Novel Review: Lucky in Love by Kasie West

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance; Lottery

Publisher: Point (Scholastic)

Release Date: 2017

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can’t buy me love…

Maddie’s not impulsive. She’s all about hard work and planning ahead. But one night, on a whim, she buys a lottery ticket. And then, to her astonishment—

She wins!

In a flash, Maddie’s life is unrecognizable. No more stressing about college scholarships. Suddenly, she’s talking about renting a yacht. And being in the spotlight at school is fun…until rumors start flying, and random people ask her for loans. Now Maddie isn’t sure who she can trust.

Except for Seth Nguyen, her funny, charming coworker at the local zoo. Seth doesn’t seem aware of Maddie’s big news. And, for some reason, she doesn’t want to tell him. But what will happen if he learns her secret?

The Cover:

  

This cover is super cute to me. I think the merry-go-round gives a different impression, since they work at a zoo, but it is kind of relevant. And otherwise, I think it gives the right feel, makes it look sweet and fluffy, like it mostly is.

Review:

Maddie is very strict in her ways and has a plan for herself and is on her way to getting it. But on a disappointing night, she decides to purchase a lottery ticket, pretty much in spite. And then she wins, and everything changes.

During all of this, when people start asking for money and trying to use her and she doesn't know who's actually her friend anymore, there's always the zoo she works at, and Seth. Seth doesn't seem to know, and he's still there to joke around and flirt with.

I will admit that I didn't get into this one as much as I have some of West's previous books. It was cute, but just okay overall.

I did like Seth, and the zoo elements. Those were a lot of fun. And I enjoyed the quirky, flawed elements in them. Maddie sometimes speaks when she doesn't mean to, and she usually acknowledged it, even aloud, which I thought was refreshing.

Maddie's brother annoyed me—but probably because I related to Maddie in that way. I didn't completely buy how easy Trina decided to be friends with Maddie. And I also didn't really agree with how Maddie blamed Elise for the article—I really don't think she meant anything bad by it, and it sounded more like she gave them hints than any real details. I was sympathetic to Elise—she just doesn't know what she wants with her life, and she just wants people to like her. I don't think it was her fault, and the journalist could have easily researched the numbers after mentions of places and dates.

This was cute and fun, but just okay in the end.

Review: The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

3.5/4 of 5 Stars

 Publisher: Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster)

Goodreads Synopsis:

Since being diagnosed with Panic Disorder, Jade DeLuna is trying her best to stay calm, and visiting the elephants at the nearby zoo seems to help. That’s why Jade keeps the live zoo webcam on in her room, and where she first sees Sebastian.
When she finally meets him, their connection is immediate, and soon Jade is drawn into Sebastian’s life with his son and his grandmother on their Seattle houseboat. Even though the situation is complicated, Jade hasn’t felt this safe in a long time.
Until she learns that Sebastian is hiding a terrible secret. A secret that will force Jade to decide between what is right, and what feels right. . . .

Review:

I did quite enjoy this book. I find books where characters have kids or are pregnant really interesting, and I would read more of them if I could find them. And it's especially more rare for it to be the boy that's left with the kid.

The book is about Jade. She has a panic disorder, and she finds that the elephants at the zoo she lives by calm her. She starts working at the zoo with the elephants, and watching them on a webcam at home. And then she sees a boy in a red coat with a little boy visiting the elephants, and she's immediately captured. She knows that he's going to be a part of her life, and she can't stop thinking about him.

She gets close to the boy, Sebastian, and she learns about his kid, Bo, and his grandmother, Tess. And some stuff also goes down in her own family, with her mother and father. And she gets close to her co-workers at the zoo.

I like Jade. She over thinks things, and she freaks out over things. Her panic disorder also causes her to freak out a lot, and I actually liked that. And she's insecure and a bit irrational, and she has her moments of immaturity, but was still smart. She just has some more growing up to do. She's very much her own person, and we get a lot of moments just in her head, which is actually nice, and gave me a good idea of who she is. I'm a bit like her in most of these things, so that might be part of why I like her so much.

I liked Sebastian, too. He's very sweet, and he's also unsure of things and afraid, and even though he has a kid and had troubles with the mother, Tiffany, he's still a bit young and innocent. (Also, he works in a book store. How is that not awesome?)He's good with Bo, and he's good to Jade. And he loves her. Bo is adorable, but not as adorable as I was hoping he'd be.

Her co-workers are fun. Damien and Delores are nice, and I enjoyed the conversation between them all. And her family. I liked her little brother, Oliver. I didn't really like her mother, but I guess she got better at the end of the book. I don't think what she did was good, though, and even though I understand why she did it, I don't think that really forgives it.

And I do like the ending. I understand why she didn't go with him first thing, and she still needed to grow up some. But I would have liked more to the story, like a sequel or something. I want more of Jade and Sebastian and Bo. And to see what happens with Sebastian and Tiffany. Just more, really.

Caletti's writing is very smooth, and has a little bit of a subtle feel to it. I don't want to compare it, but it's a little bit like Sarah Dessen's, only slower. And the story progresses a little slowly. I should like that she doesn't only focus on Jade and Sebastian, but I would have liked more time for just them. More swoon-worthy moments. But instead there are a lot of moments of Jade by herself, and with her family and at school and at work. And it's good that her whole world isn't all about Sebastian, but I still wanted more of him.

So, even with wanting more of Sebastian everything else, I really did like the book. And want a sequel, badly.