"Bet on It" is an emotional and sweet small town romance that deep dives into the couple's personal backstories. Although Aja and Walker have lived very different lives, they find a connection through their shared experiences with traumatic incidents and mental illness. Their support for each other and themselves was heartfelt, while their bingo pact adds a layer of sexual tension that was a great driving force in the development of their relationship.

Aja and Walker stumble upon a friendship, first meet to Aja's chagrin is a result of her having a panic attack in the freezer department of the Piggly Wiggly, his calm voice talking her down but when she meets him as her friend's estranged grandson puts a whole new spin on Walker. Fun flirtation, sexual wagers and short visit makes an interesting read

Thank you to Jodie Slaughter, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to receive an ARC for Bet on It. I really enjoyed the frank portrayal of mental health issues. I really love reading romance novels because they take me to a happier place. This was the first book I had read that felt truly real to me. I felt like Aja and Walker were real people that I could definitely see spending time with. Their relationship happened so organically and I really loved this book. I absolutely loved that it featured a Plus Size woman as the main heroine. It was also so nice to have an interracial romance and a main heroine that was a Woman of Color. Aja was fun to get to know and the way that her anxiety was explained help me to understand the condition better and recognize tactics to help calm anxiety as well. This was overall just a fun read and a great book on all counts. I look forward to reading more books by Jodie Slaughter!

“Bet On It” by Jodie Slaughter’s opening line is the perfect way to draw me in after living through a pandemic. Our main character Aja is mid panic attack smack dab in the freezer section of the grocery store. For those who manage mental health issues, you know there’s no way to know when something might tip the scales. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason to why it happens the way it does. In Aja’s case, it was dropping a box of Hot Pockets. ::shrugs::

Slaughter layers mental health issues into her story so easily. It’s part of the plot, but… it’s also not? Aja and Walker normalize their mental health management practices through their every day routines, and it’s refreshing to know that mental health awareness is making it’s way mainstream. The more we tall about it, the less stigma it’ll carry.

One other thing that I really loved about “Bet On It” was the fact that Aja and Walker are interracial, and while it’s mentioned once or twice for context, it’s not a “plot point” or something to work through. It just is. I like to think that I read about diverse characters because I tend to read a lot of LGBTQ+ romance, but it was eye-opening to me to realize how little interracial couples I read about. I will definitely bee working toward expanding my definition of diversity in the future.

Aja is in the middle of a panic attack in a Piggle Wiggly when she meets a gorgeous man. When she sees him again, it’s when her bingo buddy is introducing him as her grandson. They fall into a bingo sex pact, agreeing to hook up only when one of them wins to try to avoid getting too attached.

I thought the way this book addressed mental health was phenomenal. Aja and Walker seemed to handle their anxiety and PTSD in healthy ways and the discussions therapy, coping strategies, and mental health in general were really well done. They each showed incredible growth as individuals and I loved them. I also loved the meddling grandparents trope - it’s one of my favorites and Walker’s grandma plus the bingo angle was especially fun!

While there were things I loved about this book, ultimately I was not as invested in the romance as I would have liked to be. While I loved Aja and Walker as individuals, I didn’t feel their connection. This could be because insta-love is one of my least favorite tropes, so that may just be my preference.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy.

LOVED IT!!! I feel like I’ve been on a great roll with romances lately and Bet On It kept that going! I loooooove when romances feel like they are happening to real life people with real life problems. Don’t get me wrong - I can jump into a far fetched plot sometimes too - but in this case, Aja and Walker feel like real people you could know.

Aja has been attending her local community bingo games - even though she’s the youngest by many years. I can totally relate - I did that in my 20s and it sounds very similar - right down to the participants getting angry if the callers are too slow. Over time, she’s gotten friendly with an older woman who sits near her so she’s worried when she doesn’t come for a while. But when she returns, it’s with broken arms and her grandson in tow to play for her.

Aja and Walker connect right from the start - but they know that Walker is only in town for a short time so it can’t become anything real. I loved seeing these two get to know each other more. And for those curious - it also brings the heat! Definitely an open door romance! I also loved the mental health rep and casual representation of a fat heroine without it being what defines her at all.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy.

What an imteresting read, about a subject not talked alot about panic attacks and what causes them or some of the ways to helped deal with them. I found this to be a enjoyable read, and really enjoyed the chemistry between Aja and Walker. When the book starts out in the grocery store while having a panic attack I knew this was going to be a book that caught my interest. I definitely would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and am under no obligation to leave a favorable review, the opinion expressed here are my own.

