Lucky Girl is an unflinching exploration of beauty, self-worth, and sexual assault.
Rosie is a beautiful girl—and it’s always been enough. Boys crush on her, men stare at her, girls (begrudgingly) admire her. She’s lucky and she knows it.
But it’s the start of a new school year and she begins to realize that she wants to be more. Namely, she’s determined to be better to her best friend, Maddie, who’s just back from a summer program abroad having totally blossomed into her own looks. Rosie isn’t thrilled when Maddie connects with a football player who Rosie was hooking up with—but if it makes her friend happy, she’s prepared to get over it. Plus, someone even more interesting has moved to town: Alex, who became semifamous after he stopped a classmate from carrying out a shooting rampage at his old high school. Rosie is drawn to Alex in a way she’s never experienced before—and she is surprised to discover that, unlike every other guy, he seems to see more to her than her beauty.
Then at a party one night, in the midst of a devastating storm, something happens that tears apart Rosie’s life and sets her on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to face uncomfortable truths about reputation, identity, and what it means to be a true friend.
“Through Rosie’s present-tense narration, Amanda Maciel examines societal pressures on girls to equate self-worth and looks,” says a Krikus review of this work by the author of the acclaimed Tease. The book is “a thought-provoking look at the good-girl/bad-girl dichotomy.”
This important young adult novel touches upon self esteem and how far some young people may go in order to be popular. Lucky girl is a well written and eye-opening narrative that will not only appeal to young adults, but older readers as well.
The author takes you on a trip down memory lane to your high school days. We all know how cruel teenagers can be and how many will do just about anything for a little attention. If you like a touch bit of romance with your story, you will get this, also. And although this book deals with serious issues, there were some brilliantly funny moments.
“Maciel offers a nuanced take on her characters’ individual situations (Rosie isn’t the only character to suffer trauma) and approaches their stories with empathy and respect.” (Publishers Weekly)
- Publisher: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins Children's Books)
- ISBN-10: 0062305336
- ISBN-13: 978-0062305336