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lanica's review against another edition
4.0
I hate it when I read a really good book, but I can't put it into my library because there is a single-sex scene or unnecessarily vulgar language. In this case, I am super disappointed because neither of them was really needed. I get that this was a high school senior, but truly, she seemed like an 8th, 9th or 10th grader to me. I would have loved to put this book into the hands of some of my 5th grades. The story was awesome. But, I can't because there's off-screen sex (which is a talking point between characters) and the word orgasmic (which I know my kids would go online to lookup).
Damn!
This is a book perfect for discussion about economic inequalities. So much discussion. If only I could go back in time and ask Mrs. Stone to reconsider those two moments...
This school librarian is SO DISAPPOINTED!
Damn!
This is a book perfect for discussion about economic inequalities. So much discussion. If only I could go back in time and ask Mrs. Stone to reconsider those two moments...
This school librarian is SO DISAPPOINTED!
steph01924's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I really enjoyed Stone's conversational writing style; it made Rico's voice very real and lived in and it was a breeze to read. The swoon was also quite good! Overall, I liked it quite a bit.
I did struggle with a few things that made me roll my eyes or confused me; things that kept this book from being a complete winner for me--spoilers ahead:
- Rico's complete lack of awareness that Zan was head-over-heels for her got to be a but much as we got closer to the end. Girl, you cannot seriously still think he's secretly disgusted with you and will screw you over at any chance you get.
- Also, Rico's constant anxiety and stress about not having enough money was, sadly, very realistic but a super bummer to have to live in throughout the novel. (I'm not saying there's anything wrong with showing that at all, just not what I was wanting to have to "deal" with in my fun reading time right this moment). And then to tie it all up with her inability to let ANYone help her drove me insane. I know it was supposed to, but I really wanted to shake her, like, hard. It got to a point where I almost didn't want her to get a happy ending because she was really being too effing ridiculous and I...can be vindictive.
- Zan's many, many nicknames that included things like Zanny-Zan, said to him by characters with straight faces. The name Zan in general. I disliked it all.
- I really wanted Rico's mom to get her just desserts for being such a shitty mom. There are so many different levels of crap parents, and she's by far not the WORST one you've ever seen, but even after Rico's little brother had to go to the hospital, she STILL wasn't open to the idea of public assistance? Not even to help her daughter work less so she could actually get the schooling you put her in poverty for? Screw off, lady.
- And then the fact that Rico hands over a good chunk of her monthly lottery stipend directly to her mom at the end and makes it sound like she'll continue to do so really pisses me off. You know this woman is bad with money!!! I get that you want to take care of your family, but it sounds like YOU were the only responsible one in the family taking care of the money, Rico! Give your mom some pocket money and handle the finances yourself.
- I didn't quite get Zan's angle in keeping the lottery ticket a secret for so long. Like...what did you seriously expect to happen? His reasoning and choices didn't make much sense to me.
I did struggle with a few things that made me roll my eyes or confused me; things that kept this book from being a complete winner for me--spoilers ahead:
Spoiler
- Rico's complete lack of awareness that Zan was head-over-heels for her got to be a but much as we got closer to the end. Girl, you cannot seriously still think he's secretly disgusted with you and will screw you over at any chance you get.
- Also, Rico's constant anxiety and stress about not having enough money was, sadly, very realistic but a super bummer to have to live in throughout the novel. (I'm not saying there's anything wrong with showing that at all, just not what I was wanting to have to "deal" with in my fun reading time right this moment). And then to tie it all up with her inability to let ANYone help her drove me insane. I know it was supposed to, but I really wanted to shake her, like, hard. It got to a point where I almost didn't want her to get a happy ending because she was really being too effing ridiculous and I...can be vindictive.
- Zan's many, many nicknames that included things like Zanny-Zan, said to him by characters with straight faces. The name Zan in general. I disliked it all.
- I really wanted Rico's mom to get her just desserts for being such a shitty mom. There are so many different levels of crap parents, and she's by far not the WORST one you've ever seen, but even after Rico's little brother had to go to the hospital, she STILL wasn't open to the idea of public assistance? Not even to help her daughter work less so she could actually get the schooling you put her in poverty for? Screw off, lady.
- And then the fact that Rico hands over a good chunk of her monthly lottery stipend directly to her mom at the end and makes it sound like she'll continue to do so really pisses me off. You know this woman is bad with money!!! I get that you want to take care of your family, but it sounds like YOU were the only responsible one in the family taking care of the money, Rico! Give your mom some pocket money and handle the finances yourself.
- I didn't quite get Zan's angle in keeping the lottery ticket a secret for so long. Like...what did you seriously expect to happen? His reasoning and choices didn't make much sense to me.
briaaxo's review against another edition
3.0
This book was…okay. I’m older than the intended audience so I understanding of the fact that some parts were a bit cringey for me. I did not like the way the author portrayed racial identity; it felt forced and weird. Cute story and I laughed a few times.
