The Lucky List: one summer can change your life

The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott is a coming of age story about healing and self-discovery. Emily and her mom were always lucky. Anything they did or touched seemed to bring them good fortunes. Until her mom’s luck ran out. Three years ago, her mom lost her battle with cancer and nothing felt right to Emily again. During the summer before her senior year, things are worse than ever. Emily ruined things with her boyfriend, Matt, and she and her dad have to move from her childhood home. The only person she has to talk to is Blake, a girl she hasn't seen since they were little. When cleaning out her mom’s closet, Emily finds a list. Her mom’s senior year summer bucket list and Blake challenges her to do the list herself. With Blake’s help, Emily sets out to tick off each item and face the fears that have been holding her back. Can she find the lost connection with her mom while moving forward in her life? Does she have the courage to accept the new path her life has taken? 

The Lucky List is a sweet, heartfelt young adult novel about discovery. Discovery about yourself and discovery about loved ones who have gone. It is a story about being yourself regardless of the opinions of others. I enjoyed the main theme of the story of grief. It is obvious that Emily had not worked through her grief and her dad’s determination to seemingly erase her mother’s memory only hurts Emily more. While I have not lost my mother, I understood her grief as reminders of her mother were everywhere in their small-town. It is a fairly easy read with a few plot twists that wasn’t really a surprise, especially if the reader is reading closely. I enjoyed that Emily was learning about her mom as a person rather than just her mom. I enjoyed the aspects of high school drama. I also appreciated that Ms. Lippincott didn’t overplay the drama. It was there as an aspect of the story but it didn’t overwhelm it. Overall, I enjoyed the story and if you enjoy reading young adult novels, I recommend The Lucky List. 

The Lucky List is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook.