With a Little Luck

Marissa Meyer's 'With a Little Luck' is a charming young adult novel blending contemporary high school life with a touch of magical realism. It follows Jude, a shy teen who suddenly gains supernatural good luck from a mysterious dice, allowing him to achieve everything he thought he wanted, from artistic success to dating his popular crush. However, when his luck runs out, Jude must navigate the messy reality of his feelings, particularly for his best friend, and learn the difference between manufactured fortune and genuine happiness. This book is suitable for ages 12-18, offering a heartwarming story about self-discovery, friendship, and first love, with themes of authenticity and courage.

Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw his comics, host regular D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he comes across a mysterious twenty-sided dice and finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck. Suddenly, everything Jude has ever wanted is within reach. His first art submission is accepted to his favorite fanzine. He helps his friend’s song become a finalist in a songwriting competition. And he’s the 100th caller to a local radio contest, winning him a pair of coveted concert tickets, which he uses to ask out the popular girl he’s been crushing on since elementary school. For a few blissful weeks, he feels invincible. But when he loses the magic dice at a local music festival, his luck takes a turn for the worse. He struggles to reclaim his good fortune while fighting off long-buried feelings for his best friend―who is definitely not the girl he’s supposed to be in love with. Can Jude risk stepping into the spotlight long enough to win the true girl of his dreams? Or is he doomed to be unlucky in love forever?