When a spate of bad luck upends her life, Eliza moves to a charming—and mysterious—Midwestern lake town, where she just might find herself while trying to find the truth.
Eliza has always had a plan—until her meticulously plotted life implodes, and her engagement falls apart. At thirty-two she suddenly finds herself second-guessing the picture-perfect future she'd always envisioned, one that included raising 2.5 children near her tight-knit Italian family in San Francisco.
Then she is offered the chance to start over in Juneberry Lake, a small Midwestern town eager to lure remote workers to their picturesque community. Shocking everyone, including herself, she packs up her apartment and buys a lake house sight unseen.
Juneberry Lake is as delightful as it looked in the pictures. And the pictures didn’t even include Joel, a fellow new arrival who works alongside her every day in an adorable coffee shop. But if Eliza is hoping to spy her uncertain future in the shimmering waters of Juneberry Lake, she’ll find herself out of luck. Because her friendly Midwestern neighbors are keeping a marvelous secret—one that will help Eliza see that her recent spate of bad luck was never her fault…and that the tide can turn when you least expect it.
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Heartwarming.
It's official: small towns have become one of my favorite tropes. Something about small towns appeals to me, and I find myself picking up books set in small towns. I adored the setting in Lucky Break Juneberry Lake, and that’s one of the things that grabbed my attention when I was reading the summary. Books set in a lake or beach house are my favorites. Lucky Break reminded me of a Hallmark movie, and I think this book would make a cute Hallmark movie. I loved almost all the characters in the book; there were only a few that I didn't like. I adored how welcoming everyone was to Eliza when she arrived at Juneberry Lake. There was one person who wasn't as friendly, but I suspected he had a reason for it. Despite how welcoming everyone was upon Eliza's arrival; I had a suspicion that they were hiding something. Like Eliza, I was curious about what they were hiding.
The characters were extremely realistic, and I found it easy to relate to them. I loved that the book had both LGBTQIAP and Disability representation, and both of those were represented beautifully. I loved the names of the dogs, and I adored Eliza's instant bond with her dog, Potato. Everyone seemed to love that dog, and I couldn't blame them. I lost my dog last month, and reading a book about animals touched me in many ways. I liked the character development, especially Eliza's; I felt like she had matured significantly since arriving in Juneberry Lake.
I occasionally wished Juneberry Lake existed so I could go there to escape while reading. It seemed real to me. The mystery aspect was what I expected, but I enjoyed all of the clues leading up to the reveal and found myself guessing several times throughout the book. Lucky Break was my first book by Jaclyn Westlake, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it. I'm eager to check out her other works now.