This was such a cute story, it gave me the warm and fuzzies from start to finish. I loved the two main characters- their chemistry was great! The mental health rep in this book was excellent. Ultimately, this book gave me everything I look for in a romcom: it had me laughing, it gave me butterflies, and had just enough angst to keep me reading.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book! Apologies for the delayed review.

I really enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but almost immediately forgot everything about it (I know I'm writing this months later, but I remember thinking it even back in July). I don't remember the plot at all besides that it involves a bingo hall and maybe some kind of "no feelings just fling" pact? And I haven't retained anything about the characters, though I remember admiring how much of the conflict came from baggage that each character was aware of and already working through on their own. Even if this book didn't stick with me, I liked that the characters were already in progress of working on themselves rather than being frozen before coming onto the page.

This was a wonderfully sweet story. I loved all the mental health rep. The author did a fantastic job of blending the serious storylines with the cute rom-com feel. I also enjoyed reading about a plus sized women who was able to just exist. Her size was mentioned, but it wasn’t the main focus. The side friendships that were developed, Nana, and bingo were great additions to the story as well. Overall, I throughly enjoyed reading this and can’t wait to pick up more stories by this author!

This was a really cute romance with some great comedic moments to lighten to the story. I really appreciated the mental health focus throughout the story as well. I thought the author did a great job incorporating that into the storyline. I enjoyed the characters, and I loved watching their romance develop!

This was an enjoyable and sweet rom com with both main characters having mental health rep (which is so uncommon in books, especially ones with black characters. My favorite part of this book is when the heroine ( who is African American) mentions that she felt dainty. As black women, we've never been able to have that feeling nor are we able to be described in that nature. Truthfully, this is the first time I've read that in a book regarding a black woman. Walker's Grandmother is truly a memorable character. I also appreciated the fights, as well as the healing that took place in this story. Such a great job was done by the author.

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

Cute, romantic story of young love. Add in Bingo and grandma...such fun. Set in the south, full of good old fashioned southern charm. Love the characters, rooting for them to find their happiness!

When it comes to love, all bets are on.

This is a heart-stoppingly fun, emotional romance that will have readers falling in love until long after the last page is turned.

The overall tone is fun and cute, especially in the beginning, but then turns more mature and realistic when trigger and sensitive topics are introduced and explored, making it emotional at times. The characters were easy to read about and I especially liked seeing their true colors show as the layers of their outer shells were peeled back. There is a lot of quirky yet cute behavior, some sexy scenes, and lots of psychological elements to ponder. It was a different type of read and I definitely welcomed the multiple varietal tones. As much as I enjoyed the quirky and fun parts, I welcomed the more serious parts to balance it. Being partial towards reading books that focus on psychological issues, I especially appreciated the way troubling topics were addressed and weaved into the story and seeing the characters grow and thrive despite their anxieties and troubles.

I really enjoyed this one. The anxiety rep, the romance, the characters, the friends, the love, the setting. I do love bingo! The two MCs with their own demons finding love with one another was beautiful. I enjoyed this story immensely and will be looking out for more books by Slaughter in the future. Also, I got to listen to the audiobook of this as well and I LOVED the narration.

This was a pretty good book. I listened to the audiobook as well and I really enjoyed it. I would read more books by this Author

Bet on It was a delight of a book! I did not expect to feel so attacked for my anxiety and my issues with my hometown, but I really had an amazing time reading it. Seeing a plus-sized woman of color be depicted as the hero of a story, as romantically desirable, and as a well-rounded character really meant a lot, and I'm so glad I finally picked this book up!

This is another case for me of liking the characters well enough, but not really liking them together? There wasn't that spark of tension, chemistry, or any real vibe felt when they interacted. They were together simply because it was written that way rather than feeling that way.

I do love the trend of mental health in romance because while they aren't typically heavy novels, they are every day problems and I think welcoming these struggles into the conversation is the best way to make talking about them easier.

I love the charm in small town romances and that desire to move to a tiny town in the middle of no where, but this one didn't give me that feeling as much. I wanted more quirk and side characters.
.

