This debut novel takes on the realities of living, and loving, with anxiety. And Jodie Slaughter does a pretty good job of portraying the daily existence of someone with anxiety. I loved the community and secondary characters that she has written for this book, especially Walker's grandma, but didn't find myself overly invested in the relationship between Aja and Walker themselves. Much of the dialogue felt forced, as did some of the (very) open-door sex scenes. I'm interested to see where Slaughter will take her talents next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for generously providing a complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The lead characters in this romance each deal with anxiety issues and it was interesting to see that common thread even though their struggles presented in different ways. There was so much here I found I could relate to that it turned out to be a very good read for me. It's nice when you feel like you understand where the characters are coming from.

Aja Owens has a panic attack at the Piggly Wiggly and a man named Walker Abbott comes to her aid. He's in town helping his grandmother as she recovers from an injury. He's eager to leave ASAP as his hometown stirs up bad memories of his childhood. It just so happens his grandma and Aja play bingo together every week. (Yes, Aja is in her twenties or thirties in case you assumed she was a senior citizen.) So of course Aja and Walker run into each other again and sparks fly. They strike up a pact that basically ensures they can have a casual type fling that will end once he leaves town. No commitment so feelings are out of the equation, right? We will see.

I liked how the author chose to go in a bit of a different direction with Walker. Military experience is usually the go to when it comes to writing about trauma for male characters. And that's certainly worthy to write about but I'm thankful Jodie Slaughter also recognized horrific childhoods can be a source of trauma for men. She got to explore the subject in a way that made you feel for the character but also didn't make the overall story a super heavy read. At the end of the day it's a lighthearted romance with a smidge of serious content.

My only small criticism is there were a few occasions when the dialogue was awkward and cheesy. The bedroom scenes are definitely steamy and graphic but that's not something I mind, it's more how certain lines were written. And it wasn't just regulated to the hot and heavy scenes as there were a some moments when they were talking about their feelings for each other that sounded slightly off. I'm a frequent reader of the romance genre and this isn't a common problem for me. Regardless, it was only a handful of times the writing grabbed my attention in a negative way. Overall it really is a good romance and 99% of the time I enjoyed Ava and Walker's chemistry together.

Highly recommend reading if you enjoy the genre and/or struggle with anxiety. It's inspiring to see characters trying to work on their issues.

4 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson.

In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life.

I thought this romance (and its bingo-filled setting) was soooo cute! I really loved the anxiety rep that this book had and will definitely continue reading more by this author. The only thing is for me the romance felt a bit too instant, and although I believed they really were attracted to each other, I just wanted them to do more together especially in the small town!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and to the author, Jodie Slaughter for an advanced copy of Bet on It in exchange for a review. I genuinely enjoyed this book. As someone who struggles with their mental health, specifically anxiety, I loved seeing the accurate representation on how that affects one's relationships. I especially loved seeing that both of the main characters are dealing with their mental health struggles as that is an incredibly different dynamic that I have not seen explored in the romance genre very often. Slaughter also does a good job of making the setting of a small South Carolina time feel very lived in and well developed. While there are the heavy moments of discussing mental health, this book is still incredibly HOT. Those readers who enjoy an extra steamy romance will enjoy this as well. Overall, I really really enjoyed this story.

I loved every single second of this book. From the moment we’re introduced to these characters, to the final page and sentence. There was just something so comforting about this book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a phenomenal job! It brought the story to life and made the experience even better!

We follow Aja who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. She goes to bingo every week as a way of getting out but doing so in a more anxiety free way until her bingo friend gets injured and her hot grandson has to come to bingo to help her play. The same man who had seen her having a panic attack at the grocery store.

I loved the two of them together so much. Walker suffers from CPTSD so to see the two of them bond over their different issues and help each other when they can’t, or just being there was so heartwarming. I also appreciated the fact that Aja is comfortable with her body, she’s proud of herself and it was refreshing to see a character so confident. Jodie just did such a wonderful job crafting these two characters and their friendship and relationship.

