ARC Review: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith
10:00
Series: None
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Published May 4th 2017 by Pan Macmillan
Goodreads Synopsis
Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes.
At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall.
As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined . . . and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
Alice has never believed in luck, but she has always believed in love. Buying a lottery ticket for her best friend (and secret crush) Teddy's 18th birthday was a whim, but somehow, Alice picked the winner. Now a millionaire, and the youngest lottery winner in history, Teddy's life has changed, and not always for the better. Alice sees a new side to the boy she's always known, and supporting each other through thick and thin can only go so far. Will they be able to come back to each other, or has the money changed them too much?
Well, I'm conflicted on this book. I've enjoyed Jennifer's books in the past, and was really looking forward to reading Windfall when it was first announced. For some reason, I left it on my NG shelf and completely forgot about it until recently. I liked the book, but I will say it wasn't the most memorable, nor will it be a favourite of mine. Alice was a decent main character, who had lost her parents young, and now thought luck was just a myth. She'd lived with her aunt, uncle, and cousin, for nearly 10 years now, but still thought of California as her home. Nothing felt permanent, and she tried the best she could to be happy where she was. But it was hard, and her fear of change was part of the reason why she never spoke to Teddy about her feelings. They both had family drama, and relied on each other through it all, so the idea of changing the dynamic was a big thing. I will say I hated the way Teddy acted at times in the book, though I understand why he was portrayed that way. The main thing I liked about the book, though, was the fact that Alice really grew throughout the book, and was in a much better place by the ending.
Dates Read:
March 2-6 2023
Rating
3 Stars
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