Lucky Enough

by Andie L. Smith

LGBTQ

At A Glance

Interest Level

12+

Entertainment
Score

Reading Level
5.3

Number of Pages
220

When seventeen-year-old Alex’s dad dies, it feels like her entire world stops – only it doesn’t. Her family moves on as if nothing happened, and Alex feels pressured to do the same. She starts dating the quarterback of the football team, going to parties, and getting ready for the big homecoming dance – all in the hopes that her life will turn back around. The more she gets used to the raves and recognition, the less time she has to think about her father – even if it’s at the cost of her own identity.

Then she meets Cameron, a boy who quickly finds his way under her skin and into her heart, and suddenly, Alex is reminded that grief, like her heart, is not something to keep locked away.

Lucky Enough is told from Alex’s perspective and weaves in several different story threads, including her grief over her father’s death, her relationship with the popular crowd, and the pressure to have sex for the first time. Over the summer, Alex began dating the high school quarterback, Jordan, and became part of his friend group, which includes Paige. However, both Jordan and Paige are so self-centered and unlikeable that readers will wonder why Alex wants to be part of their group. As the homecoming dance approaches, Paige pressures Alex to have sex with Jordan so he doesn’t break up with her. To save her relationship, Alex promises to have sex with Jordan, which gives readers the false impression that boys are entitled to sex, even if the girl isn’t ready. Unfortunately, Alex lacks a moral compass, which leads her into a life focused on going to parties and getting drunk. While many teens will relate to Alex’s conflicts, her decisions are often reckless and illogical.

Alex’s friends and family are underdeveloped and one-dimensional, making it hard to connect with any of them. Even though he claims to love Alex, Jordan is absent for most of the story, and when he does appear, he is only interested in physical intimacy. When the relationship finally ends, there is no surprise and little emotional impact, especially because both Jordan and Alex quickly move on to someone else.

While at a party, Alex meets Cameron, who shows her kindness. At first, she resents Cameron’s intrusion into her life, but she soon learns that they share something in common – the loss of a parent. And unlike Jordan, Cameron isn’t just a romantic distraction; he helps her deal with her grief. Unfortunately, the book has little romance and no swoon-worthy scenes. While Cameron is more developed than Jordan, neither love interest creates enough emotional connection for readers to fully invest in the romance.

Lucky Enough tries to demonstrate healthy grief processing through Alex’s journey. At first, Alex does everything she can to distract herself from her loss. However, this strategy only leads to more heartache. Finally, Alex shares her feelings with her family, visits her father’s grave site, and accepts that her father will never return. Cameron, who also lost a parent, helps Alex “find ways to recognize the person you miss the most in the spaces and people all around you. The ways that they are still here.”

While Lucky Enough explores grief after losing a parent, this message is watered down by the tangle of friendship drama and partying. Alex spends so much time drinking and running away from her problems that the happy ending doesn’t feel earned. Instead of focusing on grief, the story tries to incorporate too many threads, which muddies the message. Readers looking for a more focused exploration of grief might prefer Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson, Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp, or Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner.

Sexual Content 

Alex is dating Jordan Tucker, the high school quarterback. Occasionally, they kiss, but it is not described in detail. For example, while at school Jordan “places an arm on either side of my body against the lockers, leaning in to kiss me.”

A party is broken up when the teens hear sirens. During the chaos, Alex meets a boy named Cameron. He looks at her bodysuit and says, “So, I take it the police interrupted your hookup plans?” Alex thinks, “I thought I looked hot. Not skanky.”

While looking through Instagram, Alex sees “Becca’s tongue shoved down Daniel Michelson’s throat.”

Paige, one of Alex’s “friends,” encourages her to have sex with Jordan. Paige makes fun of Alex for being a virgin. Paige says, “It’s just, we all know you and Jordan still haven’t slept together. I didn’t know what’s taking so long, honestly. His last girlfriends gave it up after the first week of dating.”

Alex thinks about the night Jordan tells her that he loves her. “Kissing Jordan felt like swimming laps around a pool. No, more like diving into the deep end and not being able to find your way back to the surface.” That night, they go to the movies and sit in the back row. Jordan pulls Alex onto his lap, and he kisses her. “A shiver ran down my back from his touch and my lips brushed against his. He kissed me softly and then pried my lips open with his tongue, finding mine and encircling it as if he was tracing all the tiny bumps that coat the top.”

Paige again encourages Alex to have sex with Jordan. Paige says, “I know you’re a virgin, and that’s super sweet and all, but you’re going to lose [Jordan] if you don’t do something. . . I have watched him have many girlfriends, and none typically last more than a few months. He’s a player, yes, but he’s a player with needs.”

