If You're Lucky by Yvonne Printz
To be published on October 20, 2015 by Algonquin
Source: eARC for review from the publisher
Plot Summary of If You're Lucky from Goodreads:
When seventeen-year-old Georgia’s brother drowns while surfing halfway around the world in Australia, she refuses to believe Lucky’s death was just bad luck. Lucky was smart. He wouldn’t have surfed in waters more dangerous than he could handle.
Then a stranger named Fin arrives in False Bay, claiming to have been Lucky’s best friend. Soon Fin is working for Lucky’s father, charming Lucky’s mother, dating his girlfriend. Georgia begins to wonder: did Fin murder Lucky in order to take over his whole life?
Determined to clear the fog from her mind in order to uncover the truth about Lucky’s death, Georgia secretly stops taking the medication that keeps away the voices in her head. Georgia is certain she’s getting closer and closer to the truth about Fin, but as she does, her mental state becomes more and more precarious, and no one seems to trust what she’s saying.
Review of If You're Lucky by Yvonne Printz
If You're Lucky was a book I requested, downloaded, forgot about, and then went into without refreshing my memory about the story. And I think that approach may have increased my enjoyment of this book. The story begins on a tragic note, with Georgia's family learning of the death of her older brother. So at first I thought I was reading a grief book. But as Georgia began to seem more and more unhinged and paranoid, I began to wonder: was she just suffering from grief or if there was something else going on?
As the synopsis reveals, Georgia does have some mental health issues, so I'd call If You're Lucky a psychological suspense story. As Georgia becomes more and more determined to get to the bottom of what happened to her brother, she starts going off her meds and seems to start to spiral downward. I felt a lot of compassion for her, but couldn't help wondering: was she right? Did someone murder her brother?
I enjoyed this book -- I thought it created a great sense of suspense and uncertainty and really kept me guessing about Georgia's sanity. I'm a big fan of suspenseful old movies like Gaslight and Suspicion and classic suspense novels like The Talented Mr. Ripley and this book reminded me a lot of those.
Funny, I just read a very unflattering review. It was mostly concerned with the unrealistic portrayal of schizophrenia. Now, I'm curious...
ReplyDeleteYes, I read that review too. And I am the first to admit that I am no expert on schizophrenia, so I can't really comment on the accuracy of the portrayal. So I suggest that you read and make up your own mind and can let me know :)
DeleteI like the aspect of suspense described but with the mental health aspect I feel there could also be an element of an unreliable narrator happening, which is a huge deal breaker for me. I truly dislike that trope and avoid those books like the plague. (Which is the reason I never continued with the Mara Dyer trilogy.)
ReplyDeleteTanya @ Girl Plus Books
Yes - definitely an unreliable narrator, so if that's an issue for you, this may not be the best fit for you.
DeleteI just read this book and posted my review today. I was really, really disappointed, mainly because of the unrealistic portrayal of schizophrenia. I think my review was the one Ramona mentioned. I was super, super disappointed with how that was handled. I mean, they actually said she needed to increase her meds because she got upset. Some of the "symptoms" that were listed were hysteria, rage, and being a quiet loner. I have a Master's degree in Counseling, so maybe I am just more sensitive to it. But seriously, NONE of those things are actual symptoms of schizophrenia. This author did NO research. Most of the book had the main character being told she needed to be on meds because of her emotions, but then suddenly the author threw in a couple of hallucinations. It was so irritating.
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely more of an expert than I on that aspect of the book. And I will admit that I do feel uncomfortable when mental illnesses are used as plot devices -- I have seen that a lot lately in YA. And I think this book would have worked just as well without the mental illness -- if her grief had made her a little unhinged and paranoid.
Deleteoh sounds a like an unreliable narrator. love those. I forgot about this book tooo and the more I check it out again the more I want to read it.
ReplyDeleteIt is a good unreliable narrator book if you can overlook the issues that Cynthia points out.
DeleteThis sounds like a book right up my alley! Great review :)
ReplyDelete