Not to mention, the banter, sexual tension and pining? A++. There is a bingo sext pact!!! Literally what made me need this book in my life and I was right, it was phenomenal!

If I haven’t convinced you to read it already — Walker’s dirty talk!!! 😫

If you’re looking for a new romance to read, look no further. Bet On It needs to be on everyone’s shelf!

Love a fat love interest!! Enjoyed the banter, the spice, the bingo concept and the anxiety/PTSD representation! The dialogue between the love interests sometimes felt a little forced to me but overall a fun read with a creative concept!

First off, Jodie Slaughter, you're an evil genius and I love you. I will sit here and wait patiently for your next book while complaining about how talented you are. As a plus-sized Black woman with anxiety in the south (TN to be specific), this book hits so close to home on a lot of fronts. I can't begin to list the number of times I put the book down because I read something that just resonated so much. It also nails the pros and cons of living in a small community.

Something I love about the book is how quiet and the "lower stakes" it is. I say lower stakes because a lot of romance stories have some impending disaster in the background: a career on the brink of ruin, a big competition a lead is desperate to win, the cops closing in a big case, etc. This book focuses solely on Aja and Walker and building new relationships despite their fear and trepidation. And not just their romantic relationship. Much of Aja's POV is her starting new friendships in town while Walker's is him rebuilding his connections with his family and on some level, Greenbelt itself.

This book is so gentle and sweet as we watch these two struggle with their anxiety and trauma while wanting more for themselves. I love their friend groups and how friendship is staging a dinner party/intervention with hors d'oeuvres while being their hype person. This book really distills a large chunk of what I love about reading romance. I highly recommend it to everyone but especially new readers.

Also, if Jodie Slaughter wants to do a sequel about Miri, I would pre-order it the moment after she posts the link. Just saying.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for giving me a copy of Bet On It. This review is my own thoughts and opinions.

TW: FMC has Generalized Anxiety Disorder, MMC has PTSD, Panic/anxiety attacks, MMC's father is a recovering substance abuser, bullying/gossip, and brief descriptions of substance abuse.

In this wonderful Rom Com, Aja Owens wants to eliminate problems in her life. Unfortunately for her, she keeps encountering someone that just adds a problem to her life. Enter Walker Abbott, he only wants to help his Grandma get better and get back to his real life. Can life throw the ultimate curveball for both of them or will they go their separate ways?

So many contemporary romances claim to be "romcoms" but Jodie Slaughter's "Bet On It" actually delivers on the laughs. I was reading lines out loud to a friend. I've enjoyed every Jodie Slaughter book so far and am eager to see what comes next.

I really enjoyed this small town romance between Aja and Walker. The story opens on Aja having a panic attack in the grocery store, where she meets Walker. He's understanding and comforting in a way that Aja hadn't expected. Since it's a small town, Aja and Walker end up meeting again at bingo.

They strike up a friendship and it's clear that there's chemistry between the two of them. They also strike up an unusual bet between them and their bingo games.

They slowly open up to each other about their struggles with mental health. Whatever is developing between them is on a time limit, since Walker is only in town to help his grandmother. So they each have to figure out if what's developing between them is worth exploring past this expiration date.

I loved the plus size representation and how Walker loves her curves. And I appreciated the mental health representation and addressing it in a healthy way.

This was the first book I've read by this author and I'll definitely check out more from them in the future.

I received an ARC of this from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was such a delight - and I never thought I'd get so invested in bingo! The mental health rep was carefully crafted and thoughtfully executed. The chemistry between Walker and Aja was incendiary, and fingers crossed we see some more stories from the universe!

I enjoyed Bet On It and it's perfect for romance readers who like a little steam and a lot of deep issues. Both of the main characters have anxiety and that is a huge part of the story. Aja and Walker were great (Aja especially), but honestly I think having a man main character with a disability, in therapy, with strong, loving friendships was so nice to read. He was hot and alpha without being completely out of touch with his feelings. I loved the normalization of therapy! I loved Aja and Walker growing in their friendship. I loved the Bingo, the small town, and the grandma. And I loved that Aja is plus sized, it was mentioned, it felt important to the story, and Walked commented on her stretch marks and her thighs (and commented sexually!). She was hot to him and that was so wonderful to read (as a mid-sized person).

