Five stars. I was worried at first that the stakes were too low but nope. It was just right. High points for the sexual tension and handling of anxiety. Also for the the description of the excitement of finding new friends. Spicy, funny, and emotional. This book has all my favorite elements in a romance novel.

In "Bet on It", Jodie Slaughter crafts a beautiful and complex story between Aja and Walker. Aja and Walker are both impacted by anxiety and PTSD in their personal lives, and as readers, we follow them from their meet-cute in a grocery store to their regular meetings at bingo. One of my favorite aspects of this book is how Aja is described, whether she is focusing on bingo, or sharing time with Walker in her apartment. I also appreciate that there is a considerate background story for Walker as the male love interest because the focus is usually on the female love interest as the protagonist. I would caution that "Bet on It" is a combination of Literary Fiction and Romance. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for more yearning in their Romance and thoughtful portrayals of mental health.

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

Growing up in a small town can literally be torture, especially for Walker Abbott. Everyone in Greenbelt knows his family's secrets and the hurtful gossip never ends. After high school he left and never looked back. But now he's back temporarily to help his grandmother with no intention to stay. After meeting his grandma's Bingo buddy Aja, they really hit it off. To keep their attraction from becoming a serious complication, they make a lighthearted bet to only sleep together if one of them wins a bingo.
The focus on the character's anxiety in this book was really intense. Aja had the more healthy approach by pushing herself to accept new things and people while Walker chose avoidance and shutting down. But they each were really supportive of each other's issues and helped each other out in the end. My biggest problem with this book was their addiction to cobbler... it made me hungry, lol!
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for the early reading copy of Bet on It. My review contains my own thoughts and opinions.

Bet on It was a super realistic romance about two leads with mental health diagnoses. Aja moved to Greenbelt, SC, sight unseen, for a slower pace of life. Her only friend at the beginning is an older woman, Ms. May, who plays BINGO next to her once each week. After Ms. May needs to have surgery, her grandson, Walker, comes to town to help care for her.

Walker grew up in Greenbelt and swore he would never come back. And he hasn’t - not until now, when the grandmother who raised him needs him. He wasn’t expecting to meet Aja.

This book has fantastic representation - Aja is Black and identifies as fat, both leads have significant anxiety/panic attacks, Walker grew up bullied in a small town, interracial relationship, and there is history parental addiction/abandonment.

It was a pretty quick read and I liked how deep the book went into their thought processes while dealing with their mental health and personal growth. They complemented each other so well, and I cheered inside for every win of theirs - whether in BINGO or in life!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to read "Bet on It" by Jodie Slaughter, in exchange for an honest review. This book will release on July 12th, 2022.

Overall, I rated this novel a 4/5 stars!

It tells the story of Aja, who deals with anxiety and Walker, who is struggling to cope with PTSD. Aja moves to a new town 8 months ago and is struggling to meet and make new friends. On a weekly basis, she goes to Bingo and forms a friendship with an elderly woman named Ms. May (Walker's grandmother)

Walker is returning to his hometown to take care of his grandmother who has just broken both of her arms in an accident, and being back dredges up the feelings of his unhappy childhood - until he meets Aja at bingo one Wednesday night. :)

I thoroughly enjoyed how the author portrayed anxiety and PTSD through her writing, and appreciate that we got to see a relationship in which there was one Caucasian main character and one African American main character, because it isn't done frequently enough!

3.5 rounded up to 4. This was a cute and very sexy friends to lovers romance (though the "friends" part didn't last very long). It also deals well with mental health issues such as PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder. My one slight issue was the amount of time that Walker spends checking Aja out. It's like "OK, we get it - he wants her." I think some of that was done to emphasize that Aja has a curvy figure, and I appreciate the inclusiveness in terms of body size. Definitely recommended for a cute summer read. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy!

If you haven’t read this book you need to! LOVED IT. I don’t think enough people are talking about it and they should!!! Amazing mental health rep and the romance is SO GOOD 🌶🥵🔥I spent the entire book SWOONING. I devoured this in like two sittings while working because I couldn't get enough. Highly recommend!!!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for sending me an ARC in exchange my honest opinions!

