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Jackpot
From the author of the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin-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.
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.
345 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2019
265 people are currently reading
14476 people want to read
About the author
Nic Stone
43 books4,566 followersNic Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the US to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work.
Stone lives in Atlanta with her husband and two sons. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @getnicced or on her website nicstone.info.
Stone lives in Atlanta with her husband and two sons. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @getnicced or on her website nicstone.info.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,201 reviews
November 5, 2019
Even though I predicted the ending of this one pretty early on, there is just something about Nic Stone's writing that really does it for me and I liked this one SO MUCH. My favorite bits were the parts written in the perspective of different inanimate objects because I feel like they just really gave this that little extra something and honestly y'all this was just so fun and you need to read it!!!
February 10, 2025
Jackpot by Nic Stone is the YA jewel I didn’t know I needed. Rico is tough and serious, in her determinedly matter-of-fact way. She knows all she will ever need to know about each of her classmates. Without having an actual conversation, Rico knows what their home lives must be. She can tell what type of people they are. Rico is so grown, she even knows exactly how each of her peers sees her.
So, it’s not such a big deal for Rico to stay out of that basic, high-school drama; she’s truly got no time for it, anyway. Mama is hounding her to pick up extra shifts at the gas station. The purest person on the planet, her little brother, Jax, seems to stay sick. And she does still need to graduate.
Zan, rich-boy-because-of-daddy’s-toilet-paper, is not someone Rico ever envisioned approaching. Truth be told, she hid when he popped into her Gas ’n’ Go on Christmas Eve, just so she wouldn’t have to be polite to him. But now, his mad-hacker-skills may be exactly what Rico needs.
Something else happened that night-before-Christmas. Rico sold a winning lotto ticket, but the prize has not been claimed. Rico vividly recalls chatting with the sweet little lady who mentioned being forgetful. She will do everything possible to track this woman down in time to claim the jackpot.
While the sullen Rico is stuck with the inexplicably cheerful Zan, she grows annoyed by his habit of asking the questions that most folks would just mull over, silently. Replying to his sneaky, probing, seemingly-innocent queries got Rico thinking.
More time together meant more self-realization and Rico began to wonder if her earlier assumptions were not entirely accurate. Maybe, being part of a family that is financially well-off does not necessarily mean having whatever you want. Perhaps someone can be decked out in all-Nike-attire and still legitimately need food stamps. Maybe money is a blessing. Or, it could be a curse.
Ms. Stone’s characters are authentic enough to feel familiar, but fresh enough to be invigorating. Day-to-day life, even when infused with Something Different, is realistic and relatable. The occasional appearance of unexpected and unlikely narrators elevates the entire book in a way that I find intensely delightful.
So, it’s not such a big deal for Rico to stay out of that basic, high-school drama; she’s truly got no time for it, anyway. Mama is hounding her to pick up extra shifts at the gas station. The purest person on the planet, her little brother, Jax, seems to stay sick. And she does still need to graduate.
Zan, rich-boy-because-of-daddy’s-toilet-paper, is not someone Rico ever envisioned approaching. Truth be told, she hid when he popped into her Gas ’n’ Go on Christmas Eve, just so she wouldn’t have to be polite to him. But now, his mad-hacker-skills may be exactly what Rico needs.
Something else happened that night-before-Christmas. Rico sold a winning lotto ticket, but the prize has not been claimed. Rico vividly recalls chatting with the sweet little lady who mentioned being forgetful. She will do everything possible to track this woman down in time to claim the jackpot.
While the sullen Rico is stuck with the inexplicably cheerful Zan, she grows annoyed by his habit of asking the questions that most folks would just mull over, silently. Replying to his sneaky, probing, seemingly-innocent queries got Rico thinking.
More time together meant more self-realization and Rico began to wonder if her earlier assumptions were not entirely accurate. Maybe, being part of a family that is financially well-off does not necessarily mean having whatever you want. Perhaps someone can be decked out in all-Nike-attire and still legitimately need food stamps. Maybe money is a blessing. Or, it could be a curse.
Ms. Stone’s characters are authentic enough to feel familiar, but fresh enough to be invigorating. Day-to-day life, even when infused with Something Different, is realistic and relatable. The occasional appearance of unexpected and unlikely narrators elevates the entire book in a way that I find intensely delightful.
November 22, 2020
This book was one of the YA reads that wasn't on my radar at all. I've never read any books by Nic Stone so this was my first. Thank You Netgalley for granting me an arc. I'd say this was about a 2.5 as I had to knock some stars off my review for some things I had a problem with.
So this is the story of Rico who is a girl living with her mom and little brother working pretty much full time while going to school to help her mother make ends meet. Rico is trying to track down this old lady who she believes bought a winning lottery ticket at her gas station in hopes of getting that ticket and claiming the money for herself. See Rico is like a second mother to her younger brother and she just wants a life where she can provide for him and give him the world. Where they don't have to just barely make rent at the end of the month and do without. Where the rich kids at school won't bully them.
Rico's mom
Rico's mother seriously got on my nerves. After her bad decisions she basically puts it all on her daughter to help take care of the family because she's too proud to apply for government assistance. But also insists on having them live in an area they can't afford under the guise of wanting better schools for her children. She never gets the dragging she deserves because bad parenting like that should've be excused. There was also a missed opportunity to inform people on the types of services available at little to no cost for single mothers. Services her family could've desperate used instead of Rico's mother working her to exhaustion. She has colitis but doesn't want to go on medicaid even after Rico calls her out. She doesn't have a change of mind instead just decides to go waste money on a vacation they can't afford. In another book someone from outside the family would've called her out about her shitty parenting.
Also one thing I found strange is that Zan asks Rico "What are you?" and he clarifies that he means ethnically because it perplexes him that she doesn't know a popular rap song. Now we black girls know there's a stereotype that if you are a pretty black girl you must be mixed with something.
And it's acknowledged that it's offensive but we still go there anyway. I expected her response to be.
The black girl with the high cheekbones and curly hair is of course mixed. And Rico goes into this whole explanation about her "exotic" background with an Afro Spanish father and biracial mother. who was raised by a white father.
I will say this book's strongest point is the effortless chemistry between Zan and Rico. They are a classic YA rom com duo. Zan is the rich boy who comes across like a bad boy but it really a cool down to earth dude. Rico seeks him out because he was at that gas station that day and she heard some rumors that he's good with computers. He doesn't open up much and he's kind of intrigued by her since at school she talks to no one. Once he and Rico form a friendship he really tries to get her to open up and does what he can to make her and her brother's lives a little easier. Which while cute at times can come across a little white saviorish. I would've loved to hear more of his POV vs the random objects POV we heard instead. I found his family dynamic very interesting.
Him picking up Rico every day gave me shades of
Not sure how I feel about that ending. It didn't end the way that I expected.
So this is the story of Rico who is a girl living with her mom and little brother working pretty much full time while going to school to help her mother make ends meet. Rico is trying to track down this old lady who she believes bought a winning lottery ticket at her gas station in hopes of getting that ticket and claiming the money for herself. See Rico is like a second mother to her younger brother and she just wants a life where she can provide for him and give him the world. Where they don't have to just barely make rent at the end of the month and do without. Where the rich kids at school won't bully them.
