Hitting the Jackpot: a brilliantly funny comedy perfect for fans of Nick Hornby
£1.90
A thirty-something English teacher and amateur linguist, Jack just about makes ends meet—as does his Aussie fitness instructor, soon-to-be ex-wife. She’s finally run out of patience with Jack. What she doesn’t know is that Jack has hit the jackpot: well over two million pounds in lottery winnings. Swearing his brother to secrecy, Jack figures this unexpected fortune will go a long way toward cushioning the blow of his divorce.
But, keeping his win a secret from his wife proves to be a harder task than Jack first imagines, especially as she knows his favourite numbers, so is convinced that he has won and is deliberately trying to cut her out.
Jack’s problems deepen when his shiny new BMW is hit by another car – driven by the shaken and disheveled but gorgeous Milly…
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by Ellie-Mae
“4, 7, 10, 22, 24, 39. there they are, his numbers, on the television. he knows this sequence of numbers almost as well as he knows his own name… “
jack has done the lottery since he can remember, the same numbers, week in, week out. so when finally his numbers come up, and an eye-watering £2.3 million finds its way into his life, despite being in the middle of a divorce with cindy, stuck running english lessons for members of
his local community, maybe this turn of events is just what he needs?
rating: ⭐⭐⭐
my thoughts: what would you do if you won the lottery? personally me? i’d want to get my own place, treat my boyfriend to a holiday or two of a lifetime, and ensure that my dad finally gets the headstone he deserves.
when i first started the book, i felt a little unsure of the mmc, jack, and how he wants to hide his lottery win from his soon-to-be ex-wife, especially when it turns out that he doesn’t even know the secrets she is hiding! i also couldn’t stand him drinking to no end for ‘celebration’, though that could be due to my personal reasons. the specific language that is used also made it feel like a difficult read to start with, and i found myself skim-reading a lot but once i got into the story it did flow a little more, and also fitted in with jack being an english tutor.
naturally, jack goes on a bit of a spending spree, but before he’d even claimed the money! he just assumed that he’d get it, despite losing the ticket with ‘the winning numbers’ and goes off to get himself a brand new beemer, instead of the rust bucket he’d had for years. and then the unthinkable happens. someone backs into him, into the brand new beemer! chaos ensues, with the ticket exchanging hands, confusion and miscommunication between jack, cindy, molly, and everyone else.
there were a few small twists in the story, with one towards the start and one nearing the end, however, i couldn’t understand how calm jack is to both of them when they are revealed and so because of that, i did have to round down my rating.
simple easy read, and thought-provoking about what you would do if you won the jackpot, with short chapters and a cheesy ending.
by A.HUTCHINSON
Richard Curtis, don’t look in your rearview mirror, there’s a new kid on the block. Jack, (Hugh Grant) meets “plain” Milly (Andie MacDowell) as his separated wife (Halle Berry) plots to take Jack to the cleaners with her secret lover, Jack’s brother, Rich, (Rob Lowe) after his lottery win. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll hold your breath and you’ll forget about the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine and that really, “Love is all you need”. PS I look forward to my commission when
by Indigo Butterfly
Great story and so funny! I’d definitely recommend it. Well done Tom Alan, I hope you’re writing the next one!
by Jill Thompson
Hitting the Jackpot has a really interesting number of different characters. The main protagonist is Jack, who wins 2.3 million pounds in the lottery jackpot, something many of us have imagined. We accompany Jack on his journey, as he attempts to hide his winnings from his soon to be ex-wife, Cindy. The story is very funny with some laugh out loud moments. There are lots of twists and turns which keep the reader involved until the end.
Jack teaches English and some of the best parts of the book are his lessons with an eclectic mix of foreign students. We realise how complex English is to learn as a foreign language and their linguistic skills and confusions are told from a considerate, yet witty perspective. Who couldn’t love Puerto Rican Maria who is a teacher’s dream with her desire to get everything right!
This book has a bit of everything: great characters, misunderstandings, humour, twists and turns, and romance. It is a light and enjoyable read. Looking for a book for the summer holidays? Hitting the Jackpot is for you!
by G O JONES
A brilliant debut novel. You are going to love Jack and his band of others. I couldn’t put it down, stop reading this and dive in!
by justjanie
This is an easy read, which I did feel would make a good comedy. But just lacked a bit of oomph. Couldn’t wait to just finish in the end
by Judith Cope
What a frolic of a story this is! I laughed out loud throughout.
The characters are fun and, in particular, the main character is well developed – so much so I felt I knew him!
The story kept me guessing right to the end which made it all the more enjoyable.
Easy read for commuting or lounging.
by terry langridge
If I was in the process of getting a divorce then I would without doubt thing along the same lines!