deception. This was also well done on audio and was a fast read with a lot of tension to find out what would happen next and if she would find her father or go to jail. I think it would make a fun screen adaptation with lots of tension and hijinks to explore.
I will say that some parts of this did not feel believable to me. Multiple times, Lucky goes and interacts with people who were prominent in her past and they just totally fail to recognize her?? I do not believe that she would be that altered or that they would be that oblivious to just fail to see who she was. I also found her origin story unbelievable. I just don't think a nun would hand over a baby that easily. And I also don't think she would just happen to find her mother in the way that she did. It was just all too coincidental and nicely tied up loose ends for me.
I also struggled with Lucky as a character. We are supposed to believe that she is a good person who is pulled into a life of crime against her will. But once she was grown, she has the chance to step away from it and doesn't. It made me think less of her. I also didn't buy that she was as into Cary as she says. There was no depth to the relationship, and it wasn't fleshed out enough for me to believe she would continue conning people for him.
I was honestly surprised this was a Reese's Book Club pick.
Stars: 3
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