Rico's mom
Rico's mother seriously got on my nerves. After her bad decisions she basically puts it all on her daughter to help take care of the family because she's too proud to apply for government assistance. But also insists on having them live in an area they can't afford under the guise of wanting better schools for her children. She never gets the dragging she deserves because bad parenting like that should've be excused. There was also a missed opportunity to inform people on the types of services available at little to no cost for single mothers. Services her family could've desperate used instead of Rico's mother working her to exhaustion. She has colitis but doesn't want to go on medicaid even after Rico calls her out. She doesn't have a change of mind instead just decides to go waste money on a vacation they can't afford. In another book someone from outside the family would've called her out about her shitty parenting.
Also one thing I found strange is that Zan asks Rico "What are you?" and he clarifies that he means ethnically because it perplexes him that she doesn't know a popular rap song. Now we black girls know there's a stereotype that if you are a pretty black girl you must be mixed with something.
And it's acknowledged that it's offensive but we still go there anyway. I expected her response to be.
The black girl with the high cheekbones and curly hair is of course mixed. And Rico goes into this whole explanation about her "exotic" background with an Afro Spanish father and biracial mother. who was raised by a white father.
I will say this book's strongest point is the effortless chemistry between Zan and Rico. They are a classic YA rom com duo. Zan is the rich boy who comes across like a bad boy but it really a cool down to earth dude. Rico seeks him out because he was at that gas station that day and she heard some rumors that he's good with computers. He doesn't open up much and he's kind of intrigued by her since at school she talks to no one. Once he and Rico form a friendship he really tries to get her to open up and does what he can to make her and her brother's lives a little easier. Which while cute at times can come across a little white saviorish. I would've loved to hear more of his POV vs the random objects POV we heard instead. I found his family dynamic very interesting.
Him picking up Rico every day gave me shades of
Not sure how I feel about that ending. It didn't end the way that I expected.
March 20, 2020
Let me preface by saying I'm not a fan of Stone's writing style. I only read this because I thought it was a 2020 pub and I needed something new to read during the quarantine.
Issues I Had With This Book:
* The Writing Style-Although I think Stone thinks she's a critical writer, she's not. Her writing style is very basic and it doesn't challenge the reader-uninspiring. There needs to be several things happening to make a critical book and Jackpot didn't have any of those things-great characters; themes; and tone.
-Rico, the MC, she's a bit of a Mary Sue. Everyone comments on how pretty she is and aside from working to help her family, which is admirable, that's all there is to her. The only thing that makes her remotely special is her family history but that's only mentioned once so it doesn't have an impact.
-OMG, I have already forgotten the guy's name and I read this two days ago :-0. I don't feel like looking it up so let's call him Alex. There was nothing special about him either. He was witty, I guess, and flirty? I don't know.
-There's only one major theme and although it's important and underserved, we're beaten over the head with her poverty woes.
-Its attempt at humor is poor.
* The Theme-As I stated above, there is a lack of poor teens in YA so I appreciate the inclusion and the attempt was admirable. Rico confronts her mom which was good but nothing seemed to come of it; they don't have a conversation about their issues. Mother and daughter relationships are also underserved in YA so I was hoping this would do something but no. Rico was CONSTANTLY schooling Alex (I still don't remember his name) about their socio-economic differences and it got old.
* That Ending-I was gonna give this a 2.5 and put 3.0 stars but that ending made me drop the rating.
What I Liked About This Book:
* Nothing
I think teens will like this book because it's easy to process. This book is great for reluctant readers but it's not going to challenge a critical reading teen.
Issues I Had With This Book:
* The Writing Style-Although I think Stone thinks she's a critical writer, she's not. Her writing style is very basic and it doesn't challenge the reader-uninspiring. There needs to be several things happening to make a critical book and Jackpot didn't have any of those things-great characters; themes; and tone.
-Rico, the MC, she's a bit of a Mary Sue. Everyone comments on how pretty she is and aside from working to help her family, which is admirable, that's all there is to her. The only thing that makes her remotely special is her family history but that's only mentioned once so it doesn't have an impact.
-OMG, I have already forgotten the guy's name and I read this two days ago :-0. I don't feel like looking it up so let's call him Alex. There was nothing special about him either. He was witty, I guess, and flirty? I don't know.
-There's only one major theme and although it's important and underserved, we're beaten over the head with her poverty woes.
-Its attempt at humor is poor.
* The Theme-As I stated above, there is a lack of poor teens in YA so I appreciate the inclusion and the attempt was admirable. Rico confronts her mom which was good but nothing seemed to come of it; they don't have a conversation about their issues. Mother and daughter relationships are also underserved in YA so I was hoping this would do something but no. Rico was CONSTANTLY schooling Alex (I still don't remember his name) about their socio-economic differences and it got old.
* That Ending-I was gonna give this a 2.5 and put 3.0 stars but that ending made me drop the rating.
What I Liked About This Book:
* Nothing
I think teens will like this book because it's easy to process. This book is great for reluctant readers but it's not going to challenge a critical reading teen.
April 5, 2019
Don’t pickup this book if you have things that need done . I repeat, DON’T PICKUP THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVE THINGS THAT NEED DONE.
June 17, 2019
Alright, I'm a total Nic Stone fan girl. I literally did football maneuvers in a ballroom to make sure I got this ARC. But, this one felt..off.
The story is told from Rico's POV with side anecdotes from the winning lotto ticket, her little brother's toy soldier, and other inanimate objects in an effort to offset Rico's unreliability. I wanted a deeper exploration into her partner in crime's thoughts. I also didn't like the constant reminder of how poor she was. It was redundant and often came across as melodramatic. (This coming from someone from a low socioeconomic background)
Things I did love, Jess as a character was phenomenal and exactly who Rico needed to help her put her life in perspective. Also, the bathroom scene with Rico and her mom was done to perfection.
All that to say, I'm still a total Nic Stone fangirl, but I didn't love Rico with the same vigor and gusto that I loved Jupiter Charity-Sanchez.
The story is told from Rico's POV with side anecdotes from the winning lotto ticket, her little brother's toy soldier, and other inanimate objects in an effort to offset Rico's unreliability. I wanted a deeper exploration into her partner in crime's thoughts. I also didn't like the constant reminder of how poor she was. It was redundant and often came across as melodramatic. (This coming from someone from a low socioeconomic background)
Things I did love, Jess as a character was phenomenal and exactly who Rico needed to help her put her life in perspective. Also, the bathroom scene with Rico and her mom was done to perfection.
All that to say, I'm still a total Nic Stone fangirl, but I didn't love Rico with the same vigor and gusto that I loved Jupiter Charity-Sanchez.
September 13, 2019
ooh this was so great!
the writing style, the characters, the plot, the pace, the discussions of race, money and privilege, the mystery, the romance, the relationships, the chapter structure; it was all brilliantly addictive and made it incredibly easy to highly recommend.
