How Lucky: A Novel | 
so-soI really enjoyed this book. The main character has SMA and he witnesses a kidnapping—only he doesn‘t know it yet. The family of this book is what makes it. The ending is a bit much of a fairytale that I don‘t need, nor do I need the author to spell it out for me. Daniel is a delight. He‘s funny and his narration style is great. I think the author tries to sell it too much, when the characters and story have already done the heavy lifting.
pickReally great book! A mystery with a Rear Window vibe that ended up being not quite what I had expected, but in a good way! There‘s some humor and a cast of great characters, but it does get a bit dark, then has a feel-good ending. Totally recommend!
#bookspinbingo - free space
pickA modern update of “Rear Window”, a young man confined to a wheel chair due to having SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) witnesses a kidnapping and then engages in a cat and mouse game with the kidnapper.
Sadly, I can‘t remember that last time I read a book where the main protagonist is physically challenged. This was a refreshing and insightful look from the perspective of someone who overcomes great challenges with optimism, hope, courage and humor.
pickHow Lucky is a story with heart; one that makes the reader think about how we respond to people with visible disabilities. Without making it feel like an info dump, Leitch successfully educated readers about spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). He gave us an unlikely hero and we need more of that in our stories.
pickThis was definitely different than what I expected. I think the idea was really unique and it hooked me early on when the characters begin to develop. It‘s not quite just a mystery about a missing girl, but the story about the man who finds her and how he does so while also fighting with a disability. I liked how the author really made the characters come to life in this book and the story had me on the edge of my seat and made me think.
pickThis struck me as a mixture of a cozy mystery, a thriller and a Lisa Genova book. The way the MC communicates with the reader is so fresh, and it really drew me in. The last hour really moved quickly!
#bookspin for July 2021
206 pts for #mistletoemaniacs #wintergames2021
#WGWordSearch @Clwojick
#wrapitupreadathon
#wintercosyreadathon @PuddleJumper
#averymerryreadathon @TheSpineView
#adventathon @ozma.of.oz
#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks
Real life, mercifully isn‘t a thriller. My life is nothing but small moments, and so is yours. We don‘t live in a series of plot points. We should be thankful for that. We should realize how lucky we are 🏡💻🧑🦼
so-soI loved the character of Daniel (I loved Travis and Marjani, too) but I didn't love the story.
pickLoved this - MC with spinal muscular atrophy - unique approach and I learned a lot about SMA -
thanks again @AprilMae for sending this to me as part of #FFFS
Can't count it for #Scarathlon2021 (finished it last night)
Make a great day everyone -
pickFunny, quick, and surprisingly dark, How Lucky is the story of a young man named Daniel who witnesses a kidnapping one morning outside his home. The twist - Daniel has SMA and people can‘t seem to take him seriously. Under the guise of a sarcastic and funny narrator, HL puts fringe characters front and center, considering themes like isolation, human connection, and the consequences of ignoring what (or who) is right in front of us.
@magyklyXdelish ! What a fabulous treat box for #FallingForFallSwap #FFFS ! No tricks here. 😀 I love everything—especially the leaves! It was like opening a box full of autumn. Thank you so much!
And thank you for organizing this swap again, @Avanders
#FallingForFallSwap #fffs - thank you @AprilMae - how wonderful - love everything - you made my first swap perfect 💝
thank you @Avanders for hosting -
Make a great opening day everyone -
pickI really appreciate all the information the author provide about SMA, very sensitive, realistic, necessary. I love Daniel, Travis and Marjani and how their relationship. The story was good and funny but it was so repetitive in some parts until almost the end when the suspense kept my attention and I was so worried about Daniel. As the author indicates through Daniel‘s voice, a person with SMA “...can do so much”. 3.75/3.8⭐️
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is more about its distinctive and charming characters than the mystery. Daniel has a unique voice and I appreciated his wit, resilience, optimism, and insight. Sometimes it felt a little heavy with information on SMA instead of the story, although I‘m glad I learned more about this disease. 🎧
pickI loved this book! The characters were great and Daniel was so warm and funny. I really appreciated the representation of a character with a disability done so well.
