Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.
What I loved about this novel was the mental health representation. As someone who deals with anxiety, I could relate to Aja in so many ways. The author captured social anxiety so, so well. I also liked Walker’s POV and his PTSD struggles and growth. I liked how these characters understood each other on a deeper level due to them both understanding mental illness.
However, when it comes to them being together, I didn’t feel the connection. There was a lot of lust, but I wanted deeper emotions.

Aja thought that the best way to control her anxiety was to relocate to a smaller town where she was familiar with the people and the surroundings. What started out a trip to the grocery store takes a turn when she is overcome by her anxiety and struggling to get it under control. Thanks to a sexy stranger she is able to calm herself, but she certainly never expected to see him again let alone find out he was the grandson of her friend and fellow bingo player.

Walker’s return to his hometown is temporary as he is only there to help his grandmother through a difficult time. Meeting Aja was a surprise he didn’t see coming and with each passing day the attraction and the feelings between them escalate but they have some challenges and mistakes to overcome.

Both Aja and Walker have their struggles to overcome but they were so cute together. As their relationship unfolds there is a balance of humor, heat and emotion as the characters are relatable have you invested in their story.

Heat Factor: It starts out really emotionally heavy and gets lighter and steamier as it goes.

Character Chemistry: In the beginning it’s hard to see how much they have in common beyond their mental health issues, but they do end up building a fun, relaxing relationship together.

Plot: Aja has a panic attack in a grocery store right when it’s about to close, and is helped by a stranger—who happens to be her Bingo buddy’s grandson. Both of them have serious mental health issues, and an instantaneous connection that develops into something more (whether they’re ready for it or not).

Overall: It was so heavy in the beginning I had a hard time rooting for anything but more therapy for the two of them—but they did end up creating a really beautiful relationship.

I paused starting this book for a few days, thanks to the author’s very helpful and specific content warning (simply because I was having a really challenging week and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to process the book with a fair mind) and I’m glad I did—because it was fantastic!

The story opens with Aja having a really intense panic attack in her small town’s grocery store. She’s new in town and of course, worrying about having to see these people again is making it harder for her to use the tools she has to settle, pay, and get out of there. And that’s when she meets Walker—a stranger who sits with her so she’s not alone while she’s pulling herself back together.

When she goes to Bingo a few nights later, she discovers that her elderly Bingo buddy’s absence was because she’d had a fall and her grandson (Walker!) is in town to help her. They bond over peach cobbler and Bingo, and over their shared mental health struggles. Aja has generalized anxiety disorder, and Walker has complex PTSD.

This is where I was really starting to get anxious myself, because at that point in the story I was so invested in their wellbeing as individuals that I had a hard time believing they should be embarking on a relationship together. But then they both end up taking small steps to open their lives to other people, on their own and on their own terms–and I really started rooting for them, separately and together. Meeting each other might have been the spark that started the change, but both characters became more dynamic and multifaceted–more real. Romance is for everyone—including people who have to work a little harder to get through the day.

The best part of this one was that when things started getting steamy, Aja and Walker agree to only hook up if one of them wins Bingo at their nightly game. So they both start getting REALLY into the game, and things get really hot and intense when they’re between wins. So they’re essentially building a lot of emotional intimacy while their lack of physical intimacy is just cranking up the tension. FanTASTIC.

The setting was also kind of sweet and dreamy–a small town in South Carolina, where everyone knows everyone. It’s the middle of summer, so everyone is hot and kind of tired. Peach cobbler. Fourth of July. Really, it’s the perfect time of year for this one.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

I had a lot of mixed feelings when reading this book. The book immediately grabbed my attention being bingo themed and having a small town setting. I loved the concept and the characters themselves. Slaughter does an amazing job getting you to love her characters and root for them and I loved how there was both anxiety and PTSD rep and the body positivity was amazing.

What I struggled with is certain phrases that was used during certain scenes that made it hard to continue which made it take much longer to finish the book than I would like to admit.

Overall the book was an amazing and cute read that I would definitely recommend to people.

This book is sweet as a peach cobbler on a summer day. Aja and Walker met in Greenbelt through bingo and soon enough, they were falling in love with each other. Madly in love. However, falling in love in Greenbelt is not that easy as Walker's past keeps haunting him every single day.

I knew this book was going to be relatable when it starts with Aja having a panic attack at the grocery store, and Walker appears out of nowhere to make sure she would be fine and safe. Aja suffers with anxiety and Walker with PTSD. Together they share their feelings about their struggles and comprehend each other beautifully. Because they know what it feels like to live with a mental disorder and how it affects the way you think and behave - how it shapes your life.

