Shop Ani- May
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
$4.99 with 71 percent savings
Print List Price: $16.95

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Susan May
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Best Seller Kindle Edition

by Susan May (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 1,771 ratings

All the luck in the world won't save you!

A girl with unique power over luck. A desperate man driven by envy. A mind-bending story of betrayal and fate!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "It’s now 6:36 am and I’m amazed! I loved the story, the characters and most of all the ending. I never saw it coming!"

Ten-year-old Nem has just witnessed her mother's brutal murder and her life appears destined for tragedy. Until, that is, she finds her mother‘s old green journal which holds an incredible secret. 

This innocent looking book seems to contain the power over luck. As she uses it, Nem discovers the diary keeps a strange kind of karmic balance, that in gifting someone good fortune she must steal another's first. All it takes is a simple entry. There's dangers though, and not just for others but also for Nem.

Decades later, the literary world hails William Barnes’ debut novel as a masterpiece. For some inexplicable reason though, his best seller success doesn’t survive his next two books. What frustrates and infuriates William even more, is that while he loses everything his undeserving protégé Orelia Mason is enjoying a meteoric rise up the charts. And this triumph of hers coincides suspiciously with his fall from grace. 

So, William embarks on a plan, several actually, to take back the life he’s certain she has somehow stolen. If people get hurt along the way, well, tough luck for them. What he'll discover though is that battling fate when luck is not on your side can be a dangerous game. 

This is A Star is Born meets The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the consequences are not pretty. In fact, they’re darn well ugly.

From Susan May, the international best selling author readers are calling the new Stephen King, comes a dark and twisted tale of jealousy, revenge and an extraordinary, unique power.

You won't know who to hate and who to cheer on, and the ending will surprise, maybe even shock you.

What readers say...


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "As a fan of Stephen King's, I can honestly say I enjoyed this story as much as any of his."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "What an insane read! Unputdownable!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Wow! I loved listening to this through Audible. So many twists... and the ending... wow!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "It's Hitchcock meets the Twilight Zone."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "I thought I had it all worked out... about five times... turns out I didn't. An incredible read."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Best suspense novel I've read in a year."
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    468 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    March 9, 2018
  5. File size
    3.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details
Unwell Hydration from Alex Cooper
Hydrate & focus with every sip Shop now

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07BC5BR4D
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon Digital Services
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 9, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.8 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 468 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 1,771 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Susan May

Susan May

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Susan May's writing style and story concepts have been likened by her army of fans to Stephen King and early Dean Koontz. She's sold more than 250,000 books.

She was four when the idea of writing stories settled upon her. Yes, she was an odd kid jotting down tales in her lunch breaks instead of playing ball. In her twenties, though, life-gets-in-the-way-osis side-tracked her from her first love. Cured in 2010, she spends her days now creating page-turning stories in the genres she loves to read: horror, science fiction, thriller and suspense, including the occasional psychopath. Well, a lot of psychopaths, actually.

She's also a short story fan and has written dozens of stories and novellas, many published award winners in Australia, U.S.A., and UK.

Most days Susan May is your average soccer mom and wife enjoying life in Perth, Western Australia with her husband and two sons, where the neighbors have no idea some may have slipped into the crevices of her dark imagination. As Susan often remarks, "Life is good, unless you're one of my characters. Then you're in trouble. Big, scary trouble."

Receive a Susan May starter library of free books plus insider info, contests, prizes, and much more. Visit susanmaywriter.net/free-books

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
1,771 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find this book to be a wonderful read with a great concept and well-developed characters, particularly enjoying the plot twists. The writing style receives mixed reactions, with some praising the fantastic writing while others find it wordy, and the pacing drags on a bit for many readers. While some customers say the book held their attention, others find it boring, and several mention it's overly long.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

123 customers mention "Readability"101 positive22 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as an awesome page turner that's well worth their time, with one customer noting it's so engaging they read even when too tired.

