SamThe Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott is a coming-of-age queer romance that wonderfully captures the mixture of careless summer adventure and teenage angst that are hallmarks of the genre. Though the book does cover some darker themes, like grief and coming to terms with your sexuality, it does it in that signature romcom way that lets you know everything will be alright in the end.
Emily and her mother had always been lucky, but when she lost her mom to cancer, Emily felt as if her luck had run out. In the three years since then nothing in Emily’s life has felt right. Now, as the summer before her senior year comes around, everything’s gotten even worse. She’s ruined things with her long-time boyfriend, and none of her friends will talk to her. And now her dad has decided to sell their house, and take Emily away from everything that connects her to her mom. She’s resigned to spending the summer alone and miserable, until her childhood friend Blake moves back to town.
Emily hasn’t seen Blake in years, but suddenly she is the only person Emily feels she can talk to. While going through her mother’s things, Emily finds her mom’s senior year summer bucket list. With Blake’s encouragement, Emily decides to face her fears and leave her comfort zone, and together the girls plan to cross everything off that list. Throughout their adventures the girls’ bond starts to deepen into something they never expected.
Though the writing style and plot line do give in to some cliches of YA fiction, The Lucky List also puts all our favourite elements of the genre into the LGBTQ+ perspective. This book is the sweet, sun-soaked journey of two girls falling in love that I would have loved to have as a teenager.
If you have any young adults in your life who are still in the stage of self-discovery, or if you simply need a light queer romance to lift your spirits, then stop by your nearest bookstore and check out The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott.