Eventually, they start to have some fun BUT ONLY if one of them made *BINGO*! You know, just to make sure they could control their desires and protect their emotions for the future. Sooner or later, they had to say goodbye since Walker was going away after his granny recovers. But how it is then? How can you let yourself swim in love waters when you know its end is coming?

Well, if you need a light and savory read for the summer I recommend this book a lot. The characters are fun and sweet. And it's easy to imagine yourself at the small town Greenbelt experiencing a bingo love.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC.

I love playing Bingo so this immediately got my attention. Add to that a meddling elder and a bingo-based sex pact? How can you not win with this?

Walker stole my heart for the way he loves his grandmother. I'm a suck for men who have a tender side. Clearly Aja does as well because I could feel the sparks flying right off the page.

This was a book that delivered on many things: excitement, entertainment, tender moments, laughter... As I said, you'll definitely win with this one!

Small town charm with a a spicy bet. A sweet story that touches on mental health but would have liked it incorporated even more into the storyline.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

Aja Owens had decided she needed to move out of Washington, DC. The noise and chaos of the city was amping up her anxiety, and that was the last thing she needed. When she looked up quiet cities, she discovered Greenbelt, South Carolina, so she moved there. But the quiet small town wasn’t enough to prevent her from having a panic attack in the freezer section of the Piggly Wiggly.

But when she did, a man, a stranger to her, stood there with her while she fought the anxiety. He didn’t try to fix anything. He didn’t ask her a lot of questions. He was just there, in case she needed something. When Aja was finally able to get moving, she checked out quickly and went home. She wasn’t able to thank the man or even look him in the eye.

Aja is feeling better later in the week and heads to her weekly bingo night. Being new in town, she had wanted to find ways to be social without getting too anxious, so she had tried bingo. Now she goes every week and sits next to Ms. May Abbott. Aja enjoys her bingo nights, even though she tends to be the youngest one in the room. But this Wednesday, Ms. May is not alone. And she’s not fine. The casts on both of her arms tell Aja that. And when she introduces Aja to her grandson, who had come from Charleston to help her out while she’s injured, Aja knows immediately that he is the man who witnessed her panic attack right in front of the Hot Pockets.

Walker Abbott had promised himself that he would never go back to Greenbelt. It had been bad enough when his father had been arrested right in front of him and his grandmother had to pick him up and take over raising him. It just got worse for Walker when so many in the town had bullied him or gossiped about him. He had gotten out of town, gone to college, gotten a job reporting on sports. He has also gotten some therapy for his complex PTSD, but he still feels a lot of anger towards the citizens of Greenbelt. But he recognizes Aja from her panic attack at the store, and he understood what she was going through. And meeting her here, in the light of the bingo parlor, he sees just how beautiful she is.

As the weeks slip by, Aja tries to get out of her comfort zone more, to make some friends. She gets a manicure and connects with the artist who created her beautiful marble mails. She talks to her therapist. And she finds herself thinking about Walker. He had been so understanding and compassionate about her panic attack. And when she bumped into him and he offered her some peach cobbler, she felt a strong attraction to him.

As a way to spend more time together, they decide to try another night of bingo. It will help Walker get more experience, so his grandmother won’t yell at him so much to keep up with the numbers, and it gives Aja a chance to get out and spend time with a friend. But Walker feels like more than just a friend. And when the flirting ramps up to kissing and . . . other things, Aja is happy for the connection. But she knows she also has to be careful because Walker has made it very clear that he has no intentions to stay in town once his grandmother is better. Will Aja be able to put her anxiety aside and enjoy her time with Walker, or will she panic and hide? And will Walker be able to trust Aja long enough to form a true connection, or will his old trauma get in the way of his being vulnerable enough to be in a relationship?

Bet on It is Jodie Slaughter’s latest romance, blending the drama of healing from emotional and mental illness with finding a good partner and opening up to love. The characters are complicated and intense, and the storyline of bingo adds some playful texture to the story. At first, a lot of the attraction is in the character’s heads, but once they speak up and tell each other how they feel, it goes from flirting to very steamy scenes in an instant.

