How To Get Lucky by Lauren Blakely and Joe Arden

Narrated by Joe Arden with Erin Mallon, Emma Wilder and Maxine Mitchell

Romantic Comedy Standalone

I’ve been really struggling with reading and even listening to books this year. But then How To Get Lucky by Lauren Blakely and Joe Arden came out. I gobbled it up in one day. I read almost anything Lauren releases, and I am rarely, if ever, disappointed. But I’ll admit, I was a little worried that the collaboration might change what I love about Lauren’s writing.

I needn’t have worried.

I’ll be honest, I would never have noticed the difference. It’s a Lauren Blakely book through and through, but it did feel like Joe personified Teddy even more than he usually does in Lauren’s books. Lauren writes an amazing male POV, so where most authors could really benefit from an actual male POV, Lauren doesn’t need it. BUT, it added something I couldn’t put my finger on.

Lauren writes nice guys all the time, but Teddy was even nicer than most. He was starting his own DJ business, and working as a DJ at a nightclub with a male review on the weekends. When he spotted a girl at the bar playing air guitar, he was smitten. When he found London again at the dog park, the chemistry ramped up even more.

“Note to self: Find my passport when I get home because I want to spend some time in London.”

Then it came to a screeching halt when he discovered that London is his boss’s sister. OFF LIMITS. But when she needs help with music for her choreography, they begin a working relationship. With all that chemistry, there was no stopping the love train, as hard as they tried 😉

“Spark is what I didn’t have for so long. And this guy is all spark.”

When I listen to Joe Arden narrate a Lauren Blakely book, I often feel like he adds a lot of himself into the characters, because Lauren writes the parts for him. But with Joe helping to write, I think it made it feel that much more real. I would love to listen to these two collaborate more!

Likes:

Teddy was such a good guy.
I loved the dogs!
It was a feel-good book that let me check out for a day.
I listened to the whole thing with a goofy grin.
Just the right amount of romance, angst and sexiness.
Mostly male POV with the three girlfriends conversations that I absolutely loved. I like when Lauren finds non-traditional ways to add the other POV.

Dislikes:

Didn’t feel overly unique or memorable.

The Narration:

Joe personified Teddy to the fullest. I loved his narration, and the girlfriend conversations cracked me up, especially Erin’s expressive voice. It was perfect.

The Down & Dirty:

These two need to write together more! Lauren already rocks the male POV and doesn’t really need help there, but Joe just added something special to the already special Lauren Blakely style. I laughed, sighed, swooned and smiled. I would have never guessed there were two authors. I loved How to Get Lucky and I can’t wait for more from this duo.