While at a party, Jordan pulls Alex into the woods, where he has spread out a blanket. Alex wonders how he got drunk so quickly. “He leans over and kisses me intently. . . I lose myself in his mouth. His hands are everywhere. . . until they reach around the front of my waist and start unbuttoning my jeans.” Alex finally yells at him to stop.

When Alex refuses to have sex with Jordan, he gets angry and says, “We’ve been going out for months now, and you won’t even let me get to second base. Do you know how that makes me look?” He continues, “Look, I still like you. But a guy like me has needs, and I have a reputation to uphold.”

Jordan tells Alex that if they don’t have sex after the homecoming game, he’s going to break up with her. She wonders, “Am I making it a bigger deal than it is? Does losing my virginity really matter in the grand scheme of things, when if I don’t do it, I’ll lose Jordan instead?” Alex is also worried that she’d lose her popularity if Jordan breaks up with her.”

After being pressured by Jordan, Alex tells him, “I want to be with you. All the way. Why don’t we [have sex] after the game tomorrow?”

Alex’s sister is excited about meeting a “cute girl.”

Alex, Jordan, and a group of friends ride to the homecoming dance together. Alex overhears Jordan tell a guy that he “can’t wait to rip [her dress] off.” During the ride, Jordan sits next to Paige. Alex thinks, “Something about the way Jordan laughs at what Paige is saying, or how his eyes momentarily glance over her entire body, makes my stomach churn.”

While riding to the homecoming dance, Alex pulls Jordan’s “face to my own and push my tongue against his, claiming him for everyone to see. The entire limo erupts into screams.”

At the homecoming dance, Jordan disappears. Alex goes to look for him and finds him behind the stage curtains. She sees Paige and Jordan making out. “Her bare leg wrapped around the back of another pair wearing white pants.” Alex screams at them and “Jordan pushes Paige off his body so fast, it takes me a moment to register how intertwined they really are with each other. Paige pulls her dress down as if it’s an inconvenience, and not like she got caught making out with her friend’s boyfriend.” Alex leaves the dance in tears.

After leaving the homecoming dance, Alex goes to a club and dances with a man wearing a mask. When she thinks the man might leave her, Alex “put my hands back around the base of his neck, pulling his face to mine. My lips crush into his and I’m met with a sweeter kiss than before. He tastes like tequila and a hint of cherry soda. . . His muscular arms wrap completely around my waist as they press my body into his own. . .”

After the homecoming dance, Jordan and Paige start dating. While at a party, Alex sees Jordan “shoving his tongue so far down Paige’s throat I swore he was going to get it stuck there.” When Alex turns to flee, she bumps into a “couple making out.”

Jordan follows Alex and says he’s sorry. “His lips brush mine softly, and all of a sudden the familiar feelings of safety and comfort rushes through me. I part my mouth to taste more of him as his hands find my hair. . . His hands are everywhere, moving from the back of my neck and down my back. . . his hands slide under my dress.”

Alex meets up with a boy named Cameron. She thinks, “Every time he touches me, my skin burns with desire and my entire body aches when he pulls away.” They kiss. “Both of his hands are on the sides of my face, and he kisses me gently, so soft and quick that before I know it I’m staring back into his eyes again and he’s looking at me desperately.”

Violence 

None

Drugs and Alcohol 

Since the book has excessive drinking, with teens often getting drunk, not every instance is documented below.

Even though Alex and her friends are underage, they party and get drunk every weekend. At a party, Alex is with her best friend, Blaze. When they hear the sirens, Blaze “finishes slurping down her beer.” Alex thinks, “This is another reason why I love Blaze. No matter how bad a situation we are in—aka the threat of going to jail for underage drinking right now—she didn’t have a care in the world, as long as she finished the drink in her hand.”

During a party, the teens hear sirens. They jump into cars and leave in a panic. Alex gets into a car with a boy she has never met.

One of Alex’s friends is dating a boy who got kicked off the football team for smoking pot.

While at a party, Blaze pours vodka into a cup for Alex, who “take[s] a big swig and flinch[es], the clear liquid burning down the back of my throat.” Alex and Blaze drink “a quarter of it before we both tap out. At this point the room is spinning and I’m not sure which way is the front or the back of the house.” Alex jumps into the pool fully clothed.

At one party, Alex arrives and is “thankful for the distraction of drunk guys and girls wearing little to no clothing as we get out of the car.” Blaze and Alex pour beer from a keg.

While riding in a limo on the way to the homecoming dance, Alex and her friends drink champagne. Alex drinks and “the bubbles go straight to my nose. . . I find out the hard way it’s not a drink to be chugged. . .” When the glass is empty, she grabs the bottle and “take[s] another big gulp directly from the top. For a minute I wonder if the fizz will float to my head and I giggle at the idea of my brain being briefly filled with bubbles.”