I believe that this is a reprinted, rejacketed version of a book that was first published in 2012. I’d never heard of Lolly Luck until I got accepted for this gorgeous new edition but I thought the premise of a perpetually lucky girl sounded really interesting.

Lolly always wins games and competitions and it just so happens that Luck is her surname! But when her dad loses his job and their home, she overhears a devastating family secret that will make her look at everything a bit differently.

At times the writing style reminded me of late 1990s/early 2000s Jacqueline Wilson books that I devoured as a tween. Ellie Daines has the ability to paint warm, nostalgic, recognisable family home scenes that reminded me so much of the books I loved as a kid. Due to that, I had a really good time getting to know Lolly and her family and friends.

Lolly’s parents are always arguing, so of course, I saw the inevitable happening. What I didn’t expect was the secret that came out. Of course, I’m not going to talk about it here but it seemed so left field and sent the book on a course that I really didn’t expect it to. To be honest, I’m not sure whether that’s necessarily a positive in what was supposed to be a relatively easy, cosy children’s story!

Her dad angered me at several points. I understand firsthand what it’s like to lose a job unexpectedly but I always managed to keep my compassion for the people whose faults it wasn’t. He fails at this many times. The thing is, I couldn’t work out whether I was supposed to villify him, as he is such a tragic, hopeless character. Was I supposed to extend my sympathy far enough to forgive him for standing up his wife and apparently being too busy to tell her he wasn’t showing up?

However, Lolly’s mum also made my blood boil. The sentences she hurled during arguments with her clearly depressed husband were quite frankly shocking. She may well be the most unempathetic mother I’ve ever read in a children’s book and the crazy thing is that again, I’m not sure I was supposed to read her that way! When the secret came out, I disliked her even more and simply couldn’t understand any of her decisions.

Lolly Luck is an interesting book to read and review, certainly as an adult. I did fall in love with Lolly, despite her occasional rudeness but I could mostly understand that. However, her parents were both horrendous people and the ending all felt a bit rushed. I’d have liked the story to have had more depth and detail but I get that it can be hard to pitch that right in children’s books.

No Spoilers But In the end, I Found myself relating to Lolly in More ways than One!
(Thanks to Net Galley & Elle Daines for this Book).