Happy Girl Lucky

The Valentines #1

by Holly Smale

Introducing The Valentines. Fame – It Runs in the Family!

Sisters Hope, Faith and Mercy have everything: fame, success, money and beauty. But what Hope wants most of all is love, and it doesn’t matter how far she has to go to find it.

Except real-life isn't like the movies. Even if you're a Valentine . . .=

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Love, Audiobook, Young Adult Contemporary

480 pages, Paperback

First published February 7, 2019

About the author

Holly is the Number One bestselling, multi-award winning author of the GEEK GIRL series.

She fell in love with writing at five years old, when she realised that books didn't grow on trees like apples. A passion for travel, adventure and wearing no shoes has since led her all over the world: she has visited 27 countries, spent two years working as an English teacher in Japan, volunteered in Nepal, been bartered for in Jamaica and had a number of ear-plugs stolen in Australia, Indonesia and India.

Holly has a BA in English Literature, an MA in Shakespeare, and currently lives in London or at @holsmale.

The GEEK GIRL series has been an internationally bestselling no1. smash-hit. It won the Waterstones Teen Prize of the Year and the Leeds book award, was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize and the Branford Boase award, and was long-listed for the Carnegie.

Reviews

[Ivana - Diary of Difference · Rating 5 out of 5]

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#1 Happy Girl Lucky - ★★★★★
#2 Far From Perfect - ★★★★



I am hosing a GIVEAWAY on my instagram page, ending on 22nd February 2019. Enter for a chance to win 5 signed copies with 5 pop sockets!

Happy Girl Lucky is the first book from The Valentines Series. This is a story about a famous family, The Valentines, who have been Hollywood stars for ages. Hope is one of the daughters of the famous couple, but she grows up without all that paparazzi attention and hype. It is a family rule not to involve their children into the famous world until they are sixteen. Hope can’t wait to turn sixteen and start living this amazing life.

Hope spends her teenage years as a normal girl – she steals clothes from her sisters and makes movie scenarios in her head. She reads her horoscope every day and knows what the magazines say is true. She is naive and funny and so unique. And when one day, her horoscope says she is on her way to finally meet her true love, she has to make everything possible to make this come true.
And when she meets this boy, we follow Hope’s adventures from touring London, to travelling to the US, to making decisions she never thought she could make. I loved how we are with Hope every minute of her journey and we watch her slowly grow and make us giggle.

Even though Hope gives the life of this story, and makes us all want to be friends with her, all of the other characters have their own little unique spark, which I loved so much.

A wonderfully written story, but also a very meaningful one. Holly Smale managed to perfectly capture some of the issues that some teenage girls are facing today. Living their own reality while their family lives a completely different world is not so uncommon, and girls need to know this. Sometimes, we wake in a reality we don’t know and think we are the ones to blame, but there is nothing wrong with you. All you ladies out there, you need to hear this. There is nothing wrong with you. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You are unique, and you should believe in what you are, who you are, and what makes you truly happy. And through Hope’s story, we can understand this so well, and I am forever grateful!

A fun and entertaining story, meant to capture all the teenage hearts out there. This is definitely a must-read for every girl out there, to find her true self and be happy for what she truly is.

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[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Girl Lucky by Holly Smale is the first book of the new young adult contemporary romance The Valentines series. Each book of this series is going to feature one of the Valentine sisters so they could read as a standalone if choosing to do so with each having a different lead although there is a lot of character building of the entire family within this opener for the upcoming installments.

Happy Girl Lucky introduces the readers to Hope, the youngest of the four Valentine siblings. Hope is only fifteen with four months away from her sixteenth birthday and she is not allowed to be in the family fame spotlight just yet. Hope’s mother, grandmother and great-grandmother have all been famous movie stars and now all her siblings are getting into the business too leaving her feeling left behind.

The paparazzi are relentless when it comes to this famous family right at the moment though with Hope’s mother at a retreat for her mental health. Hope’s father is away on location of his latest movie and rumors are flying about the family. Hope however would rather have her moment in the spotlight when she finds her leading man.

