The Luckiest, I think, will be the book that gets me back into reading. I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy a couple of weeks ago and, having loved the source material and the author for several years, I read the entire thing in two sittings over forty-eight hours: this after having not read a novel in almost a year. And now all I want to do is curl up with a million books just like it and indulge in the fantasies and the bliss and the emotion that comes from a well-told story about the complexities—and eventual triumph—of human connection. The story follows the weeklong coming together of ex-childhood sweethearts Aaron and Nik. It is set beautifully during a Texan summer at a beautiful beach house; the celebration of two of their high school friends’ wedding the event that brings them together and forces them to confront their damage and their potential. One of the standout strengths of this story is the ensemble cast of friends—all in their twenties, all finding their place in the world—that swirl around Aaron and Nik as the tension builds. Each supporting character is compelling and different, the synchronicity and clashing of their differing motivations giving the novel a lot of its complications and a lot of its fun. Moreover the array of personalities and histories within the different subgroups of friends that Aaron and Nik have highlights wonderfully the juxtaposition of their own personalities: Aaron’s sharp, sarcastic manner, his competitiveness in life, and his borderline neurotic panning and organization compared with Nik’s more laidback approach, his calmness and instinctiveness. Not only do these differences provide the difficulties that all good love stories need, but also it allows glimpses of just how good together they once were, and how good they will be once they get going again. A further standout is the setting. Having never been to the Texas coast, The Luckiest describes a kind of southern comfort that is new to me. Just like the romance blossoming between the leads, the setting itself is full of contrasts: between the heat and sweat of the summer, and the coolness of the water on the beach, of the breeze. Moreover, with Aaron, our narrator, travelling from New York City, there’s further difference with the stillness and the quiet of a rural Texan house, even if, in many ways, it is a homecoming for him. Simply put, someone at the Texas Tourism Office owes Mila McWarren a commission because I love the summer oasis she’s painted in this book and I plan to visit one day to see for myself the setting in which Aaron and Nik heatedly rekindled their romance. Which brings me to the core of the story: the romance and the sex. It’s impossible to pinpoint what makes every look, every touch, every uttered confession between these two characters resonate so hard with me. But it does. The way they circle each other, then come together and then still experience so much friction, is delicious and real: there’s no simple explosive coming together, this is a slow burn, punctuated with sexual encounters that will make your toes curl. And it’s decadent and indulgent, that’s what it feels like. From the way the story meanders through the week-long wedding celebration, shifting sometimes to high school or college years, to the vivid descriptions of the wedding cake, the house they stay in, the meals they share. This book reads like a really good glass of wine tastes. Or the way the smoothest jazz sounds. Something like that. All I know is that if this is the way McWarren plans to keep writing her romance novels, I am certainly going to keep reading and re-reading, losing myself willingly in amongst the beautiful writing and the very best love stories. I strongly suggest you do, too.
2.5/5 stars...Aaron Wilkinson has spent the last several years trying to get past his break-up with Nik, his high school sweetheart. The two run in the same circle of friends and have found a way to co-exist around each other, but there are still feelings there, under the surface. Aaron is in pain and he’s angry over having his heart broken by Nik, but most of all he’s angry at himself for still loving the guy. Nik, well Nik just wants to find his way back into Aaron’s life. But Aaron doesn’t trust that Nik won’t turn around and break his heart again.Stuck in a rural lake house for two weeks while they plan their best friend’s wedding, Aaron and Nik are forced to face each other and the pain of the past. After the wedding bells ring and the toast is made, will Nik and Aaron go back to New York together? Or go their separate ways?There were things I really liked about this book, but I had a lot of issues as well. Aaron narrates the story and to say he’s a bit neurotic is an understatement. The story jumps in time a lot. From high school back to the present, then a couple years back to a secret online blog Aaron writes, back to the present, back to high school, back to the blog and so on. I had whiplash and sadly, I couldn’t always keep up. At one point I thought something was happening present day but it was actually another high school memory, I was very confused. The characters rambled a lot as well. This book could have been written as a novella with about half of the conversations cut or shortened, the struggles the two ML were having with getting back together explored in more detail and this probably would have been a 4-5 star read.Now, what I enjoyed. The relationship between Aaron and Nik, how they balanced each other out. They are opposites in almost every sense of the word, while Nik wants to dive head first back into the river of a relationship, Aaron puts the breaks on and faces the challenge of talking about what went wrong before, how they can avoid that in the future. The inner workings of their circle of friends. They were honest and angsty and supportive and I liked that camaraderie within the group.This was just an okay read for me. If you are a younger reader this might be more appealing for you, it’s a new adult type of story. The content is R-rated, but the characters still have a lot of growing up today and it shows with how they talk and communicate. * I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Do You like book The Luckiest (2015)?
I enjoyed this but it wasn't fantastic. I didn't quite feel the chemistry and connection between the 2 main MC's. When they were together it was super hot but I felt it jumped a bit too much to their history, though it was nice to get a good back story. I wasn't interested so much in their friends and I think they got too much of the plot time. It was just missing something and I can't put my finger on it. The sexy times were perfect though, the little details in their time together was very much appreciated!
—Ivana
I think this one will appeal more to younger people. It's basically about a group of 23 year olds looking back on their youth. Honestly, that whole concept has me rolling my eyes a bit. The writing is OK, but it makes an effort to build the kind of emotional angst only teenagers can feel out of the kinds of things teenagers get worked up about. Like a fight with your dad or suddenly finding out money doesn't grow on trees and your parents can't foot the bill for your private out of state education. Or breaking up with someone you dated for a year when you were 18.So to mature ol' me, even the heartbreak was kind of boring. I didn't find any of the peripheral characters interesting and the whole "big chill for 20 somethings" atmosphere was a dud.
—Ambre
i really liked the story a lot. it read very much like a memoir/personal account of aaron's life and it took me a few pages to get the hang of things but once i did, i liked the writing style very much. it also took a few minutes to get traction on the complete cast of characters, although the two most important are nik and aaron. and they are absolutely beautiful together. nik seems like a typical musician - he was a bit more sentimental and emotionally open. you never have any guess how he feels and his feelings for aaron are so raw and real, you just absolutely feel them down to your soul. i'm betting he plays the guitar the same way...with total emotional investment and devotion. aaron is how i would picture a writer - a bit more reserved, hesitant to express his emotions verbally. he feels as deeply as nik but doesn't wear those emotions on his sleeve like nik does. he was still carrying a bit of a chip on his shoulder and never quite got over the breakup that happened before college. there is a bit of pain to get through with these two but it's definitely worth it for the love story you get from the pain. i liked most of the other characters...with a couple of exceptions but i thought it was a great mix of personalities and an overall great story.
—Christina Wade - BFD Book Blog
