The Sad Truth About Average Books! | Windfall Book Review
The sad truth about average books is they hurt more to read
than absolutely terrible books and then on top of that, it hurts even more to
write a review on it because there is practically nothing to write about it –
you can’t write how terrible it was and proceed to share quotes and excerpts
cringing at it and you can’t gush about how everyone HAS to read it.
But alas, that’s what I’m here doing. So just keep reading
if you want to hear my thoughts on why this book was extremely average for me.
Book: Windfall
Author: Jennifer E Smith
Recommended for: Anyone 13+.
About the book.
Author: Jennifer E Smith
Pages: 418
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published on: 2 May 2017
Published on: 2 May 2017
Synopsis: 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 eighteenth 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. (source)
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. (source)
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for providing me a review copy however this is an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
My thoughts.
{ writing }
The writing was the okay part in this. The writing itself –
the use of metaphors and descriptions – was average but the inner monologue and
pondering of Alice kept it a little bit alive and relatable. I liked how it
discussed the true value of money and luck and what it all meant in the big
picture and long term and it was quite interesting seeing some of my thoughts
mirrored in what the characters often said.
But in saying that, the rest of the writing was fairly
average. There were time where Smith tried to convince the readers to feel
sorry for the characters and it felt so forced and fake to me because I like it
better when the authors ‘show instead of tell’.
{ idea + plot }
This is the first book I’ve read with someone winning a
lottery which is what drew me to it in the first place but even then, there was
nothing super appealing about it. It got a little messy and overly cliché and
like I said before, it didn’t have that pull on me I was hoping to find.
The whole idea was painfully predictable which I understand
because most people don’t go into contemporary hoping for a thriller but still –
I feel a plot twist here or there would have livened up the story! Nothing
happened in the story to the point where I could tell you the entire story and
nothing would be a spoiler because you knew it was coming anyway.
{ characters }
The only character I felt some semblance of connection to
was Alice – and that too, only at some times – like when she was pondering the
problems that come along with too much money and the universe with its balancing
scale of good and bad. Other than that, she felt really meh for me.
Teddy was beyond annoying because he kept doing stupid
things and being painfully naïve and then going to Alice when things got bad
which made for a DULL story.
There is some LGBTQI+ representation in here with Leo and
Max – but they were secondary characters and not really a huge part of the
story, which was another disappointment.
{ finally… }
I have read some Jennifer E Smith way way way back in the past
before I started book blogging and I remember enjoying those books but this was
such a huge disappointment for me, mainly because of the lack of connection
between the story and the reader and the averageness of the characters and
plot.
I do know a few people have enjoyed this so if you are still
planning on reading it, I do hope you enjoy it and maybe this book just wasn’t for
me! Also sorry this wasn’t a very long review either – I usually have more to
say but there wasn’t a whole lot I could say about this!
OVERALL RATING:
★★★
Thanks for reading! Have
you read Windfall? Do you plan on it? And do you find writing reviews for average
books just as hard as I find them?
15 happy thoughts
Thanks for your review. I've actually noticed that the more you read the more annoying it is to "waste time" reading an average book. It's painful to read it when you know how much better some books are. Average is the worst since they are usually "just okay" and only left you feeling empty. Or at least this is how I feel it :D
ReplyDeleteYES OMG I HATE IT WHEN I FINISH A BOOK AND IT WAS AVERAGE AND I REALISED I JUST WASTED MY TIME! Angers me so much!
DeleteNice review, Anisha! But I'm sorry that Windfall didn't work out for you. This book sounded so fresh too, I mean, teens winning the lottery?! I was definitely interested. Oh well! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteanna | annaish
Thank you Anna! And hope you enjoy it, even if I didn't!
DeleteAww...I'm sorry you were so meh about this one. :( I personally loved it, but I can definitely see where you're coming from. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3
ReplyDeleteNo problem Zoe! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
DeleteI have been seeing this book everywhere recently and everyone seems to agree that it's just...average. You're so right that average books are harder to write about because at least with books that you hate, you have something passionate to say! Awesome review, and those cupcakes look so delicious...
ReplyDeleteErin
Thank you so much Erin! And aha, glad to know I'm not the only one that feels this way!
DeleteThis one was kind of average for me too, so I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. It's a shame, I found the synopsis so inruiging. PS - THOSE CUPCAKES LOOK SO TASTY! <3
ReplyDeleteMegan @ http://wanderingsofabookbird.blogspot.co.uk/
THANK YOU MEGAN! <3
DeleteSorry that this one ended up being a bit disappointing. I've actually seen a lot of mixed things, some people enjoying it a lot while others have been more meh about it. I definitely still plan on giving it a read out of curiosity one of these days. I hope your next read is better. Great review as always, Anisha!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Melissa, you're too kind!
DeleteBummer. I am looking forward to reading this book. I probably still will though. I completely agree about writing reviews for average books. It's hard!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting Kate!
DeleteOh I'm sorry to hear that one didn't make too much of an impression on you, Anisha! I haven't read that one yet but have read two other books by this author and even if they were a bit predictable, they made me smile because I love cute books ahah.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree: writing reviews for average books is the hardest thing ever ahah.
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