Luckiest Girl Alive: A Novel

*NOW A NETFLIX FILM STARRING MILA KUNIS*

Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will thrill at this “perfect page-turner” (People)—that Reese Witherspoon describes as “one of those reads you just can’t put down!” This instant New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling novel follows an unforgettable young woman striving to create the perfect life—until a violent incident from her past threatens to unravel everything and expose her most shocking secret.

HER PERFECT LIFE IS A PERFECT LIE

As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret.

There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.

With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that's bigger than it first appears.

The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?

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Published Apr 5, 2016

368 pages

Average rating: 6.38

387 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Luckiest Girl Alive* is a fast-moving, well-written novel with a complex, intriguing premise and a harrowing backstory. Many agree the ma...

fromlizaslibrary
Oct 22, 2024
6/10 stars
I can’t completely pinpoint why but this was not as good as I wanted it to be. After reading ‘Bright Young Women’ I was really looking to reading another popular Jessica Knoll read especially since this one was turned into a movie. The book felt very anti-climatic. I knew that bad things had to have happened in Ani’s past but I felt like the telling of that story came out of thin air. I feel as if I still have unanswered questions about Ani. She was an incredibly mysterious character that I couldn’t connect with and her story seems unresolved for me. The premise of the book is incredibly complex and intriguing though so I didn’t dislike it I just felt like I was wanting more. My book club group decided to read this one and watch the movie together to compare so I’m excited to check out the movie because I think this story has very good potential for a screen adaptation.
Mary Pat Holt
Feb 05, 2026
8/10 stars
If you think this will be another Gone Girl, you will be disappointed. It is a good debut novel that moves quickly & has some twists but nothing really shocking. Ani is a stone cold bitch, starving herself & exercising to fit into a size 0 wedding gown, judging every single woman she meets. I did not like like her at all. However, as the story unfolds, you learn why Ani is the way she is & you might even feel some compassion for her. The title gives you a hint that something happened & she's the luckiest girl alive. The fact that you know Ani is going to be part of a documentary gives you another clue that something big & bad has happened. I thought the author was trying to do too much-was this a story about teenage rape & the new girl trying to fit in or bullied kids who come back to take revenge on their tormentors?
anne ducastel
Jan 08, 2026
2/10 stars
what a waste of my time....
Bosky
Dec 30, 2025
6/10 stars
Oh dear. High school drama and angst- written with a heavy hand. Was hard to get into. Lots of unlikeable characters and they don't redeem themselves or get better- just worse. Read it since wanted to watch the Netflix movie coming out.
abookwanderer
Oct 09, 2025
8/10 stars
I was worried about this one when I glanced at all the mixed reviews, but I'd read the first few chapters when it was included in a Buzz Books sampler and was instantly intrigued. So when I came across a copy in a thrift store, I snatched it up! I went into this book knowing very little about the story; I'm so glad that I hadn't been spoiled. I thought it was so well-written, the main character was fascinating, and the circumstances behind her story were harrowing.

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