ARC, 352 pagesRelease Date: October 15, 2019Published by: Crown Books for Young Readers
Read from: October 19-25, 2019Stand-aloneSource: Trade with Miss PrintTW: PovertyFor 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
