Over all, I'm a fan of Smith's books. She writes entertaining stories peopled with engaging characters. If I had one complaint, it would be that her books are a little too sunny, a little too happily ever after. Things always work out the best for her major characters. Always the absolute best. I actually don't have a problem with the lottery element. While highly improbable, it does occasionally happen. And at first it progresses as things likely would in reality: extravagant spending, fairweather friends, reappearance of the deadbeat dad. The ending is jsut so Hollywood. There's an alternate love interest but "true love" winds in the end as the millionaire stays true to himself, proves to be a good guy. Smith does attempt some complexity with the protagonist and her cousin exploring who they really are and what they want out of life.

I really enjoyed this book, there was a romance in the book but that wasn’t the main focus of the book. It focuses on both the problems of Alice and Teddy. I also think it was very realistic in the terms of how Teddy came into a bunch of money at 18 and spent it on frivolous things that he wanted as well as trying to buy peoples respect and admiration. I hated Teddy’s father and really hoped he was on the straight and narrow but wasn’t surprised to find out that he wasn’t. I love that Teddy and Alice help each other out with their respective problems. The one thing that I wasn’t too fond of was that stupid birthday card, I could not stop thinking about it. Couldn’t stop waiting for Teddy to move out of his apartment and thus find the card. But all in all I really enjoyed this book.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

This isn't Jennifer E. Smith's first book, however it is the first time I got to read one of her stories myself. I was immediately intrigued by the story, found the relationship between the characters beyond cute and sat on the edge of my seat with excitement for the first quarter of the book ... but then it just sort of fizzled out.

Alice is very closed off and doesn't even admit to all her feelings to herself. I am very glad that we got a view of why that was and how it changed as she realised that she didn't have to always keep those walls up. She was smart and kind and even though I was sometimes frustrated with her when she got a little judgy, I generally really enjoyed her POV and growth. Her past was so heartbreaking, but I could definitely relate to her struggles. I know that the memory of a person can be warped over time and how you tend to put them on a pedestal or try to make them proud, even if you might have chosen a different path if it hadn't been for them. I loved how, layer by layer, Alice found more to herself and didn't need the approval of someone who wasn't even there anymore.

The people in Al's life were the best! Leo and Max deserve their own story or companion novella or something. But also the adults felt real and flawed but mostly present - something I always value in my books, be it YA or adult fiction. Unfortunately, I struggled a bit with Teddy though. I knew from the beginning that him and Alice would be endgame and that Sawyer, no matter how sweet he was, wouldn't be a viable option. Nonetheless, I just didn't really like Teddy. I don't think it necessarily only boils down to just being his behaviour after he received all the money, but in general he had moments where he was just a jerk. It got better towards the end, but I wasn't always 100% behind the motivation of his actions.

All in all I very much enjoyed the read, but most of the initial excitement soon gave way as the story took on a more predictable course.

Fazit: 3.5/5 stars! A cute story!

Alice and Teddy have only known bad luck...then one day that all changes and the windfall they get may just be their worst luck yet.

Ever wonder what you would do if you won the lottery? Well, one of the characters in WINDFALL by Jennifer E. Smith does just that and it changes his life. High school senior Teddy is best friends with Leo and Alice, cousins who were raised together since Alice’s parents died almost a decade ago. Teddy has "lost" his Dad to gambling and struggles to get by with the support of a hard-working single Mom. Like other books by Smith, there is plenty of romance; Alice has fallen hard for Teddy, but doesn't have the courage to tell him.

I have commented on previous works by Smith (and here); overall, I wish that Smith had found a way to make her heroines, especially Alice, more independent. WINDFALL is a relatively easy and light read, though, with a message about caring for others. AND Jennifer Smith will be appearing locally at The Book Stall to discuss this new title on Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30pm.

Joining her will be Jenny Han to discuss her new book, Always and Forever, Lara Jean. , a follow-up to her best-selling novels which are special favorites of a colleague.

Links in live blog post:
http://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2015/08/young-adult-september-releases.html
http://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2014/02/two-recommended-reads.html
http://www.thebookstall.com/event/jennifer-e-smith-and-jenny-han-conversation-book-stall

For a more in-depth review watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmJr6ktZ5eI&feature=youtu.be

I received an eARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice lives with her aunt, uncle, and cousin in Chicago. She has dreaded change since her parents died when she was small. It is this fear of change that makes her avoid telling her best friend, Teddy, that she loves him. But on Teddy's eighteenth birthday Alice decides to be brace. She buys Teddy a Powerball ticket and a card where she reveals all her deepest feelings. But Alice's plans don't go as she hopes. Teddy loses the card and the ticket wins...big. Now, Alice has to deal with more change than she has ever imagined. Can she overcome her fears and maybe find love?

