JACKPOT SUMMER by Elyssa Friedland - Spotlight

 

Change of summer plans in @ElyssaFriedman new novel #JACKPOTShUMMER (BerkleyBooks).

The four Jacobson siblings—Matthew, Laura, Sophie, and Noah—have gathered at their parents’ house on the New Jersey shoreline to celebrate July 4^th for as long as they can remember. But this year, instead of hosting a festive annual cook-out, the Jacobsons must pack up their family home following the loss of their mother. Despondent and grieving, and with some long-held tensions simmering under the surface as they all reflect on their shared history and losses, the siblings try to put their best foot forward for the sake of their mourning father and each other.

 

When the Jacobsons learn about an upcoming Powerball drawing with a massive prize at stake, three out of four siblings decide to go in together on a ticket. Dreams of winning the lottery offer a smidgeon of hope in dark times: while all the siblings must manage their grief, Laura is also dealing with her crumbling marriage and an empty nest, Sophie is battling a failing career, and Noah finds himself lost, overall lacking direction. Matthew, a no-nonsense lawyer, believes the lottery is a waste of money—of which he has plenty to spare, anyways. And such frivolity won’t bring their mother back.

 

The Jacobsons can never anticipate what happens next.

 

Suddenly, three siblings have become multi-millionaires overnight. Laura, Sophie, and Noah’s problems seem to disappear as they distract themselves with shiny new toys and lifestyle upgrades. But money can’t fix all their predicaments—including what to do about their brother, who has been left out of the winnings. Matthew has earned his own wealth—is it necessary to offer him a cut of their fortune?

 

With or without the money, all the Jacobson children must also contend with how to care for their newly widowed father, who wants nothing to do with their riches, but has found his own escape from grief at a senior center in South Florida. Can the Jacobsons ever recreate the happiness they found along the Jersey Shore?  It’s not long before the Jacobsons start to realize that they’ll never feel rich unless they can pull their family back together.

Elyssa Friedland is the author of five novels and a picture book. She attended Yale University and is a graduate of Columbia Law School. She worked as an associate at a major firm before turning to writing full-time. She has taught an undergraduate course at Yale called Contemporary Novel Writing for years. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, LitHub, POPSUGAR, RealSimple.com, Bustle, Modern Bride, New York magazine, Columbia Journalism Review, CBS MarketWatch.com, Yale Alumni Magazine and more. Elyssa resides in New York City with her husband, three children and puppy.

THE MOST LIKELY CLUB was a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, a SkimmRead, a Book of the Month selection, and a Bustle, Popsugar and Woman’s World must-read. LAST SUMMER AT THE GOLDEN HOTEL was a Good Morning America Buzz Pick and a Book of the Month selection. It was the OneBook, One Hadassah selection for August 2022 and is currently in its 5th printing. THE FLOATING FELDMANS was a People Magazine “People Pick” and a “SkimmReads” selection and was praised by Cosmopolitan, Bustle, Good Housekeeping, National Geographic, Woman’s Day, Woman’s World, Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist and more. THE INTERMISSION was praised by The Wall Street Journal, SheReads, PureWow, POPSUGAR, HelloGiggles and featured in USA Today. Her debut novel, LOVE AND MISS COMMUNICATION, was a “best book” in Cosmopolitan, Glamour and InStyle magazines. THE MUSEUM OF LOST TEETH, her first picture book, was released in February 2023. She is also a co-author of FIRST STREET, a serialized novel available in electronic and audio formats about four ambitious lawyers clerking at the Supreme Court.

Elyssa loves wine, ice cream, Forensic Files and texting her friends obsessively.