The Friday 56 (103) & Book Beginnings: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

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...

Beginnings: "When the man behind the counter asks for my lucky number, I hesitate."

56: "He blows out a sigh, his breath frosty in the bitter air."

Comments: I got this one on Tuesday and promptly read it in one sitting. My review is already up on the blog. Needless to say, I really enjoyed the story. 

What are you reading this week?

Review: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Title: Windfall
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Source/Format: Blogging For Books; Hardcover
More Details: Young Adult; Contemporary
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Press; May 2, 2017

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

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...

I read This Is What Happy Looks Like back in 2013. So, it’s been a couple of years since I read anything by Jennifer E. Smith. Needless to say, I was more than excited to get the chance to review her latest book. Windfall was an engrossing read, and I ended up finishing it in one sitting. Obviously, I really enjoyed this book a lot.

Windfall was a lovely story—that’s the only way I know how to describe it in a few words—and there was something refreshingly simple about it that I really enjoyed. I haven’t read anything in the young adult contemporary side in a while, so maybe that’s why I feel that way. Windfall was just right. It was everything I was hoping it would be and reminded me why I got into Smith’s stories in the first place.

When I saw the synopsis, I was kind of interested to see what Smith could do with something like a lottery win of $140 million, and how that could change the relationship between characters—who were ordinary—for better or for worse. It turned out to be an interesting story. Sure, Teddy does what any winner would do—he goes on extravagant spending sprees, and yeah, it goes right to his head. But Windfall also takes a look at the smaller things in life, the consequences of strained relationships, and unexpected losses—and the emotional repercussions. It was also about making mistakes and growing. I felt like the characters were given the space to learn from their mistakes, and discover where they want to be, and what truely makes them happy.

Windfall is one of the best YA books I’ve read so far in 2017. I haven’t really kept up with Jennifer E. Smith’s books, but now I want to go back and check out some of the other stories that I’ve missed. (Actual Rating 4.5 birdcages out of 5)

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review, thank you!

About the author...

Jennifer E. Smith is the author of eight books for young adults, including WINDFALL and THE STATISTICAL PROBABILITY OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. She earned her master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and her writing has been translated into 33 languages...

Review: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Title:This Is What Happy Looks Like (Click on title for synopsis)
Source/ Formtat: borrowed from the library, Hardback
Age Range: YA
Publisher/ Publication Date: Poppy, April 2, 2013




My thoughts:

    Considering that I’ve never read anything by Jennifer E. Smith before, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this book.  This Is What Happy Looks Like had all the components to it that I look for in a contemporary YA novel.  The romance was sweet, with the characters connecting on an emotional level, the plot was well thought-out, and the writing style was excellent.  To say that I liked this book would be an understatement, I absolutely loved it!  It’s one book that I’d like to add to my personal library.

     This is what Happy Looks Like is told from dual POV’s, Ellie O’Neill a normal girl trying to get her life in order, and Graham Larkin, a movie star.  I liked that prior to the start of the story, they already knew about each other.  So when they met in person for the first time, I felt like it was an important part of the story.  Ellie’s reaction to Graham was understandable, she had things to hide.  I was unsure of what she was hiding at the beginning, but then I found out what it was, and I felt so bad for her, having to live with what she knew.  Graham was also dealing with his own set of problems from his parents, to his career, and what being in the limelight was doing to him as a person.  As things unfolded, I felt like Ellie helped Graham, and in turn he helped her overcome some of her fears.  The relationship between Ellie and her mom was believable, and I understood where her mother was coming from.  She was only trying to look out for Ellie, and thought what she was doing was what was best. 

     I really liked the whole concept of this book, from the way Ellie and Graham first met, to the ending, which wrapped things up nicely.  In the end, I really enjoyed This Is What Happy Looks Like.  It was refreshing to read a contemporary novel like this one, and in a few short hours I’d read the entire thing.