From the Publisher
Lucky Girl is for every person who has ever felt unable to help those they love, stuck and yearning for a better life, and unwilling to give up on themself - or others.”
-Noelle Salazar, USA Today bestselling author of The Flight Girls
“With heart, humor, and honesty, Lucky Girl explores what it truly means to have enough. Jamie Pacton has written another smart, relatable heroine readers will rootfor to the last page (and beyond!).”
—Joy McCullough, author of Blood Water Paint
“With a fresh take on the many forms of love and grief, Pacton brings readers a unique dramedy about a girl and her lotto ticket.”
—Jennifer Dugan, author of Hot Dog Girl and Verona Comics
Kirkus Reviews
2021-05-27
Financial fortune isn’t always fun.
Seventeen-year-old Fortuna Jane Belleweather just won the lottery: specifically, a $58 million jackpot. Bewildered would be an understatement. Her mother’s been playing the lotto religiously for five years—one of the many habits she picked up in her grief over losing Jane’s dad. Jane just purchased a ticket on a whim. Two weeks shy of turning 18, she’ll need to convince a trusted adult to claim the winnings or be guilty of a criminal misdemeanor. Her hoarder mother is not an option; neither is her nonmaterialistic hippie grandma. Unfortunately, Brandon Kim, her best friend, is also 17—and he’s determined to figure out who the lucky winner in their small Wisconsin town is. Could her jerk of an ex-boyfriend be the answer? Not if she can avoid it. Excerpts from Jane’s journal, The Big Book of Lotto Winner Fails, document unlucky winners’ experiences and offer insights into her inner thoughts. Media clips and social media posts, like the Lakesboro Community Facebook group and Bran’s Instagram, show the growing buzz and obsession in town. Pacton captures her protagonist’s anxiety and the deliberation with which she approaches her dilemma. A fast last act ties up the various threads but leaves some emotional arcs underexplored. But readers will find in Bran and Jane’s dynamics a welcomingly strong, supportive friendship. Jane is White and bisexual; most characters are White, and Bran is Korean American.
An enjoyable story of family, friends, and failed first love. (Fiction. 14-18)
