Jackpot by Nic Stone

ARC, 352 pages           
Release Date: October 15, 2019
Published by: Crown Books for Young Readers
Read from: October 19-25, 2019
Stand-alone
Source: Trade with Miss Print
TW: Poverty
For fans of: Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Historical Fiction, Sparkly Covers, Diverse Authors, POC MC, YA


     From the author of the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin --which Angie Thomas, the bestselling author of The Hate U Give, called "a must read"--comes a pitch-perfect romance that examines class, privilege, and how a stroke of good luck can change an entire life.
     Meet Rico: high school senior and afternoon-shift cashier at the Gas 'n' Go, who after school and work races home to take care of her younger brother. Every. Single. Day. When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks maybe her luck will finally change, but only if she--with some assistance from her popular and wildly rich classmate Zan--can find the ticket holder who hasn't claimed the prize. But what happens when have and have-nots collide? Will this investigative duo unite...or divide?
     Nic Stone, the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out, creates two unforgettable characters in one hard-hitting story about class, money--both too little and too much--and how you make your own luck in the world.

*MY THOUGHTS*

            Normally when I finish a book, I start writing the review right away. But this time, I had to wait and sit with it for a while because I felt SO MUCH when I was reading this. This book brings up some questions and discussions that need to be happening in YA. These things are happening more and more and finally having books about it can help so much.
"...when you live as tenuously as my family does, there's nothing worse than having even the slightest glimmer of hope dashed against the ugly boulders of life."
pg. 13
Rico is a high school senior who lives with her mom and brother. She’s been working at the Gas N Go to help her mom make ends meet. That’s where she met the little old lady who buys two Lottery tickets… and gifts her one. Next thing she knew, someone wins the Jackpot and never comes forward. AND, they bought the ticket from her store! She enlists the help of Zan, someone she never thought she would talk to, to find the woman who Rico thinks is the winner. As their story goes on, they both find out the Jackpot brings about some strange things….
"I don't actually know all the pieces. I'm black by societal standards- something mama's been drilling into me since I made the mistake of requesting a blond/blue eyed American Girl doll for my sixth birthday."
pg. 76
For things first, I LOVED the writing style and the way this was written. Of course Stone writes in a way that makes you want to keep reading non-stop, but I also thought it was a pretty cool HOW she wrote it. She wrote the chapters as the characters are going through the story, but she also throws in some chapters that are from the point of view of some of the inanimate objects that are met along the way. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this, so it was interesting to see it executed.
"Pretty is too flimsy a word to describe Rico."
pg. 99
The characters were amazing as well. I really loved Rico. She was real and tough and resilient, and it was great to see how she took care of her family. It really hit home to see how she had to contribute to the bills and work to take care of her family and she was still a teen. Although this wasn’t my lifestyle, it was for a lot of my friends so I can say this is a real lifestyle for some. Its something you don’t really see in YA, so it was good to see it portrayed in YA. And then there was Zan. I loved him for Rico. I didn’t necessarily like the way Rico treated him all the time, but I did like the way he treated her the entire book. It was never less than she deserved.
"You know, you really could have told me this at school tomorrow," I say. "Ah, I just wanted to hear your voice." Roller-coaster drop. "You flirting with me, Mackin?" "You bet your beautiful ass I am." "Don't look at my ass." "Oh, it's much too late for that, Danger."
pg. 169
This was different than the other books Stone has written and I that’s one of the things I’ve loved about it. It really shows how great her writing is. After reading this, I can’t wait to see what else is up there under Stone’s sleeve. 
Overall, I give this

Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,