Fortune: A Novel

The concept of a DNA lottery intrigued me. A really unique hook that had me downloading. The plot is certainly dark and twisty with a lot of surprising reveals I didn’t see coming. The story is told from the point of view of the main characters in different timeframes, going back and forth from the past to the present. The changing of POV and timeframes happened so often I was getting whiplash trying to put their stories and connections together. A scene ended at a pivotal point, then quickly moved on to three other POV’s before going g back to where you were left hanging. The plot was very good and worth the read, but I can see why the reviews are mixed. It was difficult to follow. I look forward to seeing what Ms. Steil writes in the future.

The book had a slow start with switching back and forth to different dates, which was a bit confusing for me. The author use of metaphors was a bit overboard detracting from the story line. However the story picked up steam as it progressed and with its completely unexpected twists and turns, it really fooled me. The ending was a complete surprise and so well hidden. It is a fun book to read but you need to power through the first 10% or so.

Interesting premise and the novel held a lot of promise. There were just way too many characters to keep track of and who was associated with whom. Things got really good in the last 15% of the book, when details started to get sewn together.Three girls have a secret that started at Homecoming. After 18 years, the secret is about to be spilled to the whole town. The story goes back and forth between characters and time periods. Parts of this book could be elaborated on for its own novel… this would have been a great trilogy, with each character giving their perspective.Good details but much was easily forgotten because of all the characters and back and forth. The ending would have been stronger had the book shown a bit more focus.

The search for answers to the identity of the remains of a baby have kept a town wondering for years. When a wealthy woman finds a picture of three young girls inner husbands lock box, she devises a lottery that she hopes will give a clue to the child’s identity. The story follows the three girls back and forth between their high school years the present. As a reader, it was frustrating because the author often left one episode with a cliffhanger that wouldn't be resolved for several chapters. It was too much jumping around for my taste. The ending had some surprises along with some pleasant closures. Overall, it was well written and the characters were well developed.

This book was a little confusing in the beginning. I wish there was more set up. I kept reading and loved it! The 3 female main characters were developed slowly and they were wonderful. The author made the bad guy ( or girl) really bad!

I liked the idea of the story a lot - personal dramas, townwide intrigue. I feel it just needed to flow better. First you’re here then all of a sudden you’re there and then boom, then you’re shot somewhere else. It took a long time for the gist of the story to appear and even then, it never fully evolved. And then, poof, it was over. Nonetheless, can still get through it and for a first book, the author should be proud of herself. I’d definitely keep reading her in the future.

It’s possible that I didn’t read this with enough care, but the underlying premise – that the inhabitants of a small mid-western town would be invited to submit samples of their DNA for the purposes of a lottery, the “winner” to receive a million-dollar prize – came across as idiotic. As one might expect, the announcement of the lottery brings together three women, each with a troubled childhood, a miserable mother, and marital agita, and forces them to remember the events of the high school homecoming dance they’ve been trying for 18 years to forget. There are so many secrets that I had difficulty sorting out which secrets belonged to which woman.

This is a fascinating, fictional story that kept my interest. I liked that entries could be factual in real life situations. However, I did have to return to earlier parts a few times to refresh character relationships.

Reading pleasure

the ending!It's a great page turner- trying to figure out what dark secret bound these three girls together. It's heart breaking, and unexpected, when it's revealed. The fight to not have it revealed and why another person wants to find it out is gripping reading and then... the real baddie is revealed and the innocent victims rebuild their lives and become the strong, happy women they were always meant to be!And that's what spoilt it.The ending lost the reality.

It took me about 5% to get into this book but after that I couldn’t put it down. Three women that are involved in actions in their teens, they go on to build a life but it comes back to turn their lives upside down.

Hard to put down book. I was fully immersed into the characters lives. The story line kept me guessing what was going to happen next.

This book had me glued from start to finish guessing all the way what the ending would be. None of my guesses were anywhere close! Very clever and well written. Brilliant book and would thoroughly recommend.