Published By: Wildfire
Pages: 384
Released On: 26/03/2026
Paula is having a surreal week. Having just lost her husband, John, in a freak car accident, she’s utterly gobsmacked when, two days later, she wins the lottery – with the ticket he bought.
Just as she thinks things can’t get crazier, Paula is approached by a tight-knit trio of glamorous women – also jackpot winners – with dead husbands, suspiciously large bank accounts. . . and a very specific interest in Paula.
They tell her that they’ve been where she is now. That grief looks good on her. That freedom does, too. There’s just one problem: Paula didn’t kill her husband. She loved him, of course.
But something about their world – lavish, secretive, thrilling – is hard to resist. And when word of Paula’s jackpot win spreads and others come sniffing around for a share, she’s faced with the ultimate choice: hold onto her old life, or accept help from her new friends, whose methods are a little more. . . unconventional.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Wildfire for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
This had such a beautiful, eye-popping cover which I loved.
Elly Vine is a pseudonym for Lucy Vine, so this is her debut novel under that name. I have looked at her Lucy Vine books but I haven’t read any, and so I had no expectations going in.
This was fun. It’s funny and naughty; is it the most sophisticated of writing? No, but I didn’t really mind as the story was interesting enough that it didn’t really matter.
I loved this group of women. They’re strangers who someone become friends, bonding over shared experiences. They’re all so different and made it exciting to read.
Paula was an interesting protagonist. She’s obviously been hit with two shocks – one good and one bad – and she’s just trying to keep her head above water, and it’s not helped by her family, although I accept they are just trying to support her. But I really felt for her and just wanted her to get through this. She is a bit of a doormat at times, and that is a bit annoying but I forgive her.
I will say the tone is a bit haphazard. It’s not a big issue, it doesn’t spoil the reading of it, but it tries to be serious but wrapped up in comedy, but it doesn’t always gel, so you get a bit confused as to how you’re meant to feel about it.
It is a bit repetitive at times, particularly in the middle it sags slightly, but on the whole it was quite easy to read and for the most part it zoomed by.
Whilst it is ultimately a funny comedy, an uplifting, quite frivolous book, it does touch upon some difficult subjects, particularly that of bereavement and grief, and I think she’s handled that very well.
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