JACKPOT: A Review

Hi Friends!

I really hit the JACKPOT with the book I just read (ha, ha... do you see what I did there?)

As mentioned in an earlier post this month, in honor of the 

Black Lives Matter movement , I am reading books involving characters of color, by authors of color, so that I can educate myself.

This book I am about to discuss was a fun ride and written by one of my favorite authors of color, Nic Stone!

The book? Jackpot. 

Jackpot follows our two main characters, Rico (girl) and Zan. Rico is a black female who lives in a run-down apartment with her mother and her younger brother. Rico works while she is finishing up high school, so that she can help her mama pay off the bills including rent and electricity. She doesn't know what it's like to have money and dreams of winning the lottery. One day, while she is working, she sells a lottery ticket to an elderly woman, who buys Rico a ticket as well and has her choose which ticket. It turns out later that a ticket from her store won, and it wasn't hers. She is determined to find this woman and tell her she won, with hopes that the woman will give her some of her winnings. In order to do this, she invests the help of super popular and super rich kid, Zan Macklin, whose father founded the Macklin company that specializes in toilet paper.

I literally head Zach, from Thirteen Reasons Why's voice in my head any time Zan spoke. Which leads me to adding a new & fun part of my book reviews, which you will see at the end.

1. Plot

I liked the plot of this book A LOT. I thought the premises of the story was really interesting an it was fun trying to see these two kids solve a mystery and try not to fall in love. I did get annoyed at some points with Rico's character, cause she was very strung on having enough money to help her mom and constantly thinking and talking about how Zan is rich and won't understand and that is why they shouldn't be friends. I get why she was like that, because she really was struggling, but I felt like it just got annoying as the book went on. 

2. Character & Character Development

I really did not see any development on Rico's character, which was disappointing because there truly was a lot of potential for her to grow throughout the story. I saw a lot of growth on Zan's part as he was learning more about Rico and how she lives, while also taking into account his own privilege and deciding for himself, who he wanted to be as opposed to being the "face" of his family's money & company. He was really sweet and you could tell that he genuinely cared about Rico, her family, and their friendship. The bond between Rico's little brother Jax and Zan was adorable too. 

3. Writing Style

I loved that there were chapters that were told by POV's of inanimate objects, such as the lottery ticket and Rico's prom dress. I thought that gave the book a really interesting style, and it was incorporated well and totally not weird. I have always loved Nic Stone's writing style because it's real and it shows the character's struggles, while also flowing and being easy to read (and get sucked into). Stone writes good stories that are often very raw and realistic, making her an amazing author (who is also very humble).

4. Overall Impressions & Opinions

I thought that Stone did a very good job at showcasing what it is like for minorities, and non-minorities, who live in poverty. I also liked how she was able to show racism through some of the side characters and how our main characters worked through those challenges. She also did a good job of showing classism. It was a fictional read, showing very realistic parts. The story was cute and fun and I found myself really rooting for our main characters!

Rating: 4 stars

AND NOW FOR MY NEW FEATURE.... 

WHO WOULD PLAY BE CAST AS OUR MAIN CHARACTERS IF THIS WAS A MOVIE?

Zan Macklin: Ross Butler (You should have seen this coming from my earlier mention of whose voice I heard when I read Zan's dialogue).

Rico Danger: Yara Shahidi