DNF'd at 20%
I was initially looking forward to reading this and even more excited to get a Berkley approval (IYKYN), but this quickly turned into a disaster. First, the chapters were soo long. It's definitely a turn-off for me when it comes to reading. Second, I felt it was extremely wordy and just spewed unnecessary information, and I found it hard to connect to any one character because there was so much go on. The nail in the coffin for me was the sexual content. With this being a book about siblings, I especially don't want to read about porn and masturbation. Gross.
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

This book is about three siblings winning the lottery. One problem. There are four siblings. So, their dad is selling their Jersey Shore beach house and they have gathered to clean it out. While they are there they see a news story about the lottery and decide to go buy some tickets, except their brother Matthew and his wife. Now Matthew and his wife are lawyers and do not "need" the money so who cares, right? This book is a family drama about learning what is important in life and what isn't. This book was a little hard because it is hard to relate to people who just won millions and are not happy. Each chapter is the POV of one of the siblings. The chapters are long. There is a lot going on with each sibling and I enjoyed seeing how their lives changed and of course how they thought it would be the answer to all of their problems and of course it wasn't. I also enjoyed the text exchanges with the siblings. I thought it was an interesting premise for a book and we all have thought about what we would do if we win the lottery but are you sure that is what you would do? And what about all of the sob stories from people that come out of the woodwork? I think it would be a good book club conversation.

Another favorite from Elyssa Friedland! I loved following along with the four Jacobson siblings as three of them win the Powerball and learn that money doesn't always solve your problems, including your relationship with your siblings.

When Laura, Sophie, and Noah hit it big, they think the money will help them out in a number of ways. While their brother Matthew didn't go in on the ticket with them, they grapple with what to do, but figure since Matthew and his wife both have high paying jobs, they don't need the money as much as they do. Once the money is in their hands, they all go in very different directions with it. Laura and her husband spend it on everything they can think of, making up of 20 plus years of penny pinching. Noah, being naive, gives it to anyone who asks, and Sophie is the smartest with it, using it to purchase a new studio space for her art.

I loved having each siblings perspective throughout the book and their group chats to show their relationship. Out of the four siblings, Sophie’s storyline was my favorite, and maybe because I felt I related to her a bit, and I think she had some of the best growth out of the siblings. The characters all have their quirks and they will make you laugh throughout reading, and also sympathize with them as their lives go in all different directions. The Jewish representation was absolutely fantastic, something I can always expect in an Elyssa book!

Jackpot Summer is both funny and poignant – a wild and wooly story of four siblings who suddenly get it all and then realize you can’t buy love.

The Jacobson siblings are living their very ordinary, messy lives when they receive a sudden financial windfall. Of meagre means, they grew up saving money and budgeting down to the last penny, so winning the New Jersey lottery should make everything better than it was. But as wiser people have said, mo' money equals mo' problems.

The usually at odds siblings have only united to help their father, Leo, pack up the family’s summer home on Long Beach Island ahead of his move to Florida. They succeed in cleaning out the house, though it’s an emotional event. Then the lottery win happens, and changes everything. Only three of the siblings go in on the winning ticket together – Laura, Sophie, and Noah. Matthew is the odd sibling out, agreeing with his wife, Beth, that lotteries are a losing game. When the others win millions, he feels left out, to say the least.

While coping with the sudden publicity of the win, fighting over who should own what, blowing their cash, and dealing with their widowed father’s wisely staying out it of it to become a Floridian pickleball fanatic, the siblings also have difficult personal lives to deal with. Laura is a stay at home mom whose Instagram-perfect marriage is close to toast and shredding to pieces in pubic; Sophie is dealing with jealousy as her boyfriend’s art career threatens to eclipse her own; regular guy Matthew hates his well-paying but boring job as a lawyer and loathes that it keeps him away from his family and son, and Noah – he of many failed business ventures – has been living at home and can barely keep himself afloat financially.


The Jacobsons must now figure out what family means, try to fix their lives, figure out what to do with the family home – and do it all by themselves, without their late mom Sylvia to guide them. Who will survive?

The family itself, naturally, though it’s touch and go for a while there. Jackpot Summer does a great job balancing each sibling’s point of view, ladling on observational humor, and not sacrificing honesty and emotion in the process.

Each of the siblings has their flaws, and they’re each worth rooting for. All the while, the book has a great message about how money can’t heal your wounds. Jackpot Summer is laugh-out-loud funny and had me chortling along as things became wilder and well-meaning gestures of kindness fell apart. It’s an easy-breezy beach read that will make you smile as you snuggle within its covers.

My first “summer” read of the season and what a joy it was!

