This was the first book I’ve read by this author. I enjoyed it. I liked how the main character was a plus size woman. You don’t normally see that in books. This was a truly rom com book with some spicy themes. Aja new to the area encounters Walker while having a panic attack in a grocery store. This was a more realistic rom com. Tackling mental health was a great addition.

I received this ARC through #netgalley and I am voluntarily reviewing this book

Review: SPOILERS
The book was an overall 4.5 / 5 stars and a 3/5 for spice level. There were a few grammatical errors which I am sure will be corrected. And don't we all love a good smutty book hidden behind a cute cartoon cover?! But overall, I enjoyed the story of Aja and Walker and their growth in their relationship as well as their mental health struggles. And honorable mention Ms. May, Walker's Gram, she knew what she was doing playing matchmaker and I absolutely loved her character. I enjoyed the setting of the book as well since I was from a small southern town.I related to the main characters in this story as someone with anxiety/ social anxiety.
Aja was a curvy, plus sized, poc main character which was fun to read as many books that are popular have mostly white and/or "skinny" main characters. And I loved that she embraced her plus size! There was no questioning her looks when she learned the Walker was attractive to her. She is confident in her sexuality and what she wants which is refreshing. I do wish we got to see more of her backstory.
Walker was a gem to read about. It was impressive that the author included the male main characters pov and readers were able to get a deeper look into his mental state. He wasn't ashamed of his mental struggles/ insecurities and spoke about them openly with Aja. I enjoyed that quite a bit as the majority of romance books have the male MC being this hot, popular, womanizer which is not Walker. Walker was bullied, not always gorgeous, and without friends in his teen years due to his family issues. He was also honest with himself when thinking of if a long distance relationship would work with Aja; he knew in that moment he was going to be able to give Aja the relationship she would have deserved, which I respected a lot. I do wish we get a slower build up to Walker forgiving his dad, Benny. In my opinion, he seemed to be forgiven rather easily but then again Walker knew it was better for his mental health to begin working on their relationship.
Now the spice...
"'I am hungry,' he assured her. 'I'm just not hungry for food.' He could see the exact moment the realization dawned on her." "'I am hungry for you.' The words were ragged, born completely out of the burning inside him"The spice was not expected in this book but was appreciated. Walker calling Aja "peaches" is just swoon worthy. This man doesn't play when it comes to his peach cobbler, so when he told Aja she was better than peach cobbler....my heart.There was definitely tension building between the two throughout the story and their relationship development. And the spice in this book was probably some of the most realistic I have ever read. The male MC wasn't this animalistic male who growled/roared doing sex. I also enjoyed Aja and Walker being honest and careful with protection and speaking about getting tested. I enjoyed Aja and Walkers chemistry in the book and how they grew to love each other and their flaws.

The good: the open discussions about mental health issues, Aja overcoming her anxiety to make friends in her new town

The bad: the relationship between these two just didn't have that special something I look for in a contemporary romance. It felt more like they were into each other because they were in a small town with limited other options, not because they had a real bond.

I walked into this book expecting more sassy grandmas at bingo and it just...wasn't that! Jodie Slaughter is clearly a talented writer, this just wasn't the relationship for me.

I received this book as an ARC and here is my review. I loved this book and the honesty of difficult feelings it presents. It is filled with fun and laughter and also with angst and heartache. The characters are multi-dimensional and filled with every possible emotion. This story is impossible to put down and is well worth the time and thoughts. I totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance and all the ins and outs of any relationship.

I don’t usually read romances but the description of this one had me intrigued. I didn’t expect the book to be a page-turner and one that I wouldn’t be able to put down but I was pleasantly surprised. Although the book started out very slow by the time I got to the middle I had to find out how it would end. The sexual tension the author has the protagonists, Aja and Walker, endure is nail biting to say the least. I found the characters very believable and endearing. The author chose to deal with mental illness throughout the story which is what prompted me to read the book. The author portrayed very well what can occur during a panic attack and this helped make the characters believable.

I do hope there’s a sequel because I would like to know what the future holds for Aja and Walker. The epilogue provides a sneak peek but not enough to satisfy my curiosity.

I enjoyed this book and will read more by this author in the future.

