Our external reviewer Sara sent in another review. She works at a library so she is always surrounded by books (that’s the dream) and then keeps on reading books for fun at home in her free time. She also is very passionate about her yarn creature creations which you can find at AdorkableLilCrafties. Anyways, the book she reviewed was Lucky Star by Holly Curtis.
Synopsis: Teenager Ben Somerset has three great loves in his life: Sherlock Holmes, designer clothes and a certain song by Madonna. And then Susie appears.
Set in England in 1984 Lucky Star tells of Ben’s introduction to the world of shoplifting, music, politics, love and heartbreak.
This book was pretty awesome. It was sweet, authentic, engaging, and new. If you like coming-of-age novels, like those by John Green, I think you’d enjoy this.
Curtis does an excellent job of portraying a teenage boy in a way that felt so real, I was shocked to learn that the author was a woman. It felt like the perfect snapshot into a teenage boy in England in the 80s.
There’s angst, teenage antics, too-real anxiety and depression, and all in such a natural way it felt like really reading his diary. I wasn’t really sure where this book was heading when I began it, as the characters were kind of little prats; I soon realized this was the point, and I enjoyed getting to read about them growing and learning about themselves in a natural way.
The character development and plot progression felt natural and entertaining, and I was definitely engaged in where the story was going. Our narrator, Ben, took us through summer in England for a group of delinquent youths, while they tried to figure out what to do with their lives after school.
If you enjoy realistic coming-of-age novels, I think any reader would find it surprisingly easy to relate to this character, as he navigates finding himself and where he fits in in his town, including brief snapshots into what it’s like to have anxiety, without it being the focus of the novel or a deterrent to readers who aren’t comfortable discussing mental health.
Holly Curtis did an excellent job, and I was amused to read along with Ben, following his journey and learning about what it might be like to be an English teenage boy.
Book Rating: 5/5
You can buy this book on Amazon and find it on Goodreads.
Disclaimer: This book was sent to us in an e-book format by the author to read and give an honest review.
Thank you to our Patreon Supporters:
- Moud Adel (https://moudadel.com/)
- Christine (https://purplemanatees.org)
Get your name/blog added to our blog posts and Youtube videos by supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/breakevenbooks
Guys! I read so many books in January! It was a great reading month for me and now I will share it with you. Check it out if you want to and let me know what you think!
