Windfall, by: Jennifer E. Smith

​       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.

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My Rating: ​★★★★☆

       Windfall (87%) was everything I expected out of a Jennifer E. Smith book and more. It was funny, cute, thoughtful, and so much more. I absolutely loved the characters involved in this interesting plot line.
       When I first heard that this book was coming out, I fell in love with the ideas it was going to bring up. It tackles the age-old question - What would you do if you won the lottery? I think it's a great idea for a book because who doesn't have a very detailed plan for this scenario? (Mine being buying all the books humanly possible and spending the rest of my life reading them.)
       I also really enjoyed each character's perspective and how they go about the situation. The thoughtfulness of all of their responses was absolutely phenomenal. Teddy's reaction is pretty much what I expected, but Alice's is a little unconventional. It was so fun to read about everyone's answers for what to do with the money, and how they treated the winner.
       My favorite element of the story would have to be that the characters in this story are high school seniors who are trying to figure out their plans for when they graduate. I am going to be a junior next year, and every time I get to thinking about my college plans, I find myself uncharacteristically without an answer. I have a few things I would like to do, but I don't have any specific colleges or majors picked out yet. It was really settling to read from Alice's point of view and see that she saw things from my same perspective. Alice was such an eye opener to me about my future, and I really appreciated that.

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       What did you think of Windfall? Let me know in the comments below!

While she contemplates life decisions,
Ashton

​We have all sorts of words that could describe us. But we get to choose which ones are most important.

― Jennifer E. Smith, Windfall