I’m still slightly unsure about how I feel about the ending but other than that, this was a fantastic book and one I enjoyed each and every moment reading.
the writing style, the characters, the plot, the pace, the discussions of race, money and privilege, the mystery, the romance, the relationships, the chapter structure; it was all brilliantly addictive and made it incredibly easy to highly recommend.
I’m still slightly unsure about how I feel about the ending but other than that, this was a fantastic book and one I enjoyed each and every moment reading.
November 17, 2020
Reading previous reviews, I thought the story would be realistic and the cover made me believe there might be room for some interesting romance.
I was wrong.
This story is primarily about money. It's a YA book involving money and 17-18 year old kids with awful parents.
The heroine, Rico, is complaining from page 1 to the end of the book. It's unbearable. Especially considering she doesn't have as much to complain about as she thinks she has. Yes, her mother made the worst choices, but she does have food on her plate and a roof over her head...
The main duo's (cf cover) dynamic is off: she is black and poor and he is white and rich (more or less), but he is perfect, unrealisticly perfect (and he has to, to deal with her nonsense). And, race is never a question in this special special world they live in. Not realistic.
The romance... oooooh. It was puzzling: that's when I understood the boy, Zan, (short for Alexander) was going to fail me too. None of their reactions made sense. So there is some of that in here, sprinkled with unnecessary drama and dragged out effects.
I was wrong.
This story is primarily about money. It's a YA book involving money and 17-18 year old kids with awful parents.
The heroine, Rico, is complaining from page 1 to the end of the book. It's unbearable. Especially considering she doesn't have as much to complain about as she thinks she has. Yes, her mother made the worst choices, but she does have food on her plate and a roof over her head...
The main duo's (cf cover) dynamic is off: she is black and poor and he is white and rich (more or less), but he is perfect, unrealisticly perfect (and he has to, to deal with her nonsense). And, race is never a question in this special special world they live in. Not realistic.
The romance... oooooh. It was puzzling: that's when I understood the boy, Zan, (short for Alexander) was going to fail me too. None of their reactions made sense. So there is some of that in here, sprinkled with unnecessary drama and dragged out effects.
November 26, 2017
Haven't read this yet, just combatting an absurd rating from someone else who has certainly not read it. Will update when I've actually read it.
September 2, 2019
Wow. Wowowowow. I think this book made my brain explode a little bit, but in a good way? So much to think about after finishing this one. I’ll write more of a review once I process my thoughts better, but for now: preorder this one. Nic never disappoints, but she REALLY did something great with Jackpot.
April 29, 2020
I wanted Rico and Zan to get together and when they finally did it ended in a few hours. That was a lot of angst for nothing. I’m dissatisfied with the ending, and the back and forth fighting got annoying. Most of this book was Rico complaining and questioning everything.This one is just nowhere near the love I have for Dear Martin and Odd One Out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2022
I did not write a review straight away after I consumed this novel is because I did not know how to put my love for this novel into words. This novel is literally on par with one of my other favourite romance book of all time – The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. The thing is, not many romance novels make it up to my favourite list as the genre that dominates the list is Fantasy and the fact that both of these romance novels crawled their way up to the list means a lot to me. So, why do I love Jackpot so much? Because of the characters and the romance, of course.
The characters are well-written in this novel. We have Rico, Zan, Jessica, Ness, Rico’s mother and Jax. Rico is a rather complex character and her actions are sometimes difficult to understand because they do not make any sense and that is a character flaw which I loved as I am really pleased that we did not get a Mary Sue who presumes that she is right and perfect all the time in this novel. Zan is a character who I can relate to and I loved all his dialogues with Rico. In addition, he is the reason why the novel is so fun to read because he makes up the most humorous jokes and performs the most feeble-minded actions in the most random and awkward situations and I could not help but laugh at his stupidity. Moreover, he can be really respectful at times of need and I really liked that about his character.
Jessica and Ness are the side-characters that I thought were characters that are discarded in the beginning but build-up slowly towards the end. You can observe their character growth from the first page to the last page and you will be astounded by how much they have grown as characters in these 352 pages novel. Jax (Rico’s little brother) and Rico’s mother are both heartbreaking to read about because of the underlined stress that the mother faces to cover-up rental as a single mother and Jax who does not have a pleasant and comfortable childhood because of poverty. All these characters deliver this novel near to perfection.
If you are wavered by the synopsis of this novel, I urge you to ignore it and go into the book with a clear mind and an open soul. Although the synopsis is accurate, it is just a sub-plot of what the actual novel is. This novel explores class, interracial characters, wealth and privilege and I noticed that the synopsis does not actually give justice to the glory that this novel deserves. I cannot stress enough of how magnificent this novel is because of the topics that it has presented in this novel.
The plot of the novel is delicately crafted and most of the plotlines string up together nicely. However, there are several minor plots that the author brought up in the novel and they are not answered and somehow… forgotten: (1) who is Zan’s previous girlfriend and why did he lie to Rico about not having a girlfriend before? (2) What did the previous girlfriend steal from Zan’s house and why is it important for anyone to mention it in the novel?
The pacing of this novel is eloquent and relaxing as it does not have a plenitude of protuberances that will cause the pacing to be treacherous. If a reader were to walk on a certain ground, he/she will discover that the ground is evenly paved just like the pacing of this novel. However, I thought that the ending was a little bit rushed but I was too emotionally invested in the novel to notice how fast the author was driving me to the ending point of the novel to care and therefore, the ending is what we will talk about next.
The ending of the novel has 2 gigantic plot twists that both made me sob endlessly and stunned me to my core. Honestly, I did not see any of them coming because I was so blinded by the romance that a veil did not asunder until the very page that the plot twists occur. In addition, the ending also shows the true colours of both the protagonist and her love interest and that made me love the book even more even though it is so heartbreaking to read about and I cannot stop thinking about it for days and that shows the astonishing characteristics of the novel.
In conclusion, I am giving this novel 95% (A+) rating because of how well-written and endearing the story and the characters are. Oh, just so you know, I think this is an amazing Christmas gift to give to a family member or a friend because this novel starts off in December with snow falling and a bed of white covering the green land.
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The characters are well-written in this novel. We have Rico, Zan, Jessica, Ness, Rico’s mother and Jax. Rico is a rather complex character and her actions are sometimes difficult to understand because they do not make any sense and that is a character flaw which I loved as I am really pleased that we did not get a Mary Sue who presumes that she is right and perfect all the time in this novel. Zan is a character who I can relate to and I loved all his dialogues with Rico. In addition, he is the reason why the novel is so fun to read because he makes up the most humorous jokes and performs the most feeble-minded actions in the most random and awkward situations and I could not help but laugh at his stupidity. Moreover, he can be really respectful at times of need and I really liked that about his character.
Jessica and Ness are the side-characters that I thought were characters that are discarded in the beginning but build-up slowly towards the end. You can observe their character growth from the first page to the last page and you will be astounded by how much they have grown as characters in these 352 pages novel. Jax (Rico’s little brother) and Rico’s mother are both heartbreaking to read about because of the underlined stress that the mother faces to cover-up rental as a single mother and Jax who does not have a pleasant and comfortable childhood because of poverty. All these characters deliver this novel near to perfection.
