Windfall

By: Jennifer E. Smith

Narrated by: Tonya Cornelisse

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

This romantic story of hope, chance, and change from the author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is one Jenny Han says is filled with all of her "favorite things", Morgan Matson calls "something wonderful", and Stephanie Perkins says "is rich with the intensity of real love".

Alice doesn't believe in luck - at least not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now she's been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his 18th birthday - just when it seems they might be on the brink of something - she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant everything changes.

At first it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy's father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy's newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall.

As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined...and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

©2017 Jennifer E. Smith (P)2017 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Smith weaves a poignant tale of teens coping with loss and change as they balance on the verge of adulthood.... Fans of Morgan Matson's and Deb Caletti's books will want to curl up with a box of tissues as they fall under Smith's storytelling spell." ( School Library Journal)

"[T]his compelling read, gracefully told, raises issues seldom explored in popular fiction. How can we rationalize life's inequalities? What do we owe, and to whom, when blessed with good fortune? Smart and entertaining, as to be expected from Smith." ( Kirkus Reviews)

" Windfall is about all of my favorite things - a girl's first big love, her first big loss, and - her first big luck." (Jenny Han, New York Times best-selling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before)

AMAZING

At some points I was just so bored but the rest we're just plain amazing.

Will winning the lottery destroy their friendship?

Where does Windfall rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I loved it, probably top 80%

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Teddy from the get go- he was a mess and Alice loved him desperately & I enjoyed his growth and activism after winning the lottery and becoming a true pay it forward kind of guy. I LOVED listening to this amazing audiobook by one of my fave romance authors, Jennifer E. Smith. The idea of a girl, Alice (in love with her best friend, Teddy & he of course does not know) buying a lottery ticket and using Teddy's favorite numbers and a few of Alice's as a gag gift for his 18th birthday made this a phenomenal listen (but also a great book). The narrator, Tonya Cornelisse, was great! The evolution of Alice as she grows during this time made me ache for her often (she lost both parents 9 years before, she was afraid of change, holding back with her cousin and aunt and uncle - and of course, Teddy) but Smith knows how to grow her characters and GROW Alice & Teddy she does - PERFECTLY!!! The family dynamics were absorbing, the drama of winning the lottery and the ups & downs afterwards for Alice and Teddy were gripping, but through it all their friendship manages to bear the pitfalls & highs. Highly recommended as an audiobook and/or book, great YA read!

Which character – as performed by Tonya Cornelisse – was your favorite?

Alice was my favorite, Cornelisse was great - she had a breathy kind of deep voice so Alice's voice was perfect but the raspy sound for Teddy & her cousin made for good guy voices.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Great Story- Pretty Bad Reading

Every character sounded stupid and it was difficult to take anything about the story seriously with the awful awful voices.

New favorite book!

This book made me cry like a baby. I find it so relatable at times and it gave me a new outlook on "luck"

Makes you think.

I really enjoyed listening to this one. Who hasn't wondered what it would be like to win the lottery?

OK story - terrible narration

Struggled with this one. The narrator made it very difficult. I realize that the main characters are only 18, but the voices used for the dialogue made them all sound like idiots (both boys sounded like slow moving, dumb jocks - the girl a bit like a twelve year old heavy smoker).
The story was OK. I like the premise, but could not get over the narration.

New voice please

I liked the book but after hearing it not so much. The voice actress does not help the story at all. Please re-record.

Narrator’s accents were meh

Alright, I think every man in this book is a total idiot based on the way she narrated them. I almost stopped listening multiple times because of this but somehow made it through. I liked the way she did Aunt Sophia’s accent until it started switching from South American too... Scottish?
The character of Teddy really does suck, and that’s the writing’s fault, not the narration. I’m supposed to believe my main character is in love with him? Really? Soup kitchen guy rocks. The end.

Couldn't Get Past Narration

Kept trying to get through the book for the story, but the narration made it impossible.

Why is she portraying the male characters like this

The way the narrator is portraying the male characters is as if you are acting like you are a dumb jock... honestly couldn’t finish the book because of the narration.. don’t bother wasting a credit with this audible