I went into this figuring on a lighter read, a meet-cute, friends-with-benefits rom-com. But this - it’s decidedly very realistic, and rather grittier than I was expecting, given the super cutesy illustrated cover. This book triggered my own anxiety and at 14% of the way in, I had to stop for two days because it was too heavy, and way too serious for my lighter-hearted Thanksgiving week plans.

The author wrote about the mental health issues the main characters dealt with, beautifully. She put into words quite succinctly what PTSD and anxiety can sometimes look like. The very real issues addressed in this book were too much for me to read straight through, and I found that I had to portion this one out.

The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods aisle. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. 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. A hastily made bingo-based sex pact between Aja and Walker is supposed to keep things between them from getting out of hand, but of course things aren't that simple.

I loved this book! Having a main character that is Black, plus-size, and has anxiety? That's me! Aja was very relatable and well-written, and her first meeting with Walker was quite fun to read. There were plenty of light and funny moments in this book, balanced with heavier moments and it was the perfect mix. Walker as the love interest was great, although I would have hard a much harder time forgiving him than Aja did. He's a solid book boyfriend, but not my favorite.

I liked that the story was realistic and didn't try to tie up Aja and Walker's issues with a neat bow. It was steamier than expected based on the cover (a huge plus!).

Oh my goodness! Definitely lovely mixture of sweet friends to lovers theme centered on small town, personal growth, anxiety issues, adorable characters and bingo game where the matchmaking games take place by older women!

This book was emotional, intense with its realistic approach to anxiety issues that two main characters suffer and fight against!

Aja is new in town, having her own insecurities and Walker reluctantly returns back to take care of his grandma, counting his days to get out of the place. His grandma’s bingo partner Aja picks his interest. Actually their bingo based sex pact gets out of control. Both of them start to open up about their issues and the book’s story takes more serious, realistic turn than I expected.

Both of the characters were so genuine, easy to sympathize and care for!

I loved to see the evolving of Aja’s character: she finally learns to exceed her own limits, deciding to leave comfort zone and connect with outside world. Walker made me a little pissed off at the last third of the book. But he was too adorable so I couldn’t stay mad at him!

It started soft and sweet YA romcom but in the middle with that serious turn of events add more realistic, thought provoking tone by emphasizing the anxiety issues which were wholeheartedly and honestly approached.

I’m giving four lovely, bingo game , self improvement, taking chances stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I loved the mental health rep in this book. It was very nice to see anxiety rep in a way where they weren't trying to "fix" it, it is just a part of who they were. I also loved that Walker and Aja were just able to be themselves around each other.

I received an arc through netgalley.

2.5 stars

I thought this book had so much potential. Unfortunately, I got to the point where i just didn't care about the characters or the story.
I thought the storylines about Aja's and Walker's struggles with mental health to be a positive. I liked that Aja was described as a larger girl, was also a check in the positive colulmn.

However, there were a number of things I did not care for and that pulled me out of the story:

~The way Walker's dialogue was written. I assume it was to convey his Southern accent, but all the contractions got on my nerves (every word that ended in ing had an apostrophe in lieu of the g).

~Bingo was a central part of the plot. Aja and Walker meet (officially) at a bingo parlor. Yet, the author had no concept of how bingo actually works. For example, there is no B90 in bingo. Seems like the author did zero research and just made stuff up. (If there is some rare variant of bingo that has a B90, then I apologize, but my Google searches have not uncovered any such thing)

~Finally, there was a line toward the end where a character says it's 2020. This story happens during the late spring/ early summer, During the summer of 2020, there would not have been bingo nights or Fourth of July picnics or any of the activities the book is centered on, Hopefully, the timeline will change t0 2021 before publication.

As always, I am thankful to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

LOVED loved loved this book.

The writing had me captivated from the start to finish, and I found myself reading it almost straight through one sitting. I look forward to reading more by this author.

In a small town, Aja, she's new to town, and Walker, who left this place but is reluctantly back, have one thing in common. They both struggle with anxiety, and that's how they first meet right off the bat.

It started as a fun, easy read, and it covered a lot of realness of what it is like to deal with anxiety. I noticed I was cheering Aja on as she took baby steps to put herself out there and sympathized with Walker when he was going through a rough patch to decide where he belonged. Learning more about the character struggles made them a little more lovable. Also, the fact that they were so supportive of each other and tried to understand.

The book's only downside was the premise, and it lacked direction, so I felt myself losing interest in different parts of the book. And who knew bingo could be so smutty.

Overall it was an enjoyable quick friends-to-lovers read. I would give it a 3/5 and look forward to what the author writes next!

Huge thank you to #NetGalley for sharing this advanced reading copy of this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting read. A good mix of romance, humour and personal development for both lead characters. I liked the chemistry and banter between Aja and Walker. They were funny, cute and a lot hot together. Their individual issues with anxiety and their pasts were also an interesting aspect 0f the story. I liked how they understood each other and how that helped the development of their relationship from friendship to something more. Nice mix of supporting characters as well. Well worth a read.

This novel has a great beginning, and I'm glad to see these characters and their struggles. I was absolutely drawn in by bingo and hope for matchmaking/meddling by older women. The steaminess of the romance was also wonderful. That said, I found myself skimming what seemed like repetitive and slightly too long descriptions of the character's struggles with their mental health and familial relationships. By the end of the novel, I kinda didn't think Walker deserved to be forgiven (so quickly) by Aja. I wondered if their personal struggles were also too parallel, which made it feel extra repetitive when either was spiraling.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions in this review are my own.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this book ARC and I really loved it! Bet On It has a lot of my favorite romantic comedy book tropes, but I think there are a few things to focus on.

