Lucky Caller by Emma Mills

*Spoiler free*

When Nina decides to take a radio broadcasting class her senior year, she expects it to be a walk in the park. Instead, it’s a complete disaster. The members of Nina’s haphazardly formed radio team have approximately nothing in common. And to maximize the awkwardness her group includes Jamie, a childhood friend she’d hoped to basically avoid for the rest of her life. The show is a mess, internet rumors threaten to bring the wrath of two fandoms down on their heads, and to top it all off Nina’s family is on the brink of some major upheaval. Everything feels like it’s spiraling out of control―but maybe control is overrated?

This was the first Emma Mills book I’ve read! I’ve seen so many people love her other books, but for some reason I thought she wrote heavier contemporaries and I guess I thought they were the types of books I wouldn’t like. I was wrong though haha. Plus, this one sounded really, really good. Complicated best friends-to-lovers and radio sounds like an amazing combination and it was enough to get me to want to try it.

I am so glad I’ve finally read an Emma Mills book. I finally understand what everybody has been raving about! Her writing is so sweet and this book felt airy and light. I know that’s a weird way of describing it, but it fits. After reading this, I really, really want to try out her other books.

This book is so sweet. It’s simple in a way, but that’s where it thrives. It feels true to real like. There isn’t drama that knocks everybody down and beats everybody up, there’s conflicts and snags in plans and people have to deviate from what they originally thought was going to happen. I really, really enjoyed that aspect.

While I loved Nina, I honestly felt like she wasn’t the main character. I felt like I didn’t get to know her as much as I would have liked. I felt like I  was learning more about the people around her, then her herself. I would’ve liked to get deeper into her essence and have liked more focus to be on her inner workings and thoughts. Her emotional journey was one I really connected with and one I really understood. I guess I would have liked for it to be focused on more.

Along that note, I felt like some aspects were brought up and then never really followed through. There seemed to underlying trouble for Nina’s family, and it seemed like Nina had some self-image issues. There were multiple things like that, that didn’t really get explored in depth. I think it left out a lot of emotional development that could have been there and it sort of felt like some things were off. At the same time, how things played out did feel true to real life. There was no big moment where Nina realized what she needed to do or where things came to fruition. It sort of moved along slowly. And in life some things will remain unsaid and some things will take paths that feel weird. So, I can appreciate things that felt like they were just there. It kind of makes the book better haha.

Jamie was so freaking sweet. Seriously, he’s so kind, and so compassionate, and he’s so earnest. I kind of just want to give him a hug. He’s so good.

I also loved the friendship between the radio team. I’ve come to love friendships a lot more in books, and I loved how they all connected. I kind of thought the group would fracture, but how everything played out was really, really awesome. I loved the connections that were formed and I loved that some characters surprised me.

Nina’s family was also a highlight for me. Their was some turmoil here and there, but I liked how it played out in a soft way. Again, it felt true to real life. Also, her sister’s were amazing. Sidney was absolutely hilarious. I loved her. And I really liked Rose’s storyline. I’d love to read a whole book about her and her college experiences.

All in all, this was a really solid, really amazing book. It’s quiet, and I think I’m really coming to enjoy those types of books. I can’t wait to see what I think of Mills’s other books!

Lucky Caller comes out January 14, 2020! You can add it on Goodreads and pre-order a copy in the meantime!

Thank you for reading!