e-Audio, 12:05:21
Narrated by: Stacy Carolan
Release Date: February 13, 2024
Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Read from: February 20-22, 2024
Fortuna Beach, #2
Source: Netgalley (I received a copy of this e-book from the Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW:
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary, Romance, Magical Realism, YAAfter being magically gifted with incredible luck, a boy discovers this gift just may be a curse when it comes to love, in this YA novel by #1 New York Times -bestselling author Marissa Meyer.
Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw his comics, host regular D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he comes across a mysterious twenty-sided dice and finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck.
Suddenly, everything Jude has ever wanted is within reach. His first art submission is accepted to his favorite fanzine. He helps his friend’s song become a finalist in a songwriting competition. And he’s the 100th caller to a local radio contest, winning him a pair of coveted concert tickets, which he uses to ask out the popular girl he’s been crushing on since elementary school. For a few blissful weeks, he feels invincible.
But when he loses the magic dice at a local music festival, his luck takes a turn for the worse. He struggles to reclaim his good fortune while fighting off long-buried feelings for his best friend―who is definitely not the girl he’s supposed to be in love with. Can Jude risk stepping into the spotlight long enough to win the true girl of his dreams? Or is he doomed to be unlucky in love forever?
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was one of my most anticipated books this year. But unfortunately it was just ok for me. Being perfect got boring quicker than I thought it would. And it also bugged me that even though they knew they weren’t good together, it still took the actual couple forever to get together.
Starting with the pacing of this, it was just off. The perfect act with that one person went on too long. I was a bit bored to be honest. And to be honest, I don’t know how he didn’t realize that love isn’t supposed to be that hard when he was doing all of this. I mean I know it was for the plot, but I would think that it would have dawned on him earlier. But that’s just me. And when the actual couple got together, it was at the very end of the book. I don’t understand that at all. What’s the point of getting through this whole entire book just to have a couple pages and an epilogue showing them as a couple? Was I just there for the angst the whole time? I hate when author’s do this. Stop teasing us and leaving us with nothing.
The characters were ok. They didn’t really jump out at me or anything. It was good to see Pru again, but I do think she had a lot to do with this story even though it was her twin’s. But then again, the way he was acting I think I would have been even more bored if there was more from his POV lol I think I would have enjoyed it better if we got the love interest’s POV too. The actual love interest was the most interesting person in this book and we don’t even get to read her POV. It was just a bit disappointing.
The audio was really good tho. I loved that there was actual music involved as well. This always makes the audio experience even better in my opinion. They make the audiobook more interactive. The narrator was also good. No complaints there. I think it acutally made me enjoy the book more.
I guess this does end with a lesson on how perfection is different for everyone and to everyone. But it doesn’t actually teach it. The main character just finally realizes that this isn’t what it’s supposed to be and then he still even denies that he doesn’t like the love interest. It was all just really weird. Definitely not my favorite by Meyer, but it was still good enough nonetheless.
Overall, I give this