Aja Owens meets the man of her dreams in several awkward situations, but getting to know Walker Abbott is going to be a problem. As for Walker, he thought the only worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina were the peach cobbler and his ailing grandmother. The two settle on a bingo-based sex pact to limit the attraction they feel for each other, but some things just can't be controlled.

Both Aja and Walker have anxiety, which is a point of understanding and connection for them. There isn't any pity for having panic attacks or worrying about how others perceive her, which added points for Walker. The two have an easy camaraderie from the start as well as physical attraction, putting this as a cute friends-to-lovers novel. They have the ability to calm down each others' anxieties; Walker has PTSD from how he grew up, and Aja has generalized anxiety disorder. Gradually, Aja makes new friends and Walker realizes how much he'd closed himself off when he left town for the big city. They have great chemistry when they become lovers, trying to keep it to bingo wins only.

This is a romance novel, though, we know the attraction is there and they fight it off as they go out together (but don't call it dates, even though that's exactly what they're doing.)

Great romantic comedy that made me giggle out loud many times. I love the way the author covered the topics of PTSD, panic attacks and anxiety. She was honest about how terrible they are and did not belittle them or the feelings the evoke.

Didn’t really care for this. The story had too much going on at once. The sex scenes were uncomfortable. Walker treated Aja kind of crappy. I found the ending unsatisfying.

Different romance that has deal with some heavy topics!

Aja Owens hadn’t planned to have a panic attack at the local Piggly-Wiggly with her bad anxiety or have a stranger help her get through it because he recognized what was happening because he had the same problem. Aja went to bingo every Wednesday night to get out of her apartment moved to Greenbelt, South Carolina becoming friendly with Ms. May Abbott. Walker Abbott would do anything for his grandmother including returning to Greenbelt to help her. When all Walker wanted to do was forget his bad memories and PTSD from living in Greenbelt but now, he had a bingo friend in Aja. Aja and Walker learn to open up about themselves and become bingo friends before they start to date.

Bet on It is a different type of romance because it takes on some serious topics about mental health with the content warnings there for a reason.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

***Did Not Finish at 22%***

I was really looking forward to this one, and while there were things I was enjoying, there were more things that I was not.

What I Enjoyed:
-I liked the positive focus on mental health. The author did a good job of portraying that in both Aja and Walker. While it did get a little long winded (almost preachy at points), the main focus was on how both characters handled their mental illness and acknowledge it in each other.
-The banter was great. I liked the interactions between Aja and Walker, Walker and his grandmother, and Aja and his grandmother.

What Left Me Wanting More:
-I did not enjoy Walker's point of view at all. Some of his internal monologue was cringe worthy. The way he objectified Aja, some of his thoughts towards her plumpness and chest made me cringe. If I heard a man say those thoughts out loud to me, I'd run in the other direction....just saying.
-Public sexual encounters....that's a big no for me. Those things should be done in private, not in a parking lot at BINGO

This book was so much more than a romance. I was charmed right from the start, and I couldn't put it down. Both characters deal with mental health issues, and watching them navigate their own personal growths while simultaneously figuring out what they want from each other felt very real and heartfelt.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
Small town romance
Mental health rep
Plus size heroine
Pro-therapy
The bingo pact 🔥

This was sweet and steamy, and such a delightful read!

CW: severe anxiety, panic attacks, alcoholism (past), child neglect and endangerment (past), PTSD.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the free arc in exchange for my honest review! '


I love this book! It not only had a meet cute and romance but it also touched on anxiety, I love Walker and Aja and seeing their relationship, I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more of Jodie Slaughter's books.

This! This book is now my gold standard for romance books that handle anxiety and mental health in a sensitive and realistic manner. Both of our main characters have anxiety and suffer from panic attacks - his stems from childhood PTSD and hers seems to be more generalized or social anxiety. It is handled beautifully, where it is a big part of each of their identities without being their entire identities, or utilized as a trope or exploited in any way. It’s just who they are and its treated naturally and just as a given. Which feels pretty affirming for anyone who suffers from anxiety, in my opinion.