I don’t really read much contemporary young adult but I have seen the Geek Girl series around quite a bit and have been curious so seeing this new series I thought it was a good chance to check out this author. I honestly thought this was rather cute and fun to read but I would warn that the main character in this first book doesn’t quite feel her age. Hope is very sheltered and that shows immensely in her own fantasy “movie” world but I had fun with the style that brought to the book when Hope ran her imaginary scenes. In the end I enjoyed this but I’m not the age it is marketed to and I’m not sure the main character would be as likable to that crowd.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read, but not without some substance. Hope Valentine, the youngest family member of a movie dynasty family, is just months from starting her real life. When she turns sixteen she can begin training for the craft. With her active imagination she already lives her life as if it is a movie -- doing multiple takes when possible and cutting out the scenes she doesn't want to keep. But, wait. Is that the best way to live your life? It may take a trip to America to follow a boy (and try to bring her dad back to reunite with her mom) for Hope to realize that our daily ups and downs help us to grow and make the choices that take us into the future. Taking well-natured shots at rom-coms and media coverage of celebs, I thought this was clever and want to revisit the Valentine family when the second book comes out.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I desperately wanted to DNF this book. It just wasn't for me. The style was too middle-grade, the characters all so annoying, Hope was far too selfish for me, and her 'ideal world' just made me so mad. I always knew something would go wrong, and I loved it when Hope realised what that wrong thing was. Serves her right for always thinking about herself. She's just so up herself, and she just really annoyed me. I just didn't like being in her head, constantly directing perfect scenes, orchestrating and choreographing everything to make herself look perfect. She just got under my skin. At least this was a super fast read, got the book done in 3.5 hours.

[Priss]

Gelezen t/m pagina 30.
Ik was best een beetje geïntrigeerd door de achterkant, maar Hope's hoofd is vrij vermoeiend om in te zitten, en ze is zo ontzettend naïef dat het bijna ongeloofwaardig is.. (en dat zegt iemand van wie d'r vrienden suuuper vaak zeggen dat ze naïef is). Helaas, niet mijn boek.

[Kirsty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well that was awful. Main character was incredibly annoying. More like an attention seeking 7 year old than a 15 year old. She was incredibly stupid and self involved to the point where she didn't notice the blindingly obvious stuff happening around her. All the other characters around her (apart from Roz) where all vapid awful people.

I finished it because I constantly hoped it would get better. It didn't.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect boek om te lezen ter afwisseling van een zwaardere pil. Heel anders dan Geek Girl, maar wel weer heel leuk geschreven, bij vlagen hilarisch en gewoon heel tof: ik heb echt genoten van de manier waarop Hope alles in filmscenario’s ziet en van het hele filmwereldje. Het is leuk, verfrissend, deed me een beetje denken aan Isn’t It Romantic? en had uiteindelijk een mooie ontwikkeling. Zeker geen slecht boek!

[Chloe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never ever written a review on Goodreads before, but this book was so stupid that I had to write one.

First of all, I do not understand how someone can be so stupid and oblivious. I mean really, did Hope seriously not understand that Jamie really didn't want to date her when she turned up in Los Angeles (I can't believe after a week of "dating" she flew to America so that she could be with him!). I wanted to cringe every single time that Hope and Jamie were together, as it felt so awkward to read... Jamie was absolutely awful to her, and I would actually say that he was emotionally abusing her to some extent. He was definitely one of the worst parts of the book.

I mean it kind of did get better cause she grew as a character and her personality wasn't so over the top anymore, but god I am so annoyed at the book. Yes it was good that it kind of got better at the end, but I wasted so much time reading it, as I had to keep putting down the book because I was cringing so hard.

Secondly, her parents seriously did not give two shits about her and her siblings. Yes, they were both very busy, but they never really seemed to check in with how their children were doing. Their children seemed to care more about them then they did about the children! Oh and don't even get me started on how her siblings didn't even know that she had left the house and gone to America!! They all cared more about themselves then their sister who was obviously struggling, and really needed someone in her life.

Thirdly, this poor girl lived in a fantasy and couldn't distinguish between what was real or not. She had no friends, and had no one to have a meaningful conversation with, except the fake conversations that she came up with in her head. This girl needed a serious reality check as if she was in the real world, I don't think she would survive. And that links back to her parents and how they sheltered her, her whole life.

I would highly advise anyone who wants to read this book to not read it as you will loose a day of your life that you could spend doing something worthwhile.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 / 5 stars

Happy Girl Lucky is the first book in the new Young Adult Valentines series.

I have read a couple of books from the Geek Girl series by this author. And thought that they were super cute. So I was excited to try this new series.

To me Happy Girl Lucky came as across as a very young YA book. The narrator was Hope (she's almost 16 years old).

Hope comes from a super famous family. Her parents, grandmother and her siblings are all very famous. But she isn't allowed to do anything until she turns 16 in four months.

I thought that the premise sounded interesting. But the first two thirds of the book was not my favorite. The story just didn't grab my attention like I was hoping that it would.

Since Hope cannot be famous she holds fake auditions for her leading man. She has a huge imagination and has a very intense inner world. I think this part of the book had potential. But it was my least favorite thing about the book. I just didn't enjoy reading fake scenes.

The book does have romance. And I guess that was a main focus of the story.

My favorite part of the book was the last third. I thought that it was quite enjoyable. Some things happened that I did not see coming. And there were other developments that I was not expecting, but which I thought added so much to the story. I think that maybe this book would be more for teens or those who want a more juvenile YA story.






