Lexi has a loving husband, 2 great kids and 2 couples they’ve been friends with for years, knowing each other inside out. They had been in a lottery syndicate together for years too, until the other two couples quit it. Bad mistake, as their numbers come up the very next week. Jake, Lexis’ husband, goes wild with the money, encouraging his children to do the same. Things don’t go as Lexi hoped, it’s definitely a case of beware of what you wish for.

This is the first book by Adele Parks I’ve read. Whilst well written, it wasn’t really the book for me. I couldn’t empathise with the characters, apart from Toma. The first half of the book seemed rather slow, but as it went on, the pace picked up, and did end with a really good twist or two. I’m glad I persevered.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Although a big fan of the author I found this book harder to get to grips with. While a compelling story that had me discussing with friends what we would do if we won that amount of money I found the storyline with the daughter hard to believe. The last chapter in particular ruined the book for me and is the reason for the low review.

Another compelling page-turner from the pen of Adele Parks! I couldn't put it down.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - plenty of others out there if that's what you are looking for!

There are a few different strands to this novel, and it's written in different voices (Emily and Lexi) in places which adds another level to the plot as we see two sides to things.

It's clear that some people are lying from the word go - the question is who? All gradually becomes clear - or at least you think it does, but as you'd expect from Adele Parks, there are further twists to it all! It all reinforces the idea that no matter how well you think you know someone, you probably don't!

Some very likeable characters (Lexi, Logan, Gillian, Toma) and some not so nice - I'll leave you to discover who they are.

Looking forward to reading more from this author!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Lexi has won over £17 million on the lottery, and her family are thrilled and excited. However, problems arise when deciding whether to tell friends with whom they have previously played the lottery, and differences of opinion over how to spend the money. Excitedly, her family dream of splashing the money on expensive cars, luxury holidays, designer clothing and going on a wild spending spree, but Lexi is more pragmatic wanting to help those in need.

Having read previous books by Adele Parks, I knew I was in for a good read. The story is well plotted, and told from several perspectives, mainly Lexi and her daughter Emily, also Tomi (a homeless man) whom Lexi is trying to help to get back on his feet. Told in a light, humorous way, mainly upbeat, but sad at times, with some harsh, graphic scenes.

Each character is well drawn and believable, though some slightly over the top, this makes an entertaining story, exploring quite an unusual subject. Having achieved a win of such an amazing amount of money, what should be a happy, carefree time turns into disaster. Lexi becomes overwhelmed trying to keep her family happy, along with threatening court cases from her previous friends.

As each chapter unfolds, this compelling, gripping story becomes more tensely exciting, There is betrayal, secrecy, and everything changes. I couldn’t put it down until reaching the end.

Highly recommended, would make a fantastic film.

A gripping story of fortune, secrets and betrayal.

Everyone dreams of winning the lottery don’t they ? What would you spend millions of pounds on ?
When Jake and Lexi won the lottery, I felt excited for them but that excitement soon turned into anger and frustration. Anger that Jake started frittering the money away before it was even in the bank without even a consideration for Lexi and his children. Frustration because Lexi should have put her foot down with Jake, I certainly would have.
Lexi was my favourite character though because she was the most down to earth character in this book.

So much happens within this fast-paced book, my jaw aches from the numerous times it dropped open, the ending left my jaw dropped for quite some time !!!

I really enjoyed this book but I don’t think I’d like to win the lottery anything soon.

I have been aware of Adele Parks as a prolific author for some considerable time, but this is the first title I have read by her. The synopsis of her books has always made me think they are not my kind of reading material, and Just My Luck bears out this feeling.

I think the pressure on family and friendships as a result of a lottery win is an excellent idea for a novel but I could not believe at all in either the plot or the characters. Jake of course we are meant to dislike, the development of Leki's character is utterly unconvincing, the daughter is just awful. Only the son seems like a real person. He is likeable but his character is the least developed of all. Regarding plot, I feel that the author has thought of every possible consequence of a lottery win and thrown them all in.

Positive aspects of the book are that the plot does move along at a good pace, and the twist towards the end concerning Patrick did take me by surprise, but unfortunately I cannot give more than two stars.

Adele Parks never fails to disappoint. In her latest book she covers what most of us only dream about. Winning the lottery. Not a small amount of a few mill but £17.8 million.
Lexi and Jake have been doing the lottery for 'forever with their friends Carla, Patrick, Jennifer and Fred. Their little syndicate have dreamed of what they would do as they socialised and their children grow up together.
However, one week when asking the others for the money. (Lexi has paid for the last few weeks) they fall out. The two other couples announce the lottery is silly and they should call it a day. But then what happens. Lexi's ticket only goes and wins the big one.
The book covers their emotions. Lexi wants to help people and do her bit for charity (and Toma Albu). Jake becomes a completely different man. flashing the cash and spending like theres no tomorrow. He has a Ferrari on the drive before the cheque is even cashed.
Then there's the kids. Emily and Logan. Life certainly changes for them.
Jake becomes a person you certainly wouldn't want to be around.

