Five Fortunes

By: Barbara Venkataraman

Narrated by: Emily M Wilson

Length: 1 hr and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

When five fourteen-year-old girls get their fortunes from an arcade machine just for kicks, it turns their world upside-down and their close-knit group of friends starts to fall apart.

Misunderstandings abound as allegiances shift and outsiders start to come between them. The fortunes seem to be self-fulfilling prophecies - whether the girls believe in them or not.

Do our beliefs color our perception of the world? Do we ever see ourselves the way others see us, and why is change so hard?

Budding romance, angry bees, teenage fashion influencers, and parents who just don't get it make Barbara Venkataraman's 'Five Fortunes' a fun story you won't soon forget.

©2023 Barbara Venkataraman (P)2023 Barbara Venkataraman

A nice treat!

I have not read anything by this author before (although she's on my TBR for several books) but decided to give this short story a try. At only 75 pages long, it's a quick read/listen and is well-narrated by Emily M. Wilson (I listened and read along to narration when I was able to sit down). The story focuses on 5 school friends who are hanging out at a mall and on the whim of one of the girls, ends up getting their fortunes told. As the story unfolds, we are introduced to each of the girls and the challenges they are facing in life, which to a teen girl, seems like a big deal. I am not at all downplaying the challenges, but to each of them, it seems like the others' lives are so much better than theirs. I love the way the author reveals each of their fortunes and how the fortunes are being perceived by each recipient. In the end, everything works out well for them, but in most cases, not in a way they would have planned. I like that even through misunderstandings, the girls don't ever really turn on each other, and that in the end, they are stronger friends for it all (with new friends too). Another fun things was that two of the girls are twin sisters, and I was also reading another book that involved twin sisters, although in a much different setting. After reading and listening to this, I plan on checking out more of the author's books! I'm not sure if I've listened to the narrator before, but I thought she did a fine job. I would recommend this story for middle school students, maybe 12-14 year olds.

great story about friendships

While this is geared towards young adults, I found this to be enjoyable to listen to. The characters are the star here, with complex relationships and well-rounded characters. This is very much a character-driven story, and the depth and layers that each of the girls was given made them engaging and easy to connect to. Who hasn't had conflicts with friends and family, and problems that we struggled to work through that may have made us feel alone -this was a story that really made me think of the connections in my life, and how lucky I am to have them. The narrator perfectly captured the nuances of tone and personality.

Delightful, brings back memories

Five Fortunes is a terrific story on so many levels. It makes you shudder because it’s a bit creepy, and you’ll laugh a lot, but right in the middle of that laughter it makes you stop and think because it raises some interesting questions and opportunities for self-reflection. Why are we so quick to change how we see ourselves based on how we think others see us, and why is what we expect to see so often what we think we do see? And are some of these expectations self-fulfilling: were we so sure something would happen that our actions did in fact cause it to happen? Highly entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time.

Five fourteen-year-old girls get their fortunes from an arcade machine. They run the spectrum of belief, from the total skeptic to the all-in believer. But the funny thing – well, not that funny after a while to the girls – is that those fortunes seem to be most definitely, absolutely, positively coming true. Those fortunes are making clear things they didn’t even think about before.

Five Fortunes is not a traditional thriller even though there is some real danger, but you will be scared because high school is scary and being a fourteen-year-old girl in high school is the scariest. Never quite sure of where you stand, afraid you’ll topple even if you’re the Queen Bee. Maybe especially if you’re the Queen Bee. Teenage girls are quick to assume and judge and reject and there isn’t much that runs deeper than a teenage girl’s anger.

As the fortunes play out paranoia sets in. The girls question and suspect each other, wondering how they could have missed the treachery of their so-called friends before. Nobody’s listening or taking a breath to think. The misunderstandings are comic – unless, of course, you’re one of The Five. The girls feel excluded and betrayed and forced to associate with those “other kids” they hardly noticed when they were in the comfy cocoon of their clique. You laugh at the ridiculous assumptions the girls are making and feel a little sad because they are suddenly so unhappy, but then you also stop and wonder if things are eventually cleared up will The Five have changed perspectives and have some appreciation for the “others” or will they just go back to their world of “I’m in and you’re not.”

I thoroughly enjoyed Five Fortunes. It brought back a lot of high school memories and the extreme emotions that cycled through faster than I could understand them. That was also when we discovered the Ouija board and were most definitely, absolutely, positively certain that what it told us would come true. Thanks to fantastic author Barbara Venkataraman for giving me a copy of Five Fortunes. I am voluntarily leaving this review; all opinions are my own. A great read from a favorite author. Check out her other stuff, too – you won’t be disappointed.

Audiobook note: Listening is the absolute best way to enjoy this author's work. Emily M. Wilson's narration is spot-on perfect, takes you right inside the heads, minds, and goofy actions of these teenage girls. Great pacing, easy to understand, just a fun, fun listen.

Fun Story

I was provided a copy of Five Fortunes from Mrs. Venkatraman.* It is a young adult story that is stand alone. This is also the first audio book I have ever tried.

Despite having five main characters and side characters each girl is presented with a clear personality that makes it easy to tell them apart. One of the best parts is that each chapter has a title, it has become so rare for author's to include that but really adds a lot to the story for the reader in my opinion. One hundred percent the story was driven by teenage antics and not by romance which I strongly approve of. More stories need to show that it is okay to enjoy being a teen and hanging out with friends. At times the girls did feel a bit stereotypical but that is alright since it makes it easier for girls this age in ways, I know at that age I had a category I considered myself to be in.

The only moment where I struggled a little bit was the very start, is felt a bit like the first couple pages were a sample of the writing of what was going to happen. It was not until I finished a couple chapters I realized the story went from the girls about to get their fortunes to skipping over that part and the girls having their fortunes.

Consistent writing with a lovely flow and words that are appropriate for a young teen. At parts I laughed out loud at the story and other parts wondered how all the fortunes would play out for each girl. Another major bonus is the chapters were consistent in length so it does not mess with the pace of reading.

All in all a delightful read that I see young teens enjoying and not being overly intimated by since it is shorter in length but in no way lacking in a nicely well rounded story.

This is the first audiobook I have ever listened to so I have nothing else to compare it to in any way. I enjoyed hearing the story aloud, Emily M Wilson did a concise job of narrating. Wilson was easy to understand, added her own personal flair, and was consistent.

*being gifted the story in no way affects my review

Teen Life

I know this is a story, but it's an interesting insight into what teens are like today. They have different thing to deal with, but in all essence they aren't that much different from the kids I grew up with in the 70s.

I recommend this book especially to the YA readers. I think it will resonate with them.