kaycee_k's review
4.0
I listened to this whole thing while putting up our Christmas tree today and I loved everything about this book, so much!
steel_city_peach's review against another edition
3.0
Silly
I really wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t do it for me. Rico came with so much unnecessary angst. Her woe is me attitude was exhausting. The plot was so far fetched. It just seemed silly. I wasn’t crazy about parts of the story being told from the point of view of inanimate objects. I wasn’t interested in the perspective of the bed sheets and fidget spinners. I didn’t get the cutesy happy ending that I wanted, but I was glad that things worked out. The bright spot in the book was Zan. He was such a lovable character. I’d be happy to read a sequel that focuses on him.
I really wanted to love this book, but it just didn’t do it for me. Rico came with so much unnecessary angst. Her woe is me attitude was exhausting. The plot was so far fetched. It just seemed silly. I wasn’t crazy about parts of the story being told from the point of view of inanimate objects. I wasn’t interested in the perspective of the bed sheets and fidget spinners. I didn’t get the cutesy happy ending that I wanted, but I was glad that things worked out. The bright spot in the book was Zan. He was such a lovable character. I’d be happy to read a sequel that focuses on him.
kburns2004's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this book and the style of writing. Made for a quick and easy read. The character of Rico was very relatable.
The plot was a bit of stretch but not so much that it took me out of the book. A few loose ends not tied up but that didn't bother me.
Overall you could find worse ways to while away an afternoon
The plot was a bit of stretch but not so much that it took me out of the book. A few loose ends not tied up but that didn't bother me.
Overall you could find worse ways to while away an afternoon
msethna's review
5.0
Nic Stone does it again! Jackpot sucked me in from the first chapter and I just didn't want it to end. I loved the premise of the story. It moved beyond just a story about a black girl and a white boy. Add that the Rico, the black girl is dirt poor doing everything she can to keep her family from losing their home and Zan, the white boy, comes from money. A book about race, class, privilege, and find friendships in the least likely places.
deianna's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
eramhussain's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a story of 17 year old Rico as she, her mom, and younger brother struggle to make ends meet. Even with mom working two jobs, and Rico working almost full time after school at a local gas station, they live paycheck to paycheck and are almost always behind on rent.
On her Christmas Eve shift, Rico finds out that a winning lottery ticket was sold from her local gas station. When nobody comes forward to claim the money, Rico sets off to help find the woman she believes purchased the winning lottery ticket with the ulterior motive that the women might help her with some money as a way to Thank her, which would then solve all her families problems.
On her Christmas Eve shift, Rico finds out that a winning lottery ticket was sold from her local gas station. When nobody comes forward to claim the money, Rico sets off to help find the woman she believes purchased the winning lottery ticket with the ulterior motive that the women might help her with some money as a way to Thank her, which would then solve all her families problems.
trishl's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent YA book - loved it from page 1. Rico & her family are struggling - too many bills & not enough money. Rico sells a winning lotto ticket on Xmas Eve, which goes unclaimed, so she sets out on a mission to find the lucky ticket holder.
janietheereader's review against another edition
3.0
i do enjoy nic stone's writing, even if i do find it to be a bit straightforward and predictable. perhaps i am just no longer in the market audience for her books, i definitely know some of my students would love to read these stories.
i really like the dynamic that stone creates between rico and zan. i think stone is very much so in touch with the voice of youth which i think a lot of ya authors can lack.
i really like the dynamic that stone creates between rico and zan. i think stone is very much so in touch with the voice of youth which i think a lot of ya authors can lack.
brandie_abbie19's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Classism, and Death
Minor: Bullying
wnicodemo's review
4.0
Jackpot is the story of two teenagers, one extremely poor (Rico) and one extremely rich (Zan), who find a way to bridge the gap between their lives as they pursue a lost lottery ticket. It's a bit of a love story--Rico is a girl and Zan is a boy--but so much more. I like the way the story reveals Rico's life of poverty and the ways in which escaping it can be impossible. It's a story that examines the choices we make in life and how there are choices we don't always realize are available.