Review for the audiobook, narrated by Laurence Bouvard)
This book was very, very cute and I liked it far more than the previous 2 by Kasie West that I’ve listened to (Love, Life & the List and Fame, Fate & the First Kiss).

It took me much longer than I usually need to finish a book because I was feeling quite uneasy at times o Maddie’s behalf and maybe I wasn’t in the right mood for feeling betrayed, lonely, insecure and confused.

My home situation at 17/18 looked a lot different than hers but I could nonetheless relate to her - a lot. How a very unideal family situation can turn you into a person who has to be accountable, responsable, reliable and who doesn’t like surprises, plans everything, wants to control everything possible and worries a lot about family and friends. I could definitely relate to that…

I felt like I knew her very well and maybe that is the reason I wasn’t too keen on these feelings and put the book aside for a while.

Anyway, the one big difference between Maddie and me is while she seems to be a trusting and very kind person, thinking only the best of others, I am very skeptical, suspicious of people’s behavior if they’re nice for no reason and don’t trust easily - and never have.

So, hoping not to be presumptuous I think I wouldn’t have made the same mistakes as Maddie and it seemed a bit strange to me that she did. But you never know, I never had that kind of money, not to mention from one day to the other and I wouldn’t want to. This whole topic made me anxious and I think Kasie West drew a realistic picture of how money changes people and their behavior.

Seth is actually the only one who doesn’t treat Maddie differently and I really liked him. He’s funny and kind, cares for Maddie but the whole romance part isn’t cheesy or over the top and for once the fight right before the ‘HEA’ didn’t seem totally unnecessary but quite realistic and understandable and when they talked things over it was cute and not a totally overdone romantic gesture which really annoy me and spoil sweet books and endings for me.

In the end not everything was great and resolved (which was great in itself, big reconciliations with everybody just aren’t realistic) but Maddie learned her lesson(s) and got the boy. So - I loved the book (and the anteater ( )

I found this book really cute. But it has handled alot of harder topics and how money even though winning the a ton of money does not save everything. I really did like Maddie as a lead character. I also found the book boy friend to be super cute. I wanted to see a little bit more of the boy and Maddie interaction in the book but i got threw it so fast. It made me think about what i would do If i won all that money. It was a really quick read and i def. want to read more by her in the future. ( )

I found this book really cute. But it has handled alot of harder topics and how money even though winning the a ton of money does not save everything. I really did like Maddie as a lead character. I also found the book boy friend to be super cute. I wanted to see a little bit more of the boy and Maddie interaction in the book but i got threw it so fast. It made me think about what i would do If i won all that money. It was a really quick read and i def. want to read more by her in the future. ( )

Unfortunately this wasn't as good as the other books I have read from this author. The premise was actually engaging and it was a fairly realistic portrayal of what I imagine would happen if a teenager won 50 million bucks. I thought the increasing pressure from her 'friends' and her developing trust issues was done well. The main issue I had was with the main character's voice. She read more like a 13 or 14 year old not an 18 year old. It was quite off putting. An okay book. ( )

Maddie is a bright, responsible teen, who is always organized and focused on attaining her goal of being admitted and getting a scholarship for college. She has a couple of best friends who meet for regular study sessions on Friday nights. And she has a regular job at the local zoo, where she’s frequently paired with Seth, another teen staffer. There are some issues in her family, but she’s handling it. And then … well, she wins the lottery and now she isn’t sure who is really her friend and who just wants to use her for her millions.

This is a pretty typical YA romance. The interesting twist, of course, is Maddie’s status as a BIG lottery winner, and that definitely does complicate things for her. She quickly learns that she is way too trusting and naïve, and that even family members may not have HER best interests at heart. But Maddie isn’t even sure SHE knows what her best interests are.

I really liked Maddie. She’s young and inexperienced but generally has a pretty good head on her shoulders. She values family relationships and her friends who have known her both before and after her status as a multi-millionaire. Her friendship with Seth is a touchstone in her life and I certainly understand her reluctance to see it change. And speaking of Seth, he’s a pretty good guy.

All-in-all, a fast, fun read. ( )