My first thought when I started reading The Lucky Kind was that Nick, the main character, was someone that I would love to hang out with. He's sweet, slightly awkward, has a wit to be contended with, and really seems to think things through. Add in his sarcastic and amazing friend (essentially brother) Stevie, and the focus of his admiration, Eden, and you have a group of characters that will steal your heart. Despite anything else I have may thought while reading this book, these characters never stopped making me love them.

At the heart of this book is a story of an adolescent boy who is growing up. Nick knows he's smitten with Eden, but he doesn't know how to talk to her. Stevie is like the ying to Nick's yang. He is the one who is smooth with the girls, witty when it's called for, and never seems to be awkward in situations. Then Nick finds out some information that turns his life upside down, and suddenly he's the strong one. He finds the confidence to talk to Eden, he finds the ability to question his parents when he feels they aren't being truthful. Unfortunately with this new found freedom comes the need to question himself as well.

The chemistry in this book between all the characters is pure perfection. As a girl who grew up with a "Norman Rockwell" family, only later to discover that the older you get the less perfect they seem, I felt Nick's emotions perfectly. His disbelief over the news he is given, his inability to cope with it the way everyone thinks he should, right down to the way that he projects those feelings into other areas of his life. Nick is just a boy who is trying to grow up "right", and now has been given something huge to overcome in this already difficult time in his life. I felt for him, and I loved it.

His relationship with his parents is one that I think a lot of teenagers will appreciate. Too often out there the parents are hidden in the background, not caring what their children do or say. Or they are too weak to stand up for themselves if their children make bad decisions. Nick's parents aren't perfect, but really what is perfect? No, his parents are the type that are there for him, but let him have space. They banter with him, and talk to him like an adult when he needs it. Nick's parents reminded me a lot of my parents, which is probably another reason why I so connected with this book.

As you can tell from reading my ramblings above, I really connected with Nick and his struggles. The Lucky Kind is a book that tells a story that really could belong to anyone. However Alyssa Sheinmel has created, I think, the perfect character to live this story in Nick. Sweet, touching, and more than a little emotional, this is a book that I think readers will really enjoy. I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy as soon as you can. ( )

A quick read, Sheinmel still does a more than adequate job dealing with some big issues for young adults: first love, disillusionment, family bonds, etc. Very enjoyable. ( )

The Lucky Kind is a young adult novel written from the perspective of a high school junior named Nick. It was a nice change to read a young adult book from a boy’s point of view since most of the YA books I read have female main characters. This book was written by a woman, and while I thought she did a decent job getting inside a boy’s head I really am not an expert judge, being a girl myself. I would be curious to hear a guy’s perspective on this book as to how realistic her characterization was.

In The Lucky Kind Nick is face with two problems: figuring out how to approach the girl that he has a crush on, and discovering what secret his parents are hiding from him. Once he finds out the secret it wreaks havoc on the rest of his life, and causes him to reexamine how he sees himself and his parents.

I have to admit that reading this book was a lot like watching an after-school special. You don’t know quite how the character is going to mess things up, but you’re pretty sure he’s going to learn some life lessons about relationships in the process. This is great for me because I’ve always enjoyed after-school specials. On the flip side, I have to wonder how much this story would really appeal to teenage boys.

Some young adult books have crossover appeal to the adult audience, but I think this is one that is going to appeal mostly to a younger crowd. I should also mention that the following issues play a role in the book: teenage sex, drinking, and smoking. More than anything else though, it is a story about the difficulties of keeping open and honest relationships between teenagers and parents. ( )

The story of Nick and his family is touching and believable. It's written in such a way that you feel for the characters and are pulled into their world. All of the characters are well drawn out, including the parents. ( )

Nick Brandt is a lucky kid, so he believes. He is a junior at an exclusive Manhattan high school, has the greatest parents a kid could want, a best buddy who is more like family and he knows this is the year he talks to Eden, his crush since elementary school. One night Nick answers a mysterious phone call. The caller asks for his father by a name he rarely uses, and when told Mr. Brandt is not home, the caller hangs up.

Eventually, Nick realizes his parents have been keeping an important family secret from him for many years, and decides he may no longer be able to trust his parents. While his home life hits a snag, his relationship with Eden grows by leaps and bounds. Then Nick finds out what, or rather who, the secret is and his entire world starts to spin and sputter.

This is a good book. Why? The characters are believable, the scenario plausible for any teen today with Baby-Boomer parents, and the writing will have you glued to the pages. I think I took a couple of little breaks, and I mean little, while I read this in one sitting. Nick finds out a family secret only he did not know, and it makes it angry. His girlfriend, Eden, learns her parents are divorcing and she is upset. These two emotions play off each other bringing the two teens closer.

Once Nick learns the secret is arriving for Christmas, he loses it, feeling he has lost his perfect little family and his place in it. The anger grows and starts to take out those around him. I could feel his indignation, but at the same time, I got frustrated with the way he was acting. Reading this was like watching a soap I watch regularly and yell at the TV as if the actors and scenes are real. The Lucky Kind is that involving. It pulls you in that deep.

I was never sure whether Nick’s relationship with his parents would mend. Then there was Eden. Would they reconnect? The only character I positively knew Nick would find his way back to was Stevie, Nick’s lifelong best friend. Those kinds of friends never leave. The change this one little secret causes in each character is profound. Do you have any secrets?

note: received from publisher. ( )