With a Little Luck by Marissa Meyer is a charming teen love story that dives into the concept of luck through the eyes of the main character, Jude. Jude is a shy 16-year-old with a long-time crush on Maya. When he discovers a lucky charm, his life takes a turn for the better, giving him confidence and success. However, as his luck starts to wane, Jude learns valuable lessons about love, self-discovery, and friendship, especially as he helps his best friend Ari with a songwriting competition.

The writing style is engaging and light, with relatable teenage characters and a blend of sweet romance and humor. Readers will appreciate Jude's endearing relationships with his sisters and his journey of self-acceptance. The book also includes fun references to Dungeons and Dragons and comic books, adding depth to Jude's character. Overall, With a Little Luck is a delightful read, perfect for young adult audiences, filled with laughter and heartwarming moments.

Characters:

Characters like Jude, Ari, and Maya display relatable traits; Jude is endearing yet insecure, while Ari's charm adds depth to the relationship dynamics.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is engaging and light-hearted, primarily focusing on Jude's perspective while incorporating humor and cultural references.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers around a cute teen romance mixed with themes of luck and personal growth, highlighting respectful relationships and self-discovery.

Setting:

The setting revolves around contemporary high school life, enhanced by elements of gaming culture.

Pacing:

Pacing is smooth with a blend of conflict and reflection, maintaining engagement throughout the narrative.

Notes:

The book features a teen love story mixed with themes about luck.

Characters include Jude, a shy 16-year-old boy, and a girl named Ari.

Jude has a long-time crush on a girl named Maya but learns she isn't right for him.

The story explores the idea that not all beginnings are perfect and bad luck can lead to good outcomes.

Jude discovers deeper feelings for Ari after a series of fortunate events.

The story includes elements of music, art, Dungeons & Dragons, and comic book illustrations.

The book is primarily narrated from Jude's perspective, which is uncommon in contemporary YA novels.

The writing style combines humor, romance, and relatable themes for teens.

It is classified as a clean rom-com suitable for younger YA readers.

The characters reflect diverse ethnic backgrounds, including Asian, Mexican American, and Korean American.

Has Romance?

Romance plays a significant role in the narrative, with relatable teen dynamics and a sweet love story, primarily featuring the characters Jude, Ari, and Maya.

From The Publisher:

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

After being magically gifted with incredible luck, a boy discovers this gift just may be a curse when it comes to love, in this sweet romantic comedy by #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer.

Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw comics, host D & D night with his friends, work at his parents' vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck.

Suddenly, everything Jude has ever wanted is within reach. His art is being published. He helps his friend's song become a finalist in a songwriting competition. And he wins a pair of coveted concert tickets, which he can use to ask out the popular girl he's been crushing on since elementary school.

But how long can Jude's good fortune last? And why does he find himself thinking about Ari, his best friend since forever? If Jude has been dreaming of the wrong girl this whole time, does that mean he's doomed to be unlucky in love forever?

With a sprinkle of magic, this sweet beachside romance is perfect for fans of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Love & Gelato, as well as anyone who has ever swooned over Marissa Meyer's beloved characters.

Ratings (3)

Loved It (1)
Liked It (1)
It Was OK (1)

Reader Stats (5):

Read It (3)
Want To Read (2)

1 comment(s)

chlane689

It Was OK

11 months

This is a YA romcom, and I'm happy to say that it is teen appropriate, and that the characters act their age but don't get annoyingly immature about it.

The thing that I loved the most about this book is that it's very Dungeons & Dragons. Our characters play D & D, and they are constantly referencing it.

I found it hard to love this book. The characters were so full of life and fun, but the book was lacking conflict for most of it. Jude, our protagonist, has everything go his way. There aren't external stakes, or internal conflict for him. It isn't until very late in the book that we start getting any sort of conflict, and by then I was annoyed at the book and bored.

Jude is also seriously lacking Main Character Energy. When the plot is turning, it's not because Jude is making it happen. Things are always just happening to him, and he goes along with them. It makes it hard to root for him when he's not really making decisions or plans. When he gets a setback, he just wallows in it until something else happens in the plot. He doesn't try to solve it or change his circumstances.

The book includes comic panels, which is fun! It's a story that Jude is drawing. The corresponding audiobook portions have sound effects and background music. It's well produced and immersive.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

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With a Little Luck?

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With a Little Luck

Marissa Meyer