If you are wavered by the synopsis of this novel, I urge you to ignore it and go into the book with a clear mind and an open soul. Although the synopsis is accurate, it is just a sub-plot of what the actual novel is. This novel explores class, interracial characters, wealth and privilege and I noticed that the synopsis does not actually give justice to the glory that this novel deserves. I cannot stress enough of how magnificent this novel is because of the topics that it has presented in this novel.
The plot of the novel is delicately crafted and most of the plotlines string up together nicely. However, there are several minor plots that the author brought up in the novel and they are not answered and somehow… forgotten: (1) who is Zan’s previous girlfriend and why did he lie to Rico about not having a girlfriend before? (2) What did the previous girlfriend steal from Zan’s house and why is it important for anyone to mention it in the novel?
The pacing of this novel is eloquent and relaxing as it does not have a plenitude of protuberances that will cause the pacing to be treacherous. If a reader were to walk on a certain ground, he/she will discover that the ground is evenly paved just like the pacing of this novel. However, I thought that the ending was a little bit rushed but I was too emotionally invested in the novel to notice how fast the author was driving me to the ending point of the novel to care and therefore, the ending is what we will talk about next.
The ending of the novel has 2 gigantic plot twists that both made me sob endlessly and stunned me to my core. Honestly, I did not see any of them coming because I was so blinded by the romance that a veil did not asunder until the very page that the plot twists occur. In addition, the ending also shows the true colours of both the protagonist and her love interest and that made me love the book even more even though it is so heartbreaking to read about and I cannot stop thinking about it for days and that shows the astonishing characteristics of the novel.
In conclusion, I am giving this novel 95% (A+) rating because of how well-written and endearing the story and the characters are. Oh, just so you know, I think this is an amazing Christmas gift to give to a family member or a friend because this novel starts off in December with snow falling and a bed of white covering the green land.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads
June 6, 2020
2.5 stars
This book was ok. I liked its illustration/discussion of class and privilege, and it did make me think a couple of times.
The thing is, the premise just struck me as really random, and a lot of the journey felt meaningless. This book's plot structure was just what I like to call a "road trip": A series of random "stops" (i.e., events) along the way that eventually lead you to the "destination" (i.e., the climax). The problem is, I didn't care about any of the "stops." I DID care about the scenes that started to go into deeper emotion and relationship dynamics between characters, but I feel like Stone always cuts them off before we get a chance to really feel the emotion.
This book was ok. I liked its illustration/discussion of class and privilege, and it did make me think a couple of times.
The thing is, the premise just struck me as really random, and a lot of the journey felt meaningless. This book's plot structure was just what I like to call a "road trip": A series of random "stops" (i.e., events) along the way that eventually lead you to the "destination" (i.e., the climax). The problem is, I didn't care about any of the "stops." I DID care about the scenes that started to go into deeper emotion and relationship dynamics between characters, but I feel like Stone always cuts them off before we get a chance to really feel the emotion.
April 23, 2020
Overall, this was a fun (though also heartbreaking) read! I liked the characters and their quest to find the 'jackpot', but I was kind of disappointed by the ending 🙈
January 30, 2021
DNF! DNF! DNF! DNF!
This is the WORST book i have read since "Radio Silence".
With writing techniques that mimic those of 13 year old fan fiction writers on Wattpad, character stagnation - and at times, regression - instead of development and a plot that is sh•ttier than my dog's actual poop, it is a miracle that I managed to stomach even 10 pages of this rubbish, let alone a third of it.
I hated Rico, the main character, with a passion. She had no redeeming traits, she was the most unlikeable character I have ever had the displeasure of reading about and she said and thought things that irritated me to no bounds. She was judgemental, self-deprecating, unfunny, uncharming and oddly self-important.
Rico loves reminding us how poor she is every 5 f•cking seconds. "Oh, rich white boy this, privileged white girl that, I am poor and that is literally my only personality trait."
Boohoo, b•tch.
I've read books featuring poor protagonists, the poverty shapes them, it contributes to the way they think about the world and interact with others. When I read about those characters I feel bad that they are in that situation and I am rooting for them to get out of the poverty. I do not care what happens to Rico, at all.
Never before have I been told, rather than shown that a character is poor. Never before have I been less empathetic about someone's unfavourable socioeconomic status.
Worse yet, she constantly juxtapositions her poverty with that of her love interest, damn near blaming him for being rich and she poor. She uses this difference in class to show how unworthy she is of friendship and love and decency (tf?!). The love interest was no better. I hated him too.
Their attraction was clunky and unnatural and weird. It made literally no sense. The dialogue was weird. The sequence of events was weird. The characters themselves were weird.
You could just tell it was written by somebody who has not been young in a while.
THE AUTHOR USED SO MANY BRACKETS!!! IT WAS UNNECESSARY!
She used brackets in literally every 2 pages. I wish I was joking. It's cool when an author adds two or three brackets (in a book [the irony is missed on me]) to add some wit to the story, but this author overdid it. It was too much. I've seen less brackets on my maths teacher's board in a term than I've seen in just 10 chapters in this book.
I hated how self-hating Rico was. I HATED IT!!
This book is YA and was published in 2020. You're telling me that in 2020, people are still following the "girl hates herself, but learns to love herself because a boy deems her attractive trope"? Really? Are we really doing this?
What are poor black girls supposed to think whilst reading this? Must they think they are not worthy of some stupid rich white boy's love? Must they think the poverty is all they will ever have?
The jokes did not land. Nothing in this book garnered even a chuckle from me. Literally nothing.
Even if there was a moment that the author could have fleshed out a topic, she decided to discard it the way I should've discarded her book 130 pages ago.
Take for instance when Rico and Alexander hug. That could've been something! She could have told us how Rico's heart rate picked up, how warm Alexander's body felt against hers, how gooey she felt inside.
But instead, she ended the chapter.
Wtf??
Even the side characters were trash. I hated Finesse (what kind of name even is that?). I hated Jess. I hated that grandma. I hated Jaxy. I hated ALL the parents. I hated everything about this book.
I was prepared to finish reading the book, simply because I started it and decided that I might as well finish it, until somebody said something that absolutely grinds my gears. It was the final nail in the coffin and after that I was ready to bury this book.
"Think of the starving children in Africa."
Fuuuuuck you!!
This statement is tired, it is dehumanising and it is othering. It not only generalises an entire CONTINENT, but it reduces genuine pain and suffering of people as a reprimand directed at petulant western children who need to be reminded that Africa exists and if fate had had its way, you would have been damned to that hell on earth.
I promised myself that I would NEVER consume media which reduces my continent to somebody's chastising.
If I could, I would give this dumpster fire of a book a negative rating, but I guess 1 star will do. Know even as you look at my rating, that if I had the chance to that I would've rated this rubbish less than that.
I hope this author takes writing classes, because she is in dire need of them.
This is the WORST book i have read since "Radio Silence".
