Very Very Lucky

De: Amanda Prowse

Narrado por: Amanda Prowse

A life-affirming story from million-copy bestselling author Amanda Prowse about having it all, losing it all, and how new friends can show each other the way back to happiness.

With kids to look after, an ailing mother and a neglected husband, life is full for Emma Fountain—too full, she realises, when she wakes up in IKEA after falling asleep in one of the show beds. Only her crazy, funny best friend Roz keeps her sane. But when Roz climbs in through her bathroom window one day to deliver terrible news, Emma’s belief that she can find a way around any obstacle crumbles in the face of a problem she just can’t fix.

For recently widowed Thurston, life without his beloved wife of sixty-two years has lost all its joy and sense of purpose. That is until he finds himself driving his niece to work one day and meets Emma, whose busy days are the opposite of his own. As Thurston is drawn into the whirlwind of Emma’s chaotic life, and as his calming influence starts to bring her troubles into perspective, an unlikely friendship grows.

In a world where grief is the price we pay for love, can two very different people realise that the little things in life are precious, that love is all around us, and that, even after all, they might still be very, very lucky?

©2024 Lionhead Media Ltd. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Beyond lovely

Such a heartwarming story of family, love and friendship, life, death and learning. As ever, Amanda P has brought to life a story we can embrace…full of wonderful characters I feel have become my dear friends.

Touching Tale ... possible Triggers

I liked this. A lot. 4.5 stars. A good story that drew me in, made me care about the characters. That being said, it hit some personal things that were slightly painful/uncomfortable, which can impact overall "enjoyment" somewhat.

This was included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio. I went with the audio, narrated by the author. She's a great narrator too (I made that comment about the last book of hers. Just read one before, but I'm putting her other books on my list). She's a little "quiet" ... I had to turn my volume all the way and still struggled to hear a bit at times. Very British in accent and some terms ... "Loo Roll" for toilet paper. I actually haven't heard that one before although it's perfectly logical.

There are two storylines ... the POV of Emma (mother of three, as the book starts off, she's fallen into an exhausted sleep on a bed in Ikea) and Thurston (older gentleman, recently lost his wife). Both are told in 3rd person/Past tense. At times I wondered it I would have preferred a male narrator for the Thurston chapters ... it might have made a bit more of a separation in the audio. The two POVs tended to run together a bit being narrated in the same voice.

Now I'm NOT one who requires/looks for trigger warnings - but there were a few things that hit a little close to home. Emma's son Reggie ... similar to one of my boys (we ended up pulling out of high school to do online school. The worries about anxiety/depression.) Happily my son is doing quite well now, but it still brought back memories of tougher times in the past. At one point Emma mentions wishing she could clone herself. The movie "Multiplicity" is a family favorite. So many times I thought we needed multiple of Hubs and all he does. This one hit me a little ... not at a great place emotionally myself, and the sad fact that one of me is more than enough. There are the usual family struggles, between husband and wife, siblings, situation with a daughter, situation with a friend ... with the latter, when is it "accepted" to "give up" and not fight? Then there's Thurston. His situation reminded me a bit of "A Man Called Ove" except he wasn't nearly as grumpy. Similar situation, pondering taking the end of his life into his own hands. He just wants to be with his wife again. Suicide was a fairly central part of his storyline. Dealing with death ... death that has happened (also Emma's father), is anticipated, is desired ...holding on or letting go.

I didn't have many notes/quotes - profound thoughts, but that IS a lot harder in audio than if I am reading the book myself. I'll have to watch the quotes section here on GR to see if more get added. It's still new, just published a few months ago (Jan2024).

There was some proFanity (x14) ... some slight sexual stuff, a lot of it was pretty funny. I noted the word "hectoring" ... I feel like I heard it for the first time last month (Into Thin Air ... I think it was much more noticeable NOT in an English accent). Crazy I've seen if a few times since then! A mention of Zumba. A few smirks and scowls. There was a song at the very end ... spoken, not sung (these are just random things/words I notice). I liked this. A lot. 4.5 stars. A good story that drew me in, made me care about the characters. That being said, it hit some personal things that were slightly painful/uncomfortable, which can impact overall "enjoyment" somewhat.

