Good Luck (Bantam Discovery) (Mass Market Paperback)

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Key Phrases: Good Luck, Harper Lee, Palm Beach (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* One of her wealthiest students at Andrews Prep has accused teacher Lucy Parker of sexual misconduct, an act of revenge because she gave him a failing grade. The administration believes the teen (or rather, his father, a generous donor), and Lucy loses her job. That same day, her car breaks down and she catches her boyfriend in a very compromising position with a buxom blond. Then Lucy buys a lottery ticket and wins the grand prize, more than $34 million. The unluckiest time of her life turns into the luckiest, until the press finds out about the sexual misconduct charges, and suddenly, the world brands Lucy as a pedophile, something all the money in the world won’t fix. What else can she do except go into hiding and change her identity? Gaskell (Mommy Tracked, 2007) has crafted an emotional roller coaster of a novel. The highs are funny and furious, and the lows will tug at readers’ heartstrings as they relish this superb tale of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. --Shelley Mosley --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

Lucy Parker wins the lottery on the worst day of her life. But can all the money in the world make up for a cheating boyfriend, a derailed career, and ending up in the middle of a media circus? Everyone wants a piece of Lucy…and all she wants is to escape from it all.

After life as she knows it falls apart, Lucy heads off to Palm Beach to hide out at the home of an old college friend. There, living in a tropical paradise of millionaires, Lucy acquires a new hair color, a new social set, and enough anonymity to put her notoriety behind her. Soon she’s courted by two men who don’t know her history. But just as Lucy begins to envision a new life for herself, the past catches up with her. Lucy would give up every penny to have her old life back—as soon as she’s ready to cash it all in, fate has one last surprise in store for her…one that will show her exactly what she’s worth.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Discovery (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553591517
• ISBN-13: 978-0553591514
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,199 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and engaging story, December 2, 2008

By	Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Good Luck (Bantam Discovery) (Paperback)

Lucy Parker thought this day couldn't get any worse. After losing her job as a high school teacher due to allegations of an affair with student, her put upon car breaks downs, and she arrives home early to find her fiance in bed with another woman. When she wakes up the next morning, she discovers that she holds the winning lottery ticket worth $87 million. She'd prefer to keep the whole thing quiet, but a reporter out for a torrid story breaks the silence and her life his torn upside down, particularly when the ugly allegations about her job come to light and she is dubbed the "lottery seductress" by the press. People start coming out of the woodwork and she doesn't know who to trust. At the insistence of college pal Hayden, she heads to Palm Beach and changes her appearance to live down the infamy of her newfound fame. Back on the dating scene, she soon discovers that you have to be careful who you trust and that appearances and pre-conceptions can be deceiving.

Gaskell's lottery drama was such a fun story. The writing is so engaging that I read it in a single day. Interweaving secondary characters like proud best friend Maisie, two potential suitors, and a horrid bridezilla sister into the story, Gaskell makes it more than a one note plot.

© Tracy Vest, December 2008

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, January 13, 2009

By	Mommy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Luck (Bantam Discovery) (Paperback)

Once again, a great book from Whitney Gaskell. It made me want to jump inside the book and be a part of the story. She has a knack for making her characters so real. The saddest part is when one of her books ends and I have to wait another year for a new one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good luck = Good read, December 10, 2008

By	Sarah J. Carlin "blinkclear" (Iowa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Good Luck (Bantam Discovery) (Paperback)

Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell

Lucy Parker is having the worst day ever. First, she is fired from her teaching job because of false accusations from a male student. Then she comes home to find her boyfriend Elliot in bed with another woman. She spends the rest of her day sulking in her PJs.
The next day, Lucy checks her lottery ticket to find that she won a 64 million dollar jackpot. However, she also finds dozens of reporters and TV crews on her front lawn, wanting to interview the disgraced former teacher. Lucy makes her escape and claims her money, but now, with no job and no boyfriend, she doesn't know what to do.

Good Luck is a fun chick-lit novel with lots of laughs and some serious soul searching parts as well. It is somewhat predictable, but the story is fun and the ending wraps it up well. For fans of Sophie Kinsella and Janet Evanovich.