276°
Posted 20 hours ago

So Lucky: The bold, brilliant Sunday Times bestseller you need to read this year

£9.9£99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

Warning! This book is rude, so rude but in a comedy, honest way. It had me howling, and I mean really howling with laughter! It’s fun, refreshing and powerful. It’s simply brilliant. All in all a great fun read with a powerful message that will resonate with many and I wholeheartedly recommend reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed Dawn O'Porter's last book, The Cows, so was really looking forward to trying this new offering. Beth who is married with a young baby. Her husband has lost interest in sex and she can’t work out why which is diving her crazy. Then we have Lauren who is about to marry a rich celebrity. She has the perfect life on social media but there are rumours about her fiancé Gavin which just won’t go away. They are all trying to go about their daily lives despite feeling like failures and are trying to make the correct choices for themselves.

What O'Porter does brilliantly throughout the book is combine real humour with some major and very current themes around the pressures of modern life - mental health, body image, relationship woes, self esteem and the impact of social media amongst them. As a result the book makes you laugh at times, at other times it makes you think hard and brings a lump to your throat as you reflect on the challenges women face. O'Porter ensures the book ends on a positive note with plenty of humour and a message about the power of sisterhood. I'm a mum and my body has changed so much since having my little girl, I'm also impacted by social media and the constant pressure to be perfect!
The reality is we all have imperfections we hide, we all want to show the world our best selves and we all suffer from the judgements people make. Oh, and I have to mention Risky who is one of my favourite book character’s of all time. She’s hilarious, loyal and truly believes in female empowerment. She also has the perfect cure to beat the afternoon slump which is apparently better than a Mars Bar. 😉 Ruby has a medical condition that affects her self-confidence has led to her being introverted, shy and rather grumpy and antisocial. She takes commissions to digitally retouch photographs for magazines, usually creating ‘the perfect woman’ which doesn’t make her feel any better about herself. She has a little girl Bonnie and is separated from her husband after a disastrous wedding day where she feels he betrayed her and let her down. Ruby had a bad relationship with her mother and doesn’t really know how to be a good Mum to Bonnie, not least because Bonnie is always playing up and never does what Ruby tells her to. All are involved in different ways in selling images of perfection. Ruby earns her living - well aware of the ironies and dodgy ethics - by digitally altering photographs to make women appear flawless; Lauren portrays a carefully curated image of her perfect life and gorgeous self on social media; Beth and her young assistant, the strangely named Risky, plan perfect weddings for the rich and famous (and Beth has an apparently enviable marriage of her own).

So…’ I say, trying to be all blasé about it… ‘What kinda vibrator ya got?’ I nonchalantly start to finger some paperwork, and then bam, a small, pink-silicone, bullet-shaped battery-powered device is waved under my nose. ‘It’s the best!’ Risky says, testing its various speed levels. I am hoping she washed it. It is very close to my face.” Each character has their own distinct voice, concerns, dramas and thoughts - thoughts we all have on a daily basis, but no one really has the guts to say out loud. This book, and in particular the characters of Ruby and Beth, will stay with me for a while. Here I am, four years old and getting my photo taken at primary school. I look quite miserable, probably because I wanted attention all the time, but got quite shy when someone actually gave it to me.

Thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins and the author for sending me an ARC of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review. I devoured this book in a couple of days; a modern-day fable that warns against the perils of thinking the grass is always greener - an adage as old as time, but seemingly more prevalent than ever in today’s era of social media. The story follows three women, Ruby who is separated with a three year old daughter who she finds hard to manage and get along with. She also has a condition which makes her feel she must isolate herself from everyone.

Featured Reviews

Thought-provoking . . . Beautifully drawn characters espouse the idea that you shouldn’t judge any book by its cover’ Daily Mail I loved The Cows, so I was thrilled to be invited to read Dawn O’Porter’s new book, and it was indeed a fantastic read.

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment