Aja moved to small town South Carolina to create a new life. Walker is back reluctantly to care for his grandma. They both know that there is no way for this to last…

Bet On It has wonderful cast of characters. Both main characters have anxiety disorders they manage. Aja is a black plus size woman who is funny, charismatic, confident and lovable. Walker struggles with PTSD and anxiety.

So why only four stars?
I wish the characters chemistry and personalities were prioritized over their anxiety disorders! I wish I had marked it but I felt in every chapter and sometimes multiple times it was stated that the characters couldn’t go into group setting or were uncomfortable. Neither character was good at boundary setting and that was disappointing for two older main characters!

One of my favorite romance reads this year! The chemistry oozed off the pages. I loved the way these characters bantered with each other.

This is poignant, lovely, sweet, and surprising. A lovely romance between two people who hurt. Because they each suffer from anxiety they understand each other's problems. Walker is a gentleman, never pushing Aja into anything she doesn't wish to happen. Aja is also being very careful, knowing Walker is only a temporary resident. Their evolution from bowling friends to lovers is so sweet.

This one blew me away. There was so much cuteness, sweetness mixed in with a lot of heavy emotions. What kept me reading was my connection to Aja and Walker. I liked them from the beginning but as the book continued I really cared about them. The pact was probably silly but it seemed to work with their special situation. I wanted them to throw it out the window but I understood they needed to create a barrier to heartbreak. They had nice balance of emotional and physical connection and lots of spice! I just could not put this down until they had the HEA!

Special Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC of Bet On It.

Absolutely knew I needed to read this book based on the cover alone - I mean who doesn't love to play bingo - but then throw romance into the mix - SOLD. This book definitely had some cute moments but I felt like the characters were a little hard to relate to and I had trouble connecting to them. There is some spice which is always an interested aspect to any love story but its only medium level. I do appreciate the talks of mental illness and how it is incorporated too.

This was a wonderful read! An unlikely meet cute, frank and honest mental health discussions, a bingo based sex pact… A sweet, heartwarming read.

Aja has escaped the big city and landed in Greenbelt. Hoping that the slower paced life will help with her anxiety. Walker left Greenbelt to escape his traumatizing past, but when his Gram breaks her arm, he comes back to take care of her.

I loved the way Aja and Walker met, and then how they met again at BINGO with Gram. Their chemistry was immediate and I loved their relationship.

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

CW: drug addiction, child neglect, PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic attacks.

My little heart cannot take the fullness of this book. It is so flipping cute and sweet and ah! Seriously, get yourself a peach cobbler and dig in because this is a perfect summer evening read. Bet On It has so much going for it. Like a fat FMC where it isn’t a deal at all and she loves herself and her size isn’t brought up besides small remarks that are just about accessibility. And there’s depth to both characters with impressive character arcs. Discussions around mental health, boundaries, and therapy that were just so real. The premise of the book--BINGO! The steam--yes please! Ms. May!

While I’m not the biggest fan of small town romances, I did really enjoy this book. There were a lot of the realities of living in a small town brought up by Walker and his dislike of being in them, but also Aja’s love of them did highlight some of the good parts. Plus there is always that one place that everyone goes to, like the diner.

Also the insta-lust thing I’m typically not the biggest fan of either, but it worked. I found the characters to be perfect for this setup. Plus it took a bit of time before the first steamy part of the book, which helped balance things out.

I completely recommend this book because I loved it so much. Aja and Walker are now a power couple for me. I cannot sing praises for this book beyond please read it. Please enjoy this wonderful romance novel. It hits all the notes of a cute, funny romance with some serious heaviness to it.

If you like Trish Doller’s Float Plan or The Suite Spot or anything by Roni Loren I think you’ll love this book! It sits right between those two in steam levels and brings some really good discussions around mental health to the front as in those books. Highly recommend picking this one up!

I’ve had Bet on It for a long time on my NetGalley shelf and started reading it several times. But somehow, I couldn’t get into it, and after my fourth try, I gave up. I know I find it hard to concentrate on a story I started reading, but for some reason, temporarily abandoned it, so it’s definitely a me, not you thing.

B-I-N-G-O! BETS & PEACH COBBLER.
What's not to love when a curvy melanated beauty ditches the big city for small town living? This perfectly paced rom-com has it all and I didn't want it to end. You can find more than Hot Pockets at the Piggly Wiggly! There is some open door spice in these pages.

The cover is spot on.

CW: anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, substance abuse (discussion only) were all discussed in a thoughtful manner but could be triggering for some.

If you enjoyed Get A Life Chloe Brown, this is for you.