"Thanks Ms May for this wonderful read! Great storytelling-loved it!..." Read more

"Could’ve been a great book, but the author seemed to focus too much of the story on a character named William...." Read more

"...Loved Nem, it wasnt her fault yall. It was the BOOK! The BOOK had its own power!!!! Thats what got me!..." Read more

"...I couldn't put the book down. Was a great read. Looking forward to read my NEW Susan May book. Troubles Keeper." Read more

116 customers mention "Suspenseful story"101 positive15 negative

Customers find the book suspenseful and engaging, enjoying its premise and plot twists, with one customer noting how the narratives become intertwined throughout the story.

"...characters that grow and change over the years, a creepy and interesting story, and a weird ending to leave you wondering...." Read more

"Thanks Ms May for this wonderful read! Great storytelling-loved it!..." Read more

"...She is smart, and interesting. She shows empathy, sympathy, love and kindness when she wants to. She may not look at herself the way we see her...." Read more

"...With a clear understanding of human nature, Susan May tells an entertaining story that gives an answer to this question with twists and turns that..." Read more

44 customers mention "Character development"36 positive8 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, with one mentioning that chapters alternate between two perspectives.

"...Interesting characters that grow and change over the years, a creepy and interesting story, and a weird ending to leave you wondering...." Read more

"...The backstory of the characters are superbly written. The whole book flows so easy, that you may read way past your bedtime and not even know it...." Read more

"...The characters have depth, are utterly believable and are all too human. If this is the kind of story you enjoy, you will not be disappointed." Read more

"...Her character development is outstanding and they feel like people you know well by the time you finish the book...." Read more

13 customers mention "Concept"13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the concept of the book, finding it well thought out, with one customer noting it is utterly believable.

"...She is smart, and interesting. She shows empathy, sympathy, love and kindness when she wants to. She may not look at herself the way we see her...." Read more

"...The characters have depth, are utterly believable and are all too human. If this is the kind of story you enjoy, you will not be disappointed." Read more

"Nicely done! A thriller about writers and writing. Who knew? Well thought out. I didn't get even a hint of predictability...." Read more

"...Contains a great storyline that is well detailed and keeps the reader captivated. The characters are well developed and realistic...." Read more

31 customers mention "Interest"11 positive20 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's interest, with some saying it held their attention while others found it boring and repetitive.

"...to dedicate entire chapters to William, whose annoying, repeats the same thing over and over, and has the personality of a rock...." Read more

"...This would make a great film as well. Held my attention as the suspense of what would happen next kept me reading...." Read more

"...It was fairly predictable, and the characters were thin...." Read more

"...Unfortunately, this was a tough read. Too much repetition of feelings in between the next move forward...." Read more

31 customers mention "Writing style"20 positive11 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book, with some praising the fantastic writing and great authorship, while others find it a bit wordy.

"...Best Seller” is a well written novel told from the POV of the two protagonists...." Read more

"...It was very wordy but for the most part I enjoyed it but kept checking to see how close I was to the end." Read more

"...Well-written, and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next...." Read more

"...To write something so unique is to have a gift like no other. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from this author." Read more

29 customers mention "Pacing"14 positive15 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with several finding it slow and dragging, while one customer notes that the stories are fast-paced.

"...The backstory of the characters are superbly written. The whole book flows so easy, that you may read way past your bedtime and not even know it...." Read more

"...Honestly it got draggy after awhile and I had to force myself to continue reading...." Read more

"...Well-written, and kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next...." Read more

"...Good read, lost momentum towards the end, kinda got ridiculous...." Read more

8 customers mention "Length"0 positive8 negative

Customers find the book overly long.

"It was different One to skim Too long Should have stayed as a short story..." Read more

"...start left me concerned for the child Nem, the overwrought, overly long, and repetitious description of William’s decline and Nem’s descent into..." Read more

"...i read alot. This was the worst book ever. Long and boring, first I skipped the pages and then half way thru i gave up...." Read more

"Way too looong! While the plot was original, the author spent too much time giving the characters’ thoughts. It became a very tedious read...." Read more

Highly recommend.
4 out of 5 stars
Highly recommend.
Easy reading. Loved the tension. Very satisfying ending. I’ve read some of her other books and enjoyed them all.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Alan Mizell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good read, well worth your time
    Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this story quite a lot in and of itself, but also the look into what must run through the mind of any author. The ego, the anxiety, trying to balance art and success.

