This was a sweet, swoony contemporary romance with such great anxiety representation and descriptions. I really liked our MCs, Aja and Walker, and I really loved the side characters as well. It has a fun, unique premise and I liked the writing style.

Have you ever pictured yourself meeting the love of your life in a BINGO hall surrounded by your town's senior citizens? No? Me neither!

Honestly, one of my favorite parts of this story is the unique location. I love that Aja and Walker got to know each other at Bingo!

Beyond that though, the mental health representation is so good here and I loved that Aja and Walker were able to comfort each other in that aspect. Speaking of Aja and Walker - whoo! Get ready to fan yourself because it gets STEAMY! Definitely an open door romance!

There are quite a few trigger warnings to consider with this book, so I would recommend checking those out on Jodie Slaughter's website before diving in. Otherwise, I would recommend picking this one up!

Book Review: Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter

This is my first ever ARC from netgalley and these are my honest opinions and thoughts.

This book is available on July 12th, 2022.

Who knew that bingo could be so spicy?

Honestly, I loved that the author used something so different like bingo, as one of the main activities in this book. It’s one of the main things that drew me into the cover of this book.

I really loved the honest and real discussions on mental health and how anxiety can shape your life, influence your thoughts and really determine how you interact with the people around you.

Aja and walker were sooo cute together. I really enjoyed them and throughout the whole novel I was rolling my eyes at their denial.


While this point is listed as a romance, and we DEFINITELY get romance - I appreciated the real life issues mentioned as well (making friends as an adult, mental health, relationships w/ families etc).

I am excited to read other books from this author! I would definitely suggest adding this one to your TBR when it hits stores

This was a cute read. It takes place in a small town in South Carolina and our two main characters meet while playing Bingo. They both have anxiety and PTSD and bond through that and bingo. Overall it was a cute, steamy read. Perfect for a summer read.

3.5 stars

A small-town romance between two outsiders centered around mental health and bingo halls. What’s not to love? Warning: this book is STEAMY.

I really enjoyed this. The story is highly readable and never gets too bogged down or heavy, even when discussing (and surprisingly well, at that) more somber themes like living with GAD and CPTSD. It follows Aja, a young woman who moved to this sleepy town in hopes that its pace would be more manageable for her, and Walker, a young man who left the town that bullied and turned its back on him long ago, and is only back to take care of his grandmother while her broken arms heal. The two acknowledge their mutual attraction but recognize that they can’t afford to catch feelings, so they come up with The Pact: a friends-with-benefits situation with the ‘benefits’ tied to their bingo hall successes.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about ‘The Pact’ at first, but it is a clever way to have two characters this attracted to each other go on actual (“friend”) dates instead of just boning 90% of the time they’re together (a trap some romances I have read fall into).

Something I really enjoyed was the way friendships feature in the novel. Both characters have struggled making friends (Walker in his youth in this town, Aja in the rush of a big city) but now have small, healthy networks. Walker’s friend group is a great cushion for him as he’s sorting out his feelings, and showcase some great healthy masculinity: they’re supportive and emotionally available while still joking around like frat bros. This is what ‘boys will be boys’ is about! Meanwhile, Aja makes a new group of friends in-town and they are just the best. They don’t just ‘put up with’ her anxiety but make it a given that her comfort and accessibility is a part of their plans and excursions. These healthy relationships just make me so happy!

In fact, I’m honestly hoping that Bet on It becomes the first book in a series focused around Aja’s friend group. All three of the other girls are distinct, interesting, and charismatic, and I would love to watch them all find love. I think a second-chance romance between Miri and her not-technically-ex-husband would be fabulous to start off with!

This book would be great for fans of: Small Town Romance. Steamy romance. Plus-sized heroines. Mental health rep in romance. Bingo.

Aja Owens is prone to panic attacks. Unfortunately, her most current attack occurred in the frozen foods section of Piggly Wiggly in front of Walker Abbot. She is mortified and hopes to never see him again but Greenbelt, South Carolina is a small town so Aja couldn’t get that lucky. Walker also happens to be one of Aja’s favorite bingo buddies grandson.

Aja is running from her fast paced Washington DC life and Walker can’t wait to get out of this sleepy town and back to his life. Neither of them can ignore the attraction between them so they decide a bingo based sex pact is the best way to have fun without getting too involved. Of course life is never that easy.

