Lucky Beneventi might be the villain in my fairytale, but given the choice, I’m not sure I’d have it any other way.
My brother’s best friend and Philly’s favorite football player is the same cocky bad boy every girl wants and the dangerous temptation I was never supposed to touch. Until I did. . . And now I can’t stop.
I’m selfish enough to crave him—his kiss, his body, his heart—even when I know I’ll leave it shattered in the end. But this can’t happen. We can’t happen. I won’t let us.
Even if he makes me feel alive in a way my broken body knows won’t last forever. . .
Because the truth is, when the story ends, Lucky isn’t the villain. I am.
I’ve never typed a review this quickly. I’d give it six stars if I could. I had to get everything out before the memory of how it felt slipped away. I read it straight through, unable to stop. The sadness, the hope, the longing, the ache, the joy, the quiet fulfillment, and in the middle of it all I felt so grateful to be living my life without counting my last breath.
“Love her wild every day, Lucky. Love her like its your last.”
Lexie returns home after a year abroad at culinary school, moving back in with her brother and his best friend, Lucky. Though sparks have always lingered between them, they’ve never crossed that line, and not for the reason everyone assumes. It isn’t her brother standing in the way. It’s Lexie’s reality. Living with cystic fibrosis, she knows her time is limited, and love feels like a luxury she can’t afford. For her, falling in love means one day leaving someone behind to face the grief she’s fought so hard to spare them.
“I don’t want you to live your life watching me slowly losing mine. Wondering what’s going to happen and when. That’s no way to live. Not for you and not for me.”
But Lucky is done avoiding it. He’s done avoiding her, and the way she makes him feel…complete. Lexie may be convinced they don’t stand a chance, but Lucky either never got the memo or he’s simply choosing to ignore it. For the first time, he’s going after what he truly wants, even if he’s been warned to stay away for the past ten years.
Lexie is a warrior; fiery, resilient, and stronger than she realizes. But beneath that toughness, she carries her own broken pieces. I found myself rooting for her every step of the way. She sees herself as a bad bet, convinced that love isn’t in the cards, and that belief colors the way she approaches relationships. Yet some things are unstoppable, and love has a way of proving inevitable.
Lucky and Lexie share a delicious, tension-filled connection that simmers beneath every glance and every near-touch. But their bond isn’t without weight—there are devastating obstacles standing in their way, and both of them know that choosing love also means risking heartbreak. That constant push and pull between desire and fear makes their journey all the more gripping. So when they finally reach that “f-it” moment, when hesitation falls away and they give in to everything they’ve been fighting, it feels like pure payoff. It’s messy, raw, and achingly beautiful, because it’s not just about passion; it’s about choosing love in spite of the cost.
“She’s meant for a love that lasts forever. And that’s the cruelest part…she doesn’t have forever to give.”
What begins as a series of awkward midnight kitchen encounters slowly evolves into full-blown “but Daddy, I love him” territory. Along the way, their chemistry builds in the most charming and unexpected ways.
One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in how well the characters are written; layered, relatable, and driven by flaws and motivations that feel achingly real. Bella Matthews doesn’t shy away from heartbreak; instead, she leans into it, showing us the raw, messy, and chaotic realities of loving someone who is sick. She doesn’t gloss over the hard moments or soften the edges to make them easier to swallow. Instead, she threads them through the story, making every laugh, every fight, every stolen kiss feel sharper and more meaningful because of what’s at stake. In her hands, pain and joy coexist, and what could have been a story solely about loss becomes a celebration of love, memory, and choosing to embrace every fleeting moment.
“She’s quickly become the sun my entire fucking world orbits around, and if that means I only have twenty years to feel her warmth shine on me, then so be it. I’d rather live every day, warm beside her, for as long or short a time as I’m given with her, than a lifetime of coldness without her.”
I am 100% in my feels with this book. The tropes are beautifully executed, the narrative deeply captivating, and the emotions raw in all the right ways. At its core, Lexie and Lucky’s journey is about more than romance. Their love story is about resilience, about daring to love even when the odds feel stacked against you. They fight to prove that a chronic illness may shape a life, but it does not define it, nor does it diminish the power of a relationship built on trust, devotion, and choosing each other anyway.
Please, with all that is in me, read this book. You won’t regret a moment of it. Just make sure to grab a box of tissues before you sit down.