With writing techniques that mimic those of 13 year old fan fiction writers on Wattpad, character stagnation - and at times, regression - instead of development and a plot that is sh•ttier than my dog's actual poop, it is a miracle that I managed to stomach even 10 pages of this rubbish, let alone a third of it.
I hated Rico, the main character, with a passion. She had no redeeming traits, she was the most unlikeable character I have ever had the displeasure of reading about and she said and thought things that irritated me to no bounds. She was judgemental, self-deprecating, unfunny, uncharming and oddly self-important.
Rico loves reminding us how poor she is every 5 f•cking seconds. "Oh, rich white boy this, privileged white girl that, I am poor and that is literally my only personality trait."
Boohoo, b•tch.
I've read books featuring poor protagonists, the poverty shapes them, it contributes to the way they think about the world and interact with others. When I read about those characters I feel bad that they are in that situation and I am rooting for them to get out of the poverty. I do not care what happens to Rico, at all.
Never before have I been told, rather than shown that a character is poor. Never before have I been less empathetic about someone's unfavourable socioeconomic status.
Worse yet, she constantly juxtapositions her poverty with that of her love interest, damn near blaming him for being rich and she poor. She uses this difference in class to show how unworthy she is of friendship and love and decency (tf?!). The love interest was no better. I hated him too.
Their attraction was clunky and unnatural and weird. It made literally no sense. The dialogue was weird. The sequence of events was weird. The characters themselves were weird.
You could just tell it was written by somebody who has not been young in a while.
THE AUTHOR USED SO MANY BRACKETS!!! IT WAS UNNECESSARY!
She used brackets in literally every 2 pages. I wish I was joking. It's cool when an author adds two or three brackets (in a book [the irony is missed on me]) to add some wit to the story, but this author overdid it. It was too much. I've seen less brackets on my maths teacher's board in a term than I've seen in just 10 chapters in this book.
I hated how self-hating Rico was. I HATED IT!!
This book is YA and was published in 2020. You're telling me that in 2020, people are still following the "girl hates herself, but learns to love herself because a boy deems her attractive trope"? Really? Are we really doing this?
What are poor black girls supposed to think whilst reading this? Must they think they are not worthy of some stupid rich white boy's love? Must they think the poverty is all they will ever have?
The jokes did not land. Nothing in this book garnered even a chuckle from me. Literally nothing.
Even if there was a moment that the author could have fleshed out a topic, she decided to discard it the way I should've discarded her book 130 pages ago.
Take for instance when Rico and Alexander hug. That could've been something! She could have told us how Rico's heart rate picked up, how warm Alexander's body felt against hers, how gooey she felt inside.
But instead, she ended the chapter.
Wtf??
Even the side characters were trash. I hated Finesse (what kind of name even is that?). I hated Jess. I hated that grandma. I hated Jaxy. I hated ALL the parents. I hated everything about this book.
I was prepared to finish reading the book, simply because I started it and decided that I might as well finish it, until somebody said something that absolutely grinds my gears. It was the final nail in the coffin and after that I was ready to bury this book.
"Think of the starving children in Africa."
Fuuuuuck you!!
This statement is tired, it is dehumanising and it is othering. It not only generalises an entire CONTINENT, but it reduces genuine pain and suffering of people as a reprimand directed at petulant western children who need to be reminded that Africa exists and if fate had had its way, you would have been damned to that hell on earth.
I promised myself that I would NEVER consume media which reduces my continent to somebody's chastising.
If I could, I would give this dumpster fire of a book a negative rating, but I guess 1 star will do. Know even as you look at my rating, that if I had the chance to that I would've rated this rubbish less than that.
I hope this author takes writing classes, because she is in dire need of them.
September 3, 2024
The only rating this books deserves: 5⭐️
I absolutely loved so much about this book! 🫶🏻
The rich diversity, the portrayal of the struggles of poverty and the daily fight to stay afloat, the honest approach to serious issues WITHOUT romanticizing them, the strong female friendships, the heartfelt romance, and the deeply resonant mother-daughter relationship! All of it was truly incredible! 💌
The only part that left me a bit unsure was the ending. Even though it's meant to be a happy conclusion, it didn't quite align with what most readers, including myself, might have imagined. 🤷🏻♀️
But that's fine—because in my mind, there's a different ending (iykyk) 😉
I absolutely loved so much about this book! 🫶🏻
The rich diversity, the portrayal of the struggles of poverty and the daily fight to stay afloat, the honest approach to serious issues WITHOUT romanticizing them, the strong female friendships, the heartfelt romance, and the deeply resonant mother-daughter relationship! All of it was truly incredible! 💌
The only part that left me a bit unsure was the ending. Even though it's meant to be a happy conclusion, it didn't quite align with what most readers, including myself, might have imagined. 🤷🏻♀️
But that's fine—because in my mind, there's a different ending (iykyk) 😉
November 23, 2024
Before diving in, let me say this: it wasn’t a terrible story. I enjoyed parts of it and even found myself smiling now and then, but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to save it for me.
My rating lands closer to 2.5 stars because, as I said, there were enjoyable moments. But … the characters? Yeah, not great.
Let’s clear up a few things right away. Rico’s mom? The absolute worst. We can all agree on that, right? Right.
And Zan? He’s basically Noah Centineo aka Peter Kavinsky. Don’t even try to convince me otherwise. Except, plot twist—Zan is actually Latino. Not just pretending to be for more roles. (Yes, the shade is intentional.)
Now, onto the important stuff.
Throughout the story, Rico constantly questions why Zan would even be into her—and honestly? Same. I was asking myself the exact same thing. What is there to like about Rico? Her only notable traits seem to be “pretty” and “poor,” with a dash of “irrational anger” for variety. Okay, to be fair, her anger is mostly justified given her situation. But I wish we saw more of her personality. Like, show us her interest in space and space camp instead of just telling us about it. Let us really get her.
Then there’s this weird, unexplained hatred Rico has for Zan at the beginning of the book. She spends most of the story silently judging him for his privilege and assuming everyone dislikes her because she’s poor. I thought this would be addressed as the story progressed—some kind of character growth or self-awareness. Nope. Zan calls her out at the end, but it’s only about her pride for not accepting the ticket, not for unfairly judging everyone else.
Speaking of which, we’re told that Rico’s classmates supposedly dislike her because she’s poor, but … where? When? The only moment we get is some girls side-eyeing her for riding shotgun with Zan. That’s it.
Oh, and then there’s the “I’m seen as Black, but I’m mixed” tangent. What was that about? I won’t even get into the technicalities here (Latina and Black aren’t mutually exclusive—if her dad was a Black Latino, then, well, you do the math). But the way it was written made it feel like her beauty needed to be justified by her being mixed. Maybe that wasn’t the intention, but it sure read that way.
On the topic of race—if we’re going to explore poverty, shouldn’t we also address how race intersects with it? Especially when you’ve got a slightly diverse cast? The handling of race in this book felt off, but that’s probably a conversation better had with folks who get it, you know?
As for the ending … I’m not sure how I feel about it, but hey, I hope Rico enjoys space.
My rating lands closer to 2.5 stars because, as I said, there were enjoyable moments. But … the characters? Yeah, not great.
