An enjoyable story of family, friends, and failed first love.
Financial fortune isn’t always fun.
Seventeen-year-old Fortuna Jane Belleweather just won the lottery: specifically, a $58 million jackpot. Bewildered would be an understatement. Her mother’s been playing the lotto religiously for five years—one of the many habits she picked up in her grief over losing Jane’s dad. Jane just purchased a ticket on a whim. Two weeks shy of turning 18, she’ll need to convince a trusted adult to claim the winnings or be guilty of a criminal misdemeanor. Her hoarder mother is not an option; neither is her nonmaterialistic hippie grandma. Unfortunately, Brandon Kim, her best friend, is also 17—and he’s determined to figure out who the lucky winner in their small Wisconsin town is. Could her jerk of an ex-boyfriend be the answer? Not if she can avoid it. Excerpts from Jane’s journal, The Big Book of Lotto Winner Fails, document unlucky winners’ experiences and offer insights into her inner thoughts. Media clips and social media posts, like the Lakesboro Community Facebook group and Bran’s Instagram, show the growing buzz and obsession in town. Pacton captures her protagonist’s anxiety and the deliberation with which she approaches her dilemma. A fast last act ties up the various threads but leaves some emotional arcs underexplored. But readers will find in Bran and Jane’s dynamics a welcomingly strong, supportive friendship. Jane is White and bisexual; most characters are White, and Bran is Korean American.
An enjoyable story of family, friends, and failed first love. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64567-208-1
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2021
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
