I thought this book was really cute and simple. After reading so many heavy fantasy novels, this was a nice break. It was light hearted and fun! ⁣
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I liked that the point of view was written from both Aja and Walkers perspectives because I was able to better understand their thoughts and feelings. This was an important aspect to me because the book centralized around mental health and having the multiple POVs allowed me to better understand their struggles and how they dealt with them. I personally didn’t feel triggered by anything in this book but just as a warning there is a lot of talk about anxiety, childhood trauma and ptsd. Having said that, there was nothing graphic or disturbing mentioned in the book. I also felt that the author wrote about these mental health problems in a way that could be absorbed by those who personally understand those things and those who have not had experiences with them. ⁣
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As for the romance, I felt as though it was cute, fun and yes a bit cringey. Some of the things they said to each other didn’t feel realistic for me but mostly it just made me chuckle to myself. Who know, maybe people actually do say those things I’ve just never heard them! I enjoyed watching the relationship blossom from a friendship into something else. Their relationship at all points of the book was positive, uplifting and goofy. ⁣
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Thanks to St Martins (publisher), Jodie Slaughter (author) and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

I love Jodie slaughter books, and this one didn't disappoint. Funny romantic, witty. This book has everything for a great romantic summer read

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, as I believe mental health issues are often part of life. The anxiety disorder of Aja and the PTSD of Walker sounded like a unique and interesting foundation for a romance.
Unfortunately, this book does not contain any romance. It struck me as unlikely that the only aspect of romance that would work in these two was a sex drive. Neither Aja or Walker seemed to be capable of the intimacy that good sex generally requires.
I did like the character growth of Aja as she tried to reach out and make friends. I didn’t like Walker at all since he was content to stay just as he was.
This book did not hold my interest and took me several weeks to force myself to finish. I was disappointed that such a great concept failed to produce a good story.
Thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press and the author for the ARC. I give my honest review voluntarily.

Before going in, I didn't know anything about this book. I downloaded it because it was "read now" and Talia Hibbert had blurbed it. And of course because of the pretty purple cover!

I can now say that blurb feels very fitting because this is a book that I think will appeal to you if you love Talia Hibbert's books! The main character is a fat Black woman with anxiety, and the love interest has PTSD. They actually initially bond because they both get panic attacks!

I have to say the love interest had to grow on me a little, but I love Aja, our main character, from the start. I loved seeing them bond because they were both lonely, and trying desperately to keep things casual when you know that's not going to work.

I also loved Aja, who is lonely in a town where she barely knows anyone, getting adopted by a friend group in the process - some books might have used the love interest as the end-all-be-all to "cure" her loneliness, but the fact is, of course, that friendship is important too.

This was what I needed right now, even though this fun book about small-town bingo also reflected some more serious mental health and family members with addictions issues. The first half worked a bit better for me than the second — I liked the slower burn and the friendship they were building, but then the sexual relationship (both the writing itself and the sex pact that said they could only touch each other if one of them won bingo) didn’t work so much for me and I felt like I missed some scenes where their relationship started to change. But overall I loved the setup, the recognition of how difficult it can be to make adult friendships, having two sensitive people both noticing the slights that others may not, and some generally great examples of communication in articulating why they’re hurting.

Absolutely enjoyable rom-com! Loved everything and that cover is *chef's kiss*!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 12, 2022
When Aja meets Walker for the first time, she is in the middle of a grocery store, battling a panic attack. Embarrassed, she desperately tries to avoid him only to run into him again at the local bingo hall, where Aja has unknowingly befriended his kind grandmother. Walker though, is only in town to help his grandmother while she recovers from surgery, and he makes it no secret that he cannot wait to leave the town behind him. Aja hopes to start a life in her new town, and she knows any romance with Walker is doomed to fail.
Jodie Slaughter is a romance novelist, and “Bet On It” is a cute, yet sappy, smoldering story that fits this bill. Walker, a stereotypical White Southern boy, meets Aja, a Black woman from out of state, and they are immediately attracted to each other, though the relationship cannot possibly survive. But of course, star-crossed lovers is the stuff great romance stories are made of.
Aja is a great character, and I immediately connected with her anxiety disorder. Walker, too, suffered from PTSD and anxiety, which formed the basis of their initial connection and subsequent relationship. Slaughter has taken the romance novel into the 21st century, and it made for an instant rapport between character and reader.
I am normally not a romance reader (although I love novelists like Nicholas Sparks, who have just the right amount of sweet and sappy) and “Bet On It” is definitely romantic, but it is also erotic and almost smutty. I am not a fan of novels that are inundated with sex and sexual innuendos, and this novel is RIFE with them. Right from the start, Walker’s internal monologue about Aja made me want to take a shower (I skipped pages of text that were related to “soaking wet panties” and “riding d*@k”, for example). Walker and Aja’s friendships with people from their home towns were juvenile, and their conversations were difficult to read (there was a lot of “hey girl” and “yo bro”, for example) but I did sincerely enjoy the adult, connected friendship between Aja and Miri.
Overall, this novel is a cute Southern romance with two modern millennials who connect over the challenges faced by their psychological disorders. Aja is a charming and admirable character, who I enjoyed immensely, and Walker eventually grows on you. A lot of smut, a little romance, and an occasional Bingo win or two, and “Bet On It” is bound to please.

