Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith Published by Pan Macmillan on May 4th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: E-Arc
Source: Netgalley
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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.
We have all brought a lottery ticket and daydreamed about what we would do with the winnings – what we would buy, what we would donate and what we would give to our families – and that is what Windfall is all about.
But nobody imagines what the impact of winning the lottery would have. How it could change relationships, create fake friends and draw unwanted attention. Nobody thinks of the consequences and the darker side of winning. Just the rush and have some serious spare change in your pocket.
Windfall takes all this into consideration and more.
I’m not sure that I found Teddy a suitable love interest. In my mind he was shallow and self-absorbed. Even before he won the lottery. He was kind but it felt like he was kind because that was the only thing he had to offer. Or maybe I’m being too harsh. Actually I am being harsh – Teddy is an underdog – he and Alice – have not had an easy start to life. Its only fair that he has some insecurities.
Both have massive insecurities and all their problems come to light after the aftermath of winning the lottery and both end up dealing with their issues and accepting themselves. All have to deal with their past and this is finally an opportunity to reflect and change perspective.
I also really loved Leo. I wished he had a bigger part but you can see why this trio had come together as a friendship. They are so similar to one another, yet different. Each brings something the others need to support them.
Windfall really hits the highs and the lows of winning the lottery. It actually make me think that perhaps winning the lottery is not the best thing one can do. This is a fun quick read that will keep you absorbed and leave you wondering how the money will be spent.
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