Jackpot by Nic Stone

Jackpot is the latest novel from the supremely talented Nic Stone.  The story of a young girl named Rico, who is in search of a missing lottery ticket worth millions, is fun and fast-paced.  It is a story about the haves and the have-nots.  It is a story about privilege.  It is a story about the assumptions we make and the reality behind those assumptions.  And it is a story about friendship and maybe even about love.  This one was a fantastic read that will keep you turning the pages. 

Rico is a teen girl whose family doesn't much.  Her mom works two jobs in order to try and make ends meet and keep them in a neighborhood with a good school system.  But that's not enough.  Rico also works to help support her mom and little brother.  And when an elderly women stops in to Rico's convenience store on Christmas Eve and purchases two lottery tickets, Rico's life changes.  The woman offers Rico one of them and when the numbers are called later that night, Rico isn't a winner.  But she knows those numbers are on the other ticket the woman purchased because they included the numbers of her birthday.

Only one of two winners has come forward to claim their prize, and it wasn't the nice old lady.  Now Rico is determined to track her down, but has no way of finding out who she was.  She must ask the only person she knows who could hack in to the security system at the convenience store to help track her down.  The only problem is this person is Alexander Macklin, a boy who comes from a completely different world.  Zan comes from an extremely wealthy family and seems to have the world at his fingertips.  But as their journey begins, Rico discovers that Zan is much more than she ever thought, but also questions if his friendship (and maybe even more) can be genuine. 

Jackpot will take the reader on a wild ride as these two try to hunt down the woman holding that winning ticket while at the same time trying to navigate a budding relationship.  Rico must also figure what her true intentions are for finding the winning ticket and what that may me for the future of her family. 
From Amazon:

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Dear Martin--which Angie Thomas, the bestselling author of The Hate U Give, called "a must read"--comes a pitch-perfect romance that examines class, privilege, and how a stroke of good luck can change an entire life.

Meet Rico: high school senior and afternoon-shift cashier at the Gas 'n' Go, who after school and work races home to take care of her younger brother. Every. Single. Day. When Rico sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket, she thinks maybe her luck will finally change, but only if she--with some assistance from her popular and wildly rich classmate Zan--can find the ticket holder who hasn't claimed the prize. But what happens when have and have-nots collide? Will this investigative duo unite...or divide?

Nic Stone, the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out, creates two unforgettable characters in one hard-hitting story about class, money--both too little and too much--and how you make your own luck in the world.

"A delightful, hilarious romance that digs into issues surrounding class. You'll laugh as much as you sigh while reading this novel about luck, love...and how having a little bit of both is more than enough." --Paste

"Funny, captivating, and thoughtful." - The Atlantic.com