Its made me think about I'd do if I won big but then that's just a dream isn't it............
A very easy read and a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review.
#netgalley #adeleparks #justmyluck

Fantastic book!! Adele Parks has done it again, which I thought would be impossible, after reading her other books, but this story was superb!! My heart was thumping so many times reading this story, I found it very hard to put it down!!
Quite an eye opener, even when you have 'good luck' and the happiness and nightmares that happen along the way, are truly mid blowing!!!!!
Brilliant story!!!!!!!!!

Another fast paced book from a brilliant author. Keeps you wanting to read the next page and the next. Brilliant ending.

My thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for a copy of Just My Luck for an honest review.

I’m a longtime fan of Adele Parks, and although , on the whole ,I enjoyed this book , I don’t consider it one of her best.
I found the first third a bit slow moving, disliked most of the characters, and found some of their behaviour unbelievable.
Things definitely improved and I was surprised by the ending , which saved the book for me.
We’ve all wondered what we would do if we won the lottery, but at the end of the day what use is money when compassion and loyalty is lost.?

I really enjoyed this book. Lexi and Jake have been doing the lottery with 2 other couples, their good friends, for many years. One day their friends decide that they no longer want to be part of the syndicate. The following week, Lexi and Jake win the jackpot! However, their friends are now claiming they didn't leave the group, and are demanding their share! This is a great story, full of lies and deceit, and some really great twists that you won't see coming. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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I've read a few Adele Parks books and for the majority, I've loved the twisty nature right from the outset. I was surprised to not get the same enjoyment from the beginning of Just My Luck and I'll be honest, until about halfway through, I was disappointed. It just seemed a bit...dull? Sure, reading about a family who win the lottery is interesting to an extent but a whole book about the experience? I didn't get it. But about half way through, the plot finally had a surge and I started to get more into the story. As others have said, there's no doubt a lot of this book IS pretty predictable. After all, there are only so many ways the book can go realistically. There are not a huge amount of likeable characters in this book, you detest Jake pretty earlier on (you will want to punch him, frankly) and even Lexi can be pretty frustrating as she often presents herself as a bit of a pushover. I did enjoy her interactions with Toma though and his story was the most heartfelt of the entire book. I was disappointed in the final chapter of the book as it just didn't really make much sense given the actions of certain characters (just why would you bother!?) in the story and I really don't think it was necessary to include.

Thanks NetGalley for my ARC of this book.

Just My Luck is a hair-raising tale of how money can bring out the worst in people.

A big - very big - lottery win may sound like a dream come true for many, but it proves to be anything but for Lexi and Jake. First, their long-standing - if recently a little estranged - friends start demanding a share of the money, claiming to be in a syndicate. But that’s just the start of their problems.

Lexi, wrestling with the ethics of sudden riches, wants to use the money wisely and donate large sums to charity, but husband Jake - or should that be “Jerk”, that being what he is - has very different ideas, taking to obscene wealth like a duck to water and encouraging their teenage children to do likewise, immediately spending and flaunting it. Fifteen year old Emily is understandably swept away by thoughts of designer handbags and unlimited Top Shop, but she too soon learns that sudden unearned wealth can come with its own downsides.

The “friends” are supposed to be close, almost like family, but they’re so unpleasant and awful - particularly Patrick and Carla - even before the win that it’s hard to understand why they were friends in the first place. I definitely wouldn’t want to be friends with Patrick and Carla. But then I wouldn’t want to marry Jake, either, so maybe Lexi just has really poor judgement.

Meanwhile, running parallel is the story of
Toma Albu, whose life has been devastated by the loss of his wife and child to carbon monoxide poisoning, victims of a careless and unscrupulous landlord. I really enjoyed this strand of the plot.

Just My Luck is a very good read, exploring the effects of sudden wealth and the things people will do to get their hands on it. It’s a bit unbelievable at times, but I enjoyed it a lot.

What would you do if you won the lottery? How about if you had been part of a syndicate for 15 years, and the week before your friends pull out of it, and then those numbers come up, would you share it with them anyway? Do you think instant mega wealth would make you eternally happy?