    Interesting characters that grow and change over the years, a creepy and interesting story, and a weird ending to leave you wondering. I've been reading a bit lately about Buddhist concepts of ego, desire, and the inner voice. This novel really dug into the extremes of where our minds can take us.

    I found the parts about writing, criticism, and reviews very interesting. Especially enemies leaving bad reviews to sabotage other writers. I see reviews on Amazon where people say they didn't even read the book. And this book has a few one-star reviews that make me wonder. Used the word "serendipity" too much. Really? I missed that. Someone "read every other chapter." Well reader, perhaps you should watch TV, that's not how books are read...

    If you are looking for a good story that will leave you satisfied, give this one a read.
    39 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Suspense!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Thanks Ms May for this wonderful read! Great storytelling-loved it! Please write a continuation with William and the "other" books left in the bookstore. It would make a great series! This would make a great film as well. Held my attention as the suspense of what would happen next kept me reading. Don't know why there were a few bad reviews. Maybe those reviewers had/bought a green book & just causing sum trouble or trying to balance the good reviews! Lol I'd highly recommend!
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Jenn Williams
    3.0 out of 5 stars It was an okay read, interesting idea
    Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I was excited for this book and the beginning was intriguing. I was interested until about chapter 35, though, starting out the book, I found it annoying at first how the chapters were back and forth equally between William and Nem. It was almost like reading two books simultaneously. Once I figured out how the stories intertwined, I thought it was clever and then I got excited again. However, my excitement was misplaced since the book seemed to drag on from that point and I found myself less and less interested and even rather bored. I did want to find out what happened after investing the time, so I finished the book. The ending wasn't anything special either. I'm giving it 3 stars because it was an interesting idea. It just could have been much better.
    21 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Shannon L. Gardner
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is a dark and brooding coming of age story, mixed with a touch of evil and mystery.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This is a dark and brooding coming of age story, mixed with a touch of evil and mystery. The young “heroine” is a strong, charming and astute young woman. But she hides a blackness on her life and soul, that blackness taints her future. She is smart, and interesting. She shows empathy, sympathy, love and kindness when she wants to. She may not look at herself the way we see her. Her true self is arrogant, spiteful, mean and manipulative. Her past is the reason she is what she is and does what she does. Family secrets come to her when she is too young to understand them and no one is left to explain them to her. She has a fantastic transformation during this story that many readers may not be excepting, because what she changes into is so wrong. This transformation is most definitely not for the better. The male protagonist is a unhappy, unsatisfied, cruel and desperate man. He wasn’t always this way, his luck turned on him. It leaves him vulnerable, sad, and isolated. He is focused on one thing, and one thing only. He had a fantastic writing career. It came with a moderate income, and success. But after his first book made it to the New York Times Bestseller list, his other books bombed. Along the way he tries in vain to get back out there, start writing again, start living again. He is extremely motivated to fix this one item in his life. As these two main characters cross paths, the fireworks start, and what a ride that is. There are some amazing twists and turns. You kinda might know what’s going to happen next, but then the story goes a little off center. The backstory of the characters are superbly written. The whole book flows so easy, that you may read way past your bedtime and not even know it. Pick this book up, you are going to love it. I know I did.
    84 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • RJT
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Read!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This story asks what at first seems a simple question, “If you could control fate, what would you do?” With a clear understanding of human nature, Susan May tells an entertaining story that gives an answer to this question with twists and turns that as you read and you think you know where the story is heading, all of a sudden takes a sharp turn and follows a different path. The characters have depth, are utterly believable and are all too human. If this is the kind of story you enjoy, you will not be disappointed.
    22 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • lindaluane
    4.0 out of 5 stars a magic book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Nem finds a book that has been passed down through her family. How will she use this book? Will she use it for good? Makes you think about what you - the reader - would do