This was included in KindleUnlimited, text and audio. I went with the audio, narrated by the author. She's a great narrator too (I made that comment about the last book of hers. Just read one before, but I'm putting her other books on my list). She's a little "quiet" ... I had to turn my volume all the way and still struggled to hear a bit at times. Very British in accent and some terms ... "Loo Roll" for toilet paper. I actually haven't heard that one before although it's perfectly logical.

There are two storylines ... the POV of Emma (mother of three, as the book starts off, she's fallen into an exhausted sleep on a bed in Ikea) and Thurston (older gentleman, recently lost his wife). Both are told in 3rd person/Past tense. At times I wondered it I would have preferred a male narrator for the Thurston chapters ... it might have made a bit more of a separation in the audio. The two POVs tended to run together a bit being narrated in the same voice.

Now I'm NOT one who requires/looks for trigger warnings - but there were a few things that hit a little close to home. Emma's son Reggie ... similar to one of my boys (we ended up pulling out of high school to do online school. The worries about anxiety/depression.) Happily my son is doing quite well now, but it still brought back memories of tougher times in the past. At one point Emma mentions wishing she could clone herself. The movie "Multiplicity" is a family favorite. So many times I thought we needed multiple of Hubs and all he does. This one hit me a little ... not at a great place emotionally myself, and the sad fact that one of me is more than enough. There are the usual family struggles, between husband and wife, siblings, situation with a daughter, situation with a friend ... with the latter, when is it "accepted" to "give up" and not fight? Then there's Thurston. His situation reminded me a bit of "A Man Called Ove" except he wasn't nearly as grumpy. Similar situation, pondering taking the end of his life into his own hands. He just wants to be with his wife again. Suicide was a fairly central part of his storyline. Dealing with death ... death that has happened (also Emma's father), is anticipated, is desired ...holding on or letting go.

I didn't have many notes/quotes - profound thoughts, but that IS a lot harder in audio than if I am reading the book myself. I'll have to watch the quotes section here on GR to see if more get added. It's still new, just published a few months ago (Jan2024).

There was some proFanity (x14) ... some slight sexual stuff, a lot of it was pretty funny. I noted the word "hectoring" ... I feel like I heard it for the first time last month (Into Thin Air ... I think it was much more noticeable NOT in an English accent). Crazy I've seen if a few times since then! A mention of Zumba. A few smirks and scowls. There was a song at the very end ... spoken, not sung (these are just random things/words I notice).

Had the title tie-in (a few times). No discussion questions (I would have liked some - I could probably find some if I Google, I just don't get around to doing that). Table of Contents matched for the audio to kindle copy, and did include the POV (they did switch every other chapter, Emma/odds, Thurston/evens).

Another hilarious and heartwarming tale

Amanda Prowse is the queen of the heartwarming family drama. Her characters struggle with the life challenges we all face in ways that show us that grace can always find you through the kindness of others. I've read many of her books and repeatedly say "yes--I've felt exactly that way." Full of humor, compassion, and wisdom, readers are Very Very Lucky to pick up this new offering.

Love Softens Sorrow

This story demonstrates how important family support is and how important it is to embrace those without their own. Love overcame many challenges in this lovely narrative. Unfortunately, it was very difficult to hear the soft voice of the narrator.

What an incredible novel by Amanda prowse!

This has to be the best book I’ve read of late, it brought many emotions and I loved the characters too! Bonus that the audiobook was performed by the author herself and she was absolutely brilliant! Amanda is on my automatic purchase list! 😍😍

Keep your hand on the volume button

I really like the story, however, the reader jumps back and forth between whispering and shouting. It makes for a frustrating listening experience.

Heartwarming and funny!

A bit of a tear jerker but they are only bitter-sweet. Like real life itself.

Read - don’t listen

Decent, well written story with likable and relatable characters. The narration was horrible though. It was apparently done by the author and she should perhaps stick to writing. Very frustrating listening experience - narrator alternates between whispering and swallowing her words and seconds later being overly loud. Had to constantly adjust volume and backtrack to actually hear what was said. Recording also seemed very “tinny”.

Lovely listen!

The book as a whole was great. The performance was fantastic! I appreciated that it was preformed with the proper accent to accompany the authors writing. I laughed out loud in public listening to this one on more then one occasion.

Pulled me in and didn’t let me go

Very beautiful story and brilliantly written. I was anxious and felt overwhelmed when she did. I was overjoyed with the ending. Very relatable. Just read it.