This was a cute, steamy rom com. The characters were okay. I didn’t find any of them just absolutely made me more invested in the story. It was good for the type of book that it is.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bet on It is an adorable story with two characters who share a mutual understanding of living with anxiety. I loved the story of their weekly Bingo games and their pact for winning a game. Overall, I enjoyed the story and it was a quick read. I found the sex scenes to be a little cringy so I give the book 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Jodie Slaughter, St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Press Griffin, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I read a review talking about how spicy it was, so I was thrown off when it was what I consider to be about 3 chili peppers, but spice is relative I guess. But I will say it was well written spice.
Also, there were a lot of heavier topics in this book that one doesn't always find in romcoms, so I wasn't expecting that either, but it was well handled. It deals heavily in anxiety, childhood trauma, and PTSD.
That being said, I love the romance between Aja and Walker. I was invested in the characters and the story. I laughed and I teared up, which to me is a successful book.
I think what my favorite part about this book was though was the fat representation. Being the founder of Fat Girls in Fiction I have read hundreds of books with fat main characters. This book handled it is a way I have never seen handled before. Her fatness was never and issue positive or negative. Aja never had any self conscious moments, which is refreshing, and Walker never seemed to comment on her body externally or internally in a way that made her body seem out of the ordinary at all. I like that. I have seen that done before though and it is personally how I like my fat representation to be. But where this book separated itself was in the way the author described Aja's body. She didn't shy away from parts of a fat body that most authors don't talk about. She talked about stretch marks, clothes pulling over the stomach, the darkness of the skin on the inner thighs and things like that, but us was in a completely neutral way. I found this to be refreshing and something new. Most fat rep sticks to softness and curves, this dived all the way in and did it with out apology and with out judgement.
I hope to read more books like this in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read an early copy of Bet on it. I absolutely loved this book! I plan on buying a finshed copy when it comes out. I had never read any of Jodie Slaughter's books before. I cannot wait for what comes next.

Bet On It is a love story, a coming to terms with your past story, finding yourself story, and stepping out of your comfort zone story. It deals with anxiety, mental health, PSTD, and bad family dynamics. It is an enjoyable read set in the south.

✨ Review ✨ Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter; Narrated by Angel Pean
CW: PTSD, anxiety, and other mental health concerns

I really loved the concept of this book - two characters, both struggling with mental health, bonding over bingo (and betting on amping up their relationship based on their bingo outcomes). There was so much great representation here of body positivity, openness about mental health and more.

However, for me, it just felt like it dragged on a bit. The characters were making good progress in their lives and together but there wasn't quite that magical spark that pulled me in. By the middle of the book, I just wanted to fast forward a bit to find out how it ended. I think this will be a really good book for many, it just didn't quite capture me.

I think there's so much great writing here about friendship and families, trauma and healing, and more. The audio narrator was fabulous - I enjoyed listening to it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: f/m romance, featuring body positive and mental health rep.
Pub Date: July 12, 2022

Read this if you like:
⭕️ peach cobbler
⭕️ romances with mental health themes
⭕️ small town romances

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and #netgalley for an e-copy of this book!

Cw: anxiety, panic attacks, ptsd

I enjoyed the heck out of this!! I'm not even a fan of the game bingo cause I find it boring but this made me wanna find a local one and join to see if some hot guy comes in with his grandma to play in her place.

Aja, my sweet beautiful bundle of nervous and anxious energy who wants nothing more to have accepting friends and love 💖

Walker, my very dramatic peach cobbler obsessed king who is going through a lot but is still so positive while being self depreciating at times 💖

These 2 both have anxiety disorder and even tho it shows up differently for them, I loved how they were able to understand and be there for each other!

The friendships these 2 had with their circle of friends was so enjoyable to read and their friends really felt like important to their story and they felt like strong characters to me.

And the smut was very very very good. The way Walker talks about and describes Aja alone was enough to let me know the smut scenes would HIT 🔥🔥 there's probably only 3 of them but they did what they had to do!

I feel like its hard to put into words how comforting this book is! I mean it's in a small town, they go to bingo routinely, the way they describe each other so lovingly while trying to not admit how in love they are with eachother UGH!! AND it takes place in the summer!? Netflix needs to be contacting Jodie's agent rn buying the rights to make this a movie!!

Overall I loved it and I've already preordered it. And I loved the epilogue it made me feel all warm inside.

Bet on It is a friends to lovers, small town romance. The first scene in this book was absolutely perfect! Having a panic attack in the Piggly Wiggly and someone just being there for you. *Swoon*.

I thought this would be a full on romance, and there was romance here, but there was also a story about two people becoming friends and being there for each other. I loved Aja and Walker's relationship in this book. Their chemistry was outstanding and they both were so kind and gentle of the other's mental health issues. I loved that Jodie Slaughter focussed on Aja and Walker making it through the things that were hard regarding their mental health, but it not going away. As we know, mental illness does not get "cured" and it is something that needs to be worked on and managed.

I also really liked the author's ability to respectfully look at trauma, especially childhood trauma in such a kind and respectful way. The author also built some wonderful relationships, other than the main characters. I loved Grandma May and relationships with both Aja and Walker. I also enjoyed that we got to see Aja explore new friendships, and putting herself out there, even though she was anxious.

I did however struggle with some of the romance scenes in the book, and just the descriptions. They were just weird at times to me. It sometimes took me out of the story, and I am not a feint of heart romance reader.

Even with the negatives, I did enjoy the book. Jodie Slaughter did such a great job with the mental health & body positive rep, the awkwardness can be overlooked in the parts I struggled with. This is a good romance, but even more it is a good life book, check it out for a great read! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine

This was a cute slow-burn romance that features quirky Aja Owens and sports journalist Walker Abbott, who meet by chance at a grocery store.

