WITH A LITTLE LUCK

Fortune favors the nerd in this heartwarming novel by bestselling novelist Meyer.

Sixteen-year-old Jude is content to live a quiet life, creating art, waging Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, hanging with his best friend (a girl named Ari), and pining over Maya, his unrequited crush. One night, while working at his parents’ record store, Ventures Vinyl, he stumbles across a ruby-red 20-sided die, which he pockets for later use. Suddenly, Jude conquers coin flips, slays a pop quiz, and vanquishes a vending machine—and starts to wonder if perhaps his new die has magical powers. After snagging a pair of VIP tickets to a sold-out concert, Jude seizes the opportunity to ask Maya on a date. But as the two get to know each other better, Jude starts to wonder whether his vision of her aligns with reality. And what about the feelings Ari unexpectedly stirs in him? When Jude loses his precious die, and his luck takes a turn for the worse, he’s forced to face a terrifying fact: His fortune may well depend solely on his own choices. This humor-infused romance features a likable cast of racially diverse characters, both main and ancillary: Jude is coded white, Maya is Black, and Ari has Mexican heritage. Noah, a sparkly side character, uses they/them pronouns. Jude’s breaking of the fourth wall to address readers adds charm to the story, as do his comics, which are interspersed throughout.

Wonderful, witty, and as sweet as spun sugar.