Fate seems to be playing tricks on Paula. At the same time, she learns that her husband has died in a terrible accident abroad, she also discovers that she's won millions on the lottery. Both events leave Paula feeling numb; luckily, some like-minded people are there to help her come to terms with the events.
Somehow, I managed to get access to the ebook and the audiobook of The Lottery Winner Widows Club by Elly Vine. While I'm a huge fan of both formats, I always have different books on the go. Having access to two versions of the same book gave me the opportunity to experiment with how I read/listened to the book. I'll review the book first. If you want to know the outcome of my little experiment, please check the end of the post.
Review
I thoroughly enjoyed this comedy crime caper; it is pure escapism. Paula is overwhelmed by the two pieces of news she receives; things are made doubly difficult as her husband, John, is the one who made all the decisions. Thankfully, another lottery winner, Teddy, seeks her out and takes her under her wing. Through the glamorous Teddy, she is also introduced to another lottery winner, Audrey, and both admit to killing their abusive husbands after winning big. They are both convinced that Paula is responsible for John's death.
The longer Paula is with Teddy and Audrey, the more she comes out of her shell. It was lovely to see the personal growth Paula goes through, although there are still lots of times when she hesitates over making decisions. She's particularly reluctant to stand up to her grown-up children.
Taking a fourth lottery-winning female under their wing, the group decides that they are going to put their particular skills to use and free women from abusive relationships by murdering the men responsible. This leads to some hilarious situations. I found myself giggling at times over the antics of the trio. Brilliant narration by Virginia Grainger really helps you to differentiate between the characters.
There is a serious side to the story, with some alarming statistics shared with the reader. Unfortunately, the group of women proves to be poor at murder, but they are still able to ensure that fate comes calling for some of the despicable men in the story.
The Lottery Winner Widows Club by Elly Vine will be published on the 26th March 2026 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for a review copy.
Experiment
Having access to both the ebook and the audiobook, I decided to try three things
1. Reading the ebook
2. Listening to the audiobook
3. Reading along to the audiobook
I thoroughly enjoyed jumping between the ebook and the audiobook. I tend to listen to audiobooks in the morning while doing housework or a jigsaw puzzle. Reading is for afternoons and evenings. By alternating between the two formats, the pace of the story never let up. I did find that I had to increase the speed of the audiobook though, the default speed was too slow. I normally listen at x1.25 speed.
Reading along to the audiobook was less successful. I had to increase the speed to x1.5, and even then, I had to slow my reading speed a little to match the audio. I felt that by trying to match my reading speed to the narration, I wasn't fully taking in either format. While I think this is an ideal way to encourage struggling readers, it's not for me.
Alternating between reading and listening is definitely something I'll do in the future. I loved the fact that I didn't have to stop reading because my hands were busy.
Author Details
Elly Vine is the pseudonym of bestselling author, Lucy Vine.
Lucy Vine is the author of novels Hot Mess, What Fresh Hell, Are We Nearly
There Yet?, Bad Choices, Seven Exes, Date with Destiny and Book Boyfriend. Her
eighth novel is Good For You. Her books have been published in seventeen
territories, with Hot Mess optioned for a TV series in America. In a previous
life, Lucy was a journalist, writing for publications including Grazia,
Stylist, Heat, Fabulous, Marie Claire, Sugar and Cosmopolitan.
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