Bet on It revolves around the story of Aja and Walker, who have a meet-not-so-cute at a grocery store while Aja is having a panic attack. I appreciated the opening of the book and the frank discussion of anxiety and mental health issues, and how Walker recognizes what Aja is experiencing because he’s been there himself.

That was a really strong premise and set up but this book unfortunately did not live up to the potential for me.

I liked the first part—as we learn about Aja, her mental health issues, the positive overall view of therapy, the measures she takes to help herself. She’s made a bold choice to move where she has and her tentative ways of having social interactions despite her significant anxiety were well done.

But once Walker comes into the picture it’s like it switched to a different book. I didn’t feel much chemistry between Aja and Walker. It was more lust at first sight and with the groundwork laid, heartfelt and realistic approach to their mental health issues in the first part much of what followed didn’t seem to fit with what we’d been told and shown of them. It felt incongruent, forced, out of character.

I was expecting a romance but I didn’t really get much of a romantic feel. It was lust at first sight, with some truly cringe-inducing sex scenes, and a male love interest who really didn’t engage my interest. I felt bad for Walker—he had a whole load of traumatic experiences in his past—but his demeanor and personality left me cold.

It was difficult to push through to the eventual end, which was predictable and lackluster. I didn’t feel tension or really care all that much if they stayed together to be honest. Which is too bad. The premise had so much potential and so much I wanted to like—interracial relationship, mental health issues, loneliness, strangers to lovers. It didn’t live up to it for me. Disappointed.

It was also quite jarring to have a character mention this story was taking place in 2020. It might have been better to give no timeframe at all or place events in 2019.

My thanks to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a cute rom com that tackles issues with anxiety, PTSD, and panic attacks. I think the author did a great job with these difficult subjects. I appreciated that the main female character was plus sized but that it was never mentioned in a negative way. I loved how supportive her new friends were and I also like how the topic of how hard it can be to make new friends as an adult can be. I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This looked really cute, but I could not really get into it and had to DNF. I really liked the premise but I am coming to learn that I am not a contemporary romance person unless there is a side of absolutely horrifying trauma and while I lied the idea of talking through mental health topics, it was not approached in a way that I would prefer and instead was more fluffy and light hearted which I think many people would enjoy, it just was not for me .

This was a cute story. A little too insta lovey for my taste but that’s totally personal. I really liked how the author deals with heavy subjects. She doesn’t make light of them, but at the same time doesn’t weigh down the storyline with them.

Amazing read! I loved the characters! They were relatable and realistic. The author went into great detail when it came to the characters mental health issues. I loved the slow build, the diversity. It made me laugh, swoon and get emotional! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read this amazing book! Bravo! P.s. Can we get a part two into Walker & Aja’s future!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
5/5 stars
I loved seeing more representation of someone living their life with anxiety. This romcom managed to be both ab light, fun read and a deeper, emotional read at the same time. Also, the spice, so good.

Bet On It tells the story of Aja, who suffers from severe anxiety and panic attacks, and how she meets Walker who is her friend's (who she met at Bingo) son. Walker also suffers from PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks.

It felt a little flat and felt it could've been shorter and still say the same thing.

A scintillating rom com that will have you turning the pages. The story addresses the topic of mental health and anxiety and is very well written.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

One of the best books I've read this year. The way Jodie writes about such an emotional situation in a thoughtful and well thought out manner is incredible. There were so many different elements to the book that I loved such as having a mixed race couple as the main characters, plus size main character, mental health issues, parental issues, and spice.

The way she portrays Aja and Walker's issues in different lights but brings them together in understanding shows such thoughtfulness. Aja is a beautiful woman who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks living in a small town. Walker grew up in Greenbelt hating but comes back to take care of his gram meeting and befriending Aja while suffering from his own anxiety. The way Walker and Aja come together throughout the book is beautiful and I will admit I shed quite a few tears throughout the story! I loved every minute of this book and couldn't put it down!

Jodie Slaughter I owe you my life!!! This book is so full of heart and joy, it was impossible not to fall in love with Aja and Walker. All the charming characters in this book felt so real and grounded; like real, complex people just trying to live, that I was hooked from the start.

Aja was so wonderfully written; so witty and sweet that you couldn’t help but root for her. Not just in her relationship with Walker, but in everything. I found myself just as overjoyed about her making friends as I did when she kissed him. I was just so happy for her. It felt like she was my friend! It was so wonderful to watch the layers of herself be shown to the reader. She is one of those people who is just a breath of fresh air, so full of light. I know she’s not real but to me, she’s my FRIEND.

Walker is as good as they come. Watching him work through anxiety and PTSD was so cathartic and heartwarming. Again, I was rooting for him the whole time. I was learning from him. It was so beautiful to see a male love interest go through just as much personal growth as his lover. He was bettering himself for her, and for him. For his grandma and for his dad. Im so glad he and Aja found a safe space in each other.

As it ended, I found myself dying for more. I felt so connected and attached to these characters I needed to know what happens next in their life, like I was catching up with old friends.