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I always enjoy Jennifer E. Smith's work but I haven't felt that any have lived up to "The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight" and I think "Windfall" came close to surpassing it. I thought Alice was great character who was desperately trying to protect herself. Her fears and her relationships with her family and wonderfully real and the evolution of her relationship with Teddy felt believable. Plus, I adored Alice's cousin Leo. I would happily read an entire book about him.

To be lucky is like 'wow'. It's like ine in a million to happened to us. What I mean is that, winning a lottery ticket for how much? 141.3 million? Wow! That's massively huge amount of number in our pocket! Who would say no to that money? Well, I'm going to take that money, obviously and just like what Alice has in her mind - use that money in a good way.

Even though, Alice is a bit secretive, more like hiding her feelings after what had happened to her parents and it's hard for her but she is lucky in a way her aunt and uncle taking care of her ever since that incidents and having an amazing cousin, Leo and the bestest friends who become her boyfriend, Teddy. She is lucky. She need to realize that. She is lucky.

I love how the author wants to portray friendship between Alice, Leo and Teddy. How they support each other, whatever happened they will be there for each other. It's hard to find a friend like that nowadays.

The plot is super smooth right from the start to the end. Everything falls into a right place. It just that very predictable to what will happen next to them and I just do not understand why it takes so long to get to the fact that they won the lottery money and the fight between Alice and Teddy is way too short. It makes Alice hide her feeling to her own even more.

All in all, it's a good story about friendship, love and being grateful of what they have in life.

Rating : 3.5 stars

I have to say that I've read two Jennifer E Smith books in the past, but I didn't love her narration style in either of those books. Because of that, I almost didn't request Windfall for review, but the description won out. I've never read a book that was about a teen winning the lottery. And I have to say that Windfall is probably my favorite out of all of the Jennifer E Smith books that I've read.

Alice, Leo, and Teddy are a trio of friends. Well Alice and Leo are cousins. But these three make up a best friend group. Leo is stereotypically gay. Because a girl can't be friends with a guy in YA literature these days without being in love with the guy or the guy being gay. And well Windfall has both of these stereotypes. *insert huge eye roll* Leo has some drama going on with his now-long-distance boyfriend. While Leo and Max aren't in the same geographical region during most of the book, their relationship does take up a decent portion of the storyline. Teddy seems to bit a part from Alice and Leo at the same time as being firmly a member of the trio. He's fairly popular with everyone at school since he plays sports. Alice has always been a bit separate. She sometimes considers herself to be an island, but that's mostly because she doesn't allow anyone close.

This story is about what happens when you find yourself in possession of a large sum of money that you neither earned nor deserve. Because Teddy's grown up with limited financial means, having this money will not only make his life easier and allow his mom not have need to work as much, but when you throw a starving kid into a free-for-all candy store you can't expect them not to overindulge. It was also about witnessing someone you love be changed by money and what it can do. Yet really one of the the only constants in life is that life is always changing. Alice knows that better than anyone because her life has drastically changed twice. Once when her mother died, and then again when her father also died and she had to move across the country to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. Change has rarely been a good thing for Alice. So she's terrified of what this money will change in her life and Teddy's.

I enjoyed the relationship between Teddy and Alice. These two are not shy about being honest with each other. Well except for Alice withholding her feelings for Teddy. They tell each other the hard truth--especially when it is most needed. Teddy seems to be a bit naive, and Alice a bit harsh. Yet they both underestimate each other at times.

Even though Windfall is probably my favorite Jennifer E Smith book that I've read, I still had some issues with it. The typical gay best friend plus being in love with the other best friend annoyed me. Teddy's naivete in regards to all things money related for a large portion of the book was grating, as was Alice's hardened view on life. Yet the good thing was that Alice and Teddy both grew throughout the book which felt a bit redeeming. Still, Windfall gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read Windfall? What did you think? Let me know!

Alice, Teddy, and Leo have been together through a lot, and luck did not bring them together. Alice moved across the country at age 9 to live with her cousin Leo and his family after both of her parents died a year apart from each other. Teddy’s dad disappeared after losing his family’s apartment as a result of gambling debts. Nine years later they’re the best of friends, and their luck seems like it’s about to change. The lottery ticket Alice gives Teddy for his 18th birthday is a winner, a $140 million winner to be exact. What Teddy sees as a blessing, Alice sees as a curse; she’s had more than enough change for one lifetime. With delicate ease, Smith demonstrates how fears can hold us back and how difficult change can be. Windfall approaches many topics like loss, grief, gambling, graduating, families, and relationships while asking what would you do if you won the lottery, and would it change you for the better?

I'm going to have to quit saying I don't like contemporary romances when I adore everything Jennifer E. Smith has written. I was, once again, captivated by Windfall.

