Publisher: Rhiza Edge.
Release Date: July 15th, 2025.
Source: Free copy from author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Category: Contemporary, YA.
Synopsis:
Six teens, fifty million dollars, two A.I programs, and a whole lot of lies to cover it up.
Imagine being one of six high school students who win a 50 million-dollar lotto prize. What would you buy first? The latest phone? A new wardrobe? A fancy car to learn to drive in? Cassie and her friends get to do exactly that – until they find their lives spiralling into a web of secrets, deception, and danger. Past suspicions are renewed, blurring the truth, and they are left struggling to protect one another from the outside world that threatens to take away their new-found freedom.
In this heart-pounding tale of wealth, deceit, and moral reckoning, the millionaires club find themselves entangled in a treacherous game where the price of fortune is higher than they ever imagined. As they attempt to shield their newfound riches, they begin to realise that luck can be far from good, and lies, once buried, have a way of clawing their way back to the surface.
My Thoughts:
4.5 stars.
It has been a while since I’ve read a story set in Australia and reading this felt like coming home.
This had such an interesting premise. I don’t think there are many people who haven’t dreamt of winning the lotto. Good Luck and Other Lies explores how a group of teens would handle it if they did win. There was a diverse range of characters and it was interesting seeing how each of them dealt with suddenly becoming millionaires.
Cassie, our main character, hasn’t had much money in her life, and really needs the money. She lives with her dad and his family, but they have to move and there is no room for her. She will have to go live with the mother she hardly knows, that is until she wins and has money to buy a place of her own.
The group decided to keep the win a secret, and as they do, the lies build. With secret and lies comes a lot of stress, and like all lies, they are always found out in the end.
I felt for Cassie. She was lonely, having lost most of her friends after a bullying incident years previous, and at home she feels like she is only wanted to look after her siblings. She wants to belong, and to be loved for who she is and not just what she does.
Cassie was a likeable character. I thought it was great how she was responsible and that she held to her convictions and didn’t compromise. She had learnt from her past mistakes and was now guarded, not willing to repeat them.
Beat boy was the character who surprised me the most. I judged him on his name, but he turned out to have more depth then you would first think. I also loved Cassie’s friend George and his care and concern he had for her. He had stuck with her all those years ago when her other friends abandoned her.
Overall, Good Luck and Other Lies was a fast paced, well written novel. There were so many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and the last few chapters had me on the edge of my seat! It was a thrilling read and I highly recommend it.
Content warnings: (Contains slight spoilers.)
Kisses only.
The B word is said twice.
A past incident of bullying is mentioned involving an inappropriate photo of an underaged girl.
There is a scene at a party and teens drink.
A parent dies in a fire under suspicious circumstances.
The Aussie YA Challenge is a challenge created by Amy at Lost in a Good Book as an attempt to read more Australian young adult novels. I joined because I love reading Aussie YA and want to support Australian YA authors.
Rochelle L. Sharpe 