Lucky Caller

By Emma Mills

With the warmth, wit, intimate friendships, and heart-melting romance she brings to all her books, Emma Mills crafts a story about believing in yourself, owning your mistakes, and trusting in human connection in Lucky Caller.

When Nina decides to take a radio broadcasting class her senior year, she expects it to be a walk in the park. Instead, it’s a complete disaster.

The members of Nina's haphazardly formed radio team have approximately nothing in common. And to maximize the awkwardness her group includes Jamie, a childhood friend she'd hoped to basically avoid for the rest of her life.

The show is a mess, internet rumors threaten to bring the wrath of two fandoms down on their heads, and to top it all off Nina's family is on the brink of some major upheaval.

Everything feels like it's spiraling out of control—but maybe control is overrated?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Jan 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781250179661

Emma Mills

Emma Mills is the author of First & Then, This Adventure Ends, Foolish Hearts, Famous in a Small Town, and Lucky Caller. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, and has recently completed a PhD in cell biology.

Reviews for Lucky Caller

[herenya_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nina is in her final semester of high school and her radio broadcasting elective is not going as expected. She’s ended up in the same group as her childhood friend Jamie, who Nina has spent all of high school avoiding, and in an effort to improve their group’s weekly show, Sounds of the Nineties, they are dropping hints about a future mystery guest, but now their listeners are now expecting someone much more famous than Nina’s dad…This book made me laugh. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the Sound of the Nineties team, and Nina’s close bond with her sisters. The way Nina processes her mother’s forthcoming remarriage is interesting. And I like the way Jamie is part of her life, quiet yet important -- he’s a classmate, a colleague, a childhood friend, a crush and a neighbour.Often I’ve found contemporary YA set in the US harder to relate to, presumably because the context, culture and schooling system differs somewhat from what I experienced as a teenager. But I find Mills’ novels very relatable, even though her protagonists’ circumstances and personalities differ from mine. I think it’s the way these stories are about friendship, family, fandom and facing change. “And my mom told me that part of growing up is just... learning that people come in and out of your life, and that there are all kinds of levels of friendship, all different types. And maybe you’ll make a friend, and you won’t see them again, but it doesn’t devalue what you had with them or the time you spent together. That’s still valid, even if it wasn’t built to last. It’s not any less… significant, you know?”

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As kids, Nina, her two sisters and their upstairs friend Jamie (he lives with his grandparents) played imaginary games all over their apartment complex. When middle school hit, so did the awkwardness, and Nina no longer connected with Jamie. Thrown together by an elective radio broadcasting class, Nina and Jamie gradually reform their friendship. I have found that I really enjoy seeking out these Emma Mills books, she writes really well rounded, contemporary young adult characters and situations. Divorce, jobs, college, keeping promises, new beginnings, all are hallmarks of her wonderful stories.

[nbmars · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nina, a senior in high school, takes a radio broadcasting class. The kids are told to team up in groups of four to produce a radio show each week. Nina ends up with Sasha, Joydeep, and Jamie, the latter a childhood friend who lives in her apartment building. Nina’s relationship with Jamie is awkward, although it is a while before we learn what is behind it.The action is rather slow, and the concerns of the characters, such as homework, family changes, and interpersonal relationships and adjustments will probably appeal more to a much younger audience than it did to me. Not a lot goes on, and I didn’t find Joydeep’s weirdness as amusing as many younger readers did. Is any of this the author’s fault? No. I’m clearly the wrong audience for the book, and as I said above, I’ve seen much more positive reviews from younger readers.