Release date: June 11, 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Synopsis:
After the Jacobson siblings win a life-changing fortune in the lottery, they assume their messy lives will transform into sleek, storybook perfection—but they couldn’t be more wrong in the new laugh-out-loud novel from beloved author Elyssa Friedland.
The four Jacobson children were raised to respect the value of a dollar. Their mother reused tea bags and refused to pay retail; their father taught them to budget before he taught them to ride a bike. And yet, as adults, their financial lives—as well as their personal lives—are in complete disarray.
The siblings reunite when their newly widowed father puts their Jersey Shore home on the market. Packing up their childhood isn’t easy, especially when they’ve all got drama brewing back home. Matthew is miserable at his corporate law job and wishes he had more time with his son; Laura’s marriage is imploding in spectacular fashion; Sophie’s art career is stalled while her boyfriend’s is on the rise; and Noah’s total failure to launch has him doing tech repair for pennies.
So when Noah sees an ad for a Powerball drawing, he and his sisters go in on a ticket. Matthew passes but the ticket is a winner and all hell breaks loose as the infusion of cash causes sibling rivalries and family secrets to resurface. Without their mother, and with their father busy playing pickleball in a Florida retirement village, the once close-knit siblings search for comfort in shiny new toys instead of each other.
It’s not long before the Jacobson’s start to realize that they’ll never feel rich unless they can pull their family back together.
Review:
I really enjoy the authors style of writing books about messy families, she explores that dynamic in a really authentic and charming way that always works for me. I think we’ve all daydreamed about what we would do if we won the lottery and that’s the reality for the Jacobson family and the premise here. As exciting and life changing as it is for this family, it also opens up a host of issues and exposes some problems they weren’t ready to face. They’re all still reeling from the loss of their beloved mother and trying to navigate life without their matriarch and grief was discussed in such a relatable way. I enjoyed all four of the siblings and sometimes shook my head at some of their struggles and others were very universal. Their father, Leo was such a character and he was one of my favorites. This is such a perfect summer read, especially if you enjoy reading about other people’s problems and dramas in an endearing and entertaining way.
Overall rating: 4/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
Novelgossip 