What a breath of fresh air for the romance category. First off, as a young adult who has accompanied her Mamaw to Bingo, the author really captured the essence and vibes of Bingo. I love that it was dual perspective and that both of the main characters had depth and real problems. For once, the characters weren’t only existing with each other. They both had friends and/or family that they were interacting with throughout the book and not just to discuss the relationship between the characters. They both had mental health diagnoses that allowed for a deeper look into the characters. Watching Aja grow into her true self while Walker works on forgiveness made for a truly dynamic read — and you can’t forget the spice between Aja and Walker. Excited to see what Jodie will come up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press, and the author for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4376809328

Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a delight! Aja and Walker are so sweet and our ever-present meddling grandma is the QUEEN of the whole book!

I really loved how the author detailed Aja's journey with anxiety. It was honest, sincere, and made me root for her above everything else!

This was a very heartwarming romance in small town South Carolina. I truly appreciated the focus on mental health and knowing your boundaries, and also touching on just how hard it is to make friends as an adult. I will definitely be getting a copy of this when it is released.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I was not expecting this book to be as amazing as it was! It’s tackling topics like normalizing mental illness and therapy, finding love and taking chances, and facing your fears all in one amazing book! I found myself cheering for both of the main characters to work through their struggles in finding friendships, repairing family relationships, and falling in love at the same time! Plus, this book really makes me want to play some bingo LOL

Favorite Quote: “Heartbreak is like any other loss… It doesn’t matter how much we try to brace ourselves; the blow never comes any softer.”

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. TRIGGER WARNING CHILD ABUSE, ALCOHOL ABUSE. This book is set in South Carolina. It is quick paced with great mental health representation. I highly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This book will be in stores on July 12, 2022 for $16.99 (USD). This book will keep you engrossed from the first page to the last page. So when July gets here check this book out.

This was my first book by Jodie Slaughter, it was a well written story with just more of everything.

Aja and Walker both have anxiety disorders and this story has brought a new light on this subject matter, making it real and giving an inside view of what people struggling go through. This story also shows how the characters grow by just finding each other and finally feeling seen.

This is a wonderful story with so much emotion, and the perfect amount of heat!! Don’t miss out on this one!

Overall this was a cute story. I really liked both Aja and Walker. I don't think I've ever read a romance where both the leads had such mental health issues, but it was different and rather educational to an extent. Overall though I don't think their relationship was that well developed. I know that weeks were supposed to have gone by but I didn't really ever get why they were totally in love all of a sudden. I just didn't really buy into their relationship. Overall it was a relatively fun read, but I would probably never pick it up again for a re-read.

This book tackles issues of Anxiety, Panic attacks, PTSD, childhood trauma, and loneliness. Aja and Walker are such likable characters who come together to help each other work through relationship issues. Their shared understanding of their traumas made the connection and romance so sweet. There was a good amount of spice and pretty believable scenarios. This was the first book I read set in the deep south and I loved the small-town feel. I connected with this book on so many levels when discussing the mental health issues and Aja's struggle to connect and make new friends. If you also deal with mental health struggles this might be a very real book for you and not as much of a light-hearted fun romance read. Overall loved the visibility and representation in this book, I had some small nitpick things that got to me but I definitely recommend it if you love small-town stories with mental health visibility and a lot of steamy spice.

Bet on It
By Jodie Slaughter
A Review by Jamilla, @LandsAwayBooks on Wordpress.

I’m not entirely sure what I expected, I have read a Jodie Slaughter book before and enjoyed it so much that when I saw that this was on Netgalley I quickly snapped it up! (Thanks a bunch for this copy for review y’all)

But, like I said, I wasn’t sure what the heck I was getting into!

This story deals about small towns, petty gossip, PTSD, anxiety, making friends as an adult, finally coming home and bingo.

It felt warm, real and familiar.

So, it was a lot! And it was glorious!

Say yes to this title if:
-you like truly friends to lovers is your jam
-you like foot rubs
-you like when someone has to grovel
-you like stories that tackle mental health in all it’s complexities and makes it a point where the main leads relate to each other
-if you like lots of sexy time
-if you like small town stories
-if you’re an adult who wants to make more friends
-if you like bingo!

Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who grew up in the American Deep South (and went to college in the Carolinas), I can say that it was really refreshing to have a book set in the South, with honest-to-god Southern characters and speaking patterns and sayings, that managed not to slip into either stereotypes or fetishized mannerisms. Ms. Slaughter handles that so well here. You really get a sense that these MCs could be real people, just trying to make it through a grocery run at the Piggly Wiggly.

All in all, this was a nice book. There are really honest and raw characterizations of mental illness - both of our MCs have their own struggles / history with that, and both are actively on the path of healing. The way the author handles it, you really feel as if you are getting a whole pictures of Walter and Aja, without their mental illness becoming <i>who</i> they are. There's a lot of great themes with family trauma, family healing, and found family. And you definitely get some steamy scenes in there too.

There's also an absolutely wonderful sense of our leading lady as a black woman, and how that differs from Walter's experiences without it taking over the story (or being a main point of conflict). It reminded me of many recent LGBTQ+ romances that make a point in the world-building to assume that homophobia isn't a big deal, and the characters don't have to deal with it. While that absolutely doesn't erase the very real-life issues, there is something radical in creating a story where the author can say "fuck that" and instead give the characters something else to find conflict over. Slaughter does that in this book in terms of race, so the characters are left just dealing with themselves and their own issues without having to add that as a layer.

For me, though, the overall book fell a little flat with the sense of place, the depth of the storytelling, and the dialogue... sometimes it just didn't flow naturally, we moved fairly quickly through different scenes when I would have liked to linger, and I was REALLY waiting to get more of those small-town Carolina vibes.

Bingo! This was just the 🔥 rom-com I was hoping for.

Aja just moved to Greenbelt, South Carolina. A more desirable, smaller town. A quiet place where she can more easily manage her daily struggles with anxiety. And today is no exception. A simple shopping trip to the local Piggly-Wiggly has Aja frozen in place, ironically enough, next to the frozen foods section in the midst of a full blown anxiety attack.

A simple gesture of kindness from a stranger.

Walker instinctively recognizes what’s happening to Aja and offers to simply stand by her side until the attack passes. He understands only too well, because he too deals with the same issue. And yet another chance encounter finds the two meeting again at the Wednesday night bingo event.

I‘ve noticed lately that many rom-coms have started delving into heavier topics such as mental health. Jodie Slaughter does an exquisite job of shining a light on many of the effects anxiety can have in someone’s life. The support and love from their families and friends was truly touching and heartfelt.

I loved both characters as they navigated their way towards love while also looking after their own hearts and minds. The attraction and chemistry felt oh so real.

Looking forward to reading more from this very talented author.

⚠️ be prepared…this is a very spicy rom com!

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press

This was such a fun book with likable characters! Without spoiling too much, seeing a character deal with and find ways to manage anxiety was such a welcomed addition to a fun and sexy romance. Would definitely recommend!

This was just an okay romance for me, and I think a big part of that was because of the writing. I love that a central focus of this book is trying to navigate mental health issues as an adult, and in a relationship. But I feel like the writing really let that aspect down. More specifically, there was a lot of show-don't-tell, to the point where we would get large swaths of text that were just the protagonists telling us things about themselves. The more I read, the more I wanted some dialogue rather than character exposition. I also found that a lot of the discussion of mental health and romance was crammed into these exposition-heavy sections of texts rather than more cohesively integrated into the story through feelings, dialogue, plot points, etc. Overall, I would've liked to see more themes explored through small character moments or small moments in general, rather than just told us to us over and over again in exposition that made the book drag.

Bet On It follows Aja Owens, who recently moved to a small town in South Carolina where her only social activity is playing bingo with senior citizens. Her bingo buddy's grandson suddenly comes to town to help out his grandmother, and Aja and Walker find each other attractive. They make a bet: any time either of them win at bingo, they'll explore the physical attraction they share but keep feelings out of it. But slowly feelings start creeping in.

Bet On It was a lot of fun. I loved the chemistry between Walker and Aja. Aja especially was a great character and I really liked her. The book also deals a lot with anxiety and mental health; Aja and Walker actually meet when Aja is having a panic attack at the grocery store. The book was pretty sweet and a cute love story.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. Wow what can I say about this title it was just an awesome read. This book was just something so wonderfully different I’ve never quite read anything like this. You should read to find out you won’t be disappointed. I’m definitely going to read more by this author.