The Night I Got Lucky
by
Laura Caldwell
Order:
USA
Can
Red Dress Ink, 2005 (2005)
Paperback
Reviewed by Shannon Bigham
W
e have all heard the saying '
be careful what you wish for - it might come true
' and it's the premise of
The Night I Got Lucky
. Billy Rendall is married to Chris, a successful attorney, and they live in a nice, upscale condo in Chicago. Billy works at a marketing firm and should be up for promotion to vice president soon. She sees her mother regularly and is in contact with her sisters (who also were oddly given boys' names by their father).
L
ife is good for Billy, but she doesn't think it's great. First, her marriage has deteriorated. Chris works long hours and their sex life has dwindled substantially since their wedding vows were taken two years before. Billy fantasizes about her co-worker and friend, Ethan, who has blonde good looks and charm. She wishes Evan would pine for her as she secretly does for him - though she's only interested in an
innocent
flirtation; after all, she's a married woman. Billy feels that her upcoming promotion is long overdue. Added to her frustrations is the clingy neediness of her mother, still grieving for her second husband. Being the sole local daughter, Billy is the one who has to
be there
for her mother and it becomes tiresome.
B
illy wakes up one fateful morning to find her life has turned around - as if she had stepped in a time machine. Her husband is attentive and loving again, and when she arrives at the office, she discovers that she has been vice president for a while now. As Billy tries to make sense of these events, she realizes that Ethan is making suggestive, flirtatious attempts to woo her. Lastly, Billy's mother has zipped off to Italy, where she's frolicking with new European friends. As Billy attempts to digest these developments, she quickly begins to tire of all the
good things
that have happened to her. Being a vice president comes with responsibilities that she doesn't enjoy and she's unsure about handling management issues and preparing budgets for clients. She needs '
breathing room
' from Chris's constant attention, while Ethan is an '
infidelity accident
' waiting to happen. Lastly, she misses the frequent phone calls and visits with her mother, who is busy with her new life.
B
illy is learning a lesson, '
to be careful what you wish for.
'
The Night I Got Lucky
is an entertaining read. I enjoyed watching Billy's so-called
perfect life
unfold, seeing how it changes her – and what she has to do to get her
old life
back. Fans of chick lit and of Caldwell's previous books will enjoy this new release.
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