Thanks to edelweiss and HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks for allowing me to read this book.

[Judit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dec 12, 2018: So I might have *accidentally* pre-ordered this book.

***

Sep 06, 2018: NEW BOOK BY HOLLY SMALE AND WE HAVE A COVER!!! I'M SO EXCITED!

[siege is tired · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF: don’t read this book, all it is is tired and boring stereotypes mixed with cringe.


very upset i bought this book.

[Axellesbooks]

DNF @ 18%
Irritante personages. Leest echt tenenkrommend. Niets voor mij.

[Kirsty Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars

I’m a huge fan of Holly’s writing and have been a champion of her Geek Girl series, whose protagonist Harriet was the geekiest of adorable geeks and you couldn’t help but love her.

The Valentines Sisters therefore had big boots to fill and it’s a good thing they can afford the best boots out there.

We start with the story of the youngest sister, Hope.

Fifteen year old Hope has grown up in a famous family - her parents met on the set of a film - but out of the limelight. The Valentines have a family rule that have seen her coddled and protected from the media until she turns sixteen and Hope can’t wait.

She lives out her days fighting with her sisters, stealing their clothes, being tutored at home and daydreaming that she is part of an epic love movie. Hope’s daydreams appears in the novel as mini scripts complete with wistful actions and declarative dialogue. Hope lives up to her name - she falls in “love” freely and frequently. It’s just a shame the boys don’t always follow the script.

Hope is hopelessly naive at times, she is a horoscope devotee and I have to admit, as well as wanting to give her a big hug I also wanted to shake her a few times - you know gently and just so she doesn’t get hurt. Hope herself says it’s a doggy-dog world but she doesn’t seem to quite grasp what that means (Geek Girl’s Harriet’s eye would be twitching at some of the phrases Hope comes out with).

As much as this book is about romantic love it is also about familial love and the relationships with her siblings, parents and grandmother is vitally important to her. Her mum is in rehab, dad is in the US filming and her siblings each have their own public persona to cultivate.

Leaving Hope lonely, and she is reaching out for love wherever it comes from and she has the resources to go all out to get it. And boy does she take things to extremes - including a trip to the Hollywood Sign.

Holly Smale has developed another excellent cast of characters, I’m actually desperate to find out more about Mercy. In Hope she utilises her skill at writing teen girls as they can be, unreliable narrators of their own lives. With a different take on humour than in her first series there are less laugh out loud moments and some serious issues tackled in Happy Girl Lucky including gaslighting (although it’s not explicitly labelled). This was a fast paced and hugely enjoyable read and yes, you will do as the series tagline suggests and fall in love with the Valentines.

Sisters Faith and Mercy will each have their own story, and I’m not going lie, I already know I’d love to have a story of some sort from brother Max’s perspective (maybe a novella if not a full length escapade).

Thank you to HarperCollins for the Advanced Review Copy I was gifted for the purposes of giving an honest review.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was frustrating in the beginning and if you're a teen girl reading thus (especially if you're smart) this will be an insult to your intelligence, but it does get better and the end I worth it (at least I think it is).

CHARACTERS

🫧Hope Valentine🫧
Not going to lie: for the first 70% of the book I was so irritated by how dumb she was. There is no elegant way saying it.
She is super self-centered, but she doesn't mean to be. She is the product of bad parenting. Her parents aren't terrible people they just made a lot of mistakes. And I felt so sorry for her. In the end she does finally open her eyes and wake up to reality and can I just say, I was relieved. I'm so glad she took the news of her dad and Roz so well.

A little side note about Hope is that she is 15 and literally had imaginary friends. I was very concerned about this girl throughout the book. But she managed to overcome her loneliness and see what was real and what wasn't. It was all just a coping mechanism and I think this book shows how coping mechanisms can be... not so good sometimes.

👩‍🎤Mercy👩‍🎤
She was irritating but I think she has a lot if baggage that she needs to unpack. Can't wait for her story.

😊Faith😊
She's kind of an npc so I'm hoping that her story will shed some light onto her character.

🔎Roz🔎
I loved Roz. I loved how she helped Hope through her boy troubles. I love how she saw how Hope was struggling before her own father did. 10 ⭐️'s to Roz. I hope she's in the other books as well.

🤮Jamie🤮
This asshole was so manipulative and toxic. I hated him. I'm so glad Hope managed to put him in his place.
This guy gave me whiplash. He'd say they're in a relationship but would shout at her when she said she was his girlfriend. He said he hated casual people but couldn't stand intense people.

~Quotes~

Well, maybe happiness is somewhat like a road. And maybe we get so focused on the stretch directly ahead of us, we forget that sadness and pain and anger and fear are the signposts, telling us which direction to go. They're not much fun to look at. Sometimes it feels like they're spoiling the view. But we need them to stop us driving the wrong way.