2.5/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 ⭐️
samiamiam's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This book was a wonderful commentary on race and class. It was also a easy read and hooked me tight away. The only draw back was the ending wasn't my cup of tea but it was still good
mishale1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I love Nic Stone’s books. I read her newer books first and have been excited to read some of her back catalogue. I did really enjoy this one too. The storyline was really compelling and thought provoking. But I found the characters, Rico namely, less lovable.
I definitely felt awful for Rico. My heart broke for her. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t get on my nerves at times. Zan was way nicer to her than she was to him.
Rico’s mom wouldn’t want you to call her family poor but they definitely really struggle financially. Rico actually knows what it’s like to be without a home.
Rico’s mom is a single mom of her and her little brother. She had no help financially from either child’s dad. She stubbornly won’t sign up for low income health insurance so instead they have no insurance. I don’t want to judge but this kind of drove me crazy. I can’t understand her mom not accepting insurance and instead letting herself and her family be completely at risk. Anytime anyone got sick there was more fear over how to pay the hospital bill than there was about what was actually wrong. It was heartbreaking.
Rico works as many hours ad she can to help her mom with bills and her income is definitely needed to get by.
Rico struggles in school because she has no free time to study and she has no friends for the same reason.
One night at Christmastime a woman buys a lottery ticket from the gas station where Rico works. She gives one ticket to Rico and leaves with the other. And a few days later Rico finds out that she sold the winning lottery ticket and no one came forward to claim it. This begins the story where Rico approaches Zan to help her track down the older lady who bought the ticket.
It turns into quite a journey. And Rico would never have approached Zan otherwise because she sees them as being from two different worlds. Dan’s family is very wealthy and Rico doesn’t know if she can afford groceries sometimes. It’s an interesting twist because Zan never looked down on Rico but Rico absolutely judges Zan. Zan’s life is difficult in its own ways but Rico is rather condescending of his concerns because her own life is so complicated.
I mean, absolutely, without a doubt Rico has more struggles. But I found her treatment of Zan to be rude. He was always kind to her, I found him incredibly lovable.
This book is definitely thought provoking. It definitely makes you think how differently a huge lottery win would impact the lives of someone who won it. What would that do for someone like Rico who seems like she’s already given up?
I did feel that the ending left something to be desired. I appreciate how it ended for the most part but I feel like certain questions were left unanswered.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book.
I definitely felt awful for Rico. My heart broke for her. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t get on my nerves at times. Zan was way nicer to her than she was to him.
Rico’s mom wouldn’t want you to call her family poor but they definitely really struggle financially. Rico actually knows what it’s like to be without a home.
Rico’s mom is a single mom of her and her little brother. She had no help financially from either child’s dad. She stubbornly won’t sign up for low income health insurance so instead they have no insurance. I don’t want to judge but this kind of drove me crazy. I can’t understand her mom not accepting insurance and instead letting herself and her family be completely at risk. Anytime anyone got sick there was more fear over how to pay the hospital bill than there was about what was actually wrong. It was heartbreaking.
Rico works as many hours ad she can to help her mom with bills and her income is definitely needed to get by.
Rico struggles in school because she has no free time to study and she has no friends for the same reason.
One night at Christmastime a woman buys a lottery ticket from the gas station where Rico works. She gives one ticket to Rico and leaves with the other. And a few days later Rico finds out that she sold the winning lottery ticket and no one came forward to claim it. This begins the story where Rico approaches Zan to help her track down the older lady who bought the ticket.
It turns into quite a journey. And Rico would never have approached Zan otherwise because she sees them as being from two different worlds. Dan’s family is very wealthy and Rico doesn’t know if she can afford groceries sometimes. It’s an interesting twist because Zan never looked down on Rico but Rico absolutely judges Zan. Zan’s life is difficult in its own ways but Rico is rather condescending of his concerns because her own life is so complicated.
I mean, absolutely, without a doubt Rico has more struggles. But I found her treatment of Zan to be rude. He was always kind to her, I found him incredibly lovable.
This book is definitely thought provoking. It definitely makes you think how differently a huge lottery win would impact the lives of someone who won it. What would that do for someone like Rico who seems like she’s already given up?
I did feel that the ending left something to be desired. I appreciate how it ended for the most part but I feel like certain questions were left unanswered.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book.
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
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.
kiki_pegg's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Need a sequel!!!
flowerfrogz's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the book, I really loved the dynamic between Rico & Zan.... and then I was really underwhelmed/disappointed by the ending. But if there was a sequel..... count me IN
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
Nic Stone takes on class in an authentic, loving way in this sweet novel about a guarded, hard-working girl whose path crosses an intriguing, charming boy from a toilet paper empire. It’s a lot about money and means- not having enough and therefore not feeling worthy. The romance is so well done- Stone is a master at YA dialogue and banter. Rico and Zan go on a caper to find a lottery ticket winner and there’s lots of thoughts about life after winning multiple millions.