If You're Lucky

July 20, 2015
Seventeen-year-old Georgia is the dark shadow to the bright star that was her free-spirited older brother, Lucky. When Lucky dies in a surfing accident in Australia, everyone in Georgia’s coastal Northern California town is deep in mourning—until a boy named Fin shows up, claiming to have been Lucky’s best friend, and charms everyone from Georgia’s parents to Lucky’s girlfriend. Soon Fin has taken hold of Lucky’s former life and all that went with it, causing Georgia to grow suspicious about his role in Lucky’s death. Her diagnosis as paranoid schizophrenic makes it difficult for anyone to give her suspicions any credit, however. As Georgia endeavors to separate truth from hallucination after she stops taking her medication, Prinz (The Vinyl Princess) forces readers to do the same. The story’s major conflict and the accompanying complications pressing in on Georgia are resolved in a blink, but Georgia’s suspicious mind is a fascinating place to spend time, and the steady internal monologue at the heart of this moody mystery will keep readers hooked. Ages 14–up.

August 15, 2015
A deeply intuitive teen struggles to discover the truth behind her brother's death. Georgia, a 17 year-old aspiring pastry chef in Northern California, hero-worshiped her carefree, globe-trotting older brother, Lucky, whose death in a surfing accident in Australia comes as a world-shattering event. It triggers an emotional avalanche for Georgia, whose life goes from routinized and responsible to grief-stricken, unspooling into paranoia. Prinz carefully plants allusions to events in Georgia's past and to her present medication schedule, so that the revelation of her schizophrenia diagnosis is not at all surprising. When one of Lucky's friends, a handsome charmer introducing himself as Fin, shows up for a memorial party and stays, everyone waves away her suspicion as just so much "weird" behavior. As Fin gets a job in town, starts taking Lucky's dog for walks, and even woos Lucky's girlfriend, Georgia questions Fin's presence and grows convinced that he is responsible for Lucky's death. Her investigation-including an unwise insistence on discontinuing her medication against her doctor's orders and relying on the ensuing auditory and visual hallucinations to guide her-will force readers to wonder about their own possible biases against taking the concerns of mentally ill people seriously. An author's note provides further information and resources on schizophrenia. Prinz produces a solid page-turner. (Thriller. 14-18)

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September 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Georgia's schizophrenic mind sees a suspicious link between the accidental sudden death of her beloved older brother Lucky in a surfing accident and his attractive friend Fin's charming way of inserting himself into Lucky's former life. Her paranoia increases as she goes off her medication, bringing readers along for her fevered observations, raw feelings, and strange hallucinations in tandem with the ongoing action. Georgia is convinced that Fin killed Lucky and she is the only one who recognizes the danger. Coastal, small-town Northern California is an appropriate setting. The possibilities suggested by the wide, grandiose beaches contrast with the constant sense of obligation and servitude experienced by the well-drawn middle class locals who work within the demeaning tourist trade. The prevalent chill in the air is an apt metaphor for Georgia's state of mind.The protagonist ranks among the best of unreliable narrators in YA literature, leaving readers uncertain, confused, and utterly absorbed. The target audience for this title is questionable: though the story is relatively clean suspense without gore or horror, many of the characters are in their mid-20s or older, with accompanying concerns and issues. Georgia's life is strikingly empty of normal teenage concerns and behaviors. VERDICT Psychological drama fans of Alex Flinn, David Klass, Pete Hautman, and Gail Giles may enjoy this dark, broody novel.-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 In the end, Lucky wasn't lucky: he died in a bizarre surfing accident in Australia. Devastated, his parents and sister, Georgia, hold a celebration of his life, inviting his friends from across the world. When they all gather in their small Northern California hometown, one friend stands out: Fin, who claims he and Lucky were almost like brothers. Fin charms even Georgia's grief-stricken parents and girlfriend, but not Georgia. Her suspicions, however, are problematic; Georgia is schizophrenic. When she stops taking her medication in order to think more clearly about Lucky's death, she goes increasingly out of control. No one believes her accusations against Fin as he worms his way deeper into the fabric of Lucky's former life. Prinz subtly moves Georgia from credible to unreliable narrator in such a way that neither characters nor readers know what to believe. Well-developed characters, a charming ocean-front oyster village, and a remarkable expose into mental illness make for an unusual, if slowly unfolding, YA murder mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)