"You're insane, " Jamie tells me with aggressive certainty. "IN.SANE. Why do I always pick the nut-jobs? What is it about me that seems to only attract crazy girls?"
I laugh a little harder.
"Oh, Jamie," I chuckle, finally wiping my eyes. "You don't date crazy girls. You turn girls you date crazy."

He stares "Are you dumping me?"
"Oh my goodness, no." I shake my head, patting him. "Of course not, Jamie. I can't dump you, because we were never going out. Remember?"

3.5 stars

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of the wonderful Geek Girl series is back with a new series about The Valentines Family.

After I got used to Hope Valentines way of thinking that everything is a Hollywood movie and that she daydreams a lot, plus often uses words incorrectly, I whizzed through this book.

All she wants is to be 16 to be allowed to start being an actress like everyone else in her family. She has three older siblings who barely notice her, and parents who aren't really about.

You can't help but feel sorry for Hope, as she hopes to meet her one true love. In fact every boy she comes into contact with is considered for leading man role!

This is a light fun, and quick read and I am already hoping to read more of the Valentines family in future books.

This story just shows that just because you are from a rich and famous family that your life may not be perfect and for YA read that is an important message for the celebrity obsessed, social media addicts out there, that you need to look beyond the surface to know more about a person.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 26%

I'd heard good things about Holly Smale's Geek Girl series so I picked her newest release first. I could not get into this at all. Hope was so immature and the way she acted really got on my nerves. From what I saw of her family, they weren't much better. The sections written as a script seemed like they were there just for an interesting writing style that didn't add anything and took me further out of the book. I will not be reading the rest of the series nor do I think I'll be reading Geek Girl.

[Mollie Ballinger · Rating 1 out of 5]

hope valentine is the most delusional person maybe ever (she’s just like me fr).

every time jamie spoke i wanted to rip out my hair but like i’ll give compliments when due, his gaslighting was incredible.

honestly just trying to read every book in my room and this is a signed edition i got in 2019 so!

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

i STRUGGLED reading this, she’s a 15 year old but has the emotional depth and thought processes of a 12 year old. this probably would’ve been a book i really enjoyed in middle school but im not so overall just didn’t like it. In the end hope came out with a little character growth but not enough to justify everything else

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something so special about the beautiful and happy characters Holly Smale creates. I loved Hope just as much as I loved Harriet, and I'm so excited to see the other siblings stories.

This book follows Hope, the 15 year old daughter of a famous actress and a famous director, and the youngest in a dynasty of famous women. Hope has spent her entire life waiting for it to start. She isn't allowed to participate in any of the "famous-people things" until she's 16, and because all of her family members can, she's usually left all alone. She's constantly searching for the One, and spends her time directing her life like a movie in her head. She meets the One (maybe), and things kick off from there.

Hope is so fun. She is so happy and loving and kind, and she really reads like 15. I know some of the other reviews had a problem with this reading too young, but I think for a 15 year old who has never really interacted with the outside world and has lived her whole life through rom coms, she reads incredibly real. Maybe I'm the outlier here because I was a naive and innocent 15 year old, but Hope reads exactly like how I was at that age. Being in her head was so fun for me. I loved all of the parts that read like scripts. It was a really cool and interesting addition. Hope is just a naive girl looking for love wherever she can find it.

I also really loved the way gaslighting and emotional abuse was portrayed in this book. It was so real and you could feel both the anxiety and the hurt it created in Hope. It is masterfully done, and I really appreciated that this book balanced the happy of hope's internal world with the harsh reality of emotional manipulation. I also spent this entire book being mad at Hope's family, so I was really satisfied when she finally got mad too.

I think the message of this book is really lovely and also really well done. If you spend your entire life ignoring the bad parts and pretending things like sadness and pain don't exist, not only are you eventually going to hit a breaking point, but you also can't really get all the good parts without the bad parts too. But I really appreciated that the book didn't make it so that Hope being a positive and upbeat person was a bad thing. She still got to keep her happiness and her optimism. She learned the value of feeling all your emotions and allowing yourself to see the whole truth, even if it's ugly sometimes, but she didn't stop being loving and sweet and bright.

This was just a really sweet book, that handled its hard topics with grace and sensitivity. I found myself being as happy and smiley as I was when I read the Geek Girl series, because much like Harriet, Hope sees the best in people and wants everyone that she loves to be happy. I'm really excited to read the rest of this series, because I know I'm going to love this series just as much as Harriet and Co. Overall, this made me so happy and also hurt me a little at the end, and I am so glad I finally read it.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will not deny that I am not fond of Hope’s parents, though they seem to try to be good ones and all they just don’t appeal to me, mainly when they acted a bit ruthless sometimes. The sisters are alright, and this story focuses on Hope and her dream of falling in love, living life, and being in the limelight. She’s young and naive and makes poor choices, but I love her character development as the story progresses. Aside from this book's lovely cover, it is also a fun, delightful, and light read that made me laugh so many times.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tegen verwachting in, vond ik dit boek zo leuk!

