Jennifer Honeybourn
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Marty has terrible luck and she knows exactly why. While working as a housekeeper at the ritzy Grand Palms hotel in Maui, Marty made it a habit to steal small items from the guests. What better way to stick it to the rich snobs they have to clean up after? Marty knows how to turn her luck around -- she just has to return all of the items she stole.REVIEW
When Marty meets Will, a new guest who is staying for the summer, she does the one thing she always promised herself she'd never do -- fall for an out-of-towner. But Will's special, different from the other guests at the hotel. Maybe Marty's luck is finally turning around.
After a string of misunderstandings and accidents threaten Will and Marty's relationship, Marty has to find a way to fix her luck for good -- or say goodbye to Will forever.
A pair of cherry red sunglasses, a vanilla-scented travel candle, a hula girl shot glass, and a luggage tag shaped like a surfboard were the sources of Marty's bad luck, and she was on a mission to reverse this bad karma.
After her parent's divorce, Marty seemed to make a few bad decisions. Among them was her string of petty thefts as she cleaned guest rooms at an upscale resort. These items were all meaningless, but she believed they were the source of her bad luck. This was not your everyday type of bad luck either. Marty suffered so many disasters in such a short time span, that I wanted to reach through the pages, and give her some hugs. It was brutal at times, but things did start to look up for her.
One of the positive things to happen to Marty was that she met Will. I instantly liked him, and I thought he gave Marty the push she needed to start making necessary changes in her life. Marty was nursing a wounded heart and dealing with some genuine feelings of abandonment. She closed herself off to people and possibilities, and it was via Will, that she began to open up again.
Obviously, I was fully onboard with this romance, and I liked the way Honeybourn utilized the search for the stolen items owners to give us a peek into Marty's near past, but I really loved all the island adventures I got to take with Marty, Will, and the gang.
This book was set in Maui, and having never been to Hawaii myself, I rely on books and magazine to "take me there". I felt as though Marty took me to some of the best places, and she also introduced me to some of the local cuisine.
Just My Luck was about family, friends, making peace with the past, appreciating the now, and not fearing the future. I found it quite delightful, and thought it had all the elements of a great summer read.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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Aww this sounds so cute! I haven't read a Swoon Reads book in a while. This sounds all kinds of fluffy and light and fun. I need to meet this Will!
ReplyDeleteGenesis @ Whispering Chapters
I love Swoon Reads. They just seem to strike that perfect balance for me.
DeleteWill sounds like he was really good for Marty! It sounds like such a great summer read, thanks for putting it on my radar. Lovely review!
ReplyDeleteWill and Marty were a great pair, and they could relate to each other via their shared family drama.
DeleteI love what this book is about--family, friends, and gaining peace. Plus the setting is a place I want to travel to someday.
ReplyDeleteI probably will never make it to HI, but I can only imagine how breathtaking it must be in person, because just looking at pictures had me breathless.
DeleteThis sounds interesting and definitely like something I would enjoy as well. Thanks for putting it on my radar!
ReplyDeleteIt's a great contemporary, and it had more depth than I originally anticipated. I thought it was going to be slapstick-ish, but it was thoughtful, while still being lots of fun.
DeleteThis sounds so adorable!! I love the graphics you used. It really gives me a feel for what's inside the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I wanted to show some of the beautiful backdrop that accompanied this fun story.
DeleteOh this sounds like such a fun summer read and I love that it's set in Maui, I'm all to escape a little bit with my reading, too :) thank you for the recommendation! <3
ReplyDeleteThe author must have spent quite a bit of time in Maui, because the descriptions are so full-bodied and quite wonderful.
DeleteGreat review, Sam! This sounds like a fun and light summer read! :) Happy you liked it!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Honeybourn is an auto-read for me at this point. Her stories never fail to please me.
DeleteThis sounds like a cute, light read, and the Hawaiian setting doesn't hurt, either!
ReplyDeleteThe setting was wonderful and Honeybourn really did a nice job incorporating it into the story
DeleteI've been trying to focus and appreciate the now in my life too! Sometimes I get caught up in doing the day-to-day things, like housework and errands, and I forget to just stop and enjoy my kids. I don't want to waste the time we have together, and I have to tell myself that the dishes can wait, play dinosaurs now! ;)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a book I'd really enjoy! Thanks, Sam!
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
TRUTH! The babies grow up so fast, and then they leave. *sob* Always nice to step back and enjoy the now.
DeleteThis does sound like a cute summer read! I like the idea of "repenting" of the wrong you've done and trying to make amends.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to have characters recognizing they did something wrong, and having them attempt to fix it, even if it's misguided.
DeleteI went to Hawaii on my honeymoon and it was beautiful! I always hoped that one day we'd go back, but it hasn't happened. I like that this book took you to Maui, and it sounds like it had a lot of fun island adventure paired with more serious moments. Wonderful Review Sam!
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
My sister went on her honeymoon too and loved it. I will most likely never go, but it was nice to get a tour via this book
DeleteOoh! Now I want to read this book just to "go to" Hawaii. :-)
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I track where books are set, but I also like to note if the author actually features the setting. It doesn't make sense to me, to go out of the way to mention where the story takes place, if it is not utilize, and Honeybourn really took us places in this one.
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