Can you find true love....at bingo? Aja and Walker don't think so, but are willing to try to find out.

I thought this was a super sweet, easy and fun read, perfect for those days when you just don't want to think too hard but you still want to smile. I like the way that Aja and Walker were written, just the perfect amount of sugar and spice.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I love this book! Both of the main characters are unique and refreshing. It is so nice to see characters deal openly and honestly with their mental health. They are supportive and understanding of each other throughout the whole book. And who knew bingo could be spicy!

The cover first caught my eye with this book, but the story brought me in.

I liked the honest representation of PTSD and anxiety. The story was relatable, well written and had wonderfully rounded out characters. I definitely will be looking forward to more books from Jodie Slaughter!

I want to thank NetGalley, Jodie Slaughter and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

I absolutely love bingo. So when I saw a romance book where the leads go to bingo with the male lead's grandma who just happens to be the female lead's best friend - I knew I had to read it. Add in a plus size female lead who deals with crippling anxiety and a male lead with a sad back story - hits all the buttons for me.

Aja moved to a small town to work on her anxiety and slowly re-enter a life of being social. Walker returns to his small hometown to help take care of his grandma even though he left the town 10 years ago and never looked back. These two have a couple of chance meetings where sparks fly, and eventually enter into a sex pact (because why not?). Neither are prepared for permanence, but we don't always get what we ask for.

I enjoyed the representation in this book, I felt it was indicative of how someone who is plus size and anxious would feel/react (I am both of those things so I write from experience). I loved Walker as a hero even if Aja didn't always grab me and keep my attention. I did love her side journey to making friends as a cute addition. And of course the bingo.

A solid romance, but lacked something to make it spectacular.

**Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

The first thing that really stands out about Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter is that it has some serious anxiety representation. Going into it, I thought this was going to be a funny, more romcom-type story but found it to be much more serious than that. Aja struggles with crippling anxiety and panic attacks, while Walker suffers from some anxiety of his own as well. I loved the idea of the concept because who doesn't love bingo? but the book didn't really dive into it as much as I had hoped it would. There were definitely a few steamy scenes and some romance, but I think the contemporary fiction reader may prefer this over a normal romance reader. I really appreciated Slaughter putting a sensitive content disclaimer right at the start of the book, and it refers you to her website which provides more information on what exactly this book entails. I would highly recommend checking that out prior to reading if you are triggered by certain things.

The pacing is a bit on the slower end, so I was happy I had gotten the audiobook which is narrated by Angel Pean. I would personally have loved another narrator for Walker's chapters, but Pean was great to listen to and she nailed the emotion of the story. She even did a great job with Walker's voice! The sex scenes are fairly graphic (at least they were for me), so if you are a lover of steamy scenes that don't leave much to the imagination, I think you would enjoy them. I really loved how real the characters and their struggles were, and I honestly think Bet on It did a wonderful job of showing how people can overcome adversity. Despite the serious tone of the story, there were still plenty of humorous moments which really helped break things up a bit. I wanted Aja and Walker to work out, and I was a huge fan of both of them as well as other characters in the book. I had never read Slaughter before, but I definitely will again.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book just wasn't for me. I wasn't feeling either of the main characters and their romance just felt off to me. I wanted to like it but it just fell flat for me. I did think the secondary characters were good and I thought the mental health representation was great.

A very cute rom com about taking chances and letting the chips fall where they land! Aja and Walker couldn't be more different but they do share a love for Walker's grandma who in turn loves to meddle with them. As they get to know each other the pull becomes difficult to ignore.

I was pretty underwhelmed by this book. I thought both characters were developed well and they certainly had chemistry, but something kept me from fully believing in their connection. There was a ton of pining, which was fun, but there could have been some refinement in their interactions and dates. I appreciated the mental health representation but also didn't think it was the most accurate representation of panic disorders. I did really like the ending though!

Enjoyed this story so much! This author was a first time read for me so this was fun. The spicy scenes were everything along with the growth for both hero and heroine.