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samantha_randolph 's review for:
Lucky Strikes
by Louis Bayard
Short and Sweet:
Excellent Southern representation + resilient protagonist + family feels rivaling those in Lilo & Stitch= 5 shining stars
To Elaborate…
When Amelia’s mother dies, Amelia is left alone in charge of her little sister and brother. The three of them aim to continue running their small, family gas station, but without a parent, the foster care people are sure to be at their door any second. Not to mention, Harley Blevins, runner of Standard Oil, is not above scheming to get their gas station if they won’t sell. Amelia devises a plan involving a homeless man pretending to be their father in order to take care of the family she has left.
LUCKY STRIKES has everything I could ask for in a Southern set MG/YA crossover novel. The author captures Great Depression era rural Virginia to perfection, from the rich landscape to the Southern sayings to the more nuanced resilience found in Southern people, especially women. The theme of overcoming obstacles is a guaranteed hit with many, but what is more moving is the emotional journey trying to get there. Bayard never shies away from the desperate situation Amelia and her family are in. They are hanging by a thread financially, without a parent, and cornered by a company much larger than theirs. Their story does not wrap up in a neat little bow with everything solved and happy, but the characters, particularly Amelia, grow in leaps and bounds. LUCKY STRIKES proves family can mean more than blood, and one geographical place can hold roots as deep as the trees’.
While romance is a much minor part of the story line, I enjoyed this one immensely. Amelia has a difficult time letting people in and believing they will stay, not to mention that running a gas station doesn’t leave much time for dating. I love the slow build up in this one, and the sweet moments the two have in the middle of all the chaos.
I can’t recommend this book enough, especially for readers looking for a book with top notch Southern rep. Amelia and her family will hold your heart as tightly as they cling to their gas station, and you’ll be lucky to have a tissue left by the end.
Originally posted at The Forest of Words and Pages: http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/2016/07/review-lucky-strikes-louis-bayard/
Excellent Southern representation + resilient protagonist + family feels rivaling those in Lilo & Stitch= 5 shining stars
To Elaborate…
When Amelia’s mother dies, Amelia is left alone in charge of her little sister and brother. The three of them aim to continue running their small, family gas station, but without a parent, the foster care people are sure to be at their door any second. Not to mention, Harley Blevins, runner of Standard Oil, is not above scheming to get their gas station if they won’t sell. Amelia devises a plan involving a homeless man pretending to be their father in order to take care of the family she has left.
LUCKY STRIKES has everything I could ask for in a Southern set MG/YA crossover novel. The author captures Great Depression era rural Virginia to perfection, from the rich landscape to the Southern sayings to the more nuanced resilience found in Southern people, especially women. The theme of overcoming obstacles is a guaranteed hit with many, but what is more moving is the emotional journey trying to get there. Bayard never shies away from the desperate situation Amelia and her family are in. They are hanging by a thread financially, without a parent, and cornered by a company much larger than theirs. Their story does not wrap up in a neat little bow with everything solved and happy, but the characters, particularly Amelia, grow in leaps and bounds. LUCKY STRIKES proves family can mean more than blood, and one geographical place can hold roots as deep as the trees’.
While romance is a much minor part of the story line, I enjoyed this one immensely. Amelia has a difficult time letting people in and believing they will stay, not to mention that running a gas station doesn’t leave much time for dating. I love the slow build up in this one, and the sweet moments the two have in the middle of all the chaos.
I can’t recommend this book enough, especially for readers looking for a book with top notch Southern rep. Amelia and her family will hold your heart as tightly as they cling to their gas station, and you’ll be lucky to have a tissue left by the end.
Originally posted at The Forest of Words and Pages: http://www.forestofwordsandpages.com/2016/07/review-lucky-strikes-louis-bayard/