I really wanted to like this story more than I did. I love that Aja isn’t a small woman. She is full-figured, plus-sized, curvy—however you want to say it—and she does not apologize for that. I loved that. And I appreciated that both of the main characters were struggling with mental illnesses and getting therapy for that. I thought that worked well in the story. But I also felt that there were some troublesome scenes, particularly the sex scenes. These characters who seemed educated and mature turned crude and embarrassing. And I realize that some readers will be just fine with that, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Egalleys for Bet on It were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Bet on It is not your average contemporary romance - it features unfiltered lead characters who each struggle with mental health issues. Aja has anxiety and panic attacks, Walker has severe PTSD. Their ups and downs and challenges, their daily efforts to manage their health, it all was very honest and real. The unexpected true understanding they found in each other, and the joy and comfort that created, was refreshing. The story itself felt choppy and the narrative dragged some for me, with a lot of internal angsty monologue. The characters were around 30 years old, but felt more like teenagers. Part way in, their hookups got really raunchy. That and Walker's language put me off a bit. I appreciate this book for being out of the box and tackling difficult themes.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press via Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Bet On It
by Jodie Slaughter

3/5

Aja meets Walker while having a panic attack in a Piggly Wiggly. Little does she know how encompassing his presence will be. When she goes to her regular BINGO night, she meets Walker yet again, this time as the grandson of her BINGO buddy. The instant attraction between Aja and Walker is palpable.

There are some issues I had with this book that really took me out of the story:
At times a character would say something, then immediately contradict.
BINGO numbers were not realistic; each letter is supposed to be assigned a specific range of numbers, and this was just thrown out the window.
They’re supposed to be struggling with the idea of a long distance relationship, and it’s only 1.5 hours? That’s less than my commute to work, one way.
The ending was a little corny.

*mild spoilers*

HOWEVER, I really appreciated the mental health representation with both Aja and Walker. Aja’s battle with containing her anxiety was very real. The scene where she’s out with her new friends and is hesitant to let loose comes to mind. That’s exactly what anxiety can feel like: FOMO while also being terrified to leave your comfort zone. Walker’s navigation of complex PTSD from childhood trauma was also very real. The fact that he wasn’t physically abused, but was traumatized by witnessing his father’s addiction really highlighted a side to PTSD that some don’t consider.

Slaughter did a great job describing a plus sized woman’s body without making it seem like a man thought she was beautiful DESPITE her body, but just as she is. I love to pick up a romance with a plus sized MC because it's an underrepped category. Fat bodies deserve love too.

When it came to spice, the emphasis on consent did it for me. Really, even with non-spicy moments, consent was a huge point.

Speaking of spice, the sex scenes weren’t cringy. The banter/playfulness leading up to the scenes were realistic and cute.

Overall, it was unique and cute, but there were definitely some issues that took away from the story. I would still recommend this to people who appreciate romances.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the review copy!

3.5 rounded up to 4

This was not just a light romance, dealing with some heavier topics, which I loved. I really enjoy when my romance touches on some deeper themes. Great anxiety rep.

Loved Aja & Walker together. The bingo was so cute, reminded me of when I was a little girl going to bingo with my Grandma.

Sweet friends to lovers. I am really finding friends to lovers books are drawing my attention more than other tropes lately.

Bet on It is a sweet romance with a few spicy scenes about two adults in a small town in South Carolina. Aja moved to Greenbelt to get away from busy, crowded DC, whereas Walter moved away from Greenbelt as soon as he was done with high school, but he’s back from Charleston for a few weeks helping his grandmother after a fall. Aja and his grandmother play Bingo together, and Walter joins during his visit, getting special instructions from Aja to improve his speed at marking the cards.
The book includes honest discussions about anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD, as Aja and Walter get to know each other. I enjoyed their conversations and communication - and the descriptions of food (especially the peach cobbler) sounded great! Some parts were a little slow, but overall I enjoyed this realistic, emotional romance. Thank you NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and St Martin's Griffin for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. It was cute and funny, felt very genuine and heartfelt and was also sweet and quite steamy. I must admit that honestly there were just so many things that I could personally relate to in the story and in the characters themselves. I fell hard for this couple and this book.

i loved this one. the main characters are both likeable and relateable. the anxiety representation in this is perfection. this book is where the lack of communication trope goes to die! and its steamy! the small town was so cute the bingo games <3 loved this one.

A small-town romance that can never work? Mental health representation? All set around bingo games? As unique as it sounds, Jamie Wesley’s Bet on It features all of the above and you can read all about it when the book comes out on July 12th!

This book was a great read. I liked the emphasis it put on mental health and how both our MCs have issues that they’re dealing with yet are able to realize how sharing their burdens with others and letting themselves feel things and embrace the unknown can make them stronger.

In addition to the romance, the small-town southern charm in this novel was fun to read about and I’m kinda a sucker for a good bingo game, so I totally understood Aja’s love of attending the bingo hall!