Both Walker and Aja also had great supportive friend groups and I really want to see if Jodie continues any of their stories (Miri especially!)

This was such a fun read and a great plus size rep as well as mental health (general anxiety disorder, PTSD) rep. Love the friendships that developed with side characters and the romance that bloomed. Definitely will pick up Jodie Slaughter again!

A quick rom-com that was an overall cute read. I wish that half stars were a thing, because to me- this is a 3.5 star book. Better than average, but not quite something that I loved and will remember months from now.
A lot of "Bet on It" deals with mental health issues while navigating relationships (not just romantic, but friendships and family)-- and I really liked that aspect of it. Walker and Aja are two imperfect people that want to improve their lives, but sometimes get stuck on the 'how' of it. There is no "big reveal" or conflict- it's a nice friends to lovers romance that never really peaks, but is an easy to read story all the way through.

I love books with spice, but it almost felt forced in this book. Maybe because parts of it were sweet, so the dynamic of the relationship felt rushed when I was thrown into the sex scenes. Once the scenes were over, it went back to being a PGish relationship until the next big scene came.

I think one minor thing that would have helped me enjoy this book more is if there wasn't a mention of it being 2020. With the way that time passed in the book (especially with the epilogue), it didn't work for me. Might be because I'm coming off of my last romance book that threw covid into the epilogue and ruined the whole story. Let me live my rom-com happy life and don't remind me that the year 2020 existed ;)
Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced e-copy of "Bet on It." I missed publication day by a few weeks... but this is a new release book that is a great "beach read" type story.

DNF 32%

I don't know why I struggled to connect with this book and these characters, but I kept trying and finally just stopped reading it. For some reason it just didn't work for me.

I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Cute, cute, cute! I loved the premise, the characters, the positive body shaping, the romance, the sassy grandma. I loved it! It got a bit steamy for my tastes so I started skipping over them. Not my personal style, but someone may enjoy the heat. I loved them mental health representation and the family dynamics. This was incredibly well done and brings awareness to complex issues.

Leave it to me to pull a subplot from a book and make it the most important thing and the reason why it's on my favorites list 😅

So this is a solid romance and that can be seen from the absolute slew of four star reviews. And I agree with what everyone said. I love the romance I like the plot It was all well done but just shy of amazing. And now I am throwing it into my favorites because it made me cry and a good cry so that's always a good sign for me.

One of the characters in this book is estranged from their parent and it just hit me really really hard. I think I read this at a time that I needed that reassurance that what I have done in choosing to cut off contact with a parent was the correct choice and to stick to my guns and realize that I deserve better. To be fair the narrative in this story is one where our main character wants to rekindle his relationship with his father but is not willing to risk the emotional damage and that's a very different story from my own but I think their conversations and the words and actions of his father really showed me what I would love to hear from my own parent. So this is very personal reason why it's on my favorites list and it probably won't be a favorite for everyone, but I do think this is very valuable book and it's a wonderful romance.

Okay a few notes about the book. We have a fat black main character with anxiety. Then we have a white main character with anxiety and PTSD. We've got small town vibes and bingo halls and bingo sex pacts and a meddling grandma and peach cobbler. Aja is new in this small town and she ends up at this bingo night where she kind of be friends this elderly woman. One night her friend shows up with two casts on her arms and her very attractive grandson in tow. The same grandson who was the stranger who just helped her through a panic attack the other day in a gas station I believe.

The last thing that Walker wanted to do was return to his hometown but he did it because his grandma needs help and he can push aside his trauma for a little bit. Or at least that's what he's thinking. He wasn't prepared for how difficult it was going to be to be back in a town that had so many traumatic memories for him. He also wasn't prepared to fall in love with his grandma's very lovely bingo friend. He definitely wasn't expecting to comfort a stranger after seeing similar signs of anxiety in them and then have that be his grandma's bingo friend.

