Windfall

I read this book in a day, and it was one of the most relaxing and calm reads ever. It felt so good to unplug from the world and get lost in these characters and their story. It was a sweet and light read that gave me a happy bubbly feeling. If you're looking for a contemporary YA romance with relatable characters, and a plot that adds quite a bit of fun I would recommend this book.

Most of us have imagined winning the lottery at some point, but when 18 year old Alice buys a lottery ticket for friend Teddy, and it wins, their lives change forever. Teddy, Alice, and their friend Leo, high school seniors, navigate the world of millionaires, while trying to remain true to themselves. The characters are well-developed and the plot is plausible. This is my first novel by Jennifer E. Smith, but it won't be my last.

Step dtr doesn’t love to read but really loves this book and is actually reading it!! ⭐️

LOVE. Jennifer E. Smith does it again. I don't know how she does it, but she does. The concept and storyline are original, the characters are relatable and deep and the first love element is adorable. I love Teddy and Alice's relationship, Leo's dynamic with them and Max and Alice's heartbreaking past. It's hard for me to think of any faults with this book and didn't want it to end! It's amazing what a little luck can do, and how it changes thing for better and for worse.

I usually hate reading but I have read this 2 and I love it so much every-time. I could read this whole book in one day, it’s that addicting.

Inspiring, heartwarming, and incredibly moving, WINDFALL is a story about love and loss, and about good luck, bad luck, and no luck. It’s about being true to oneself, about taking chances, about moving forward, and about making a difference. It’s an utterly enchanting and totally addictive read that is sure to make every reader smile and make them wonder how their lives might change with a windfall.Alice never imagined that the lottery ticket she bought for Teddy, her best friend and secret love, on his birthday would change everything. It was supposed to be a gag gift from one very unlucky person to another. But when it turns out to be one of three winning tickets for over 140 million, it’s not only Teddy’s circumstances that will be radically altered, her entire world is at risk of being turned upside down.As much as she wishes he had never won, she is just as thrilled that he had. But it complicates things. For him. For her. For them. And with just how difficult her life has been already, she’s not really sure she can roll with the changes or deal with the fallout that comes along with such a big payout. Especially when it seems like her relationship with Teddy is what’s on the line.Jennifer E. Smith didn’t write a simple good luck, happily-ever-after love story - WINDFALL was so much more. The money didn’t magically erase all of Alice and Teddy’s problems. It didn’t rewrite their pasts. It provided opportunities, but it also created problems where none had existed before. And it forced them both to confront things they’d managed to avoid for a long while.What she did write is a story that has depth and emotion and complexity. A story that is uplifting, that provokes thought, that is achingly sad and beautiful and is also heartfelt and hopeful. She introduces two characters who are connected because of the tragedies in their pasts, but whose current good fortune could tear them apart. She writes about family, and friendship, and generosity, and second chances, and difficult choices, and possibility, and unrequited love.And she puts it all together in a story that is meaningful and romantic and endlessly readable.WINDFALL is an absolute must for those who believe in luck over fate, who are curious to meet someone who would contemplate turning down millions to avoid upsetting the status quo, who love stories that offer ideas for consideration, and who prefer a story they can devour in one sitting.

I loved this book! Everything about it. The writing flowed. The characters were complex and believable. The story, powerful. By the end of the book, I was crying tears of joy. More than that, I was feeling hopeful.

A heartwarming story about kismet. That's the best way to describe this book. The writing is superb and filled with wonderful metaphors. The kind of metaphors that make you nod your head and say, "Yes, yes, yes. I know exactly what you mean!"