Well all of this and more is covered in Just My Luck, when the lucky numbers come up for Lexi and Jake, and they win £18 Million. Cue, Jake going on a massive spending spree, a Ferrari shows up even before the money is in their account. 15 year old Emily decided school is pointless, that non stop shopping is her life now, but she is also hiding something. Logan seems caught up in swing of everything but equally he is happy enough for life to continue normally ish!

And then there is Lexi, the only one that wants to keep her job, keep things normal, not go overboard spending, a new sofa is the height of her ambitions for the money, and ideally would like to give large amounts of it away to worthy causes.

Almost immediately rifts are formed between former friends and also within the family itself. Although I had an inkling with regards certain happenings later in the book, I wasn't completely sure I was correct, until more info comes to light.

This is not just a book though about a lottery win and its effects. There is a man that Lexi had been helping at the CAB, whose story is tragic, and I really enjoyed seeing his discussions with Lexi, and just how he fits into all of this.

There is far more to this book than first meets the eye, and I was gripped throughout and read it in three big binges all in the same day, I couldn't get enough of it.

It's a compelling story, about greed, and the depths people will go to, to get what they want, and I loved every second of it.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I got way too involved with this book. I have never before found myself so furious with so many characters in a novel; Adele Parks writes diabolical yet captivating people very well and has certainly made me think twice about who I might tell if I ever win the lottery! This was my first read by this author and it definitely won't be my last; Just My Luck is one of those books where you know if you enjoyed it, you've found a new favourite author. A highly entertaining read, just make sure you've got a calming cuppa at hand!

I've been a fan of Parks for several years, but noticed her recent books have been going in a more dark direction. This is no different. What you start thinking is a lovely heart warming story about an ordinary family winning the lottery, soon descends into a dark tale of friendships fractured by money.
I enjoyed this book- I felt it slowed a lot in the middle but definitely picked up again so I'm glad I persevered.

This book was so cringe worthy that I struggled to read it. None of the characters were particularly likeable and it was so very clichéd about how they would and were spending some of the money, that really I just couldn't care. The sub plot and the twist at the end could have made for a much better book if this wasn't so far fetched as to be unbelievable, and I don't mean the winning of the lottery, that happens and some have just frittered the money away and I am sure others have used it wisely.
I am being generous in giving this 2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

Just the kind of situation I would never want to be in...the syndicate that is, not the lottery win!
leaping straight in with a winning ticket this story really follows the highs and lows you would imagine as a jackpot winner...from the decisions about which charities to give money to, to supporting your family by helping with their debts all the while fending off the hoards of begging letters.
However, it is not that straight forward for Lexi as some "friends" crash her winners meeting claiming they are part of a syndicate and entitled to a share of her win. Compounded with complex family relationships and problems with her children and their friends the book rampages through fights, shopping sprees and a huge party with a sinister outcome.
I really enjoyed the twists from the party scenes going forward and the great ending!
A good one for sitting in the garden with a glass of sunshine wine or beer it will definitely make you reassess how you will handle your big win if your numbers come up!

I loved this book! It was well written and full of twists and turns. I think everybody at some time or other has wanted to win the Lottery. The thing is, would it make you happy? Would it make life better? Would it make you a worse person? This book has many unlikable characters, but this is great for the story. It also has characters you root for. I really recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5. I couldn't stop reading it once I had started!

Fabulous! Adele Parks always comes up with something a bit special that I can't put down, and this time it was 'Just My Luck.'
After all these years, Lexi and Jake have won the lottery. Lexi and Jake have not *just* won the lottery! They have won 17.8 million pounds! And just like that, their life has changed forever!
Together since uni, Lexi and Jake are happily married with two kids; for fifteen years they have been sharing the ups and downs of family life, and a lottery syndicate, with their best friends, Carla and Patrick Pearson and Jennifer and Fred Heathcote. Just days before the big win however, the three couples have a falling out, and the Pearsons and the Heathcotes pull out of the syndicate, leaving Lexi and Jake as the sole winners of every penny.
Once their initial excitement begins to settle down, so cracks begins to emerge; Jake and Lexi have very different ideas about how the publicity surrounding their win, and the money itself, should be managed. Jake begins spending, splashing out first on a flashy yellow Ferrari; Lexi meanwhile quietly wrestles with the morals of having so much when others have so little, and is keen to carry on as normal.
As the money takes over and their paths begin to diverge, so their lives begin to spiral dangerously out of control...
This was a really really good read. I especially liked the subplot involving Toma, which provided a stark comparison against which to weigh up the reactions of the main characters, and the little 'fly on the wall' that came in right at the end leaving the reader with something to think about long after the story was finished.