The main crux of this whole story is that Aja lives in this small town and doesn't want to leave and walker is only in town until his grandma is better. So basically they make up his bingo pact so that whenever they win a bingo they're allowed to have sex so that they don't catch feelings. As with all romance novels, this does not work for them. 😂

I think what worked the best for me about this story is that both of our main characters have their own things going on beyond their relationship with each other. Aja is working on conquering some anxiety and making new friends and finding her place in this small town. Walker is working through his own anxiety and PTSD with being back in his hometown and potentially rekindling his relationship with his father. There's a lot going on and I appreciated that it wasn't only focused on what Aja and Walker could be like together. I love that they were their own people with their own struggles and their own goals.

Overall I really loved this one and would 100% recommend it.

Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter is a balm to the heart for those of us who struggle with mental health issues and seek representation when trying to escape the real world by reading. So, before adventuring yourself into reading this story, I strongly advise everyone to have a look at the trigger warnings mentioned by the author before going into the story of checking it on her website. However, I would like to say how much I appreciate what the author has done through her words and this story and how graceful she was in handling such topics.

When it comes to the romance I really don’t have words to describe how easy it was to read this book and see how Aja and Walter were slowly falling in love with each other while going through the motions of each other’s lives. I loved to see both characters slowly sharing their feelings with each other, learning to be open about their struggles. However, the thing that I liked most was how true to their character both of them remained in the end, how understanding of one another they were, always speaking what was on their minds.

All in all, it was the perfect combination of small-town charm, friendship, family moments and of course bingo nights. Not to be left out are the steamy scenes, which were amazing and perfectly combined with deep meaningful conversations.

TWs: mention of generalized anxiety disorder, PTSD, drug abuse, parent neglect, and description of panic attacks

*ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter was a much deeper read than I was expecting based on that cute cover with the bingo card. While the novel does feature a fun and sexy romance, it also offers an in depth exploration of social anxiety and panic attacks.

When we meet the protagonist, Aja Owens, she is having a panic attack in the local grocery store. A young man named Walker sees her in distress and helps her through the attack. Aja is mortified that he has witnessed her anxiety getting the best of her, but at the same time, she can’t help but notice how hot Walker is. When she then heads to Bingo night, she runs into Walker again. It turns out he is the grandson of her favorite bingo partner and that he’s in town to help his grandmother who has recently taken a nasty fall and is still healing from her injuries. Aja, still embarrassed that Walker witnessed her having a panic attack, would love nothing more than to get up from the bingo table and run away, but Walker seems genuinely happy to see her so she lets down her guard and decides there’s no harm in getting to know him better.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Aja and Walker very much. It was so much fun to watch the two of them bond over bingo, surrounded mostly by the senior citizen crowd. Their banter was hilarious at times, and once it becomes clear they are physically attracted to one another, they even make a steamy bet based on which of them can get a bingo first. While they definitely had a lot of fun together, I appreciated that they also had real discussions about mental health and that Walker reveals to Aja that he recognized her panic attacks because he also occasionally has them. The author does a wonderful job of exploring panic attacks and social anxiety both realistically and with great sensitivity.

There’s some added drama in the story that revolves around Walker and his past. He can’t wait for his grandmother to get better because he wants to get out of town and away from bad memories as soon as possible. His attraction to Aja throws a kink into those plans and it was interesting to watch the two of them navigate through such a messy situation. While I felt bad for Walker as we learn more about his past, there were times when I didn’t like him as much as I liked Aja. I felt that some of his thoughts about Aja’s curvy body were a little cringeworthy at times, and I wanted to knock him upside the head. That’s probably just a “me” thing though so I wouldn’t let it put you off from reading the book.

Overall, Bet on It is an entertaining read that should appeal to anyone who enjoys not only a fun romance but also emotional and heartfelt exploration of mental illness.

Oh my I really enjoyed this book much more than I anticipated!! It did such a nice job addressing the reality of mental health. I also liked the characters in this too. I enjoyed having such a broad variety of ages. This book just made me smile.