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.
Flo's Review
I adore Jennifer E. Smith and all her books! So I was, of course, very excited to read her latest story Windfall. I struggled with Alice for a little bit of the book. She just seemed a little....I don't know...? Like she was judging Teddy for what he was doing with the money and blaming him because things were different. Of course they're going to be different! He is now a millionaire. Also, I thought her response to what he wanted to give her seemed unrealistic? Though I am intrigued by the thought around creating a character who responds that way. (Have you read the book and you think I'm being too vague? Check out my spoilery review on my Goodreads page here.)
What I love about Jennifer E. Smith's books is that they read to me like moments. Full moments that you can lavish in. It's a story, yes, but it's tied together like a bunch of robust, beautiful moments. Each scene is its own masterpiece. The pacing is slow because the reader is becoming fully involved in the moments. Jennifer is Queen at this: it's this way in all her stories and it's why I love them all so much.
I listened to this one on audiobook, and it was....interesting. The reader was female and it sounded a bit cartoonish when she was reading the male voices. Leo was too deep, Teddy was too cheesy. But she did a good job as Alice. It always sounded like there was a hint of laughter in her voice, like she was enjoying every moment. This fits perfect with a big made up of moments and all the emotions involved in them.
This book wasn't just about the actions one takes after winning the lottery, but also about the effects. Most people have been asked the question, "If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?" But I don't know that a lot of people have pondered, "If you win the lottery, how will it affect you? Your relationships with your friends, family, and acquaintances? How you seen yourself and what you want to do with your life?" I love that this book explored all of that.
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