Let’s clear up a few things right away. Rico’s mom? The absolute worst. We can all agree on that, right? Right.
And Zan? He’s basically Noah Centineo aka Peter Kavinsky. Don’t even try to convince me otherwise. Except, plot twist—Zan is actually Latino. Not just pretending to be for more roles. (Yes, the shade is intentional.)
Now, onto the important stuff.
Throughout the story, Rico constantly questions why Zan would even be into her—and honestly? Same. I was asking myself the exact same thing. What is there to like about Rico? Her only notable traits seem to be “pretty” and “poor,” with a dash of “irrational anger” for variety. Okay, to be fair, her anger is mostly justified given her situation. But I wish we saw more of her personality. Like, show us her interest in space and space camp instead of just telling us about it. Let us really get her.
Then there’s this weird, unexplained hatred Rico has for Zan at the beginning of the book. She spends most of the story silently judging him for his privilege and assuming everyone dislikes her because she’s poor. I thought this would be addressed as the story progressed—some kind of character growth or self-awareness. Nope. Zan calls her out at the end, but it’s only about her pride for not accepting the ticket, not for unfairly judging everyone else.
Speaking of which, we’re told that Rico’s classmates supposedly dislike her because she’s poor, but … where? When? The only moment we get is some girls side-eyeing her for riding shotgun with Zan. That’s it.
Oh, and then there’s the “I’m seen as Black, but I’m mixed” tangent. What was that about? I won’t even get into the technicalities here (Latina and Black aren’t mutually exclusive—if her dad was a Black Latino, then, well, you do the math). But the way it was written made it feel like her beauty needed to be justified by her being mixed. Maybe that wasn’t the intention, but it sure read that way.
On the topic of race—if we’re going to explore poverty, shouldn’t we also address how race intersects with it? Especially when you’ve got a slightly diverse cast? The handling of race in this book felt off, but that’s probably a conversation better had with folks who get it, you know?
As for the ending … I’m not sure how I feel about it, but hey, I hope Rico enjoys space.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2019
JACKPOT is the second book by Nic Stone that I’ve really enjoyed. She has a way of making you exist in her fictional world and get completely wrapped up her characters. This is book brimming with diversity, the have and have-nots and coming-of-age.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this read, I knew there was a lottery ticket and a young woman. What I got was the compelling character of Rico, working every hour outside of school to help her mum with keeping the eviction notice away, whilst looking after her young brother, Jax. It was pretty tragic to read as Rico had no kind of normal teenage existence. There was a sense of desperation around Rico that invaded the atmosphere.
Rico embarked on a quest to find a winning lottery ticket and she got up the courage to grab Zan to help her. He seemed to be her opposite in every way especially in terms of his financial situation. However, the more I got to know Zan, the more I realised that Zan and Rico were similar in many ways. What made this story was that Zan and others that entered Rico’s life, brought some normal teen experiences, some firsts and it was precious to read Rico having these experiences.
There were some unexpected twists to this story and some tragedies too that had me on the edge of my seat. I can honestly say this was a great reading experience and that I enjoyed the book from cover to cover. Nic Stone’s narrative felt realistic, representing poverty tangibly and with messages that need to be heard without a preachy feel. I love her writing style, it makes for ease of reading. Highly recommended.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities Book Blog here.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this read, I knew there was a lottery ticket and a young woman. What I got was the compelling character of Rico, working every hour outside of school to help her mum with keeping the eviction notice away, whilst looking after her young brother, Jax. It was pretty tragic to read as Rico had no kind of normal teenage existence. There was a sense of desperation around Rico that invaded the atmosphere.
Rico embarked on a quest to find a winning lottery ticket and she got up the courage to grab Zan to help her. He seemed to be her opposite in every way especially in terms of his financial situation. However, the more I got to know Zan, the more I realised that Zan and Rico were similar in many ways. What made this story was that Zan and others that entered Rico’s life, brought some normal teen experiences, some firsts and it was precious to read Rico having these experiences.
There were some unexpected twists to this story and some tragedies too that had me on the edge of my seat. I can honestly say this was a great reading experience and that I enjoyed the book from cover to cover. Nic Stone’s narrative felt realistic, representing poverty tangibly and with messages that need to be heard without a preachy feel. I love her writing style, it makes for ease of reading. Highly recommended.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities Book Blog here.
April 8, 2020
4 stars
Nic Stone does not, in fact, ever let me down. This book explores class inequality and how it disproportionately affects people of color and specifically, in this case, Black people. This book throws the "money can't buy happiness" saying right back at you because sometimes it can!! This book explores the way Black teens are affected by class inequality and lack of resources. It unpacks so many important issues in such a short page count and it manages to pack in a lot of growth and development for its main character in the process.
Jackpot follows a Black girl, Rico, who works at a gas station during her free time from school, so she can help her mom make ends meet. On Christmas day, her gas station sells the winning lottery ticket, but when the owner of the ticket doesn't show up to reclaim their prize, she decides to go on a scavenger hunt, determined to find them and maybe get a fraction of the winnings for herself. And to do that, Rico recruits the only other person who was in the store when she sold the ticket, who also happens to be the heir to the local corporation.
I'm gonna try to refrain from making too many puns during this review, but I honestly feel like Nic Stone hit the jackpot with this one. The main character is incredibly fleshed out and there are so many different sides to her that it's impossible to know when something new is going to be revealed. Rico feels responsible for keeping her family off the streets because she knows her mom can't do it alone, and she feels responsible for taking care of her brother because her mom works day and night at multiple jobs. She knows she's not going to college and is instead going to work full time at the gas station because that's what her family needs her to do so they can survive. She's missing friends, a social life, and time. And she knows that a lot of her problems could be solved with money.
Zan is the heir to the toilet paper empire that his father built, but he doesn't really want to be. But if he doesn't take over at the company after his dad leaves, he risks being disowned by his entire family. We don't know as much about Zan because he's the love interest in this book, but I appreciated that he had a personality of his own.
Rico and Zan embark on the scavenger hunt together, determined to find the lottery ticket. Over the course of the story, they start to develop feelings for each other which leads to a very nice romance that I really enjoyed. Throughout the story, Rico also finds herself spending more time with Zan's friends and realizes that they've become her friends, too. She's finally allowing time in her life for something other than work and school and her family, and it was interesting to see how that development affected her character. However, throughout this, she still puts her family first.
Again, the plot of this book was what kept me from giving it a full five stars. The ending did feel a bit rushed, although I did really like the plot twist that came before it. I think there were a lot of things that the author tried to do in the second half of the book that could have been more effective had more time been devoted to it, but I still really appreciated what she was trying to say.
At its core, Jackpot is a book about family, sacrifices, class inequality, and friendship. But it's also just about a girl who's doing her best in a world that makes that harder with every step of the way. This is an incredibly important, but also an incredibly entertaining book. Nic Stone does it again.
Nic Stone does not, in fact, ever let me down. This book explores class inequality and how it disproportionately affects people of color and specifically, in this case, Black people. This book throws the "money can't buy happiness" saying right back at you because sometimes it can!! This book explores the way Black teens are affected by class inequality and lack of resources. It unpacks so many important issues in such a short page count and it manages to pack in a lot of growth and development for its main character in the process.