[M.falls.in.books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*
Nakoniec som veľmi spokojná s príbehom aj s tým ako sa celá kniha vyvinula. Zo začiatku som mala menšie obavy, no postupne som začala chápať, čo nám tým chcela autorka povedať a to bolo skvelé!

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope is the youngest of the famous Valentine's, at nearly sixteen she isn't allowed in the spotlight yet but can't wait to be allowed as she dreams constantly of film style monologues and meeting the one, Hope is desperate for her future to begin.



A firm believer in star signs she hope's that they will guide her through life and to the one, enter Jamie making Hope the happy go lucky girl she is enter a new level of extreme happiness!



Jamie is a Californian she meets by accident only to discover he's going back to LA.



LA is also where her father now lives, hatching a plan Hope comes to realise a lot not just while she's there but realizing how much her family notice her, expect her to go along with anything and everything but also how her mum has been in rehab for so long because her father might have left and moved on for good from them all, not just to go make Hollywood films.



Ultimately, the book concludes to lead Hope to her possible future and leave the book open to interpret that the next in series will be about Faith/Effie and their life. It was a drama filled read and I devoured it, Hope is a positive ray of sunshine who does what her heart wants not letting anything get in her way an instantly likable character Holly has done a great job on her debut book from her new series.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

[Helin Puksand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kes mu postitusi jälgib, on ilmselt märganud, et olen taas laste- ja noortekirjanduse lainel. Tõepoolest, olen taas hea laste- ja noorteraamatu žüriis. Kuna seekord oli see mul ette teada, siis jälgisin eelmisel aastal ilmunud raamatuid ja nii mõnegi jõudsin ka läbi lugeda. Sattus ka see raamat minu kätte, aga pärast paarikümne lehekülje lugemist arvasin, et see raamat nagunii sellesse nimekirja ei satu, ja viisin raamatu lugemata raamatukokku tagasi. Aga siis sain selle aasta konkursi nimekirja - ja üllatus-üllatus! - see raamat vaatas sealt vastu. Oeh, otsustasin siis, et loen siis läbi ja püüan siis leida selle, miks see raamat on hea noorteraamatu kandidaat. Ma usun, et te olete aru saanud, et ma leian üldiselt igast raamatust midagi positiivset. Samuti püüan laste- ja noorteraamatuid lugeda läbi sihtgrupi silmade. Küllap on sellelegi raamatule oma sihtgrupp.
Millest siis raamat räägib? Filminäitleja ja režissööri ärahellitatud noorim tütar otsib armastust ja muidugi leiab. Õnnetuseks elab noormees Ameerikas, aga Hope on harjunud saama oma tahtmist ja võtab appi oma näitlemisoskuse ning keerab isa ümber oma sõrme.
Vabandust, fännid, minult see raamat punkte ei saa, kuna eelmisel aastal ilmus ikka väga häid noorteraamatuid, mida võin ka iga kell soovitada.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope is the youngest in her acting dynasty family and she is being sheltered by them until her 16th birthday in a few months. She is a dreamy, happy girl who is desperate to find someone to love and to love her. She has an internal monologue that turns her life into film scenes and doesn't really relate to the real world. When she meets American Jamie she falls in love almost instantly but is he really the golden boy he seems at first?

In the first few chapters of the book I must admit I found Hope's Pollyanna personality irritating but as I read on and realised that her happiness is a shield that she is using to help her deal with upsetting events, such as her mum and dad breaking up, I felt more sympathetic to her and by the end of the book I was cheering her on. The story is seemingly light and fluffy but it has a lot to say about being your own person and not being influenced by family or being taken for granted by anyone.

[Natasha Leighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[potato reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

Este libro tiene más problemas psicologicos y carencias en los personajes que todo un jodido psiquiatrico. Ante todo, digo que estoy escribiendo desde el ordenador por lo que va a haber muchas faltas de ortografía :v

Vamos a ver esta mierda porque es un AVEM de cojones. Ademas aviso de que voy a decir muchos tacos por si hay alguno sensible o le molesta eso :)

+La protagonista Hope me cae como el putisimo culo. Con todas las letras y asi lo digo y no me corto. Supuestamente tiene 16 años y mi primo de 3 es mas maduro que esta puta cría. De verdad que hay pocas cosas que me molesten pero una de ellas es la gente que se deja lleva a pies puntillas por el horoscopo... y adivinad quien esta obsesionada con el horoscopo... ¡si! Hope sobrepasa la obsesion y luego doy mas motivos pero uno de ellos es que esta tan influenciada por él que ese día se fija en un chico y sale a buscar un chico solo porque lo dice el horoscopo. hola? Porque vamos a ver, a mi me gusta el horoscopo pero de ahí a hacerle caso y a algo que luego comentaré... entre esto y eso hay un trecho (yo cambiando refranes).