Based on the description of the book, I thought the story would be focused on the love story between the main characters. And while their slow progression from strangers to friends to lovers is the main plot in the book, I truly enjoyed how the author approached the realities of dating in real life. Both Aja and Owen have their share of mental health struggles that they are dealing with when they first meet, and they're both open about the hardships they have experienced because of them. I truly enjoyed getting to know the characters and finding out the root of their struggles.

Generally, love stories do not deal with the hard conversations that people have to have when dating, so I found it refreshing that in this book the characters were willing to openly discuss their goals and expectations even if it meant that their relationship could end. It was nice to see real-life interactions that people have to deal with when they're dating.

The characters were great. I truly loved both Walker and Aja. They were both relatable and likable and sound like the type of people I'd like to surround myself with. Aja is perceptive and quirky, and I liked getting to read about her life before she decided to move to this small town. Walker proves he has a big heart when he decides to come back to a place that makes him miserable because his grandmother needs him and he loves her so much. 

But my favorite thing was Aja and Walker's relationship. Their chemistry was off the charts. I'm not one for smutty books, and while this one was spicier than I was expecting, it was done tastefully. As they got to know each other, it becomes clear that their emotional connection was in pair with the physical one. They build a relationship based on who they are as people, so once they face challenges, they are able to deal with them in a mature way.

Overall, this is a great book, and I enjoyed it. I'd say my main issue with the story was I felt that the pace was off at some points so I had to put the book down for a couple of days before finishing. At some points, the story dragged, and it made it hard to keep me engaged. Eventually, it got better though. I'd say that it is a great novel and I'd recommend it.

This is an adorable and enjoyable (if not particularly memorable) read. I think it would be a perfect beach read: low angst, hot sex scenes, great supporting characters. You might not think that it’s going to be such a light read from the opening chapter in which Aja has a panic attack at the grocery store, but it really is on the sweeter/warmer end of the spectrum. I really appreciate the mental health rep (Aja has generalized anxiety disorder and Walker has PTSD from childhood trauma/neglect). Definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for that summery-vibe read!

This book had me, and then it lost me, hard.

Aja is adorable and I love her—props to Jodie Slaughter for writing a fat, black, sexy protagonist with full-blown anxiety who absolutely owns her shit and gets the guy (not that she needed to, btw). But Walker was just kind of... meh in comparison. I kind of understand why Slaughter wanted to give both Aja and Walker different... idk, flavors of anxiety, but Walker's turned into full-blown trauma-porn PTSD when it really didn't need to. (My lack of interest in Walker as a character was not helped by the fact that half of the book's chapters were in his voice.)

And then the sex scenes? :blergh: I actually had to finally skip full pages toward the end because I could no longer tolerate the excessive descriptions of both characters' sexual preferences, vocalizations, and bodily fluids. I've never been one to make a face at sex, but Slaughter made me feel like a voyeur intruding on a moment I really didn't want to have to watch.

Aaaand Jodie Slaughter has been added to my auto-read romance author list!

I so enjoyed this small-town contemporary romance featuring thoughtful mental health rep, personal growth, and sexual tension at bingo. Aja first meets Walker in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly, where she's having a panic attack. I was sold on BET ON IT from that first scene, and Slaughter didn't let me down the rest of the way through. And she brought the spice! (This book is open door.)

The text (via e-book and ALC) begins with a general content warning from the author; readers are directed to jodieslaughter.com for a more detailed description of sensitive content.

Very moving story; great characters

Aja and Walker recognize in each other a kindred spirit, someone who understands their situation because they've experienced the same. I loved their first "meeting" and the follow-up at the bingo game was perfection!

Walker's story nearly broke my heart, and I truly felt his emotions as he struggled to reconcile himself with the past. I loved how the author didn't let anyone off the hook, but allowed for healing to start and relationships to evolve while still acknowledging the past.

I adored Aja's bravery in starting a new life, expanding her social circle, and the fearless way she approached her relationship with Walker. These two really put in all the effort, even when the going gets tough, and I loved every bit of it, right up to the solid and realistic HEA.

The writing is excellent throughout. The author really knows how to set a scene for maximum emotional benefit and the personal growth shown for each character was brilliant in its honesty and authenticity. These are truly memorable characters and I highly recommend their story. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

It has all of the makings for a book I should love. I love romance. I love a bet. I freaking love bingo. But this was really really hard for me to get through and keep reading. I wanted to DNF so many times until I finally couldn’t get myself to finish it.

As a plus sized woman, I love the representation. It should be normalized and also deserves to be romanticized which I really applaud this book for. However I did not enjoy several of the descriptions of Aja’s figure throughout. There couldn’t be any sort of description of Aja (mainly from Walker’s thoughts) without it reminding you she was plus size. Constant references to her stretch marks, “full ass”, “her plush belly”, “thick hips”, and more. And those were all just descriptions used in one small piece of a chapter. I am all for body positivity and celebrating and loving all bodies, but it started to feel almost fetish-ish.

The pacing of the romance was also just weird. It went from nothing but lust to “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with them” so quickly and out of no where.

As much as I wanted to, I just couldn’t get into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really loved how cute this book was! Having a fat MC where being fat was the least interesting thing about her was so refreshing. I loved that Walker loved everything about her including her body but it wasn’t done in a weird way. The anxiety rep in this was spot on as well.