4.5 stars. Loved it. I feel like this one is going to be a popular read for the romance community this summer. I loved the anxiety/panic attack rep. As well as the plus size rep. I especially loved how they supported each other. What a great read.

One of my first dates with my spouse was in a bingo hall, so Bet On It hooked me immediately! There are so many wonderful parts of this book, it's hard to name just one - body positivity, strong, supportive friendships, healing from trauma, thriving with anxiety, and of course a spicy romance. I enjoyed it from start to finish!

2.5/5 for me. I think if this had stayed more on the rom com side it would have been so much better

This book had some really cute elements and the character growth for Walker was beautiful. I loved the therapy angle for both Aja and Walker, because it is so important to talk about. I wish the author had played more into this though, it could have had a much bigger role to show character growth.

The biggest negative for me here is that the romance scenes seemed like they were just thrown in to keep this from being a YA novel. There were a lot of descriptions that just made me cringe, like the use of phrases like “fleshy parts.” I just think there is a way to make romance still feel sexy without sounding like a frat boy sharing stories of his conquests.

Unfortunately for me, the cringe factor outweighed the love story behind it, so I just didn’t love this one.

This book had me hooked from page one. I consumed it in about one day, and it was so fun to read. Have already recommended to friends!

Jody Slaughter has written a fun, spicy, and simply delightful romance with this book. I can’t wait to recommend it to my romance readers.

Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter ⭐️⭐️

Mini summary: Aja and Walker both deal with anxiety. Both stemming from different reasons. Because of this shared burden, they feel comfortable and safe with each other, plus that love spark isn't too bad either. But will their anxieties be able to keep them together? Or ultimately drive them apart?

Sadly for me, I couldn't get into this one. Something was just lacking for me. Not sure if I just didn't fall in love with the characters or the fact of that the story had a Bingo element the author mustn't have known much about the game (there is no B90 🤣) and the use of it in the story seemed...weird?

Anyway, it's a no for me, but it might be a yes for you!

Pub date for the contemporary romance is July 12, 2022.

This was a cute book in theory. It has all the composite parts of a good romance, but ultimately I just wasn’t sold on the character’s chemistry. While I found certain aspects of the personal arcs interinting, the overall relationship progression bored me, at no point was I particularly rooting for them to get together. However, I appreciated the anxiety representation and the sensitive way the author built both character’s varying challenges into the narrative,

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

I thought that this book was perfect for me! I loved the BINGO theme and how the characters were so open with their mental health struggles in a way that felt relatable to me. Towards the end, I do think that the BINGO aspect could have been worked in more, but I did enjoy the happy ending.

I am so happy there are more novels out now that deal will real life issues. Mental health needs more of a spotlight as the majority of humans have some kind of life issues. I just did not buy in to the relationship of the main characters.. DNF for me.

Thank you St Martins for the ARC to read and review.

Aja and Walker’s story was sweet but I didn’t really care about either character. I liked that they were flawed characters but I just wasn’t invested. I also hated the twang that Walker’s character spoke in - it was very distracting.

Thanks for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martins for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Aja Owens recently moved to Greenbelt, SC looking for a change of pace. Walker Abbot is back in Greenbelt for one reason only - to take care of his injured grandmother. That is, until he spots Aja panicking in the frozen aisle at the Piggly Wiggly. What starts as a Bingo buddy friendship quickly escalates as Aja and Walker find out they have more in common than they expected.
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I think NetGalley is onto me - they keep sending me ARCs with EXCELLENT anxiety representation.

My favorite thing about this book is how flawed both characters are - in similar but different ways. I found Aja's struggle with social anxiety to be deeply relatable and I thought the author did an amazing job of writing the internal monologue of an anxious person. I could tell that it was personal to her and I love when authors do that.

Walker's struggles with anxiety were relatable too, though for different reasons. I really enjoyed the voice changes between the two characters re: their internal thoughts. You could tell they were both struggling but in different ways. The author tackled the family dynamics between Walker, his grandmother, his father in a really believable and heartwarming way.

I thought the plot and premise were fun and unique. Some of the scenes were TOOTH ROTTINGLY sweet and I literally had butterflies at some points. The discussions about mental health were mature and real and not preachy at all and made me tear up at some points. Normally anything that makes me shed a tear is an automatic 5 star - but I'm giving this one 4.5/5 stars only because some of the dialogue was a little cringey and I didn't like (I know there's a word for this but I can't think of it - sorry) how Walker's Southern twang came across on the page... which I am fully aware is a me problem.

Regardless! I will definitely be recommending this in my romance Facebook groups and I can't wait to see how it's received when it releases!

Bet On It is a romance with a very funny (and unique) setting for a meet cute: the bingo hall. To be technical... the meeting may have happened in a grocery store first, but the bingo hall is where it's at! 2022 is the year of the severely anxious, panic-disordered protagonist, and the men who can't help but want to take care of them and love them as deeply as possible. This book continues in that vein, and I have to say, I'm going to need a break from reading about anxiety after this. The banter, the steam... all of the elements are there to make this an engaging and fast read, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys their romances set in small towns and with meddling grandmas. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.