I immediately fell in love with the Jacobsons and their beloved vacation home on the Jersey Shore! I saw a little bit of myself in all of them as they navigated being adults. Matthew, grappling between making the money to give his son everything he’s ever wanted or being home and spending time with him; Laura, who simultaneously lost and found herself in motherhood; Sophie, who didn’t know exactly where she belonged in her career; and Noah, who was just trying to figure out how to exist without his mother and the beach house that cradled so many childhood memories for their family.

This was a heart warming tale of sibling love and self reflection and I loved it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkeley for this advance copy of Jackpot Summer, due out 6/11/24!

I’ve given Friedland’s last 2 books 5 stars, and I’m now thinking that she’s just the author for me. I love how she manages to weave these characters together, and I always love reading about siblings that are drastically different from each other and how the family dynamics play into that. This premise follows 4 siblings, Matthew, Noah, Laura and Sophie, and I loved how each chapter ended with a text thread in their group chat - it was such a fun touch to remind us about their family dynamics. I totally ate this up as a quick summer read!

Thank you SO much to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for this review. Pick up Jackpot Summer on June 11th, coming soon!

Elyssa Friedland has been one of my faves ever since I read LAST SUMMER AT THE GOLDEN HOTEL. I adored that book so much and immediately proceeded to purchase Elyssa’s entire backlist 🥰 so it’s probably no surprise that JACKPOT SUMMER was one of my MOST anticipated releases of 2024!

In JACKPOT SUMMER, the Jacobson siblings reunite on the Jersey Shore to help their recently widowed father pack up their childhood home. Each sibling is struggling through life in their own way. Three of the siblings go in on a lottery ticket together and end up winning 💰 surely it will solve all of their problems, right? Wrong… it leads to sibling rivalries and spur-of-the-moment purchases that rapidly drain the winnings.

I’m always a big fan of stories with complicated family dynamics — and boy did this have many! Between the siblings and their father, these characters were all over the place and kept me on my toes. I loved it 😂

I especially enjoyed the siblings’ Fantastic Four group chat. Their banter and antics were so entertaining 👏 I loved the lessons the characters learned along the way and how Friedland brought the story to a close.

JACKPOT SUMMER is a hilariously beautiful story about family and what it means to be lucky.

Jackpot Summer is a delightful summer read full of family drama and a look at the "what if" question. What if I won the lottery? The Jacobson siblings have gathered to help their father clear out the family summer home on LBI (Long Beach Island) after their mother passed away. This location is iconic and the author has done it justice. When three of the four siblings chip in and then win the lottery, everyone's life is affected. While the money brings freedom, it also unearths issues. I really enjoyed the story and seeing how each of the characters reacted to the money. I felt like regardless of whether their choices were good or bad, the characters were relatable and sympathetic. Elyssa Friedland has a way of capturing the feel of a location and group of people. I know that this will be a great summer read, especially for those who have spent time at the Jersey Shore.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Books for the advanced reader copy.

A charming read about family - chaotic, fuzzy feeling, complicated, messy, funny & supportive.

I loved reading and felt connected to some of the siblings and then felt lost with some of the others (possibly intentional?) the last 10-20% of the book just seemed so thrown together and rushed to achieve the obvious “& happily ever after” which was heartfelt and nice to read but fell a little flat after spending so much time building up turmoil and issues.

A cute summer read that really highlights connection & gratitude.

Thank you for the publisher for the gifted (free) ARC

Jackpot Summer felt very…anticlimactic to me. While I wasn’t expecting anything mind blowing, I was expecting some level of excitement. There were portions of the book which really kept me entertained, but other portions that just drug on and on. Overall, if the synopsis is really appealing to you, go for it. But if it’s not, maybe pass on this read.

This book is about 4 siblings at various phases of life, and their widowed father. They are dealing with the emptying of a family shore home after their mother’s death. They all love each other but seem to have lost some of the bond that kept them together. It’s a book about being there for each other and showing up no matter what.

The family wins the lottery…well most of them do anyway which is a point of contention. The YouTube video thing I thought was a bit overly dramatic regardless of the reason making the right decision is still the right decision and clearly was when their hearts were in it.

My enjoyment of this one (for me) really ebbed and flowed. My interest level wasn’t consistent. Sometimes I was super invested other times I found myself losing interest.

Overall this is a lighter read, you won’t find any heavy drama / conflict or spicy scenes. I think I just like more action and drama in the books I read. So this one wasn’t for me. However, if you’re looking for a novel about growth amongst family members with a HEA…then look no further.

JACKPOT SUMMER is THE heartfelt family drama of the season. It's simultaneously funny, heartwrenching, and hopeful. The four Jacobson siblings have just learned that their father is selling their beloved beach house, after recently losing their mother. While figuring out how to deal with this grief, three of the four siblings win the Powerball jackpot.

This novel just goes to show that nobody's perfect, and even a seemingly great thing can tear a family apart.

