How Lucky You Are

This is a variation on the themes of "get me out of here" and facing personal demons with the inward-facing honesty required to effect any change and become a more balanced human being with a life that's on balance as well.

The story centers on the lives of three friends - all quite successful on the outside, but all immersed to varying degrees in the interior crisis mode that comes from asking yourself "what am I doing here?". They are people who are carrying on day-to-day lives that fit them, but only incompletely.

The book is well within the chick-lit genre, but has some life lessons that bear repeating, and like the title of this review, the novel's main story is about how each person tackles the life issues that frustrate, irritate, frighten, and intimidate. I'll only go for a book like this if its primary concern is not romance and relationships, and this novel deals with the larger questions.

I would have preferred a different narrator - Coleen Marlo reads way too fast and does not let the words sink in. I like her voice - it's different from who is usually on board with books like this, but she just races through the story without giving the reader time to digest each sentence. I am aware that there are speed settings for listening, but the results are not optimal and the readings always end up sounding muddy, not crisp. Perhaps the "happy medium" is what's needed here.

Still, the book is a good one, and for me, satisfied many of the reasons that I read.

This book is about 3 seemingly successful women dealing with big issues in their lives - I really like this type of book. They're dealing with major issues, not just romance, so it's really interesting. My only complaint is the narrator reads too quickly. My current MP3 device doesn't have the function to slow down the speed, but in the past when I have been able to do that, I don't like how it sounds. But, I liked the book well enough to get past the narrator because other than reading fast, she's a good narrator.

This story focuses on our tendency to envy the seemingly perfect lives of others. Due to their wealth, perfect relationship, perfect jobs, bodies, and home. As a woman, there is too much to adequately describe how familiar these characters feel. You know these people and you will see yourself in at least one of them. I found myself "nodding" along when brilliant metaphors were woven into inner thoughts. I found myself feeling less alone, and more connected to our fellow travelers as we apparently celebrate and suffer similar experiences. I found a personal epiphany through one of the characters and forgave choices made earlier in life. I will probably want to read this again. The Narrator is ideal and portrays the various characters perfectly. When I finished this book, I searched Audible for other books by this author.....only to discover that this is her first one. She has a gift and I hope she continues to use it.

This book and these characters didn't remind me of Emily Giffin as much as Candace Bushnell. Sex and the City in the burbs...without much shopping.. I also didn't agree with the summary statement that they were struggling to keep their long standing friendship alive. I didn't feel that they wouldn't always be friends. Their struggles were just life - not with one another.

For a debut novel the pace of this book is near perfection. Just when I was starting to get tired of one character there would be a switch. When the characters started to whine to the edge of it being irritating - they stopped. It's a rollercoaster of events. Just when you think you can see how one scenario is going to go - boom - you find you are completely wrong.

This was a quick enjoyable read for me - quick because I couldn't tear myself away from it..

I liked this book. It told the story of three friends that on the surface seemed to have idyllic lives , but were facing hardships they did not share. The plot was interesting and the characters defined. The message was clear: no one's life is perfect.

This was a good light read...nothing unusual or extraordinary about it. I like to have a variety of books in my library, some lighter than others. If you are looking for an "undemanding" story that delves into friendships, relationships, and is comfortable story, this is a good choice.

I totally agree that the narration was a distraction. She reads much too quickly, and it took over a third of the book before I could concentrate more on the story and not be bothered by the narrator.

Yes I would try another book from the author, but not one read by the narrator.

NO

If one of the characters had more of a starring role, and the other characters were supporting that.

The end was overshadowed by domestic violence aimed towards one of the characters. Then, the author closed the book with an unconfirmed story that this had happened in her life.

Pitch & emotion

No

No