The funny thing is, you will probably be able to guess the general story arc when you read the blurb. Alice buys a lottery ticket for her best friend, Teddy, on his birthday. She's secretly head-over-heels in love with him and has chosen this day to tell him. Instead of that happening, he wins millions of dollars in the lottery.

There is much more to these characters. Alice lost her parents when she was nine years old and lives with her aunt and uncle and her cousin, Leo, who makes up the third person of the best-friend trio. Teddy's father left when he was young, and he and his mother struggle to make ends meet. Leo's boyfriend is a year older than Leo and is away at college. They are all trying to figure out what they will do after high school.

Smith is a wonderful storyteller. There's just no way that this mostly predictable story should be this good. But it is. It isn't sappy, but it should be. The characters are genuine and tug at your heartstrings. They have life struggles to get through, and they do it without going over the top. Smith just has a way of sucking you in so that you can't wait to find out what happens, even though you pretty much know.

I thoroughly enjoyed Windfall, and I can't wait to hand it to some of my teens.

Another fabulous book from Jennifer E. Smith. I love her writing and her stories, as a librarian I recommend her books all the time and without question this one is on my next book order. I really appreciate that her books are very clean reads and I can recommend then to my Middle Schooler's as well as my High Schooler's. The novel highlights the good, the bad and the ugly of winning the lottery and even though the odds are not in my favor to win I enjoyed "dreaming" about a windfall of my own while reading this book. Thank you!

Windfall's story is pretty straightforward in some ways - a trio of best friends, one gifts a lottery ticket to the other on their birthday, and becomes a winner. Their lives change in ways they never dreamed of. Lesson learned in the relation between money, happiness and relationships. I mean, it is pretty predictable if you look at it like that. But this story is also very character-driven - it doesn't take the 'Windfall' at just the monetary description. It goes into how things change your life and how sometimes change is a good thing, and not something to be afraid of. This story doesn't just focus on Teddy's life changing when he goes from a poor guy to an extremely rich one - it focuses on Alice's response to the changes in her life, her letting of her past and learning to move on to better things. And also somewhat about Leo learning that not everything in the universe is held on a balance of good times versus bad. It is a coming-of-age novel that is heartwarming and melancholy at the same time.

Alice's parents died within a few months of each other. If anyone has terrible luck, it's her. Though perhaps Alice will soon find that luck is relative.

Alice has lived with her aunt, uncle, and cousin Leo for the past nine years. Over that time, she has become best friends with Leo and Teddy, who has had his own bout with bad luck. All of that changes the night Teddy turns 18 and Alice buys him a lottery ticket. He is one of three people who win the jackpot. Teddy's life completely changes and people are coming out of the woodwork to get in on some of the money, even his estranged father. While Teddy wants to share the wealth with everyone, Alice wants no part of the money, she just wants to continue volunteering, honoring the memory of her parents, and harboring her serious crush on Teddy. Will Teddy and Alice ever find their way to each other, or will Teddy lose himself.

This Smith novel does not read like many of her previous novels. I found that I was most compelled by Leo's story. When he was on the page, I wanted to know more. I was not connected to Teddy, I felt like he was a cad who is not and will never be good enough for Alice. I wish Alice had more of a backbone and could stand on her own, she seems to be a very meek and mild character. Smith is a great writer and this is a solid romance book, but when compared to her others this is not one of my favorites.

What would you do if you won £140 million? This is the question that kept circling around in my head as I read this book. That's a lot of money. And me saying that it's a lot of money is a massive understatement. I've never understood why the lottery even exists... Surely, a better way for those jackpot amounts to be spent would be for the government to build a homeless shelter? Or even better yet, to buy homeless people homes and food and clothes? Not to give that money to someone who probably doesn't need it... Well, that's what this story is about...

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.

This is such an interesting book. It took me a while to get into at first because the character of Teddy just really annoyed me. He seemed really cocky and self-centred, but over the course of the book, I started to like him, just because of how Alice changed him into a better person. He was just spending them money on such ridiculous things, and I just had to roll my eyes at some occasions like "oh course he did that... What a cliché". I did like how Alice tried to knock some sense into him, but when he did finally do good with his money, it felt like he was helping people because he felt like he had no choice? It didn't feel like he wanted to help people with it, he just did it because he didn't want to upset Alice.

Also... Sawyer...? He just seemed unnecessary and I felt really really sorry for him. He was incredibly nice to Alice, cheered her up, was there for her when she needed someone and what does he get back? Nothing. A big fat pile of nothing. She just treats him like rubbish and I just wanted to slap her. She preaches about helping people, but then dismisses Sawyer whenever Teddy came along. Nope. Not nice at all.