+LA PUTA MIERDA DE RELACION FAMILIAR XFAVO MATADMEEEEEE. O sea no tengo la familia perfecta y feliz, de echo tenemos nuestros rifirrafes pero por favor, yo he visto a unos hermanos que no me jodas el vecino era mas familiar que ellos. Yo relacion nula de familia, algo que odio, para eso no pongas a la familia porque joder que si una era una egoista de mierda y que cuando su hermana *SPOILER* se va a EEUU (luego comento esta gilipollez maxima porque estuve a punto de abandonar el libro por esto) a una de las hermanas solo se le ocurre decir que ella era la que merecia estar en Hollywood o como cojones se escriba esa ciudad. ¿perdona? QUE HABEIS TARDADO TRES (TRES!!!!!!) DIAS EN DAROS CUENTA DE QUE VUESTRA HERMANA MENOR DE EDAD (POR FAVOR : MENORRRRR DE EDAAAAAD) NO ESTABA EN VUESTRA JODIDA CASA. A mi mi hermana no baja a desayunar y yo rompo la puerta de su habitacion tirandola de la oreja y llevandola a comer a la jodida cocina. a eso lo llamas familia? porque yo no lo entiendo. Y aun asi so incapaces de plantarse en EEUU, NOOOOO, tiene que volver la hermana a Londre. VERGONZOSO, esa es la palabra. Por muchos gritos que me haya echado mi hermana (que vaya por donde la Hope tenia razon porque solo se preocupan por ellos mismo) yo cojo el primer vuelo hacia ese jodido pais y no vuelvo sin mi hermana y sin una explicacion. Y bueno no hablemos de la pasividad con la que reccionan cuando se enteran de que no esta su hermana.... *FIN DEL SPOILER*

+*SPOILER* Tanto se preocupan por que su hermana no sea vista antes de los 16 (le faltan 4 meses para cumplir los 16) y son tan estrictos y luego les vale mierdas que su hermana este en los Angeles?? Hola? Coherencia? si gracias, depositate en este libro.*FIN DEL SPOILER* Y relacionado con las ganas de "proteger" a Hope hasta que cumpla 16 los feos que la hacen cada vez que la pobre niña quiere ir a una gala son increibles...

+Empezamos con los problemas psicologicos: QUIEN COJONES SE BESA EN LA PRIMERA CITA Y SE MONTA UNA PELICULA DIGNA DE JENNIFER ANISTON EN SU CABEZA?!?! No lo entiendo. Y la chica que ya se pensaba que en la primera cita la iba a pedir ser su novia? hola, de que piedra has salido? no soy una experta en citas pero intuyo que eso no pasa.

+*SPOILER* Y la Hope cuando se entera de que el tio es de California... no hace otra cosa que seguirlo. Matadme porque nos quejamos de la toxicidad de After pero esto.... Y me jode porque esto va dirigido a un publico mas joven y si lo que te muestra es que tienes que montarte una pelicula, idealizar todo, dejar a tu familia solo con una nota debajo de la puerta y largarte a otro pais... Bien vamos, si señor.

Y la Hope se planta en EEUU, con dos cojones y siendo menor. OLEEEE LA COHERENCIA *cancion de Lady Gaga de Applause*. Total que va con el padre y aqui digo una cosa: por mucha mierda que digas, una menor no puede viajar en avion con una planificacion de unos minutos y lo se porque mi madre es agente de viajes y estoy harta de escuchar: no puedes viajar hasta los 18 bla bla bla. Entonces como narices ha viajado esta niña? joder Holly esto parece una novela de fantasia mas que juvenil. *FIN DEL SPOILER*

+Hablemos del corte que le da al chico y lo incomodo que se siente con esta ahi. Literalmente me daba vergüenza ajena la protagonista, emocionandose como una puta cria de 5 años en Navidad con cada palabra que decia el otro... 5comentarios xfavo.

+Mas historias raras dignas de una persona obsesiva y sin cariño durante la infancia porque eso es para mi Hope: una niña que no ha tenido una infancia normal o por lo menos querida.... mas de Hope haciendose historias dignas de Danielle Steele y Corin Tellado... O sea le lleva a una persona de California a hacer un tour de las casas de los famosos, algo mas patetico que eso? spoiler: no lo hay.

