4.5 stars

Kasie West’s books are always the perfect pick-me-up. This is the fourth of her contemporaries I’ve read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the characters, the story, the family and friendship dynamics, and the (what I’d assume to be) realistic depiction of the lottery. I loved that Maddie and Seth worked in a zoo. I loved Seth’s Yorkie puppy Quinn and the zoo’s anteater Heeboo. I sped through this in about a day, and it was exactly what I needed at this moment.

If I had to critique one thing, it would be Maddie and Blaire’s extreme study habits. They’re the top two students in their class, only 1% apart, and they’re always studying. I completely understand being devoted to school and wanting to succeed, but I thought it was stretched just a bit. I feel like all the characters in contemporary YA are either top of their class or complete slackers, and I wouldn’t mind seeing an average student.

I can’t recommend Kasie’s books enough. If you’re a contemporary fan, and in this case an animal lover, you should pick this up. It’s a bit cheesy, but very likely to put a smile on your face.