Title Bet On It
Author: Jodie Slaughter
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Bet On It" by"Jodie Slaughter

My Assessment:

"Bet on It" was a good romance read that discussed some important things that go on in people's lives, and the mental health issue for both that was anxiety [panic attacks] and PTSD, as it was for Aja and Walker [Wally].

This author did an excellent job with these severe topics as she gave the reader something to think about long after the read. In addition, the friendship with Walker's grandmother and Aja's three friends added so much to this read, keeping the reader turning the pages till the end.

The story was cute in how this author brings out how love was being built not only 'on anxiety, pie, and bingo forgiveness, and oh yes, some love.' To get the whole story, one will have to pick up 'Bet on It' and see how this story comes out. It will be a good read in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc, for my honest opinion.

This was a beautifully told story of mental health issues and how that might impact a relationship where both parties suffer from debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, childhood trauma, and ptsd.

Aha meets Walker in a Piggly Wiggly during a panic attack when he recognizes the symptoms in her. They bond over that and both feel a powerful attraction to one another. And eventually enter into a bingo sex pact.

I enjoyed this overall, it was largely character driven through the mental health struggles, almost exclusively so. So much of the lens was focused on that issue for both parts of the couple that any other aspect of the story was lost. It was beautifully done, but I can see this being a lot for someone to read who struggles with anxiety themselves. The overall tone of the book was really heavy, definitely at odds with the cover.

I think if you go into this knowing you are getting more of a story about 2 people struggling with mental health and trying to live and thrive both alone and together, rather than a straight up romance you'll enjoy this.

But it hit a bit too close to home for me and seeing such trauma under a microscope wasn't a great time.

The shining star however was that the heroine was plus sized and her beautiful body was wildly accepted and described here.

CW: anxiety, panic attacks, ptsd, childhood abuse, parental addiction

DNF at 70%
I just didn't care about this couple. Their internal dialogues were so lengthy and repetitive; but they barely have conversations with each other. There was nothing that drew me as a reader to be invested in their relationship which consisted of bingo and public sex and not much more.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

I LOVED. THIS BOOK!!! Steamy, swoony and so important! I loved all of the important points this story raised about mental health, anxiety and PTSD. The steaminess is seriously off the charts across the board.... the dirty talk is ON ANOTHER LEVEL! I love me a book with a good sex bet - throw in some funny second tier characters, and I'm sold! Really a cute, fast and steamy read!!

I really wanted to like this, but it just didn’t do it for me. Maybe my hopes were too high but the characters seemed so average to me. I struggled to get through the second half of the book but there were some things that I really enjoyed.

Not to let the cartoon cover fool you, this is a spicy open door romance with bingo bets of the not so clean variety. Small town romance, lots of mental health representation (anxiety, ptsd, panic attacks). Honestly not enough bingo for me! The dialogue between the two characters didn't quite work for me, it felt very stiff. Internal monologues were great. Boy fall first is always a fave. There is a lot of healing and dealing with past traumas. Overall it was just okay, but would definitely read another book by this author!

3.5 rounded up to a 4! Omg, I do believe that I have found myself a new romance author to obsess over. The tone of this book was honestly unlike that of any other romance I've ever read. It somehow perfectly straddled the line of being sexy while also being quirkily cute but also being extremely heartfelt and emotional????? While I will admit that this wasn't a perfect read for me, I fell HARD for both Aja and Walker and their chemistry leapt off the page. I couldn't help but to be absolutely charmed by this book and I really hope that we get to spend more time in this universe in potential future books that may or may not have been teased (Miri???!!!) in this one. Honestly this was just a delight and I am so excited to read more from Jodie Slaughter in the future. I definitely recommend checking this one out when it comes out in July!

CW: severe anxiety, panic attacks (on page), ptsd, self harm, addiction, child endangerment

What a great read that surprised me! It has so many great tropes, great banter and a strong realistic insight about mental health. I just overall connected and loved this story so much. It’s easily one of my top 10 of the year and it’s only June. Highly recommend to anyone who wants a romance with a strong storyline.

DNF at 33%

I liked and appreciated the mental health rep, but the romance aspect fell really flat for me. I didn’t feel any true chemistry between Aja and Walker. The pacing felt very slow and unfortunately the story and characters aren’t holding my attention. I should have checked early reviews/the author’s website for content warnings prior to starting, because I was not expecting this book to be so emotionally heavy. I’ve decided to put this one down for now.

There were things I really liked about this - the totally random setup with the main character going to a weekly bingo session with people twice her age as a way to get out of her comfort zone, the very realistic anxiety/panic attack representation, and the chemistry between the main characters. But something about it was just a little slow for me, and I had a hard time getting into the story. It was still good and I enjoyed it, but it took me longer to read than a typical contemporary. Content warnings for on-page anxiety/panic attacks, and references to past child neglect and bullying.

I tried, I really did. FOR WEEKS.

I just couldn't get into the book. I had to DNF and trust me I HATE DNF'ing a book. While I feel like I could have pushed myself to read this book but I would not have enjoyed it. I loved the blurb and the thought of having a mental illness rep in this book but I feel as if it was not the right time for me to read this book. Maybe I will pick it up in the future and have a different opinion on it.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for an unbiased review*

This was a quick and predictable contemporary romance. Aja Owens is a Black woman in her late 20s who has recently moved to small town Greenbelt, South Carolina to escape the anxiety inducing city of DC. Walker Abbot has temporarily returned to his hometown of Greenbelt to care for his grandmother after she had a fall. Aja has a severe anxiety disorder and Walker has severe PTSD after a traumatic childhood and they come together romantically and bond over their diagnoses (and bingo).
There was some really good discussion of mental illness, coping techniques, and perceptions throughout he book which I appreciated. The romance was steamy and sweet, if not too exciting. Overall a fast and fun read.

