How did I get it?:
I bought it!
Previously reviewed by the same author:
- The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight
- This Is What Happy Looks Like
- The Geography Of You and Me
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.
Thoughts:
I enjoy Jennifer E. Smith’s writing so I was looking forward to reading it. I was especially intrigued about the subject matter… winning the lottery. It’s not just about the good parts of winning the lottery, it’s about the trouble that goes with it. The fame, those that crawl out of the woodwork and the way it undeniably changes you.
Windfall centres around Alice, Teddy and Leo. Alice buys Teddy a lottery ticket for his birthday as a joke. She never expects him to win, but when he does she worries about him changing. Teddy really wants Alice to take some money, but she is stubborn and doesn’t want the money to change things. Alice has liked Teddy as more than a friend for a long time and is longing to be with him. Will the money change the Teddy that she has loved for a long time?
The thing I love about Jennifer’s writing is the characters that she creates and Windfall is no different. Alice, Leo and Teddy are such fabulous characters (even if they do irritate at times, but who wants a perfect character?) Alice in particular, has gone through a lot in her life after losing her parents not long after one another. Alice lives with her Leo (her cousin) and his parents that took her in when her parents died. They’re incredibly close and so is Teddy, their friend. They look out for one another and it’s adorable.
This is a book that it is heavy with the plot. Not much happens, but at the same time it is an exploration of family and what that means. The plot is pretty predictable, but I didn’t mind that. I wanted to see how things would turn out for the three. To me, it’s definitely a character driven novel. It’s a story that doesn’t take long to read at all.
Would I recommend it?:
Yes!