Jackpot follows a Black girl, Rico, who works at a gas station during her free time from school, so she can help her mom make ends meet. On Christmas day, her gas station sells the winning lottery ticket, but when the owner of the ticket doesn't show up to reclaim their prize, she decides to go on a scavenger hunt, determined to find them and maybe get a fraction of the winnings for herself. And to do that, Rico recruits the only other person who was in the store when she sold the ticket, who also happens to be the heir to the local corporation.
I'm gonna try to refrain from making too many puns during this review, but I honestly feel like Nic Stone hit the jackpot with this one. The main character is incredibly fleshed out and there are so many different sides to her that it's impossible to know when something new is going to be revealed. Rico feels responsible for keeping her family off the streets because she knows her mom can't do it alone, and she feels responsible for taking care of her brother because her mom works day and night at multiple jobs. She knows she's not going to college and is instead going to work full time at the gas station because that's what her family needs her to do so they can survive. She's missing friends, a social life, and time. And she knows that a lot of her problems could be solved with money.
Zan is the heir to the toilet paper empire that his father built, but he doesn't really want to be. But if he doesn't take over at the company after his dad leaves, he risks being disowned by his entire family. We don't know as much about Zan because he's the love interest in this book, but I appreciated that he had a personality of his own.
Rico and Zan embark on the scavenger hunt together, determined to find the lottery ticket. Over the course of the story, they start to develop feelings for each other which leads to a very nice romance that I really enjoyed. Throughout the story, Rico also finds herself spending more time with Zan's friends and realizes that they've become her friends, too. She's finally allowing time in her life for something other than work and school and her family, and it was interesting to see how that development affected her character. However, throughout this, she still puts her family first.
Again, the plot of this book was what kept me from giving it a full five stars. The ending did feel a bit rushed, although I did really like the plot twist that came before it. I think there were a lot of things that the author tried to do in the second half of the book that could have been more effective had more time been devoted to it, but I still really appreciated what she was trying to say.
At its core, Jackpot is a book about family, sacrifices, class inequality, and friendship. But it's also just about a girl who's doing her best in a world that makes that harder with every step of the way. This is an incredibly important, but also an incredibly entertaining book. Nic Stone does it again.
May 17, 2020
Meh.
Rico was self-centered. Poor me, poor me...her motives were clear since the beginning, and pretty abject. She is always complaining and judging. She turned out to be downright unlikable. I didn't have this kind of resentment against a character since 50 shades of gray.
I really tried to give this book a chance, knowing that I wanted to read about more poc main characters. It is a sham and a shame that the first book I tried was this one. I don't understand how anyone could have liked the main character.
I understand she is poor and goes to a rich highschool. Been there. But she has nasty comments and prejudices against rich kids as if they couldn't struggle or didn't understand what poor people live through.
She doesn't have a single friend, not because she is poor (like she thinks), but she not likable. No one wants a friend who'll judge you on your choices of clothing or electronics you bought. Instead of turning her anger against her mom, who could have chosen to live in a place she could afford, she despised her camarads.
I don't know what Zan saw in her. I would have never wanted to be with a person like her.
I didn't finish the book. But read the few last pages for the big reveal, which wasn't really surprising. And I knew I would never read the rest of the book based on the confrontation between Zan and Rico.
Rico was self-centered. Poor me, poor me...her motives were clear since the beginning, and pretty abject. She is always complaining and judging. She turned out to be downright unlikable. I didn't have this kind of resentment against a character since 50 shades of gray.
I really tried to give this book a chance, knowing that I wanted to read about more poc main characters. It is a sham and a shame that the first book I tried was this one. I don't understand how anyone could have liked the main character.
I understand she is poor and goes to a rich highschool. Been there. But she has nasty comments and prejudices against rich kids as if they couldn't struggle or didn't understand what poor people live through.
She doesn't have a single friend, not because she is poor (like she thinks), but she not likable. No one wants a friend who'll judge you on your choices of clothing or electronics you bought. Instead of turning her anger against her mom, who could have chosen to live in a place she could afford, she despised her camarads.
I don't know what Zan saw in her. I would have never wanted to be with a person like her.
I didn't finish the book. But read the few last pages for the big reveal, which wasn't really surprising. And I knew I would never read the rest of the book based on the confrontation between Zan and Rico.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2021
This book just absolutely blew me away. I knew very little about it going in, pretty much just what was written on the inside flap. I’m probably not going to do this book justice with my review and someone has probably said it better than me already but I’m going to give it a try! This book is so powerful and yet fun and so beautifully written, it just goes beyond words. The story it tells and the many different messages it sends is so damn important. I know I can’t say much coming from a place of white privilege but this book really opened my eyes and completely tore me apart. It was a fun read but you could feel the frantic tension constantly lurking in the background and the contrast and combination of the two made for such an interesting and gripping read that I just couldn’t put down! I definitely highly recommend this one, it’s a fun yet moving YA coming of age story that will just grab at your heart strings and make you fall in love.
March 18, 2021
This book was fantastic! Fun and flirty, but also with some really important social commentary. I highly recommend it.
But personally, it's 4.5 stars. I wasn't totally satisfied with the twist at the ending...I don't know. I kind of wanted more of a conclusion I guess. But I still really liked this book overall!
Will definitely check out more of Nic Stone's novels. :)
But personally, it's 4.5 stars. I wasn't totally satisfied with the twist at the ending...I don't know. I kind of wanted more of a conclusion I guess. But I still really liked this book overall!
Will definitely check out more of Nic Stone's novels. :)
September 4, 2019
omg omg omg omg omg omg
1. Nic Stone, can you please write me a husband? Because I fell in love with Justyce when I first read Dear Martin (and this book came out on my birthday, so it was a sign right?) and now I'm in love with Zan and *dies*
2. It's the first romance driven plot I loved in a long, long time.
3. The end killed me. It took me by surprise, which barely ever happens anymore, and I'm still not over it.
4. It's so much more than """just""" a romance.
5. NIC STONE I JUST LOVE YOU SO MUCH, THANK YOU FOR THIS GEM.
1. Nic Stone, can you please write me a husband? Because I fell in love with Justyce when I first read Dear Martin (and this book came out on my birthday, so it was a sign right?) and now I'm in love with Zan and *dies*
2. It's the first romance driven plot I loved in a long, long time.
3. The end killed me. It took me by surprise, which barely ever happens anymore, and I'm still not over it.
4. It's so much more than """just""" a romance.
5. NIC STONE I JUST LOVE YOU SO MUCH, THANK YOU FOR THIS GEM.
January 17, 2020
This was such a delightful, funny, sweet read.
March 25, 2020
Absolutely loved the conversation about money and class and the two main characters are the most adorable combo !
March 28, 2021
Wow. Just wow.
Jackpot was recommend to me by Andy. She even stated that audiobook was amazing. So, I took her suggestion and got the audiobook through my library app. I will also say that the Andy was correct because the audiobook was really freaking good. It also broke me and I'm ghost Alaina once again.
