The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott is Lippincott’s solo debut. All of her other books have had a co-writer. Coincidentally it also is the first book I’ve read where Lippincott is one of the writers. I am pleased to say that I really enjoyed The Lucky List. It’s a thoughtful contemporary debut about a girl who comes to terms with the fact that she is gay and learns to stop suppressing that side of her.
Emily’s mom died of brain cancer three years ago. Since then, she’s been a bit of a shadow of herself. Emily doesn’t go to the events that she used to. She holds herself back and is not the adventurous girl that she once was. As The Lucky List opens, Emily is attending bingo for the first time since her mom died. You see, her dad’s best friend and his daughter, Blake, are back in town after ten years away living in Hawaii and they are meeting up at bingo.
As the book goes on, Emily is going through her mom’s things deciding what to keep and what to donate when she comes across a box with a list of items her mom wanted to complete during her senior year summer. So, Emily takes this as a sign that she too must also complete the list. And so, she does so with the help of Blake. The list helps her come back to herself, back alive again when she was previously in statis. She finds that while she’s completing items with Blake, she is more and more attracted to her. Still, Emily remains in the closet.
I really felt for Emily. You can see how her confidence was crushed and how she’s not as sure of herself because of the trauma of losing her mom. The only part that made me cry, however, was the end of the book. I thought that the character development and progression of Emily was on point. There truly was healing within this book as well as being true to one’s self. Additionally, the relationship between Emily and Blake is sweet and wonderfully paced. If you are looking for a quick contemporary book with superb character development, The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott is the book for you.
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