Tag: Lottery

REVIEW: Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton

REVIEW: Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Page Street Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Fortuna Jane Belleweather has a secret. Well, actually, she has 58 million secrets. Jane bought the sole winning lottery ticket for a prize of $58 million.

Jane’s first problem is that she’s 17 for 2 more weeks. So she can’t turn the ticket in by herself yet. And it’s stressful to leave it hidden in random places in her house.

Second, Jane’s mom is a hoarder. It seemed to start when Jane’s dad died, and it’s progressively getting worse. She should never have access to this much money.

Third, Jane lives in a small rural community in Wisconsin. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. And they all know someone bought the ticket. So everyone is obsessing over it.

The more Jane learns about her situation and about the pitfalls of winning the lottery, the more panicked she feels about it. It might be better to tear up the ticket and let the town always wonder who the winner was.

Review

Woah, this was more stressful than I expected! Every time Jane left the winning ticket somewhere, I felt the panic of what might happen. Ugh.  Jane is really in a pickle (and it only gets worse). I found it fascinating that the community would be so hateful and resentful over the unclaimed money. They seemed to feel entitled to know who won – or entitled to criticize anyone who would keep it a secret.

I was relieved by the author’s solution in the end. It was the best outcome I could have imagined – better that the solution I exclaimed out loud when things got progressively out of control.

I didn’t love any of the characters in this. I had a lot of sympathy for Jane and her mom, though. And I despised the ex. There’s a great epilogue to show the reader what happens next that was satisfying. If you like lottery stories you might also check out Windfall or Too Lucky to Live. (Language, LGBTQ+, references to sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = Find/solid/good

BONUS REVIEW: Too Lucky to Live by Annie Hogsett

BONUS REVIEW: Too Lucky to Live by Annie Hogsett

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Allie can’t believe her luck. She rescues a blind man from a rude driver who honks at him, causing his groceries to go flying and trapping him in the street. Not only is Thomas Bennington III gorgeous, but he’s also smart, single, and interested in Allie. Could this day get any better?!

Maybe yes. Maybe no.

Just as Allie is about to enjoy her first kiss with Tom, a neighbor’s TV blares the winning lottery numbers. Tom’s winning lottery numbers. Tom bought the ticket to show a boy named Rune how pointless it is to spend money on the lottery. Now Tom has won $550 million. And Rune’s told everybody in his run down neighborhood about their good luck.

Before everything can even sink in, people are gunning for Allie and Tom – and Rune – and the money! Dead bodies are dropping, Tom and Allie’s homes have been ransacked, and Rune’s mom has been beaten up so badly, she’s in the hospital. Allie and Tom better lay low  until they can figure out what to do with the lottery ticket and who they can trust.

Review

This was terrific! The characters and the premise were fun and fresh. I loved Allie and Tom as individuals and as a couple. Their commitment to one another and to Rune through the story was excellent.

The action was non-stop. The plot was intricate and twisty. I couldn’t figure out the culprit on my own. There were too many things going on to get a clear picture. It was terrific!

It was a joy to spend time with these characters, trying to figure out the puzzles in this book. I love where things ended for Allie and Tom. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series to see what happens. The series is called A Somebody’s Bound to Wind Up Dead Mystery series and book two is Murder to the Metal.

If you love a good mystery with great characters and a romantic subplot, you should definitely check this one out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

REVIEW: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Alice buys a lottery ticket for her best friend, Teddy, for his 18th birthday. And it’s a winner. Over 140 million dollars!

Suddenly everything changes. Teddy’s spending money left and right. He’s on talk shows. Kids at school are hanging all over him – or jeering jealously behind his back.

And when Teddy tries to give half to Alice since she bought the ticket and picked the numbers, she turns him down, leading to their biggest fight in 9 years of friendship.

Alice’s life is upside down. Her best friend is living the high life, and she’s afraid he is headed for a big fall. Her aunt and uncle are encouraging her to consider other colleges when they know it is her dream to go to Stanford. And her cousin has broken up with his boyfriend even though they are obviously in love. A cute guy is asking her out but she can’t get past the feelings she has for Teddy. Through it all, she wonders if the choices she’s making for her life are really hers, or if she’s trying to do what she thinks her parents would have wanted.

Review

While this is a lottery story, it is so much more. It’s about friends and family, money and charity, and the past and the future. All three of the main characters – Alice, Teddy and Leo – are driven by their past or fear of the future. Teddy goes overboard with the money because of how hard things were after his dad lost all the family’s money and ran off. Alice is trying to recapture a sense of home from before her parents died. And Leo is afraid of losing Max when they are both in college, maybe in different places. He’s seen Teddy and Alice face such hardships in life, and he’s afraid he is due for a personal disaster.

The money situation from the lottery win shines a light on the choices the teens are making. It also raises great questions about what to do with such a windfall. What’s fun and what’s practical? What’s responsible? How do you know whose motives to trust?

I liked that there were bigger issues addressed outside of the money. I liked the main characters and their families. The final money solution was great. It seemed reasonable for the situation. I’m not 100% sold on the romantic outcome. I liked Alice’s other option better. Overall this was a good story.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