Review: Get Lucky by Katherine Center

But I felt a connection to her I didn't feel with anyone else in the world.  Maybe this was true of all sisters; I don't know.  When good things happened to her, it felt a little bit like they were happening to me -- and the same with bad things.  Which is why I didn't want her to pretend to be okay about giving up on the baby.  I knew she wasn't okay, because I certainly wasn't okay, and I wanted us to at least not be okay together.  (from Get Lucky, pages 15-16 in the ARC)

After absolutely loving Everyone Is Beautiful, I knew I had to read Katherine Center's latest novel, Get Lucky.  Normally, when I read chick lit, I don't completely relate to the characters, but Center does a brilliant job creating characters with authentic voices who we can love despite their flaws.  Center's realistic portrayal of motherhood drew me to Everyone Is Beautiful, and her ability to capture the complexity of sisterhood is what made me really enjoy Get Lucky.  My sister, Erika, is two years younger than me, and we've always been close -- and the above passage from the book fits us perfectly.  We've had our ups and downs over the years, but like the main character in Get Lucky, Sarah Harper, I would do anything for my sister.

After losing her job in New York City, Sarah returns to her family in Houston, not sure what to do with her life.  When she finds out that her sister, Mackie, has decided to stop trying to have children, Sarah thinks she has the perfect solution:  she will serve as a surrogate for Mackie and her husband, Clive.  Although Sarah believes getting pregnant for her sister will solve Mackie's problems, Sarah still has to figure out her own life, and tackling both tasks poses some challenges and takes a toll on their relationship.  Meanwhile, Sarah finds herself face-to-face with the high school boyfriend whose heart she broke, and it seems as though he's holding a grudge.  The sisters also must deal with Dixie, the flashy woman who has stolen their lonely father's heart, and their longing for their mother, who died when they were young.

Despite being pretty predictable, Get Lucky is a fun book about the search for happiness and finding one's true self.  Sarah is endearing, and her clumsy antics are hilarious.  The story is told in the first-person from Sarah's point of view, bringing her to life.  At several points in the book, I wanted to slap her or shake her and scream, "What the heck did you go and do that for?!?"  But I think we all have those moments time and again.

Throughout the book, Center reveals a little of what happens in the end, then takes a step back and continues with the story.  Normally, that would drive me crazy, but because the story was being told by Sarah, it felt like we were chatting over lunch, having a normal conversation that goes off course here and there.  My only complaint about the book has to do with the storyline involving Sarah's former co-worker and a bra model, which seemed unnecessary.  Still, I really enjoyed Get Lucky, especially Center's fast-paced, conversational writing style, and devoured it in a couple of sittings.  Having recently read two heavy World War II novels back-to-back, Get Lucky was the perfect pick-me-up.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to participate in the tour for Get Lucky.  Click here to see the other tour stops.

Disclosure: I received a copy of Get Lucky from Random House for review purposes.  I am an Amazon affiliate.



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