You’ve seen the bright blue cover. Things We Never Got Over. It’s basically everywhere—airport kiosks, Target endcaps, and definitely all over your TikTok feed. But for those of us who track the romance world, the obsession with where it all began Lucy Score style isn't just about one grumpy barber in a fictional town called Knockemout. It’s about a decade of grinding.
Lucy Score didn't just wake up one morning as a New York Times bestseller with millions of books sold. She was an indie author long before the "BookTok" effect was even a thing. Honestly, her story is a masterclass in what happens when a writer understands their audience better than the big New York publishing houses do.
She's from Pennsylvania. She’s funny. She’s unfiltered. And if you go back to the very start, you see a writer who was willing to publish fast, pivot when needed, and embrace the "steamy rom-com" label when others were still being shy about it.
The First Spark: Under the Radar in 2015
If you want to know where it all began Lucy Score, you have to look at 2015. That was the year she released Under the Radar. It wasn’t a massive global phenomenon. It didn’t have a viral hashtag. It was a contemporary romance that set the tone for what would become her signature: smart-mouthed heroines and men who are basically obsessed with them.
Writing back then was different. The Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) world was a bit of a Wild West. Lucy was working a day job, doing marketing and design, which—looking back—was probably her secret weapon. She knew how to package a book. She understood that a cover isn't just art; it's a promise to the reader.
She wrote Under the Radar followed quickly by Worst Best Man. These weren't just practice; they were the foundation. While many authors wait for a "big break," Score was building a backlist. That's the part people miss. By the time the world noticed her, she already had dozens of stories waiting to be devoured.
The Blue-Collar Romance Vibe
There is a specific grit to her early work. Maybe it’s the Pennsylvania influence. Her characters don't live in high-rise penthouses in Manhattan most of the time. They live in small towns. They own landscaping businesses. They are contractors. This "blue-collar" aesthetic felt real to readers who were tired of the billionaire trope that dominated 2012-2014.
Moving to the "Blue Book" Era
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Or rather, the bearded man on the cover.
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When people search for where it all began Lucy Score, they are usually looking for the moment she became a household name. That moment was Things We Never Got Over. Published in early 2022, this book didn't just perform well; it broke the algorithm. But why?
It wasn't just the "grumpy x sunshine" trope. It was the length. At over 500 pages, it was massive for a contemporary rom-com. Traditional publishers usually tell authors to keep it under 350 pages. Lucy ignored that. She gave readers a world they could live in for a few days.
- The Knockemout Factor: She created a town that felt like a character.
- The Stakes: It wasn't just "will they, won't they." There was danger, a runaway bride, and a kid involved.
- The Humor: Lucy’s dialogue is snappy. It sounds like how people actually talk after three margaritas.
The success of Knockemout sent readers sprinting to her older stuff. Suddenly, books she wrote years ago, like By a Thread or the Blue Moon series, were climbing the charts again. This is the "halo effect" of a backlist. If you like one Lucy Score book, you generally like all of them because the "voice" is consistent.
Why the Indie Route Was the Right Call
A lot of authors think getting a "Big Five" deal is the finish line. Lucy Score showed that staying indie—at least initially—is often the faster lane to success.
She had total control over her covers. She could change a blurb in five minutes if it wasn't converting. She could set her books to $0.00 for a weekend to hook new readers. This agility is something traditional publishing just can't match. When things started exploding, she eventually partnered with Bloom Books (an imprint of Sourcebooks) for physical distribution, but she kept that indie spirit.
It’s also about the money. Indie authors keep a much higher percentage of their sales compared to the 8-15% royalty rates at major houses. When you're selling millions of copies, that difference is the difference between a nice career and "buying a farm in PA" money.
The Reality of the "Overnight Success" Myth
People love to say she came out of nowhere. She didn't.
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If you look at her publication history, there are years where she was putting out three, four, five books. That is an exhausting pace. She was building the Blue Moon series (which has eight books!) long before the TikTok teens found her.
The where it all began Lucy Score timeline is actually a decade-long grind of:
- Writing 2,000+ words a day.
- Engaging with a Facebook reader group (The Shans) that treated her like a friend, not a celebrity.
- Perfecting the "dual POV" (Point of View) style that readers crave.
There’s a specific kind of vulnerability in her writing. She’s open about her life, her husband (the "Mr. Lucy" often mentioned in her newsletters), and her struggles with the creative process. That transparency built a level of brand loyalty that most authors would kill for.
Facing the Critics
Not everyone loves her work. Some critics argue her books are too long. Others find the "alpha male" heroes a bit much. But here’s the thing: Lucy doesn't care.
She knows exactly who she is writing for. She isn't trying to win a Pulitzer. She’s trying to give someone a 48-hour escape from their boring job or their stressful life. By leaning into what her fans loved—and ignoring the "literary" gatekeepers—she carved out a space that is uniquely hers.
How to Approach the Lucy Score Backlist
If you're just getting into her work because you heard about where it all began Lucy Score through word of mouth, don't just stick to the newest releases.
Start with Things We Never Got Over to see the hype. Then, go back to By a Thread. It’s an enemies-to-lovers office romance that is arguably her best-paced book. It shows her range. After that, hit the Blue Moon series if you want that "small town, everyone knows your business" vibe.
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The interesting thing is seeing her growth. The prose in 2024 is tighter than it was in 2015. The emotional beats are heavier. But the heart—that weird mix of sarcasm and extreme sweetness—has stayed exactly the same.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Rise
There’s this idea that she’s a "TikTok author."
That’s a bit insulting. TikTok didn't create Lucy Score; it just discovered her. She already had a massive, loyal fan base that was buying her books the second they dropped on Amazon. TikTok just acted as a megaphone for a community that already existed.
If you look at the data from 2018 and 2019, she was already a top-tier Kindle Unlimited earner. She was "Algorithm Gold." Amazon’s engine knew that if a person liked Book A, they would definitely buy a Lucy Score book.
Actionable Takeaways for Readers and Aspiring Writers
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the world of Lucy Score or even trying to emulate her success, here’s how to handle it:
- Don't skip the "Early Works": You can find gems like Rock Bottom Girl which handle themes of failure and starting over in your 30s with way more grace than most rom-coms.
- Observe the Marketing: Look at how she uses her newsletter. It’s not just "Buy my book." It’s a narrative. It’s a community.
- Understand the "Trope" System: Lucy doesn't just use tropes (like "forced proximity"); she deconstructs them. She knows why we like them and she plays into that psychological need.
- Check the Audiobooks: Her success is also tied to amazing narration. The "audiobook boom" coincided perfectly with her rise, making her stories accessible to people who don't have time to sit and read.
Lucy Score represents a shift in the power balance of the book world. She proved that a girl from Pennsylvania could bypass the "gatekeepers" of New York, write exactly what she wanted, and build an empire on her own terms. It didn't start with a viral video; it started with a keyboard, a laptop, and a refusal to write "short" books just because someone told her to.
If you want to support her journey, the best thing to do is start from the beginning. See the evolution. It’s a wild ride.
Next Steps for the Lucy Score Obsessed:
Go to her official website and sign up for the newsletter. It is the only way to get the "bonus scenes" that aren't in the books. Then, join her Facebook group, "Lucy Score's Shans," to see how a real author-reader community functions. Finally, if you're a writer, study her pacing—even in her 500-page books, there is never a "boring" chapter. That’s the real secret sauce.