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mr Crookshank
    2.0 out of 5 stars Very Repetitive
    Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Could’ve been a great book, but the author seemed to focus too much of the story on a character named William. When I read the summary of the book it was supposed to be about Nem, but the author felt the need to dedicate entire chapters to William, whose annoying, repeats the same thing over and over, and has the personality of a rock. The book became stale midway through and I just stopped reading it
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Catharine Smith-Gividen
    5.0 out of 5 stars She starts with providing her adopted parents with good luck (a plus) but learns that every plus must ...
    Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Nem is given a box containing her mother's possessions some years after witnessing her murder as a young child. The box includes a mysterious green book. Once Nem determines the meaning of the contents in the book (which contains only names and pluses and minuses) she begins to use the unique power of the book to her advantage. She starts with providing her adopted parents with good luck (a plus) but learns that every plus must be balanced by a minus (bad luck). As an adult working in a book store she meets author William Barnes whose first book was a best seller. He takes her under his wing when she decides to write her own book. His next two books are complete failures while her career blossoms.
    This is a gripping tale of misuse of unexpected power that keeps you reading into the wee hours of the morning, with a surprise Hitchcock-like ending. I spent my book allowance in 2017 on Susan May books instead of my usual Stephen King/Dean Koontz books - and will continue to do so.
    78 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Stephanie J Boyce
    5.0 out of 5 stars It’s got the ‘gotta’ !
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I saw an ad on Facebook for this book. The first few times I ignored it, but then I thought why not? And I’m so glad I clicked the link. The story follows our two main characters, and there is quite a lot of detail. It took me a while to get into the flow, but it was definitely worth persevering, as once I got to the ‘gotta’ I couldn’t put it down! My colleagues at work kept telling me how tired I looked, mostly because I favoured reading over sleep 😂. For those that don’t know (and I forget who said it) the ‘gotta’ is when you get to that part of a book where you just have to know what happens next, at all costs. For me this book has it in spades!
    3 people found this helpful
     Report
  • wanda
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Best Seller" will be a best seller.
    Reviewed in Australia on October 11, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    After a slow start, this book quickly became unputdownable. A great read
    Report
  • Walter Scott
    5.0 out of 5 stars The poison pen is mightier than the sword
    Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    What a fun and fulfilling read!
    Nem is a young woman who can assign bad luck to one person and can balance that by assigning good luck to another. That would include Nem, herself.
    William is the author of a best seller, who has mentored Nem in her attempt to become a professional writer, and as his subsequent books and his credibility take a major downturn, while Nem rises to the top of America’s Best Seller lists, he becomes suspicious. From that, we get a fascinating game of cat and mouse, except you will not be able to tell which one – Nem or William – would turn out to be the cat, and which one would be its victim.
    The story starts starts with a visceral description of a child’s nightmare experience, and shifts smoothly into a blunt description of devastating domestic violence.
    The depiction of writers and the publication process for “Best Seller” books is fascinating, and likely represents some of Susan May’s own experiences from her career as a writer of “Best Sellers”. By times it is a cut-throat contest, and a dangerous game, and war is waged by some of the participants who have made an art of trashing the work of others, using clever statements, innuendo, and “fake news”.
    The story of Nem and William finds its conclusion in a graveyard during a brutal assault of wind and rain and lightening and thunder.
    You can try and anticipate where the story is going and what should happen next, and the ending is better than you can imagine.
    “Best Seller” should become a Best Seller.
    Report
  • CindyMDM
    5.0 out of 5 stars A page turner!
    Reviewed in Canada on July 14, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I read all 671 pages over a weekend and loved it! It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that I didn’t want to put down. From beginning to end it kept me interested and wanting to know what comes next. Definitely worth the time. Looking forward to reading another Susan May novel.
    Report
  • AllyC
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Interesting plot. Kept changing my mind about the main character, which I feel is what the author wanted. Not the ending I expected. Not quite up to Stephen King standards but certainly worth a read.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report