This book unfortunately wasn’t my cup of tea. I put it down and went back to it but intimately the setting and plot just didn’t keep me wanting to go back, though I really enjoyed the MC. I think this was just a case of wrong reader for the book.

The premise of this book was really fun. A bingo hall, two characters with mental health struggles that can relate to each other, small town life. It feels like an instant winning combo- but it just doesn't ever get there. Since both main characters are having so many struggles, neither can be explained or dealt with in a complete, consistent way. Bingo becomes a background character way too soon. It seems way too much like a surface level distraction that a lasting love story. I am glad I read it but I think I will quickly forget it.

An incredibly soft and sweet and sexy book. I loved the PTSD and generalised anxiety representation. It was handled with care and accuracy. I also loved how quintessentially southern this was. So cute!

Super fun novel about Aja Owens -- a come of age adult looking to take care of herself and spread her wings a bit too. Aja struggles with anxiety and socialization. In comes Walker Abbott, a delightful man who carries his own baggage. They meet through Walker's grandmother and games of Bingo. Just the right amount of heart and a whole lot of fun will have readers calling their own "Jackpot!"

This was the kind of romcom I was hoping it would be.

The whole bingo based sex pact just hit the spot. It was amazing. The anxiety rep was something most book don't have which is one of the things that pulled me in. The sex, the language, the love was SO good. About 1/3 of the way into the book I already felt it being a 4 star read. Thank you so much for this arc it was beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The relationship between Aja and walker was a slow burn, but steamy at times. The story is based on a sex pact the two make during a game of bingo Loved the representation of a plus size woman, as well as a POC. Walker is dealing with past traumas, while aja has some anxieties of her own. It made the characters very relatable and we saw character development throughout the book. Though the two had their ups and downs, they ended up finding each other in the end even thought the pact was created because neither wanted to get too serious. You could see the two falling for each-other almost since the very beginning in the frozen food isle, they just could not fight it. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Jodie slaughter.

Aja Owens has struggled with anxiety for as long as she can remember. She left her family behind in DC, hoping the quiet pace of Greenbelt, South Carolina, would help soothe some of her stress, but then a panic attack hits her right in the frozen food section of the Piggly Wiggly. When a stranger stops to help, Aja hightails it out of the store in embarrassment, safe in the notion that they'll never cross paths again. Unfortunately for Aja, the kind (and handsome) stranger turns out to be the estranged grandson of her bingo pal, who has come to town for a few weeks.

If Walker Abbott had his way, he would never step foot in Greenbelt again. But when his grandma breaks both of her arms, he begrudgingly comes back to care for her. Walker has nothing but bad memories of this town, but the one new shining spot is Aja. From the moment they met, Walker has been intrigued by Aja, and neither can deny the attraction between them. Both know that Walker isn't here to stay, so to try and contain whatever is between them, they strike up a bingo-based sex pact. However, when emotions start running high, will the pair be able to make a clean break?

For someone who has never really played bingo, I love it. I have this weird fascination with it, so when I saw this was a rom-com based around it, I was sold. I loved the whole southern small-town setting and the way Slaughter depicted it made you feel as if you were right there, sweating along with Aja and Walker. I thought the pair had decent chemistry, and I liked the progression of their relationship. I went in expecting a fluffy romance, but it was pretty heavy. Slaughter incorporates elements of mental health and trauma in a very realistic way which I thought was well done. The only issues I had were the dialogue got pretty cringy at moments, and the ending felt a bit lackluster. Other than that, I enjoyed this.

I really didn’t like this book, I thought it was boring so I won’t be reviewing it on my platform. I appreciated the characters finding love and conquering their social anxiety, panic attacks and ptsd, together but it just wasn’t enough for me. I really didn’t like Walter.

What I liked about the book was the slow burn… the build up. The getting to know each other through our good and bad times. That made this story more believable and easier for me to connect with the characters.

Aja is such a sweet girl that knows her limits but knows she wants more so she can live a fuller life.
Wally (yes I’m using that name cuz it’s cute 😛) had some hard times that made strong in the long run. However, it also made him cut off one of the people that loved him more than anything. But he learns and grows.

This two together is something special they equal each other out. I like that. That’s how relationships should be.

I recommend everyone give this one a read!
4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow.

This book was fantastic. Aja and Walker were so beautifully written (it was so easy to fall in love with them), and their chemistry was amazing along with their individual growth.

From the get-go, we know Aja loves Greenbelt and Walker hates Greenbelt. This is one of those disagreements where you just can’t help but agree with both sides. It’s a matter of perspective, and it’s my favorite type of disagreement. It not only adds to the characters, but the resolution of such disagreements really make or break the book sometime, and I was not disappointed.

One of my biggest fears with books that involve sex-pacts is that the focus on the sex and the physical tension becomes more than the actual emotional and romantic aspects of it. This book did it wonderfully. It was so obvious through out the book how Walker and Aja were able to connect with each other so easily, and while it took some time to get to the actual pact, I absolutely loved the pacing and build up of it.

I absolutely loved this book! Definitely would recommend!