I received an e-arc of Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Going into this I thought it would be a cute romance featuring bingo (with a bingo-related sex pact 0.0), but after reading a fair bit of it, the story is much heavier than I expected. Both Aja and Walker are dealing with their mental health and it is a big part of the story, they also talk about therapy and medication. The book does have content warnings at the beginning, which I always appreciate. From what I read, I think the mental health representation was written well, and maybe Aja's anxiety hit a little bit too close to home for me.
Unfortunately, I had to DNF at 54%, while I enjoyed the romantic aspects, the mental health parts are a bit too much for me right now, I might try again when the audio is released. I saw that Talia Hibbert has a blurb on the cover, and I was definitely getting some vibes from her Brown sisters series in this book.

Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter is the romance I didn't know I needed. It centers around Aja and Walker, both struggling with mental disorders, who meet in the middle of our heroine's panic attack in a Piggly Wiggly. Their attraction slowly grows over bingo nights and peach cobbler before exploding into one of the cutest sex bets I've ever read.
I really enjoyed this story. It was at times a little heavy, especially as Walker worked to overcome his relationship, or lack there of with his father. But the romance between Aja and Walker was perfect, with just the right amount of humor and steam. Also, representation matters and this book portrays anxiety, PTSD, and childhood neglect with accuracy and respect.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

A rom-com with friends to lovers, small town charm, and mental health rep? BINGO!

Be sure to check the TWs before you read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC -- my views and opinions are my own.

My first book by Jodie Slaughter, this will not be my last. Well written with great character development and discussion on important mental health topics, this was an incredibly cute and thoughtful novel with characters I want to revisit again.

Quick Synopsis: Aja has recently moved to Greenbelt, NC from Washington, DC where she makes friends with the local senior citizens in their regular Bingo events. She meets Warner when she’s having a panic attack in Piggly Wiggly, but is even more enthralled by the man when they meet again, only this time he is introduced as her Bingo-pal’s grandson. Warner grew up in an abusive household and is dealing with PTSD and his own anxiety being back in Greenbelt to care for his Grandmother. What he didn’t anticipate was to encounter Aja, a black plus sized woman who he has insane chemistry with, but between his hatred for Greenbelt and desire to leave, they have to set boundaries so neither of them catches feelings.

What I liked:
- This book is surprisingly spicy and I loved it. I loved how the author doesn’t shy away from our plus-sized heroine owning her body, her sexuality, and telling a man how she likes it and what she likes.
- There is great discussion around anxiety, PTSD, and mental health that I thought was well done, but wasn’t over done. We understand how it affects the characters, but it doesn’t overwhelm the plot.
- I loved the character development and how we slowly but surely learn the backstories of our characters, and then their reactions, anxiety, panic attacks, it all makes sense and continues to drive the narrative.
- I loved Aja and I loved Aja and Warner together. The ending was so sweet.

What I struggled with:
- The beginning was a bit slow for me. I started reading and thought, “Bingo?.... Really?” and I’ll admit that I almost DNF’d (did not finish) but I am so glad I kept going because once I hit the 45% mark I was hooked and finished the rest of the book in around 24 hours.

I am so glad I discovered this author and I honestly cannot wait to read more of her books. If they’re anything like Bet on It, I’m going to love it.

Trigger warnings include, but are not limited to: PTSD, anxiety, child abuse/neglect, substance abuse.

I really enjoyed this book! Aja and Walker are two deeply emotional people and their relationship is just the same. There's a little bit of a fake dating set up, which is fun, but there's also a lot of Aja and Walker becoming and being friends. I really liked the friendship part of their relationship. The romantic relationship was sexy and emotional and sweet. Each character grew emotionally because of the other person but also because of the work they themselves were putting in. A very good book, I will definitely keep reading this author.

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

CW/TW: anxiety, panic attacks, PSTD, mention of parental abandonment, parental substance abuse, child neglect, and bullying

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
steam: 🌶.5/5

what I loved:
▪️character diversity
▪️diverse body rep
▪️accurate mental health issues rep
▪️women friendships
▪️mutual pining

what i strongly disliked:
🔻 the bet
🔻poor pacing (dragging at parts and quick wrap up)
🔻character development and growth of side characters
🔻lack of therapy for male main character

Overall this book was an enjoyable romance with good representation of mental health issues and diverse body types. I loved that we got fat rep without that being the center of the story or a source of trauma/pain. The bet while in premise seemed good was written quite juvenile and after awhile I was getting more annoyed. I wish the author handled Walker’s reconciliation with his father better. It felt rushed and required better handling. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know this couple and look forward to reading future works from this author.

Thank you so much to Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Honestly, I really just cheated, stamped my dauber all over the sheet, and pretended I had BINGO so I could move on.