When I signed up to read this book early I was very intrigued. I don’t know if it was because this book landed in my kindle in November 2021 and didn’t have a release date until 9 months later, but I lost interest in it. I pushed through and got to about 30% when I just couldn’t do it anymore. Forcing myself to read a book that I struggled to get into and connect with put a damper on my mood. I would read a couple pages just to stop and read something else. I appreciated the mental health aspect of this book, but it was laid on a bit thick for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC

Bet on it by Jodie Slaughter is a story of anxiety, and learning to love and trust again. Aja Owens is fairly new in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The small town offers a new life. What she doesn’t expect is to meet the man of her dreams in the middle of the Piggly Wiggly during a panic attack. Then she meets him again. This time he is introduced as Walker Abbott, the semi-estranged grandson of her favorite bingo buddy, Ms. May. There are only two good things about his hometown in Walker’s mind: the peach cobbler at a local diner and his grandmother. He forces himself back in town after a decade away to help his grandmother as she heals from a fall. His plan: stay a few weeks and he’ll leave this town behind once again. Except there’s a snag in that plan: Aja. Friendly banter leads to a bingo-based sex pact. A pact that was supposed to keep their budding relationship casual and temporary. What happens when casual and temporary becomes deeper and permanent?
Bet on it is a wonderful story of personal growth, anxiety issues and two very broken people who find a way to each other and become whole again. The story is filled with hard hitting emotional issues which are realistic and intense. The book opens with Aja in the middle of a very public attack and my heart went out to her. I loved her courage to work on herself, to step outside her comfort zone despite her anxiety. As Walker opens up about his own issues, my heart went to him as well. These are two very broken people. One is actively trying to overcome her issues and the other prefers to run from them. I laughed. I cried. And I cheered as they find a way to overcome. I would warn that the language may be too vulgar for some readers. I feel it adds authenticity to the characters so it was tolerable for me. The sex scenes between Aja and Walker are intense and very steamy. Overall, I enjoyed Aja and Walker’s story. I recommend Bet on it.

Bet on it is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Format - E-ARC (Net Galley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

Spice- 🌶 🌶

Series- N/A

Troupes- Love at first sight, opposites attract, Small town, FWB, third act breakup.

CW- Panic Attacks, PTSD, subsidence abuse,

I really wanted to love this book, and I enjoy parts of it, the mental health rep is great, I loved Aja’s Character as a plus size woman black woman with almost crippling anxiety, and Walker with as a strapping white boy with PTSD from his shitty childhood. And I loved them together.

What I didn’t love was how fast they got together it went from 0- lets just fuck very fast and the rest of the book was them falling in love but not wanting too. In fact the central conflict is that Walker can’t stand to stay in Greenbelt and face his demons and so they can’t be together, which just seemed absurd to me.

The burn is not slow with this one, it set on fire quickly and then settle into a steady burn, with them wanting it but denying themselves. I will say that Slaughter writes good steam these scene are hot but also witty and fun.

This was a good story I enjoyed the characters the the found family in their friend groups and the Mental health rep. I’ll be reading more from Slaughter.

I was not expecting a meet-cute while MC Aja had a panic attack in a Piggly Wiggly grocery store, but it was certainly memorable! I think one highlight of this book was how it handled both MC's dealing with mental health struggles- specifically PTSD and anxiety.

Also enjoyable- a fat-positive MC. I don't think there is a single negative thing said about Aja's plus-size body in this entire book. Unfortunately, it is not realistic in our society, but I read this for an escape so that was nice.

It cracks me up that MC Walker's grandma insists on calling him Wally. Like, only a grandma can get away with that nonsense. Thank goodness he didn't actually go by that name or it may have killed my lady boner.

Aja and Walker have intense chemistry. Since Walker is only supposed to be in Greenbelt , SC helping his grandma for a few weeks, he doesn't want to start a relationship. SO obviously they make a bingo-related sex pact! Also, I am guessing Jodie Slaughter must love sex scenes that are in/on/around cars because I was having flash backs to her book White Whiskey Bargain at one point. Way to spice things up, JS!

Overall, I really liked this book. It was hot, but had plenty of sweet moments as well. It was a bit heavier, and there were plenty of trigger warnings at the beginning that should be heeded. But I liked the characters and enjoyed seeing them get their HEA. I will definitely be on the lookout for Jodie Slaughter's next book!

I really enjoyed this book. I like my romcoms to be sweet and silly but with substance. This book absolutely accomplishes that. On the surface, this book is about two fish out of water – Aja, a social media manager who left Washington, DC for a slower-paced life in Greenbelt, South Carolina, and Walker, a sports reporter, who hails from Greenbelt and never wanted to come back but returns to care for his grandmother when she breaks both of her arms (yes, really). There is immediate attraction between the two characters, but both of them know Walker is leaving in just a few short weeks – so they come up with a plan: any time either o fthem wins at bingo (yes, bingo, seriously the sweetest element of the book),they get to indulge in the romantic tension and spice-it-up (y’all, do NOT let the sweet cover fool you – this book is ). But dig deeper and this book actually tackles several weighty and important issues – anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and childhood trauma (TW). Using the romcom storyline as a vehicle to explore these issues was actually really smart and thoughtful and makes them so much more approachable.