I love Jennifer E. Smith books. I have not yet read one of her books that I haven’t fallen in love with and Windfall is no different.Windfall imparts the message that money doesn’t necessarily buy happiness. When Teddy wins millions on the ticket that Alice bought him, he thought it was the answer to all of his prayers but he soon realises that his fortune carries a responsibility. That responsibility is to be true to who you are and not allow money to change that.Whilst Windfall is about responsibility it is also an insight into how fortune and wealth can change relationships; Teddy and Alice’s, Alice and her dead parent’s, and Teddy and his father’s.Jennifer E. Smith weaves a brilliant story together that is full of heart. It is warm and engaging with memorable characters and problems.Windfall by Jennifer E Smith is available now.For more information regarding Jennifer E Smith (@JenESmith) please visit www.jenniferesmith.com.For more information regarding Pan Macmillan (@panmacmillan) please visit www.panmacmillan.com.

Review originally on pursuitofwxnderland.blogspot.co.ukWould you donate it? Buy a house? Go on that holiday you've always wanted?That's what Teddy has to decide after Alice buys him a winning lottery ticket - over fifty millions dollars. Not bad for someone who's just turned eighteen.Jennifer E. Smith's Windfall is a great feel good book about family, friendship and first love, all wrapped together with Alice's personal growth and Teddy's understanding that money doesn't change everything - even if you buy your teammates an amazing getaway.Alice and Teddy have gone through difficult things in their past - her parents passed away when she was nine and his dad wouldn't stop gambling long enough to come home. Both influence Alice's cousin Leo into thinking that his good life can't last forever, so why doesn't he quit the good while he's ahead?Through different stages of personal growth, Leo learns that just because his cousin and best friend have suffered different types of loss doesn't mean that he is due bad luck. Despite being loved up with his college boyfriend, he decides to end their relationship because his mind wins over his heart - but does he really have to choose?Teddy learns that it doesn't matter whether you have money or not, it doesn't change everything. At first he acts like a spoiled child - buying toys and gadgets that I can imagine get left in the corner once he's satisfied he got to use them - but gradually we see him grow and use the money responsibly, even buying his mum their old house back.Alice's growth is different from the two boys, through hers she realises that she doesn't have to conduct her life to revolve around the memory of her parents. She can still honour them and their work while also living the life she wants to lead - whatever it is she decides to do.Whether you will like this book or not is entirely based on what you want to get out of it - there's no mushy moments for romance-lovers but then some people might even appreciate that!I adore YA and enjoy reading about other's romances but I'm glad this book focused on personal growth rather than Alice's love for Teddy. That said, I still would have liked Teddy to have found Alice's birthday card sooner, or more about them starting the non-profit (which, while an amazing thing to do, I felt it was pushed because of Alice's constant comments on Teddy's spending).Despite those two points, I loved Windfall and is definitely on my to-be-read-again list!

Got the book. Excellent condition. Great story. I have never read Jennifer's books before. Loved this book. Was disappointed when the book finished. Ordered 2 more of Jennifer's books today.

Love all of Jenny Smith's books, this one also.

This book is about finding luck during the unlikeliest of times and how that turn of good fortune affects relationships.Alice has always been in love with Teddy, but he remains oblivious of this fact as she fears it will wreck their friendship. She mourns her parents death and has not mentally accepted Leo's family as her own, especially Leo's father, her uncle, who is also mourning his brother's death. She is showered with enough love in her present living situation but she always feels like an outsider, an orphan. I did not like this side of her because she is wasting away her days (years!!) mourning for people who aren't there and losing the ones who love her.Coming to Teddy, when you're a teen and all of a sudden you win millions in a lottery, you are bound to go overboard. That's what Teddy does when his luck soars on his birthday, when his birthday gift from Alice makes him a millionaire. But his shopping spree and unwanted vacations annoy Alice as she expects him to spend it in a good way, like charity. *eyeroll*I agree to a certain extent with Alice, but Teddy isn't a 30-year old, he's just had a twist in fortune and is allowed to go gaga over his riches. At least for some time. I couldn't understand why Alice was such a goody-goody.Some YA books, portray teens in a very intolerant way, and some like this one show characters like Alice as mature beyond their age. I liked Leo's parents, they were sensible and knew their way around kids, especially the not-handling-Leo-like-a-glass-doll because he's gay was super cool.The book was a tad disappointing with the main characters, and I felt that like this isn't Jen E Smith's BEST!.