I think it's important to know what you're getting into with this as I did not see any trigger warnings before starting this. All I saw was bingo-sex-pact and I pounced because I wanted something light and fun to read. Instead, this dives into some deep themes with important rep (discussed below) that felt quite heavy, and I definitely was not prepared for that. However, regardless of what I expected, I get the sense that this book was highly cathartic for the author, and it really does feel like this should be declared a book of their heart. However, it sadly was not one for me.

I was going to give this three stars, but after sitting with it for a while, I realized I just did not enjoy this book. At the three-quarter mark, I started skimming because I could not care about the story or these characters anymore. Actually, no. I lied. I really liked Aja. A lot. Her character felt more developed and real and when she shines, it’s impossible not to like her. Not to mention the great the body positivity she rightfully displays at all times. I just think she deserved so much better than Walker.

As mentioned, this has a lot of mental health rep that is super important to show on the page. Aja has social anxiety. It’s difficult for her to be out in new environments with a lot of people, and it’s hard for her to jive with new people. This I can totally relate to, as I often experience some of this myself, but it kind of … sucked all the joy out of the book and the character. Witnessing her being so scared and panicked in the first several chapters while I begged her to do certain things that help me cope, only for her to not—it was immensely frustrating and stressful. Thus why trigger warnings are important to know beforehand. While Aja moved to this middle of nowhere tiny town to combat her anxiety, Walker would like to never return to this town ever. He deals with PTSD after a traumatic childhood and left as soon as he could. But that means when he comes back, he is just so angry. At everything and everyone all the time. And yes, it’s an understandable reaction, given the circumstances, but it made it really hard to want Aja with this bitter man who has so much baggage he refuses to face and move past.

Personally, there was zero spark in their relationship. Absolutely nothing. Sure, the insta-attraction, banter, respect, and a lot of horniness are there, but everything felt like they were just going through the motions. “Oh, she said this, so that means I should definitely say this, which will make her say exactly this.” They didn’t feel like a couple that should work. They had quite a bit in common and yet were entirely different people that didn’t feel like they would click. Not to mention, with how adamant they both are in handling their own respective mental health, the whole book carries a tone of this will not and cannot end well. He refuses to stay in this town, she refuses to leave. And for a book centred around a bingo sex pact, it missed the mark. Apparently, it is impossible to win at bingo because in two months, they each win once.

I dunno. I don’t like ragging on books, especially when it has such great rep with mental health and body positivity, but this was just not an enjoyable read and I am very disappointed it wasn’t what I wanted.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bet On It felt like a giant hug and a really genuine connection. I loved Aja and Walker, I thought they were such great protagonists who really demonstrated how to fall in love and how to make healthy connections while dealing with mental health highs and lows.

This was really unique! I loved how sweet they were with each other. The chemistry was fantastic. Ultimately, there were some parts of the story that felt a bit long to me. I chose to DNF it because it was a simmer, and right now that’s not what I was looking for. That being said, I know this is one I would come back to when I’m in the mood. It has a slow but meaningful journey I can see myself getting wrapped up in post-reading slump.

this is my first jodie slaughter book, but it will NOT be my last! don't let the cover deceive you. while it has romance in it and it is the forefront of the novel (hello friends-benefits-lovers), there is some HEAVY soul searching in here. it deals with anxiety disorder, ptsd, child neglect, forgiving yourself and a parent. whew. it was an emotional whirlwind and then some. but, yeah. walker abbott... get in my draws.

Synopsis:

The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. From there, all it takes is one game for her to realize that he’s definitely going to be a problem. And if there’s anything she already has a surplus of, it’s problems.

In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life. Far away from the trauma inside of those city limits. Just when he thinks his plan is solid, enter Aja to shake everything up.

A hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep this…thing between them from getting out of hand. Especially when submitting to their feelings means disrupting their carefully balanced lives. But emotions are just like bingo callers—they refuse to be ignored.

This is an absolutely lovely romance, featuring awesome anxiety and C-PTSD rep, a sweet interracial relationship, and some truly amazing writing. The small town atmosphere was great, but never cloying or unrealistically saccharine--the book paints the bad along with the picturesque and soothing, but it never wallows in trauma or misery. It's truly a breath of fresh air in the romance scene, particularly in how its characters are super forthright about mental health in general and anxiety in particular. My main takeaway is, I can't wait to read more from Jodie Slaughter!

This book was Literal perfection. that's it, that's the review. I loved the representation in this book. it perfectly portrayed what it's like dealing with anxiety. The chemistry was perfect, it made me laugh and a BINGO SEX DEAL???? sign me tf up. the spice was incredible.