I was also a huge fan of Aja – she’s a plus size heroine but it’s treated in a completely straightforward manner. She doesn’t get in her head about her size or worry that Walker won’t like her because of her weight – and also importantly, Walker doesn’t fetishize her size or date her “despite” her size. He straight up wants her because she’s smart and sexy and rad. ++If you like small town romance with substance and unexpected spice, I highly recommend picking up this book!

We follow Aja and Walker as they navigate through anxiety and the changes in their lives. Aja moved to Greenbelt for a slower pace, while Walker wishes he was anywhere but back in his hometown that holds a troubling past.

These two meet at the local Bingo night and boy does it take off from there. As a person who enjoys bingo, I really enjoyed how it played a part in the story without taking over the plot. The tension and romance between the characters was well written and developed naturally.

This story covers heavy topics such as anxiety, panic attacks, child neglect, and drug use (all of which were handled with grace). We also have a fat MC/love interest and the way that Walker describes her body and his attraction to her felt genuine.

Cute romance about Aja, a new-ish resident of the small town and Walker, who left town as soon as he could and only came back to take care of his grandmother. They both suffer from anxiety and PTSD and help each other through their issues. I enjoyed getting to know them, particularly Aja's learning how to fit into her new town, making new friends, and exploring new locations. Recommended for a quick summer read.

This is a Romance. There are some cute times in this book, but I found the characters to be weird and awkward not in a good way. I just did not felt connected to any of the characters, and I am a character driven reader. I also found the sexy times parts very weird, but they did get hot and heavy. I just wanted more fun and cute times with characters that I could feel in love with. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's) or author (Jodie Slaughter) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This one fell quite a bit flat for me, to be honest. I didn't really actively dislike it (hence the three stars), but I feel pretty ambivalent about most of it. The characters never felt fleshed out enough, the conflict didn't feel that meaningful (the stakes felt so high for something that...could be pretty easily resolved), and I struggled a bit with the spiciness level (but that's on me because I know some people love books written like this one with lust coming before love, it just doesn't work for me).

I just didn't really buy that the two characters loved each other. I saw that they liked each other enough to be friends, that they lusted after each other a LOT, but the love they felt for each other felt told rather than showed. I wanted to see how much they loved each other, and I don't know...I just didn't buy into the romance in this one like I usually do.

I also had a MAJOR problem with the two of them having sex in the mayor's office and in the parking lot where people could see. I understand that this won't bother everybody but I feel like for a book that was so concerned with how people react to certain scenarios and with really conscientious characters, they never really addressed how much of a violation of other people's space that is. Truly not that hard to leave an event and go home to bang.

Anyway. I thought this was fun enough and it made me want to each a peach cobbler and I did feel very seen by the anxiety rep, so there's that. Otherwise, I found it pretty mediocre.

4 stars ☆ Super cute and such a fast-paced read. I loved the plus size, mental health and diverse representation here. What really intrigued me to read this was the bingo sex pact that they had which was a cool idea and refreshing thing to read in books cause the sexual tension between Walker and Aja at the beginning?! amazing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC !!

This is a sweet story about two people struggling with personal issues that lean on one another to get through things. Both of them came across as authentic and likable characters that you find yourself rooting for throughout story. It’s more of a slow burn romance that I liked reading. The story has more of a slow pace but I found myself really invested in the characters and the outcome of everything. Overall, a great read with sweet, relatable characters. I’d recommend others check this book out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Bet on It is a really raw, deeply emotional read that will stick with me for awhile! Aja Owens is living the quiet life she’s worked hard to build in a small South Carolina town. She cherishes her bingo nights where she’s the youngest in the room by decades. She has regular virtual therapy appointments, but (as many of us know) it’s not the end-all-be-all for anxiety and panic attacks. Her latest one hits at a super inconvenient time– while she’s browsing the frozen foods section at the grocery store. She’s mortified when a handsome stranger steps in to help, and even more so when they come face-to-face again at bingo night. Walker is apparently the grandson of her favorite bingo buddy.

Walker got out of Greenbelt as soon as he could reasonably do so, thanks to his traumatic childhood. He only returned a decade later to help his grandma after an accident. (And maybe the peach cobbler at his favorite diner.) His dad’s substance abuse disorder and the stigma it attached to Walker has had a lifetime of lingering effects. Now, he’s working to repair the rocky relationship with his grandma, and heal old wounds.

He and Aja are kindred spirits, becoming fast friends and on track for something more. They try to fight the pull they feel toward each other, agreeing to only hook up if and when one of them wins at bingo night.

This felt real and vulnerable. I feel like Jodie put her whole heart and soul into writing this. The anxiety representation, from both main characters, was so true-to-life. I love the added perspective of Walker’s Complex- PTSD. (Living in an area that’s the heart of the opioid epidemic, was extremely relatable.)

Thanks to SMP Romance and NetGalley for an ARC!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was sweet, steamy and fun. It held my interest and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.