This was so well done a quick YA read with some great characters. ( )

Jackpot is the second Nic Stone YA novel I've had the pleasure of reading, and I can definitely say I am a big fan of her writing. Also I had no idea how "can't put the book down" GOOD a YA novel can be. That's certainly how I felt about this book. I was completely enmeshed in the characters and the storyline in no time at all. Nic Stone is a wonderful author, an extremely talented writer. Her descriptions of people and places and social issues are such that you feel like you KNOW the people and you can SEE the places through their eyes and feel the emotions they are experiencing. They blend into the story so seamlessly, it seems like magic.

This book tells the story of a young woman whose life is a nearly unbearable struggle to keep their single parent household intact with a roof over their heads. They weren't always so lucky, having spent some time in a shelter early in her life.

One Christmas Eve, a woman comes into the convenience store where Rico works and forms a bond, leaving Rico with her choice of two lottery tickets the woman purchased when she felt compelled to have her driver stop at this store to purchase a ticket. Rico feels it's a sign that one of the tickets included her birthdate, though it turns out that that is not the ticket Rico randomly chose.

When the winning lotto ticket turns out to have been sold at the store she works at AND includes her birthdate, Rico feels like fate has something special in store for her. As weeks go by, and no one steps forward with the winning ticket, Rico is compelled to track down the old woman who purchased the two tickets and who she assumes MUST be the winner; though she has no information about the woman at all.

Rico reaches out to a boy at school who she only knows by reputation (as a computer hacker), in hte hopes that he can hack the work computer and access the security camera footage of the night the woman bought the tickets and try to get a license plate number. Astonishingly enough to Rico, he agrees and together they launch on a full scale detective mission. That is when Rico's not working double shifts, or staying home with her sick little brother. Rico and Zan form a bond that becomes closer and closer as the quest continues and brings them to the brink of......they are not sure, but it certainly has all the feel of a young love that really has you pulling for them.

It's a bumpy ride for Rico, and Zan; and full of twists and turns. And just when you think you have it all figured out--you don't.

I highly recommend Jackpot for ALL adults, young and old alike. ( )

I love Stone's work so much. I loved the way she handled the romance, as well as how it ended. Following Rico's train of thought for all of the different things (money, romance, friends, etc.) Was super interesting and fun. I also loved the short POV chapters from the inanimate objects. It's such a cool and unique addition to the story telling. ( )

Ms. Stone does an amazing job of addressing racial and financial differences between the characters and the struggles they all have. She grabbed me from the start with Rico's voice and the portrayal of her character, along with Rico's brother, Jax, Zan, and Jess. All of these characters are just looking to make a connection and when it's right in front of them, she makes it so the reader gets frustrated enough to yell at the book and say WAKE UP...which I admit I did a few times. Rico's hope for a better life for her family comes through the words Ms. Stone uses. There is also a lot of humor throughout the book, showing how oblivious Rico is to Zan's feelings about her. It was a quick and easy read, done again in one sitting! ( )

Entertaining book about a high school senior from a poor family who is looking for a missing winning lottery ticket. There's a romance with the scion of a toilet paper company, a twist ... and a some chapters from the point of view of animate objects.

The animate objects hooked me. They're small chapters and not overplayed. They usually added more questions than answers to the story.

The author spent a lot of time on Rico's and Zan's clothes. A lot. I get it. I didn't need the author to hammer the idea in my idea that Rico was poor and Zan smelled nice.
( )