I tried to get into this one more than once and I just couldn't. The story dragged and lacked for me. The characters felt underdevelopped. I unfortunately had to DNF this one.

If you love family drama stories this book is the perfect choice for your next read.

Friedland dives into a story built around four siblings who have a lot of memories tied to their family beach home. Together to pack up the home, their lives are changed in a flash with a random purchase.

Friedland develops memorable characters who embark on massive life changes after the win. We follow each character throughout the turmoil of their lives, with both good and bad impacts.

We are there as they try to navigate the changes in their lives as well as the changed connections between the family members. Through thick and thin, we are treated to drama, humor, and frustrations. Several of the characters I did not care for and parts of the story made me sad with their actions and frivolous ways.

The steadfast character was Dad and we don’t really see his true colors until the end. But the ending is what makes the story.

Overall, Jackpot Summer is entertaining and something dreams are made of. A different and engaging story.

3.5 rolled to 4 Stars!

I am a HUGE Elyssa Friedland fan, so I was beyond ecstatic when I was given an early copy of Jackpot Summer. Her books The Last Summer at the Golden Hotel and The Floating Feldmans are two of my favorite books. Elyssa has an ability to write from multiple perspectives within a family, giving side stories, while also weaving their stories together to make a storyline.

Jackpot Summer is the story of siblings who win the lottery anticipating their lives will change for the better, only to be hit smack in the head with the reality of the downsides of accruing a large amount of money at once.

This was a great, light hearted read with a lot of love, comedy, and laughter. I didn't feel that the story had me as glued to the book as I was with The Last Summer at the Golden Hotel and The Floating Feldmans, but I did enjoy the lightheartedness of it and finished it over a weekend. I think what may have been missing was the lack of history or flashbacks. The other two novels gave a lot more backstory to really connect with the characters, but this one didn't as much. Still a great read!

Would I watch this if it were a movie? Yes! This is a pretty unique tale, siblings winning the lottery, and would be so good on screen. It would be an ensemble cast with a lot of comedy and love. It's giving me a Nancy Meyers vibe!

I really enjoyed Last Summer at the Golden Hotel and was excited to read Elyssa Friedland’s newest book, Jackpot Summer, out June 11th. This is the story of a family but with a fun twist, three of the four siblings win big in a Powerball lottery drawing.

The book begins with the family gathering at their summer home and the chapters alternate between the siblings so we get a feel for each of their own voices, which I enjoyed. We spend time with them before they win the money and then see how their lives change, not necessarily for the better, after they win.

I really liked this exploration of something most of us think of as being the solution to our everyday problems, winning the lottery, and how it’s not always the answer to our problems. I thought the group texts were fun and loved how they all came together at the end. I had a few small issues with a few things but overall really enjoyed this family story.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC to review.

This book reminded me of all my summers at the shore. As a jersey girl, I loved reading a book about LBI and Bergen County. It was places that I’ve spent a great deal of time. The storyline was well developed. The characters drew you in and you felt like a part of the family. Would highly recommend.

A fun, engaging family story! The Jacobsons are kind of a mess. The four adult siblings are each struggling financially and otherwise, and their widowed father has just announced that he needs to sell the beloved family beach house. Their much-missed, late mother had loved it, and she was the glue that held them all together. As they gather to help their dad clean out the house and get it ready for sale, three of the four buy a lottery ticket and actually win a fortune. It seems like it will be smooth sailing from now on, but money doesn't solve everything, and in some cases, like this one, it makes things even more complicated. Great characters and a briskly paced plot make this a great beach read.

I know my family has always dreamt of winning the lottery and we always talk about what we would do the funds. Jackpot Summer dives deep into the romantic side of winning a boatload of money and looks at how it can change a person's entire world, and not in a positive way.

Jackpot Summer follows the Jacobson siblings, who heads to their family's beach house in Jersey to begin packing it up after their father decides to sell it following the death of their mother. The younger brother, Noah, decides he's going to go buy a Powerball ticket and his two sisters decide they also want in, while their older brother Matthew opts not too. When one the tickets wins, everything changes.

I really enjoyed this book. At first, I thought it was going to be about how their lives changed for the better, but I really enjoyed that Friedland dove further into their family dynamics after the win and how their relationships evolved both personally and professionally. This is a story about family, and it's a beautiful one. Oh, and the ending is fabulous.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was so cute!! I've been vacationing on LBI with my family since I was 6 years old, and I also have 3 siblings, arranged very similarly to the ones in the book. So this had an extra special layer of fun to it for me! Elyssa Friedland writes such light yet affecting books, beach reads with some depth, and this one will make her fans very happy. Loved it!

