“Love & Luck” was written by Jenna Evans Welch. It tells the story of Addie, who visits Ireland for her aunt’s wedding. She struggles to enjoy herself as she wrestles with the guilt of something she did that her brother will not let her forget. She finds a guidebook called “Ireland for the Heartbroken,” which allows her to escape while she waits to meet her friend in Italy. However, her travel plans change and she is swept away on an unexpected adventure.
There are several things in the book that give in to Irish
stereotypes. The guidebook has a note from the editor that says that the reader
may be wishing to jump in fields of four-leafed clover. Do gift shops in
Ireland actually have leprechaun snow globes? The book was self-aware of this
at one point, with one of the characters calling out the stereotype of naming a
car “Clover” with a shamrock sticker on the bumper.
The guidebook also says that people should start somewhere
other than Dublin when visiting Ireland. It says that there are a ton of things
to do and visitors would get sucked in, which is relatable for those longing to
visit. However, there are plenty of other things to do throughout Ireland. If
visitors are struggling to see it all, they can take multiple trips to Ireland
to see it all.
On the audiobook, the narrator kept switching between
pronunciations of the Cliffs of Moher, specifically “Moher.” Sometimes, the
narrator pronounced it like “More,” and other times like “Mow-her.” At one
point in the book, the author wrote that it is pronounced “More.” The back and
forth, despite the pronunciation, was difficult.
The ending of the book felt a bit rushed. There were huge
revelations that did not feel resolved any issues. The issue between Addie and
Cubby kept being hinted at but was not revealed until late in the book, even
though it was repeatedly hinted at throughout the book. This may be the only
thing that holds readers’ attention in the book.
The characters were problematic, which is not the fault of
the author. Ian and Addie fought the whole time, but they said they were best
friends up until this year and summer. We do not get insight into what exactly happened,
though readers can deduce that it has something to do with Cubby.