Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland

A Four-Star Book Review

What would you do if you won the lottery?

If you’re like me, you’ve imagined that scenario more than once. Setting up my kids and family for their lifetimes; splurging on a house, shopping sprees, and world travels; paying off that student loan. But, considering that I never buy a lotto ticket, the dream will never happen!

Jackpot Summer is the story of how the Jacobson siblings’ lives change after winning that dreamed-of lottery, and like many a similar tale, it has bumps and bruises along the way.

Summary of Jackpot Summer (No Spoilers)

Life isn’t great for the four Jacobson siblings. Their mother died the year before, and now their dad is selling their beloved ramshackle summer house on the New Jersey shore. The four of them have their own problems too.

Matthew is headed toward the high-powered partner track at his law firm, but he questions whether that’s the lifestyle he wants. Laura finds herself an empty nester earlier than planned, and her husband, David, isn’t helping her loneliness. Sophie pays the bills as an art teacher but desperately wants to focus on her own painting. And Noah patches together an income by providing on-call, in-home IT services on Long Beach Island, but has no plan for the future. And their father, Leo, decides to move to a retirement community in Florida where he enjoys the sun, pickleball, and his new friends.

When the Powerball climbs to $261 million, Noah suggests they all go in on a few tickets for fun. Matthew declines, so three siblings are left to collect their winnings when their numbers are pulled.

What follows is an engaging, if not stereotypical, story of how Laura, Sophie, and Noah adjust to life as millionaires. The tension between the three, Matthew, and Matthew’s wife, Beth, grows, and the formerly tight-knit siblings find themselves separated and questioning if the jackpot was, in fact, a lucky draw.

What I Enjoyed about Jackpot Summer

Jackpot Summer is a fun read, one that I recommend for the warm season when you want to sit with an umbrella drink and your toes in the sand. Here’s why:

• The siblings: Each of the Jacobson siblings has their own challenges and quirks. They are well-developed characters who have distinct personalities. My favorite sibling was Sophie because of her artistic struggles, and I loved the group text chains.
• The lotto dream: We know that money can’t buy happiness, and that message is obvious in Jackpot Summer. I enjoyed reading how this played out, particularly with Laura’s reaction to the winnings (no spoilers).

My Final Thoughts about Jackpot Summer

Without spoiling the plot, Jackpot Summer is a fun exploration of how a windfall can change family dynamics. The story leaned in to the typical “money changes people” trope, but that’s a realistic view in my opinion. Overall, this was a light, enjoyable summer read.