+En fin, el chico un jodido narcicista insoportable con un ego digno del culo de Kim Kardashian que no empatiza ni un puto momento con la chica...*SPOLER* Pero le doy la razon en que cuando la chica le dice lo de ser novios el otro se queda con una cara tipo: what? porque es la puta realidad es que en ningun momento la dijo de ser novios ASUMELO *FIN DEL SPOILER*

+*SPOILER*O SEA QUE LE REGALA EL ALQUILER DE UN LAMBORGHINI POR UN DIA AWATAFAKA? NI A MI NOVIO DE TODA LA VIDA LE HAGO ESO *FIN DEL SPOILER*

+Total se sigue montando sus pajas en la cabeza y vuelve a casica peeeeero antes pasa una cosa: *SPOILER*Con sus maravillosas historias Hope se cree que su madre y su padre vuelven y menuda sopresa se lleva cuando su papi le dice que no que él se esta divorciando de su madre y que su asistenta (que igual que lo del novio, en ningun momento dijo que era su asistenta) es su novia. Y la puta cria que no, que si la mierda del horoscopo decia tal que si no se que, que si su madre y su padre... A VER PUTA CRIA, QUE TIENES CASI 16 AÑOS MADURA DE UNA PUTA VEZ COÑO YA. Si se divorcian, se divorcian y no motas el pollo que montas guiandote de cosas que no son reales. Y al final lo resuelven de una cosa muy rara y que no me pega nada con la actitud ridicula que estaba teniendo... esto era lo que queria comentar, que no me seas cria, tienes tus años, acepta el divorcio de tus padres. *FIN DEL SPOILER*

+Llega a casa y sus hermanos muy felices y tal y yo ahora digo: hijos de la gran mierda,PORQUE NO FUISTEIS?!?! 5comentarios.

+*SPOILER*Total que en un visto y no visto han dejado de lado al noviete ese raro por el que dio todo y por el que cruzo el charco y ella regresa a casita y como que va a ser directora de cine por que qué mejor que vivir en tu puto mundo... Y ENCIMA HACER LO REALIDAD PARA VIVIR AUN MAS EN TU MUNDO IDEALIZADO PERFECTO, YUJUUUUU VIVA LA SALUD MENTAL. En serio Holly Smale? EN SERIO? *FIN DEL SPOILER*

+que salvo? la prosa de la autora es facil y ligera de leer a pesar de la mierda de personajes y de la manera en la que se la carga con esas intervenciones a modo de "script" u obra de teatro.

+En concluion: un libro muy decepcionante, me esperaba más pero me he encontrado con la tipica relacion toxica en el que la chica en incapaz de diferenciar un ligue y posible novio de un tio que conoce en el metro de Londre, y esto me da miedo porque los libros de esta autora van dirigidos a un publico joven (mi amiga de 11 los lee y que tenga un ejemplo como el de esta chica...). En fin, aqui lo dejo :)

[Mehsi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with a promising first chapter... but after that it goes downhill fast. Sadly.

This was one of my OMG need to read NOW books, and so I was delighted that one of my libraries had it in stock and in English even. Yes! A day after I got it I started reading it, but quickly my love for the book fell apart. The first chapter was pretty nice, I loved the second one, but yeah.

The main problem to this would be Hope. Hope who is according to the book 15 going on 16. However there is only one point in the book that I saw a 15/16 year old girl. That is near the end, when she realises things (finally), but the rest of the book? I saw a 10, maybe 11, maaaaayyyyybeeee at points 12 year old girl. I have to say it helped me to see this as a kid's book and not as an YA book. As soon as I just kept ignoring the fact this girl was officially supposed to be 15/16 and just saw her as a child of 10 maybe 11 I started to like the book again a bit. A bit. Yes, because Hope is still highly annoying. I know I know, I am not a teen. However, I was a teen, I know teens, and let me tell you.. I have never met anyone who acts like this, not me, not my friends, not the people I know who are teens.
Sure, we were immature then, we made some stupid decisions, however neither me, nor my friends, classmates and other peeps I remember from that period, and none of the teens I see now act like Hope do. They get basic social cues, imaginary friends have died a long time ago, sure some words are hard, but come on most of the words that Hope did wrong are just simple words that most 12/13 year olds know. And there are a ton of other things. Like how she didn't seem to understand how to dress herself and just threw on things that seemed to look good, and let's not talk about make-up.... that poor sister of hers. Horoscopes? She went so far to fully believe in them and let her life be ruled by them. She is constantly making up scripts and rewriting reality, she doesn't seem to understand there is something called reality.

The romance between her and Jamie? In London it felt more like a romance, however in LA it felt more like an older brother being dragged around by his little sister. :| Poor guy. I can just imagine how he felt. However! As the story continued I saw another Jamie and I was NOT amused with this guy. Really. He is calling his girlfriends crazy, but I am fully on board with what Hope said later on. I was definitely disturbed by his behaviour and how Hope was dragged into it. She is already immature and doesn't get cues and all that, but for once I was proud of her, she tried her best to ask him what is going on. Why he acted this way. Still, I wasn't amused with that she went along with so many of his shitty behaviour and how she didn't see how wrong it was until later on.
Then again, flying after your love is very very creepy. I do hope that Hope sees it was wrong and not a good idea to do so. And that she learned a lesson.