In it, you will meet Rico. She is in high school and constantly struggling. Whether it is keeping up with school, work, and making ends meet so her family can keep the roof over their heads or food in their bellies. She isn't alone because her mom is constantly working as well but Rico is the oldest kid and she has to take care of her brother Jax.
I honestly felt so bad for Rico and her struggles. She was just a kid, herself, and it was a lot of pressure for her to take so many shifts to cover money for them. Or even doing grocery shopping and splurging on strawberries.
Things were definitely intense once Jax gets sick - which was quite often throughout the book. Plus her own mother was having some health issues. So, yeah, I felt really bad for her for most of this book. Especially during one chapter where Jax just gets so sick that things really do seem like they are falling apart.
I also didn't like how their Mom would just blame Rico for not paying attention or watching Jax. I get that their she working constantly around the clock too but dang - she should know what going on with her owns kids from time to time too.
In the end, this book was really good and I'm glad that this was recommended to me.
Jackpot was recommend to me by Andy. She even stated that audiobook was amazing. So, I took her suggestion and got the audiobook through my library app. I will also say that the Andy was correct because the audiobook was really freaking good. It also broke me and I'm ghost Alaina once again.
In it, you will meet Rico. She is in high school and constantly struggling. Whether it is keeping up with school, work, and making ends meet so her family can keep the roof over their heads or food in their bellies. She isn't alone because her mom is constantly working as well but Rico is the oldest kid and she has to take care of her brother Jax.
I honestly felt so bad for Rico and her struggles. She was just a kid, herself, and it was a lot of pressure for her to take so many shifts to cover money for them. Or even doing grocery shopping and splurging on strawberries.
Things were definitely intense once Jax gets sick - which was quite often throughout the book. Plus her own mother was having some health issues. So, yeah, I felt really bad for her for most of this book. Especially during one chapter where Jax just gets so sick that things really do seem like they are falling apart.
I also didn't like how their Mom would just blame Rico for not paying attention or watching Jax. I get that their she working constantly around the clock too but dang - she should know what going on with her owns kids from time to time too.
In the end, this book was really good and I'm glad that this was recommended to me.
November 27, 2020
3.25 stelle!
Bella trama, interessante dall'inizio alla fine.
Il libro parla anche di argomenti molto delicati in un modo dolce, dando a tutto la giusta importanza, infatti mi ha fatto anche commuovere più di una volta.
I personaggi principali sono ben strutturati, mentre a quelli secondari serviva decisamente più spazio per potersi far comprendere appieno dal lettore. Le relazioni tra di loro sarebbero decisamente migliorate senza tutto quel detto e non detto, che certe volte mi ha dato fastidio.
Molto interessante, anche, l'idea della scrittrice di far parlare gli oggetti, così da non allontanarsi dalla prima persona nella narrazione. Attraverso di loro il lettore viene a conoscenza di dialoghi e fatti che non avrebbe mai saputo visto che non riguardano la protagonista.
Il romanzo stava andando molto bene, ma si è rovinato sul finale che oltre ad essere veloce e poco realistico è anche privo delle informazioni essenziali per comprendere tutto appieno, un vero peccato.
Bella trama, interessante dall'inizio alla fine.
Il libro parla anche di argomenti molto delicati in un modo dolce, dando a tutto la giusta importanza, infatti mi ha fatto anche commuovere più di una volta.
I personaggi principali sono ben strutturati, mentre a quelli secondari serviva decisamente più spazio per potersi far comprendere appieno dal lettore. Le relazioni tra di loro sarebbero decisamente migliorate senza tutto quel detto e non detto, che certe volte mi ha dato fastidio.
Molto interessante, anche, l'idea della scrittrice di far parlare gli oggetti, così da non allontanarsi dalla prima persona nella narrazione. Attraverso di loro il lettore viene a conoscenza di dialoghi e fatti che non avrebbe mai saputo visto che non riguardano la protagonista.
Il romanzo stava andando molto bene, ma si è rovinato sul finale che oltre ad essere veloce e poco realistico è anche privo delle informazioni essenziali per comprendere tutto appieno, un vero peccato.
December 7, 2019
I picked up this book because so many reviews gave it props for how it represented class issues. Many of the narrator's experiences did feel like accurate descriptions of how it feels to live paycheck-to-paycheck, and the tension between responsibility to care for family and the desire to just enjoy being a teenager felt all too real. Despite all that--and a compelling narrative voice--I just couldn't get over how problematic the relationship between the two main characters felt. Rico repeatedly thinks to herself about how troubled she is by Zan's behavior--how his class status allows him to swoop in and save the day, how he nods along when his family talks about how poor people can't handle having money--but she mostly just goes along with his actions, rather than confronting him or asking him to change. There is, of course, some confrontation towards the end--no spoilers here, that's just your typical narrative arc--but the resolution seems like the characters have gotten even worse and more entrenched in their gendered/raced/classed power dynamic. I'll spare the details, but I found Zan's choices at the end of the book both incredibly controlling and suggestive of a savior complex, yet Rico seems to feel totally content with it. Worth reading? Sure. But it's a bummer that Zan doesn't change enough to recognize how he wields his privilege, and that Rico seems fine with going along for that ride.
August 29, 2021
the premise of this book was cool, and i really liked rico when she was introduced, but the writing style was almost enough to make me put this book down. it felt so cringey and made rico seem really annoying at times. i don’t know what the author was going for w the random inanimate object povs, but i was not a fan. once i got to the middle, though, i started really enjoying the story. the characters and relationships were fun to read about and i liked rico and zan a lot. but the ENDING — literally the last thirty-ish pages — was so bad. it made me hate zan, which considering the entirety of the book was spent making the reader + rico like him, frustrated me so much. there wasn’t enough time to give him a proper redemption, so there was a terrible redemption that didn’t actually solve the conflict. the ending was so unsatisfying and it felt like it lost the point of the book. i almost gave this book four stars but dropped it because of the ending. tldr the writing was cringey and the ending was horrible lmao
April 1, 2024
Wow this was so good? Like i cannot believe a book can b this good good.
Some possibly incoherent thoughts i have
- Excellence, pure excellence. The social commentaries on race, class and identity are perfect woven into the wild-goose-chase plot where its still light and easy to read, but leaves an IMPACT
-RICO!!! What an amazing main character. She is the perfect balance of strengths and flaws and i love her
-i also loved zan!! He is so sweet and stupid!!
-the romance was done so well, and didnt take away from the story at all
-the ending!! Tears
This books is so underrated but amazing all the way! A must read!
Some possibly incoherent thoughts i have
- Excellence, pure excellence. The social commentaries on race, class and identity are perfect woven into the wild-goose-chase plot where its still light and easy to read, but leaves an IMPACT
-RICO!!! What an amazing main character. She is the perfect balance of strengths and flaws and i love her
-i also loved zan!! He is so sweet and stupid!!
-the romance was done so well, and didnt take away from the story at all
-the ending!! Tears
This books is so underrated but amazing all the way! A must read!
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