My heart hurt the most for poor Noah, saying yes to everyone's requests for money and just wishing for his old job as the island's tech support. My favorite character was the Jacobsons' dad, though.

While these characters make many questionable decisions along the way, they eventually learn from their mistakes and turn out okay. The ending really makes the book: it's so heartwarming and hopeful. I definitely recommend you add this to your TBR this summer!

I really enjoy the authors style of writing books about messy families, she explores that dynamic in a really authentic and charming way that always works for me. I think we’ve all daydreamed about what we would do if we won the lottery and that’s the reality for the Jacobson family and the premise here. As exciting and life changing as it is for this family, it also opens up a host of issues and exposes some problems they weren’t ready to face. They’re all still reeling from the loss of their beloved mother and trying to navigate life without their matriarch and grief was discussed in such a relatable way. I enjoyed all four of the siblings and sometimes shook my head at some of their struggles and others were very universal. Their father, Leo was such a character and he was one of my favorites. This is such a perfect summer read, especially if you enjoy reading about other people’s problems and dramas in an endearing and entertaining way.

The four adult Jacobson siblings are still reeling from the death of their mother Sylvia, when more life changes come. Their father decides to move to Florida and sell their beloved beach home on LBI, NJ. The youngest sibling, Noah, on a whim decides with two of his other siblings, Laura and Sophie, to buy a lottery ticket. Shockingly, they win big.

I adored this family drama! I love stories that focus on family relationships and the different dynamics each member bring to the group, and this story was a real treat. I’m from New Jersey, although not overly familiar with LBI, but I loved being in my home state. I loved the multiple POVs between the 4 siblings and I felt I really got to know each character. I loved their flaws and their love for each other, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish!

Elyssa Friedland does it again! Another wacky family drama this time set on the Jersey Shore. While dealing with the grief of losing their mother, their father decides to sell their beloved beach house and each of the 4 Jacobson siblings is experiencing some sort of crossroads in life. Oh and then 3 of the 4 siblings end up winning the lottery. Yes, lots happening here! While each had their own struggles before their newly minted millionaire status, they are surprised to find that money doesn't solve everything. Each sibling has a POV that rotates throughout the book, which I like! I really enjoyed the Jacobson clan, who felt relatable and real as they all are just trying to find what makes them happy and how to continue on without their mom as the cornerstone of the family. I cannot wait to see what Friedland comes up with next! This is out on 6/11!

I loved this concept for a novel. A family wins the lottery and this book follows each of the four siblings as they navigate life before and after winning the lottery. It addresses grief/loss, family dynamics, following your dreams and the importance of family. I really enjoyed this one

I’m so sad to say that this one didn’t work for me. It started off strong and I was very intrigued but it started to drag and it was so hard to keep up with the story. This is my first book by Friedland, I’ll probably check out more of her work. But I’m sad to say this one wasn’t for me.

A year after losing their mother, the Jacobson siblings are each floundering in the absence of their family matriarch as they pack up their beloved beach home on Long Beach Island to sell. When the Jacobson siblings win the lottery, they wrongfully assume their problems will evaporate with their newfound exorbitant wealth. JACKPOT SUMMER plots the course of how the windfall fortune changes the lives of each sibling, for better or for worse. This is a story about the imperfect yet loyal relationships among families filled with humor and heart.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-seek out satisfying character development
-are a part of a lively family group text
-appreciate Jewish representation in fiction
-long for nostalgic family summers at the shore

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: June 11, 2024

Many thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This family novel features the immensely likable Jacobson clan: dad Leo, late mom Sylvia, and their four grown children with spouses and offspring. There is a strong bond of affection shared by all, despite differences in lifestyle and goals. The novel is set not that long after matriarch Sylvia has died, and her absence is keenly felt.

Their clan ranges from overachieving corporate lawyers Matthew and Beth, to youngest son Noah, a bit of a slacker but charming and good-natured. In between are teacher and aspiring artist Sophie and stay at home mom mom Laura. None of them are monstrously unhappy, but all are at a point in life where they are wondering if this is where they want to be.

And then, several things happen. Their father sells their beloved beach house where the family has been having reunions for decades, and he moves to Florida. Next, three of the kids win the lottery and become instant bazillionaires. They handle it about as well as most -- which is to say, not very well. The sudden riches and their attendant problems highlight all the things that are wrong with their lives and force them eventually into some soul searching.

This is a family you can cheer for. And yes, they are aware that rich lottery winners don't get much sympathy and are embarrassed by it. But they share so much honesty and laughter and are committed to each other and their family. This is a fun and pleasurable read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Along with Elin Hilbrand's book, Swan Song, this is my second favorite book for a GREAT summer beach read. Even though money can't buy everything and can absolutely tear families apart - the Fantastic Jacobsons can survive anything and make this work. I also enjoyed this book because Long Beach Island, New Jersey was the focal point - best beachtown ever!