I found it very weird that her siblings totally didn't get that she was gone until 3 days after she left. What the hell? I knew the family was dysfunctional as hell, but this was just totally off the charts. I also wasn't too much of a fan of the siblings. Again, it helped me when I thought of Hope as a child, 10/11 year old, because that was in general also how her family treated her. Like a child. Like someone incapable of doing things on her own.

I wasn't a fan of the mom, I found her weak and bleh. Come on, you have a family, you have 4 kids who need your attention, get to it. :| The dad? I wasn't a fan at first, but at least he eventually realises things went too far. That things should have handled differently.

I did think it was a bit weird that no one was hyped about Hope, I get that she is wearing a shirt/sweater over her head, but I would think that the media knows about her? I have read enough about paparazzi to know they aren't one to care much about restrictions. And someone ought to have seen Hope once in her 15/16 years old, yet she was just able to walk around without anyone recognising her.

The ending... well, I will put this under spoiler tags. Hope realises that from young on she created another world. To protect her from the truth. The fact that her parents haven't been together for a long long time. She created delusions. When I read that part, the part that she realises everything was just her mind playing tricks to keep her happy, I immediately thought of Gakkou Gurashi, and specifically Yuki. Yuki is 16-18 year old girl who is in the midst of zombie apocalypse. To survive it and also the death of someone very dear to her she creates delusions. She sees the world not broken but whole. Since they are in a school she often just disappears to follow class, and she is seen talking to people who aren't there any more. Or asking permission to do club things. Often she acts like she is way younger than her official age. In a way, Hope is Yuki, Yuki is Hope. However I do feel that Yuki has a bit more reason to act this way. Come on, zombies, the world is gone as it is, people can die just in the blink of an eye, everything has gone to shit as to say. Anyone would make delusions. However in Gakkou Gurashi we do see that Yuki realises at times that the world she sees and how it actually is are different, it causes her headaches. It isn't like this here where Hope just realises it in one go. Still, it was interesting. And no it didn't make Hope's character better, as the revelation was just at the end, after 400+ pages of excruciating annoying stuff. I liked Yuki's character better. It was better written + made more sense.

I did love Roz, she was such a sweet woman and I loved all she did for Hope and Hope's dad. The revelation on who she actually was was a surprise, a good surprise, and I was just delighted.

I also loved reading about London and LA and seeing various landmarks/fun things.

It was also quite fun to read about The Valentines and all they did, how famous they are and to read about the family history.

But yeah, I just wasn't enjoying this one. I kept reading on because I was hoping it would get better, I wanted to see a real Hope, someone acting her age or at least closer to it. I won't be continuing this series.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[tanja (taylor’s version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characters 6.5/10
Atmosphere 7/10
Writing style 10/10
Plot: 5.5/10
Relationships 6/10
Enjoyment : 5/10
Overall: 3⭐ (6.67)
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Happy Girl Lucky is the first book in Holly Smale's new book series Valentines. In the first book we follow the youngest sister, Hope. I really loved Geek Girl series and I have to say I was a bit disappointed by this book. Anyways, I am planning to continue the series
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I really didn't like Hope. She was just so annoying. I get it, she is supposed to be hopeless romantic, but she feels so flat and dumb. I didn't like Jamie, either. He was just so annoying and two-faced. On the other hand, I loved rest of the Valentines. My favorite was Faith. She is just so kind and truly good. I also really loved Mercy. Honestly, she gave me Isabelle Lightwood vibes (you can see why I love her). Max was a great character, too. I really hope we get to see more of them in Far From Perfect!
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I really loved how we got to explore London and LA in this book. It was so fun to see some famous places I dream of visiting!
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I love Holly Smale's writing style so much. It is so simple, but I really enjoy it. I love the way we get to see places all over the world. Even in Geek Girl, we always travelled around the world. She is one of my must buy authors!
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Plot wasn't as intriguing as I expected it to be. Plot twists were very predictable and felt really flat. It just didn't give me that feeling I usually have while reading other Holly's books.
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I hated Hope and Jamie together. They were so toxic. They didn't have development at all. It was probably insta love that made me hate them. On the other hand, I loved seeing family relationships. I loved seeing Hope stealing Mercy's clothes. I loved seeing Mercy shout at Hope because of that. I loved seeing Max making jokes. I loved seeing Faith making peace. I just loved Valentines as family.
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Overall this was a solid read. I liked some things and others I didn't. I will continue the series, because, if I got that right, next book is from Faith's pov. I can't wait to get to it!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️