From the outside, these women look like they have it all together. Beth is running her own wedding planning business and has a wonderful husband who is taking time off work to look after their four month old son while she finishes up her latest celebrity shindig; Ruby is forthright and intimidating, and Lauren is about to marry one of the wealthiest men in the country.
But Beth’s husband is repulsed by her and they haven’t had sex since they conceived their son. Ruby is living with a condition that makes her fear getting close to anyone, and lash out at those in her life, including her three year old daughter. And what about those rumours about Lauren’s fiance..?
So Lucky is funny and smart and moving and also, at times, uncomfortably real. Ruby’s parts are especially difficult to read in the beginning. She’s really struggling with motherhood – due to her condition and her relationship with her own mother which is beyond toxic – and reading how she interacts with her child – but how she wants to do better – is heartbreaking. She also gets into embarrassing situations, most of which are of her own doing, but make sense due to the condition she has and how it affects her. It’s really raw and close to the bone at times. It’s a very realistic portrayal of motherhood, both in the depictions of actually looking after them physically and how hard that can be, but also the toll it can take mentally and emotionally as well.
There are some slapstick bits that I didn’t like as much. A mouse jumping out of a toaster, people falling over and having skirts over their heads, a dildo mishap, and there are some pretty graphic sex scenes that aren’t my thing (sorry, such a prude), but overall this is a really good read where you truly get to know the characters and root for them, and it does have a satisfying conclusion (if all a bit neat. But I’ll take it).
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