""Tell me this," she said. "When you think of Harry, what's the first words that comes to mind?"
Leo's answer arrived right away: "Wizard."
"Exactly. So he's an orphan and a wizard. Both things are true, right?"
"Right."
"Well, that's how it is for all of us. We have all sorts of words that could describe us. But we get to choose which ones are most important.""
- Jennifer E. Smith, Windfall



My favourite character was definitely Leo. I loved how he was gay, but Smith didn't make him into the stereotypical gay character that you sometimes see in Young Adult novels. I also loved one of the choices that Leo made about half way through the book. It must have been so hard for him, but I'm glad that he made it because it was what was best for him. However, I would have liked to see the character of Leo a little bit more; I felt like he was pushed to the sidelines a little bit whenever Teddy and Alice were there and like Sawyer, Alice just took advantage of knowing that Leo would always be there for her.

As you can tell, all of my moaning is about the characters. Teddy and Alice just fell a little flat for me. The plot itself was amazing. I loved the whole concept of it and it really got me thinking about what I would do with that amount of money. I bet you're surprised that I gave this book 4 stars... The only reason it isn't three is because of the plot and how the story was very plot-driven which meant I sped through this book because I just wanted to see what would happen. I would probably say that it is more like 3.5... But 4 will have to do. I do recommend this book but just go into it knowing that the characters aren't the best.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Released 2nd May

A few years ago I read some of Jennifer E. Smith's books and I loved those at that time so I was really excited when I saw Windfall on NetGalley and even more excited when I got approved for the book. However, this book was lacking something and I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. I'm starting to believe I'm growing out of young adult and that's making me sad.

I did enjoy the story but I had a lot of problems with the characters. First we have Alice. She's the main character from Windfall and the book is told from her POV but I did have a lot of problems with her. Alice lost both her mom and dad when she was a kid and had to move from San Francisco to Chicago to live with her uncle and his family. Having lost everything she did everything to keep her parents memory alive and that's one of the things that I didn't like about her. I understand why she would do it because we're talking about her parents but by keeping their memory alive she lost herself. We're talking about an 18 year-old girl who thinks she knows what she wants in her life but in the end what she wants is what she thinks her parents would want and I didn't really like it. I did like that in the end she tried to find herself and what she loved to do. I also didn't like that she looked so perfect... no 18 year-old girl is that perfect with the good grades, good work ethic, helping everyone in need. There's something else that still bugging me and I can't understand. In this book Alice gets a lottery ticket for her best friend's birthday as a gift and he ends up winning it. That's cool right? Teddy ends up trying to split the money with her since she's the one who got it but she ends up refusing it. WHY?? Who in their rightful mind would refuse so much money?? It's weird that she would do something like that, even if it was explained, because in the end she could have used that money for a lot of things and wouldn't have to be constantly complaining about how Teddy was spending everything in dumb things.But let's talk about Teddy, shall we? I don't know how to say this but I didn't like him for most of the time. He grew on me and I liked him a little bit more in the end but I did have a lot of problems with him. I understand he had some rough years and I feel bad that he went through that but I didn't like the way he behave after winning the lottery and how at one point he was mostly out of Alice and Leo's , his best friends, lives. Also, I didn't really like his relationship with Alice and I don't really think they had that much chemistry. They still had a few cute scenes that melted my heart :P. However, my favorite character in this book had to be Leo, Alice's cousin and best-friend. I loved him with everything in my heart. I also loved the relationships in this book. I loved Alice's relationship with her uncle and aunt, with Leo and Teddy and even with Teddy's mom. It was just great to see how important family and friendship were in this book and how in the end that's what matters. There is some romance during the book but it's not the most important thing and that gave this book some extra points (even if I do love myself some romance XD).

Overall, while it might look like I didn't like this book at all I still think it had a few good things and it was easy to read. I did have some problems with Windfall but it the end there were a few things that made that up. I also enjoyed the fact that while this was a fluffy contemporary book it still dealt with some heavy stuff like dealing with grief. I do recommend this book if you're in need of something easy, but beware because the characters might not be the best out there.

This was a very enjoyable read. I love Jennifer's writing style. It's nice how her books always have such a positive message for her readers. I know many people will read this book because it's about teenagers getting rich, or maybe just because of the love story... But honestly, my favorite thing about it is how much Alice learns about herself along the way. She changes a lot... And change is good, indeed.

This author always knows how to write a great YA book and Windfall is no exception. Loved it and I did not want the story to end!

Jennifer E. Smith's books warm my heart and make me happy. I know why many of my girl students especially like reading them. Romance with depth of well-rounded characters.

It's not that I didn't like it, just didn't love it as much as some of her other books. But I would absolutely still have it in my classroom library for 8th graders.

I am a Jennifer E. Smith fan and this book did not disappoint. I love her writing style and also the emotional weight that she gives to her characters. It was a very charming yet heartbreaking read and I loved following the journey of the characters. It was very realistic and a truly captivating story.