When the lottery ticket Alice gives to Teddy, the boy she's secretly loved for years, wins him a fortune, they discover money really does change everything. Orphaned at 9, Alice has grown up in Chicago with a loving family: her dad's brother, Uncle Jake; his Latina wife, Aunt Sofia; and their son, Leo. Uncle Jakewhite and fair, like Alice, is a painful reminder of her dad. Struggling to live the life she believes her parents would have chosen, remembering them as passionate altruists, Alice tutors an orphaned foster child and volunteers at a soup kitchen, refusing emphatically when Teddy, who is also white, tries to share his winnings with her. For years, since his gambling-addicted father wiped out their savings, Teddy and his mother have shared a cramped apartment. Generous and impulsive, spending lavishly, Teddy enjoys his new fame. Leo, who feels unjustifiably blessed, having lucked out with great parents (they even made coming out as gay easy), views Teddy's win as just compensation for a bad-luck childhood, whereas Alice refuses to see good or bad fortune as anything but random. Now, unable to prevent the changes fortune brings, she must learn to weather them. While the feel-good ending feels forceda shoe that doesn't quite fitthis 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. (Fiction. 12-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Alice has been living with her cousin Jake's family ever since her parents died. She and Jake are best friends with Teddy, who is also Alice's secret crush. When Alice buys Teddy a lottery ticket as a joke for his 18th birthday, he ends up winning $140 million, which turns all their lives upside down. Narrator Cornelisse sounds like an actual teenager, with a refreshingly down-to-earth, slightly scratchy voice; she sounds like a regular kid you might know, which makes her a great fit for Alice. She doesn't create character voices, but differentiates the characters by deepening her voice for the boys and adding a slight accent for Jake's mother. It's a perfectly suitable performance. Listeners will not be disappointed. Ages 12-up. A Delacorte hardcover. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Luck isn't something that 18-year-old Alice is familiar with. When she was 9, her parents died just months apart from each other, and Alice moved to Chicago to live with her aunt and uncle. Alice honors her parents by volunteering and dreaming of Stanford, though her longing to return to California is tempered by her close relationships with her cousin Leo and her best friend, Teddy, whom Alice secretly loves. On Teddy's eighteenth birthday, Alice jokingly buys him a lottery ticket and he wins. Teddy, who lives in a one-bedroom apartment with his single, overworked mother, seems like the luckiest guy in the world. But as much as Alice wants to believe that this newfound wealth won't change him, a rift grows between them. Smith, no stranger to romance (Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between, 2015) crafts another thoughtful story about a girl on the brink of major change. Alice's struggles are relatable, and her feelings for Teddy ring true. Particularly well-developed secondary characters put the finishing touches on this lucky find. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: When it comes to teen romance, Smith is quickly becoming one of the big dogs; an extensive marketing and publicity campaign will only increase the buzz.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2017 Booklist

Gr 9 Up-When Alice purchases a lottery ticket for her best friend Teddy's 18th birthday, winning is the last thing on her mind. Especially since the last number she picks for the ticket is 13-the date on which both of her parents died, exactly 13 months apart. But today is different. It's Teddy's lucky day, and Teddy's life is about to change forever. Teddy has been living in a one-bedroom apartment with his mother since his father gambled away their savings, lost their home, and skipped town. He and Alice have been best friends ever since Alice moved in with her aunt and uncle after her parents died. Recently though, Alice has realized that their friendship has deepened to love, and a birthday kiss seems to indicate that Teddy may feel the same. But now Teddy's windfall leaves him distracted and changed. Alice feels responsible for helping him navigate his new life and adult concerns while she explores her own feelings toward the money. Her hope is that Teddy will learn that there is more than one way to be rich. Narrator Tonya Cornlisse deftly portrays the various character voices and emotions throughout the story. VERDICT Although the ending is a bit too tidy, listeners in search of a weighty romance will be rewarded with this satisfying love story. Recommended for most YA collections.-Lisa Hubler, Charles F. Brush High School, Lyndhurst, OH © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.