Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett

Another delightful YA romance from Jenn Bennett! I have adored all of Jenn’s YA romances to date, and Chasing Lucky was no exception.

In this coming-of-age romance perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen, scandal and romance collide when an ambitious teen returns to her hometown only to have her plans interrupted after falling for the town’s “bad boy”—a.k.a. her childhood best friend.

Sometimes to find the good, you have to embrace the bad.

Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown years later to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever. Her dreams are on the opposite coast, and she has a plan to get there.

What she doesn’t plan for is a run-in with the town bad boy, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend. Lucky makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the newly returned Josie. But everything changes after a disastrous pool party, and a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in some big-time trouble—with Lucky unexpectedly taking the blame.

Determined to understand why Lucky was so quick to cover for her, Josie discovers that both of them have changed, and that the good boy she once knew now has a dark sense of humor and a smile that makes her heart race. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not quite the brooding bad boy everyone thinks he is…

There is so much I loved about this book. Let’s start with the unique setting — and how much the setting of her book becomes a “character,” in a sense, within the story. It was such a critical element, and the story simply would not have been the same had it been set somewhere else. That’s not to detract from the characters, their history, and all the little mysteries that help the plot chug along. Lucky and Josie are such a wonderful duo, and I loved seeing them reconnect after being separated for several years, rekindling their childhood friendship, and then falling in love.

I really enjoyed digging into the little idiosyncrasies of the town of Beauty, and the people in Josie’s life. The characters in this book are so beautifully flawed, but lovingly written. They each felt fully realized, never cartoonish (even the villainous ones), and all-so-very real. I loved getting lost in this book. Look for Chasing Lucky in stores November 10th.