BOOK REVIEW | The Lucky One by Jessica Payne

Genre: Thriller 

Publication Date: 14th September 2022

My Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Page

Blurb:

We were all there that prom night, but one of us didn’t make it home…

Ten years ago: We laughed together on the dance floor that night, our dresses glittering in the swirling lights. One final night of fun before the rest of our lives. We couldn’t have known that for one of us, it would be our last…

Now: They say that I’m the lucky one, the survivor. But no one knows the truth—the thing I’ve been running from all this time. How I escaped.

Back in my hometown a decade later—the place I’ve avoided—I can feel the questioning eyes on me, the whispers. The rumors.

I can’t shake the feeling that I am being followed, the shadow of a reflection in the glass storefronts, the murmur of footsteps before I turn to look. But no one’s ever there, and I tell myself it’s all in my head. Then the anonymous messages land in my inbox, overly familiar and insistent: I’m watching. I’ve been waiting for you.

I should have known I couldn’t run forever. I want to feel safe surrounded by my best friends. But everyone has something to hide, and I don’t know who I can trust.

Someone out there won’t let me forget what really happened that night, what I promised. What if, this time, I’m not so lucky?

**Spoiler-Free Review**

I received this book from Bookouture via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I requested it because I was looking for the next good thriller; it's been a long time since I read a one that really surprised me and kept me captivated and intrigued from start-to-finish like this one did. I don't want to say too much in this review because the best part of a thriller is uncovering the story as you go along.

I loved the process of reading this book. I read it in pretty much one sitting and couldn't put it down; I just needed to know what was going to happen next. The short chapters and flashbacks to the past made it so easy to keep turning the pages. Also, for a thriller and such a fast-paced book, the characters were really well-developed. I loved Norah and her strength both mentally and in her fitness. I wish we'd seen more of her best friend, but I still really liked their friendship throughout. Rob and Owen were also both really interesting characters.

To be honest, I thought I had this book figured out pretty early on, but it was only around 70% in that I realised I'd got it wrong. I did find it strange at the 50% mark where the main characters were so certain they'd caught the person responsible, but they didn't even have much evidence of the fact (although, maybe that's just because I knew there was so much more book to get through).

My biggest complaint is that I wish we'd learned a bit more about Norah's father and especially her mother (both what happened overall and when Norah was growing up). I feel like we heard a lot about what they were like, but we never actually saw very much. I feel like adding that would have made some other reveals have a bigger impact towards the end of the book. Overall though, this is a really great psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes. Definitely pick it up if you enjoy thrillers!