There were a few things I was missing in terms of plot. For example, there wasn’t much of a backstory for Aja and some of the time jumps were all over the place. Additionally, I wanted more vulnerability for Walker with his grandma.

Besides those little one offs, I thought it was cute! While the plot was a little predictable, the mental health rep made this book a bit more interesting! Ultimately, I think this was a quick and cute summer read that any romcom lover will appreciate!

*I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for my honest opinion.

What I loved:
- short chapters
- realistic representation of anxiety
- being in love didn't "fix" the mc's

Aja's struggles with anxiety really resonated with me. Her triggers, her steps for grounding herself, I identified with all of it. Her girl crushes on her new friends, pushing herself out of her comfort zone to try and make friends her own age was so wildly relatable. I really enjoyed her getting to know Walker and how they found so many things they had in common with the way they dealt with and understood mental illness.
Walker is the perfect southern gentleman, down to "offending his grandmother as little as possible". I loved the way his accent came through the pages, his inner dialogue about loving to draw out the hidden things people had in their lives, his friend group back in Charleston loving him not despite but regardless of his struggles. I really enjoyed getting to see Aja's budding friendships from his perspective as well, the girl crushes playing out in real time as he's meeting her friends. Both characters grew into their own and pushed their own boundaries to get there. They made active choices to face their struggles head on and deal with them and it was beautiful.

Bet on It felt like such a great representation of mental health issues that so many people struggle with, within our own minds and in the world trying to find good therapists, good people to surround yourself with, and healthy coping mechanisms. These characters had such big hearts that felt so many big things throughout their lives, that when love finally came it was almost a faint blip on the radar. It also didn't change their entire personalities. They fell in love, but the healthy boundaries they had each established for themselves remained, which is so wildly important. A great read to add to your summer tbr!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Bet on It was a cute read. It takes place in a small two and our two main characters meet while playing Bingo (which is part of what drew me to the book in the first place). They both have anxiety and bond through that and bingo. It was a cute and steamy read that is perfect for summer.

I love a good friends to lovers trope! I loved this rom-com and I love that it has good mental health representation.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an enjoyable romance but what makes it different from the usual romance is the representation. The female main character is plus-sized and both parties in the couple deal with mental health issues. I loved that the female lead's size is not a plot point, it just is what it is. As for the mental health, both parties have dealt with them nearly all their lives, including through therapy, so they communicate well about them, almost a bit too well. A couple times I thought it was all just too neat, but isn't that what romances are about - getting to the happily ever after?
Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in reading the words "hastily made bingo-based sex pact" and immediately clicking. I don't read a ton of contemp romance and I've been burned by cartoon covers before... but this one followed through.

Unfortunately, there isn't any bingo involved in the actual bedroom (not that I expected that, but part of me hoped). But the story is built on a solid bingo foundation. Cover copy accuracy = confirmed.

The book isn't really about bingo, of course. It's a sweet, earnest romance about anxiety and trust.

I wouldn't call it fluff (check content warnings if there's some mental health or family topics you're not comfortable with). The characters are each dealing with some heavy stuff, but the relationship itself is low-angst and comforting to read. I'm often annoyed by contemporary romances that lose focus in the weeds of Family Stuff and distract from the romance, but this one threaded the needle well. I was rooting for our couple to find sanctuary in each other amid all the Mess.

These characters find connection in their shared (though distinct) struggles with mental health. I read a lot of historical romance, so I often read about characters with parental trauma or social difficulties, but those characters usually don't have the language (or self-awareness) to name what's happing to them.

This was a totally different experience. Not only do the characters in Bet on It have precise language to describe their mental health issues, but they are both actively managing their symptoms with therapy. They know exactly what baggage they're carrying. This does strange and fascinating things to the narrative voice. These characters have practiced noticing their harmful thought patterns and identifying the roots of their emotional wounds. The literary ramifications of this are potentially huge-- each point of view has a second level of meta-awareness! As thoughtful mental illness rep becomes more common, I hope to see more exploration of the way that therapy changes a character's inner monologue. This particular title doesn't go too deep into these waters, but the influence of mental health care informs the story in a consistent way.

Read if you're looking for:
-"we can have sex without getting emotionally attached. We Just Need Rules."
-thoughtful panic attack/anxiety/ptsd rep
-plus sized heroine and fat-positive language throughout, including love scenes
-Very Important peach cobbler
-heroine and hero with actual friends
-sexual tension In Front Of His Grandmother

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance review copy of this title. No money changed hands for this review and all opinions are my own.