#qotd turns 20 this year can you believe???

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🦇 With a Little Luck Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD Do you believe in luck or fate? ❓

[ Find my review below or Goodreads | Storygraph | Literal ]

🦇 Jude is perfectly okay with sticking backstage or beyond the spotlight while his twin sister and friend take risks. It's easier to work at his parents' vinyl record store, act as the DM at D&D nights, and draw comics out of the limelight. Jude's luck in life changes when he finds a scarlet D20 die. Suddenly, he can do no wrong. He wins a pair of coveted concert tickets, asks out the most popular girl in school (who he's had a crush on forever), and even finds a record signed by Paul McCartney. What happens when his luck takes a turn for the worst? What happens when he realized that blessing could in fact be a curse?

💜 Disclaimer: I've been a long-time, heart-eyed fan of Marissa Meyer. I get weak for any writer who completes a project during NaNoWriMo, but Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles series (perhaps my most recommended book here) goes above and beyond. That being said, let's talk about Jude. Jude...sweet, sweet baby Jude. You idiot. You adorkable, nerdtastic little idiot. It's obvious where this is going from page one, bub, and you don't see it. I love you all the more for it, truly. Thank you for occasionally breaking the fourth wall and trusting you with your awkward, nerdy self. I loved every bit.

💜 Meyer flawlessly walks the line between magic and realism, making you question if Jude's D20 is controlling his fate or if it's all circumstance. The message ("Is it good luck. Is it bad?" "Perhaps.") behind this story is as complex as a 20-sided die. It's a message of controlling our own fate, of recognizing that our perception of a situation makes it a positive or negative experience. There's so much going on in this story, yet it's all seamlessly intertwined, much as multiple aspects of our lives are part of our vivid stories. Jude processing reality AND his current D&D campaign by creating a comic series (which we get to see!) was precious, but also incredibly realistic of a creative mind. Every member of Jude's found family is realistic, humanly flawed, each processing internal and exterior conflicts many of us have experienced in our teen years. Perhaps one of my favorites was Maya, the girl Jude has a long-time, unrequited crush on (why did I keep picturing Havana Rose Liu's Isabel from Bottoms? Just me???). No secondary character is wasted; they're all a part of Jude's story. Even watching an adult who seems perfectly confident and put together having an unrequited crush sends a message to Jude. It's never too late, so long as you take your shot.

🦇 I'm generally not a fan of love triangles, and it's quite obvious from the beginning that Jude and Ari are meant to be. So it's a little frustrating to watch him (not quite) date Maya. However, it's entirely realistic. Jude has to experience (not quite) dating Maya to realize he doesn't want to (really) date her. The way he processes it all is very mature but also sweet. It also makes his realization that he's been focused on the impossibility of Maya as a distraction from his true feelings all the sweeter.

🦇 Recommended to fans of Nicola Yoon, Rainbow Rowell, Danika Stone, Jenny Han, or the Just My Luck film (with McFly!...and Chris Pine). For all my fellow nerds (anyone who recognizes Firefly gets a cookie).

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🎲 Young Adult Romance 🐉 Tons of Nerdtastic References ⚔️ A Little Magical Realism 💎 Lyrics and Comics 🧚‍♀️ Friends to Lovers 🏰 Found Family 🎲 Part of a Duology

🦇 Major thanks to the author @marissameyerauthor and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

💬 Quotes ❝ I’ve got a decent imagination, which is almost as good as epic quests and true love. Imagination surpasses real life… what? Ninety percent of the time? Tell me I’m wrong. You’re the one with your nose in a book right now, so I know you agree with me, at least on some level. ❞

❝ “Luck is all about perspective…” “And what you do with the opportunities you’re given.” ❞

❝ “I want to be with you,” I say. “On whatever quest or adventure we go on. I want to be with you. Always. All the time. And I hate that it took me so long to figure that out.” ❞