"Jackpot Summer" by Elyssa Friedland is an exciting journey into the world of high stakes, love, and finding yourself. The story takes place in the alluring world of the Hamptons in a high class summer resort. Elyssa Friedland puts us in the shoes of the rich and intriguing life in the Hamptons. Attending spectacular parties and finding out secrets along the way. This story will keep you up late at night to finish it! Great beach read.

Elyssa Friedland was a new author for me, I will definitely be going back to read her past novels.

Four adult siblings are packing up their family's recently-sold summer cottage, then three of them buy a lotto ticket and win big. The book has Friedland's trademark lightheartedness and humor interspersed with family drama. The book's fatal flaw, in my opinion, was having too many narrators and an overwhelming number of additional family members and side characters to keep track of. It was confusing and I spent so much energy trying to keep track of everyone that I wasn't able to just relax and enjoy the story. That said, I appreciate Friedland's writing and will recommend this book to readers I encounter that would enjoy her work.

The story of four siblings whose relationships are tested when only 3 of them win a lottery jackpot. Characters were underdeveloped and the story lagged quite a bit. Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy.

Elyssa knocks another summer hit out of the park! It keeps the reader cheering for and chastising characters throughout the storyline. There is good extended family drama, like every signature Elyssa novel, that keeps you wanting to read more. I laughed with the Jacobsons and I cried with them too. I also enjoyed the LBI ties and setting. Definitely a must read for Summer 2024!

3 ⭐️

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley!
Very solid 3 star book about a family with four adult siblings who win the lottery. Easy read with some humor. Overall not the most exciting story to me, and the characters were predictably, yet still frustratingly, dumb.

Ps the editing needs another once over

alright. this book was real good. i super enjoyed it. the characters are chef's kiss. the plot is mr. darcy level fantastic. the writing is tortured poets department wonderful. all the things and more for this book. read it!!!

What a fun summer read! The Jacobson siblings are so engaging and interesting that it wasn’t hard to want to know more about how their story will end.

We meet these siblings, still mourning their mother, and learn about them through their text messages, interactions and as they clean out their family beach house. Then, they win the lottery!

What happens next is compelling and it’s hard to not feel endeared to this family as they embrace their wealth and make some missteps, too. This is truly a fun read!

I've read a few of Friedland's books and I enjoy her writing and her characters. That said, it took me a bit to start relating to the characters in this book. And much of how this book unfolds seems preposterous to me. On the other hand, it is fiction, so why not? I did enjoy the setting, but I guess I wanted more from each of the siblings. Dad was very cool, though! In the end, readers of her other books and those new to Friedland will enjoy how it all unfolds and where we are by the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I will be on the lookout for more from this author!

I was so excited to read this book. Long Beach Island is where I vacation every summer. Jackpot Summer is the perfect summer book to read in a day! The siblings were interesting and fun to read about. I devoured this one! It was well written and the characters were enjoyable. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Yesssss I loved it! I’m dying for summer so this book hit the spot! Loved the characters and the development of their story. Will be reading more from this author for sure.

Imagine that you're dealing with your mother's death and on the weekend that you and your siblings are cleaning out the beach house you decide to buy a lottery ticket together, except one sibling says it's a waste of money and opts out and then you win. This is exactly what happens in Elyssa Friedland's book. The Jacobson siblings then have to figure out how to lead their new lives and figure out their relationships with each other including the strained relationship with the one that opted out. They learn that while having money is amazing it only shines a light on the problems they already have and they still have to resolve those issues. I highly recommend giving this title a read during the summer, especially if you're familiar with NY, NJ, and FL . I'll definitely read everything Friedland writes.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title in advance,

The Jacobson siblings are still mourning their mother’s death. They are spending July 4th weekend cleaning out the family beach house as Dad has decided to sell and retire to sunny Boca Raton. As they reminisce and poke at each other as the siblings often do, it becomes crystal clear that the Jersey shore will never feel the same again. Taking a break, Noah, the youngest and often favored sibling, decides to venture to the local convenience store where apparently Powerball is the hot ticket of the weekend. His two sisters chip in for the fun, while the eldest and his snooty wife decline declaring that lotteries are designed for stupid people. Easy for Matthew to say since they are both power lawyers who make money faster than they could spend it. Adjusting to Dad’s big move and constantly avoiding the daily drama of their own lives the Jacobsons are beyond shocked when they actual win the pot! While the close siblings decide how they will spend their millions they must also decide if they can face the guilt of leaving Matthew out of the group. Extravagant purchases, unnecessary trips and meaningless donations backfire as this life changing event comes full circle. The Fabulous Foursome realize the truth - family is everything and money really can’t buy happiness. Loved every minute of this fast paced, laugh out loud story that is perfect for your beach bag this summer! Releases June 2024.