Review: With a Little Luck (Fortuna Beach #2) by Marissa Meyer

Title: With a Little Luck

Series: Fortuna Beach #2

Previous book in this series: Instant Karma

Author: Marissa Meyer

Illustrator: Chuck Gonzales

Genre: YA, contemporary romance

Publication date: February 13th 2024

Published by: Feiwel & Friends

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: After 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 rating: ★★★★★

"These lucky coincidences seem to be happening to you a lot lately," Pru mutters. She studies me a long moment, then gets an odd, faraway look in her eye. She turns away, sighing, "Enjoy it while it lasts.”

Pru knowwws! 😂 After all she went through and Instant Karma, Pru gets it. Lol. I loved Instant Karma, so I was really looking forward to reading this book, and it was as good as I was expecting!

Review- Cinder’s Adventure: Get Me to the Wedding! by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder’s Adventure: Get Me to the Wedding!

Series: The Lunar Chronicles

Previous books in this series: Cinder (#1) | Scarlet (#2) | Cress (#3) | Fairest (#3.5) | Winter (#4) | Stars Above (#4.5)

Other series/books mentioned: Renegades | Fortuna Beach | Heartless | Gilded

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA, sci-fi, fairy tale retelling

Publication date: March 2022

Published by: Feiwel & Friends

Source: Purchased ebook

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Synopsis: Cinder, the star of the Lunar Chronicles, is getting married! She and Emperor Kai have made it to their big day – now all Cinder has to do is show up and say "I do." But it’s not so easy when there are twists and turns and obstacles along the way, and you, the reader, are in control of her fate, along with the many friends and strangers she meets on this adventure. Can you and Cinder make it to happily ever after?

For fans of the #1 New York Times-bestselling author Marissa Meyer, this is the ultimate interactive celebration of all things Lunar Chronicles. And, bonus: you’ll also discover characters and settings from Heartless, Renegades, Instant Karma, and Gilded, along with so many possible endings! This inventive and fun adventure is a must-have for fans, only available as an e-book exclusive.

My rating: ★★★★★

As soon as I knew of this book’s existence I bought it and read it immediately! It’s been a while since I last read a choose-your-own-adventure-type book, but this was so much fun! And the fact that it takes place in The Lunar Chronicles universe and is about getting Cinder to her wedding with KAI...

Review: Instant Karma (Fortuna Beach #1) by Marissa Meyer

Title: Instant Karma

Series: Fortuna Beach #1

Author: Marissa Meyer

Genre: YA, contemporary romance

Publication date: November 2020

Published by: Feiwel & Friends

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository | Book Outlet | Thrift Books

Synopsis: Chronic overachiever Prudence Barnett is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her.

Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to mean gossips, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner. Quint is annoyingly cute and impressively noble, especially when it comes to his work with the rescue center for local sea animals.

When Pru resigns herself to working at the rescue center for extra credit, she begins to uncover truths about baby otters, environmental upheaval, and romantic crossed signals—not necessarily in that order. Her newfound karmic insights reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed, love and hate... and fate.

My rating: ★★★★★

I’m the first one to admit that I’m not really a contemporary person—I’ve always just found them to be too everyday life. But over the years I’ve expanded my horizons and started reading some contemporaries, and I’ve actually enjoyed them! Who would’ve thought? Lol. And this book? It was the cutest freaking thing EVER! I loved it!