A good mix of mystery, heart and humor
#bookspinbingo
pickI thought this was a great book. It‘s much more a story about friends than it is a thriller. But the thrills were a great way to demonstrate friendships. Oh and Danny with SMA Type 2 - I just never knew.
pickI really enjoyed this funny, quick read. It was a learning experience, and it was very entertaining.
so-soI guess you could call this a “feel good” read, although a story about a kidnapping and a guy, the prime witness who is bound to a wheelchair and unable to verbally speak, doesn‘t sound much like a lighthearted story. Daniel suffers from SMA, a genetic disease which makes him a unique hero. I wanted to like this more than I did, but certain actions were so difficult to believe & the author took me out of the story too many times👇🏽
I‘ve been curious about this book since @Megabooks reviewed it a few weeks ago!! It appeared on my #Scribd feed this morning so I felt like it was a sign from the #AudioGods 🎧
pickI never thought I‘d describe a mystery as feel-good, but this novel is that. Daniel, an adult living with SMA, sees a woman disappear in a car one morning. When the possible kidnapper begins a correspondence with him, Daniel has to decide how to help. It shows the ways disabled people are underestimated in intelligence and power. It also shows how disabled people can work and have meaningful relationships. All w/o being too saccharine Great book!
pickI enjoyed this! It's also not quite what I was expecting, as the mystery of the missing girl takes a bit of a backseat to Daniel's inspiring story of resilience and his experience with SMA. But that's definitely not a bad thing because Daniel is the real MVP!
I borrowed from the library but would certainly not have been disappointed if it had been my #BOTM pick!
#littenlisten Wrap-up:
🔸️Float Plan: 7 hours + 10 #bookspin + 10 World Ocean Day
🔸️How Lucky: 7 hours + 10 #bookspin + 50 bookspin bingo
🔸️Night Shift: 11 hours + 10 #bookspin
Total Hours: 25
Bonus Points: 90
Game Points: 140 (I had 14 that I think were correct anagram guesses)
Total Points for this week: 255
@aperfectmjk
pick⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a good book, somewhat lighthearted considering the subject matter. It was more about Daniel and his day to day dealing with his illness. I really liked Daniel and his group of caretakers. The "mystery" was sort of secondary to their interactions.
#littenlisten: 7 hours + 10 #bookspin + 50 #bookspin audio bingo @aperfectmjk
pickI really liked this one. A bit violent at the end, but very good. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pick⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ An amazingly likable main character! If you like psychological thrillers this is one you should definitely check out. So different, but in a good way, since I usually don‘t smile much when I read a twisty thriller- this one made me 😃
pickDaniel lives a pretty great life in Athens, GA despite the complications of living with a progressively debilitating illness. He has a devoted best friend, a trusty tank of a wheelchair, and feels lucky to work online from home. It‘s a good, quiet life, until Daniel witnesses an incident that disrupts his routine and turns his world upside down. How Lucky is a slowly building thriller with a delightfully amusing hero at its center. Enjoyed it!
so-soIt took me about 100 pages to start liking what I was reading. I liked Daniel and I loved Travis.
May was a whirlwind month for me. I felt exhausted and like I was constantly in motion, but apparently that didn‘t affect my reading, as I finished 20 books and one literary mag.
8 audiobooks
12 physical books
I‘ll be curious to see if I manage to read even more over summer break. Onward June!
How lucky are we that the pools are opening. 😎
pickI really enjoyed my May #BOTM pick! I was expecting more of a Rear Window vibe but I enjoyed the narrative and the insight into SMA even more! I‘m not sure that a 26 year old would have these references but otherwise, it‘s a fast paced and hard to put down read! I‘m looking forward to reading more from the author!
Some of the audios I'm planning on listening to next month for the #littenlisten readathon.
@aperfectmjk
Well, this is my tentative #bookspin list for June. I may alter it some depending on June's #botm selections and other factors. But I'm pretty excited about lots of these and hopefully will get to them next month.
@TheAromaofBooks
so-soI really wanted to love this book but it was a super slow read and even though the author did a good job helping me to understand SMA, in the end I felt like I didn't really connect with Daniel. I see what Will Leitch was going for but for me it just didn't work.
pickA young man confined to a wheelchair witnesses a kidnapping from his front porch.
Thus begins a wild ride from questioning what he saw, to sharing what he saw, to communicating online with the bad guy.
It's not easy when verbal communication is limited and you have to speak through a computer.
Leitch does an excellent job describing Daniel's condition (SMA) and showing readers that people with handicaps are no different than anyone else.
pickThis book is hard to describe. Maybe I could describe it as a slow building thriller? I would say it was delightful but the subject matter is anything but delightful. Heartwarming? Maybe because there is a unlikely hero. I loved the main character. The narrator does digress here and there but it adds to character development. It would be a good introduction book for a new-to-the-thriller-genre reader, because it isn‘t too edge of your sit scary.
pickI really enjoyed this thriller which is mixed with such hope and kind people. It was definitely different from what I‘d normally be drawn to and I‘m so happy #botm exposed me to it! I‘ve been trying to crochet for the first time which is making me read less but I‘ve been proud of my progress!
Sometimes you just need a Hawaiian sundae and a new read to kick off the weekend right.
pickThis was so different, in all the best ways. Witty and heartfelt. Anxiety-provoking. I flew through this one to see how it would end.
