Falling in Luck by Mary Ann Marlowe
FALLING IN LUCK RELEASES MAY 4, 2021
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Firstly, HUGE THANKS to the author, Mary Ann Marlowe for sending us the signed ARC and bookmark! THANK YOU!!!
This book is so deliciously cozy. It reminds me of the comfort of eating a warm beignet for breakfast. Or people-watching in a cafe, sipping a delicious tea.
Mallory has terrible luck. She always manages to harm herself or ruin things by accident. Her best friend Benji is always there to take care of her and her quasi-boss, Frenchman, Jean-Luc is always there (in a picture on her fridge) to distract her. Mallory has a thing for Jean-Luc and when he offers her an engagement to please his father, she jumps at the opportunity. But is her relationship with Jean-Luc what she really needs or just what she thinks she wants?
Most of this book is set in Paris and I’m a SUCKER for anything set in France, where I can test my educational French and dream about going to see all the Monet’s at the Musee d’Orsay, eating so many carbs, and late dinners. I. Want. To. Go. To. Paris. (Je veux aller a Paris!) This book also has my favorite trope OF ALL TIME: Friends to Lovers. But really it’s a Friends to Love(rs) Triangle. Other tropes to look out for: Father ultimatums. Fish out of Water. Billionaire/Working Woman.
Mary Ann Marlowe, who seems cool as fuck from her bio, did this really fun thing where Mallory would talk about “when Jean-Luc came to NYC the first time,” “when Jean-Luc came to NYC the second time,” and so on, which I thought was very subtle, clever, et charmante. I also loved that the first time I heard about Mary Ann Marlowe was when we pitched for Pitch Wars and then in the Afterward of this book, we learn that this was the book she got into Pitch Wars with years prior! Just delightful.
IMPORTANT NOTE: this book has one open-door-ish sex scene. It’s not explicit, but it’s not vaseline on the lens either. So, don’t pick up this book thinking it’s going to be Paris sex-capades. It’s about building relationships and the difference between a crush and reality.
I hope you pick up this book. It’s delightful. It’s quiet. It’s oh so very French. C’est un joli livre.
Au Revoir et A Bientot! -Ford
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I don’t usually talk to fictional characters, but Mallory, we need to have a word!
Firstly, girl, stop being so hard on yourself. We all have frizzy hair days. It’s OK. There are two (sometimes three) men drooling over you. You can feel yourself a little.
Second, don’t let your luck define you, what you are failing to notice is how adaptable you are in a surprising number of unusual circumstances. Just stay open to the possibilities and everything will be fine.
Lastly, opening your heart to others will sometimes lead to heartache, except you’re already doing it, we all are, we can’t help it, now you just have to be honest with yourself about your feelings.
All joking aside, this book is firmly a rom-com, the number of crazy, funny things that happen to Mallory is far beyond the norm, but so are the number of thoughtful and meaningful experiences. I would watch this as a movie in a heartbeat. (Netflix get at this!)
I wished for a more thorough examination of Jean-Luc, especially as we came to love him towards the end. I wanted so much more Remy in our lives. I feel like Marie-Laure needs her own book. (Is that on the horizon?)
If you are a fan of Paris, bakeries, family intrigue, and slightly-clueless-about-how-good-she’s-got-it leading ladies, then this is the book to get lost in. -Sky
