Book Review: Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton

Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton tells the story of Jane Belleweather, who has won the lottery. However there’s just one catch – she’s 17 and is unable to cash the ticket because if she does, it will be considered a misdemeanour. With her only options to cash the ticket being her mother, who has been a hoarder since her father’s death, her grandmother, who doesn’t believe in playing the lottery and her ex-boyfriend, Holden, who is blackmailing her for the ticket, will Jane be able to cash the ticket and make a difference in her life as well as the lives of those around h

I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the plot delved into the potential downsides of what it could mean to win the lottery. Winning the lottery is something that most people only dream of and think that it would be life changing in a positive way. Through this book, Pacton explores how winning the lottery can actually destroy relationships as happens between Jane and Holden while also having the potential to heal relationships as happens with Jane and her mother, which I really found interesting.

I love Pacton’s writing style. It’s so casual and conversational and chatty in tone. It truly does feel like talking to a friend, which Pacton’s characters in both of her novels so often feel like.

I also really liked the characters. Jane is such a relatable, funny and independent character who is super feisty and a joy to read about. I really appreciated the fact that she was bisexual as I’m always looking for bisexual representation and feel that it’s super important to me on a personal level. I also really liked Jane and Bran’s friendship and thought it was so cute and heartwarming how they were always there for each other and always knew exactly what to say to each other.

Finally, I really like how this novel explored grief and the impact that it can have on family through the relationship between Jane and her mother after her father’s death. It was really moving to see them mend their relationship near the end of the novel.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and touching novel about what can really happen when you win the lottery with a feisty and independent main character.

Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton will be released by Page Street Publishing on May 11th 2021.