The first time they meet, Aja is suffering from a panic attack in the frozen food aisle at the Piggly Wiggly. Recognizing the signs, Walker stops to make sure she’s ok without causing further panic. Once she’s gathered herself up, she barely notices him on her way out of the store. The next time they cross paths, it’s at the bingo hall, where Walker is accompanying his injured grandmother to her weekly game, which Aja also attends, as a way to be social in the only way she’s comfortable. Their attraction to each other is immediate, but with Walker only in his hometown temporarily, while his grandmother heals, they know that a relationship is out of the question, and the one thing they agree on is that neither of them are cut out for a temporary fling. But resisting each other is more difficult the more time they spend together, until they make a bet - if one of them wins at bingo, they’ll have a one-time-only fling, just to get it out of their systems. But when it finally happens, they both know it was a mistake, because now they’re in way too deep. But with Walker counting down the days until he can hightail it out of the town that caused him so much pain, they know that they can never make a real go of it, unless one or both of them are willing to step outside their comfort zones.

3.5🌟

I’ll be honest; I thought this would be a cute, breezy rom-com centered around Bingo. While Bingo is a game the main characters play, the real focus is mental health and trauma.

Aja is having a panic attack in the frozen food section of the Piggly Wiggly when a good-looking man comforts her and stays with her until she is calm enough to leave.

On Bingo night, Aja is surprised when her bingo bestie introduces the very same man who helped calm her as her grandson - Walker. He is in town to help his Gram while she recovers from a fall.

Aja and Walker discover they have more than Bingo in common. Walker has had a lot of trauma in his past and struggles with PTSD. There is a definite attraction between the two, but with issues to navigate around, they decide only to have sex if one of them wins at Bingo!

𝐁𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐭 is a slow-burn, steamy romance set in a fun bingo-loving southern town. I was not overly connected with these characters, although I did like Gram and some of the nosey townspeople. Yet, the heart of the story shines by how thoughtful and tender the author approaches anxiety, past traumas, and the need for support.

Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this gifted ebook.

🎧 Thank you @macmillan.audio for the gifted audiobook

Aja and Walker meet in the frozen food aisle of the Piggly Wiggly as Aja is having a panic attack. From the beginning, I immediately loved Aja's personality. She is a very warm, sweet person who is constantly working on anxiety and avoidant behavior. For her mental health, she finds herself in the small town of Greenbelt. Meanwhile, Walker feels stuck in the town he swore he’d never return to, so he can help care for his grandma when she breaks both arms. He has many bad memories about the town relating to his complex PTSD, childhood trauma, and anger. When they meet again in a bingo hall, a friendship is struck. Bet On It follows Aja and Walker as they forge a connection and later attempt to see a future for their relationship.

This is a great debut from Jodie Slaughter, showcasing positive plus-size rep and incredible mental health rep. At times, this made the material pretty heavy to read and I would advise anyone who is concerned to check out the trigger warnings. With that said, Slaughter handles it very well and it always felt realistic. Bet On It shows the positives and negatives of small town life, living in the South, and the importance of both found and biological family. It would be a mistake to think this is a lighthearted romance, since Slaughter goes deep into Aja and Walker’s respective mental health journeys. I would recommend Bet On It if you are looking for a nuanced, reflective romance with lots of steamy scenes and important mental health discussion.

Thank you to Jodie Slaughter, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The anxiety and PTSD rep in this book was truly outstanding. And I loved how therapy positive it was.

Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all I liked. While I did enjoy the author’s writing style a lot, the male MC’s near immediate over sexualization of the female MC kind of creeped me out and made me uncomfortable. I just couldn’t root for them as a couple.

While that aspect may not have worked for me, if it’s something you’re fine with, then you’ll enjoy this book.

Because of how much I enjoyed the writing style, I’ll definitely try more by this author.

I ended up listening to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narrator of Bet on It. I liked Aja and Walker together, but their relationship seemed mostly about the physical aspect. I liked the small town angle and the unique bingo element. I especially appreciated the anxiety/mental health representation and that we can have love stories where the couples’ mental health is diagnosed. I felt like Walker’s storyline was wrapped up a little quickly with his dad after avoiding it for so long. I absolutely loved the friends that Aja made and how supportive they were.

This is a cross racial small town romance. It involves characters who are experiencing emotional issues. Aja is young black woman who suffers severe anxiety attacks. Walker is a young white man who is suffering from PTSD and anxiety. The story shows how the characters develop a relationship based on shared experiences. Along the way they fall in love and form a bond that makes them stronger together.