I'm not sure what happened but this one just didn't work for me. It should have been a book I absolutely adored and devoured - mental health focus, steamy scenes, and real characters. However, it was just OK for me, but I am chalking it up to wrong book at the wrong time for me. I didn't connect to it but there was nothing wrong with it and I don't have any complaints.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book. Walker and Aja are both great characters, and their personal growth along with their relationship growth, is done really well. This book has all the steam and tension and attraction filled angst, sexy and full of heat. While it's about two people with great attraction learning to trust and love, it's also about their lives and why that's hard. Both have anxiety and it is a struggle. As Walker notes early on, not everyone deserves to know all of you. They each understand that now and figure out how much the other is their person, the one that will know all of you. Love means the good stuff but also how to get through all the stuff together. I love that they grew to that point and grew there together.

There are also the friend groups that both support you and call you out when you need them to say "Oh honey, no." I love that. "...the pull of real, genuine friendship could be as strong as the pull of any lover." Is so true. And when Walker wonders "Was this what friends were for? Getting you out of your own head just enough to make decisions that would unfuck your life?" I couldn't help but cheer. It took real growth to get there. Aja, too, learns how to make new friends and trust them with herself, with her feelings, with her anxiety.

The story takes place in a small town. Yes, Walker has come back to care for his grandmother. No, neither runs a bakery or is saving a local theater. However, we do have the diner with the grumpy gossipy waitress and amazing dessert. Aja's friends come from her experience at the local nail salon. And there's a Fourth of July picnic that the whole town attends. And then there is bingo and Walker's grandmother, which are hilarious and spot on. So there is plenty of comfort and this locale is wonderfully familiar for fans of small town romance.

Aja is not a sized two and we never see any negative characterization or negative issues due to her size. There is no "in spite of" that comes from bad representation. This is full on positive representation of a larger sized, beautiful black woman and Walker can't keep his hands off her.

Content warnings are provided by the author, namely that thematically there are discussions of mental illness, panic attacks, drug abuse, and child endangerment. All of these are handled sensitively and honestly, in my opinion. Readers who may be sensitive to any of these should consider them, especially if there are issues of trauma or PTSD related to any of them. Panic attacks happen on the page.

This was a can't put it down book for me and I highly recommend it.

I'm not going to lie, I had real trouble getting into this book. While I loved the body positivity and the discussions on anxiety and mental health, this being in third person pov really threw me for some reason. I felt so disconnected and removed from Aja that I had real trouble caring about the relationship that was developing. I didn't feel the chemistry or care about them at all really. I know this book will mean so much to so many people, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it still, but it didn't work for me.

This was such an adorable read. Two main characters who met while playing bingo is such a cute storyline! I loved that this took place in a small town as well as the characters who go through anxiety and PTSD which made them feel real. It’s a quick cute read that is perfect for any day at the beach.

This is a romance with not your typical character casting which I really appreciated. The characters are dynamic and throughout the book struggle with their own mental health and personal development. Call me a prude but I didn't really care for the internal dialogue from Walker, his sexual innuendos were cringe in my opinion. Additionally, the staging for some of the sexy scenes was kind of weird (frankly I just don't find bingo all that sexy).

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this arc.

This was such a funny, touching, and incredibly steamy romance. The characters were richly drawn and mental health issues were handled incredibly well. However, my favorite part was the small town southern setting. It added a layer of richness to the book that made it a 5 star read.

Aja has moved to Greenbelt SC to escape the hustle and bustle of DC. Walker has returned to his dreaded home town to help his Grandmother after a fall. He can’t wait to get back to Charleston. A chance meeting at Bingo has sparks flying and them struggling with friendship or romance!
Both are dealing with pasts that have created panic attacks, anxiety and PTSD. The author did a tremendous job showing compassion and understanding of mental illness. Although life is never easy friends and family support help these characters live their lives.
Can they overcome their inner demons or walk away from what could be the best relationship of their lives?
Great characters, fun conversation and some steamy moments make this a great romantic comedy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Jodie Slaughter Twitter: @jodie_slaughter
Jodie Slaughter Instagram: @JodieSlaughter
SMP Romance Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @smpromance
St. Martin’s Press TikTok: @stmartinspress
#BetonItNovel #JodieSlaughter #SMPRomance

3 stars

Listen, I love bingo. Like I went to bingo night instead of going out to the bars for my birthday one year. So when I saw that there was going to be a romance coming out this year centered around a bingo-based sex bet and marketed as a "heart-stoppingly fun, emotional romance", I could not click Request fast enough.

Well, it definitely delivered on one of those aspects. Don't let the cartoon cover fool you - there are some heavy topics explored in this book such as drug addiction, child abandonment, PTSD, and many discussions of mental health. Since both protagonists deal with mental illness, it is a major factor both for the establishment of the relationship and in the third act conflict that arises. I think the discussions around mental health in this book were executed well, but I personally would have loved to see more of a balance between the emotional aspects of this book and the promised heart-stopping fun as the decent spice that we got couldn't completely make up for the fact that the scenes outside of the mental health conversations just felt pretty pedestrian.

On top of everything, I also kept getting distracted during the bingo scenes by the fact that none of the numbers were being categorized by their correct letters. I know it's a small detail that can be easily fixed and it didn't affect my overall rating, but I just can't let it go. Changing it would literally be as simple as making N69 and O4 into B4 and O69. If you're going to advertise something as a bingo romance, you should at least try to make sure the bingo is right.

Bet On It ultimately didn't blow me away as much as I would have hoped, but I hope that it finds its way to the readers that are sure to love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!