1. A good look at small town life. Lots of rom coms take place in the big city, and I don’t really read a ton that focus on small town life. Bet On It looks at the benefits of living in a small town (i.e., the community) but also the challenges of living in a small community, like incessant gossip. The author did a great job of making both things feel really believable.
2. Male mental health. I have read a lot of books that discuss mental health, but this is the first one I’ve read where it’s such a point of focus for the male protagonist. I think it’s much more traditional in romance books for the female protagonist to overcome any mental health challenges, and that is definitely well represented here. However I really loved the fact that the male protagonist had real mental health challenges (and trauma) and spent a lot of time discussing them and coping with them. It was a really refreshing plot point that I greatly enjoyed.
3. The Bet. Betting spice on bingo? Love it! What a fun and clever challenge and plot point. I thought the spice in this book was great, and really love reading about sex-positive characters. Plus, the main character describes herself as fat, and I think it’s so important that readers see different body types deserving of love and spice. This has both in spades, and I really liked reading all of it!

Aja and Walker meet at the frozen food aisle of the Piggly Wiggly in the middle of Aja’s anxiety attack. Because of Walker’s own experience with anxiety, he knows how to be there for her and helps her calm down. After their initial encounter, she bumps into him again when he turns out to be her bingo buddy’s grandson.

Slaughter does a great job of describing anxiety and dealing with mental health issues, but it makes for a difficult read because the heavy parts weigh on you. Similarly, although Aja and Walker’s sexual tension is palpable, their love story felt more like a lust story - which is fine if that’s what you expect or are looking for, but not if you’re looking for a wholesome read.

Overall, Slaughter is a good writer and her book is enjoyable. I wouldn’t prioritize it, but I would recommend it if you want to read a love story between two anxious folks and how supportive it is to be with someone who understands.

So here’s the thing: I only finished the first 14% of this book before I had to stop. And the reason I had to stop is because the book starts out with very serious mental health issues. Both main characters have anxiety, panic disorder, and PTSD. As someone who has multiple anxiety disorders myself, I found this book very triggering. And odd as this sounds I mean that as a compliment. The anxiety is very well written and very accurate. There’s a section where Aja made plans to go to a group event but canceled because of her anxiety, and the shame she felt for days afterwards—I had a little cry over that because I do the exact same thing.

There’s probably some fun sexy times later in the book; just be aware of the heaviness at the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
CW: references of mental illness, anxiety, PTSD, drug abuse, child endangerment

An absolutely easy 5 star read!!

Things I loved:
- meet (not so) cute
- complex family relationships
- genuine conversations and depictions of anxiety and mental health
- unabashed sexual attractions
- boy obsessed
- witty banter and humor
- a bingo sex pact
- peach cobbler/piggly wiggly/Atlanta Braves/a love letter to the south through the depiction of South Carolina (while still addressing the realities of being Black in the small town south.)
- the TENSION
- good communication
- good friends with real conversations and relationships

Aja and Walker are kindred souls, which is apparent from their first encounter in the piggly wiggly isle. They understand each other and their experiences, and are so communicative about their needs and prioritizing their mental health. While the relationship sparks quickly, it is rooted in friendship and understanding and they truly just LIKE being around each other. Mix in some bingo humor, a strong emphasis on mental health, discussion of complex families, and enough sexual tension to make you explode, and this book is a light-hearted show stopper that will fill your soul almost as perfectly as Minnie’s Peach Cobbler.

It’s a fast and witty read, perfect for a summer day!

(A side note that I did not include in my review: other than a few minor typos, there were 3 inconsistencies that I noticed: When Aja is about to get her hair done, she says she is getting braids and then a few lines later Walker wonders what she’s doing. When talking about Benny, May says he’s coming in September but to fit the 8 week timeline it would be in July (which is when he is ends up coming). In the epilogue when they talk about people that helped them move, they mention Maya but that character hadn’t been mentioned before.

This book took me awhile to get into. I think I expect a light and easy book to just breeze through. The PTSD and the realness of anxiety made it real. The author dealt with these issues well. But...... I wanted a meet cute, light romance. It wasn't bad just not my fit for what I needed at the time. It did have moments that I enjoyed and thought was cute. I was cheering them on the whole time. Not much relationship building before they were hitting the bedroom, that missed it for me. I like the building up to that moment. Overall it was okay, nothing more or less. Just okay!

Thank You Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! A wonderfully written love story about two people who suffer from panic attacks and had a lot of suffering in their formative years but manage to help each other become better and stronger people. Great to read a story about a white-black relationship that focuses on character, not just on sex. Walker and Aja are wonderful characters and perfect for each other. Received an ARC from NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

This was a fun rom-com with real issues. While it was fluffy, cute, and funny, it handled some very serious topics like anxiety and child neglect. I loved seeing both characters work on their issues and develop relationships outside of their own. I was rooting for them to be a couple the whole time but rooting for them to be happy on their own as well. I loved seeing their character development with fun flirty banter in the mix. I recommend this book but be aware of the possible triggers.

This was SO fun. The romance is sweet and a bit steamy, it was funny, it didn't take a ton of mental energy to read (which is always a plus), and overall was written really well. I can't recommend this enough if you want a solid romcom.

This book has a little something for everyone: contemporary romance, fun flirty characters, lol moments, some steamy moments, and it also tackles some serious issues such as anxiety.
I'm obsessed. It's SO MUCH FUN but also SO real and I am just so deeply invested in this book.

Aja experiences a panic attack in the frozen food aisle of her local grocery store. Walker recognizes the symptoms and helps her through the attack. She is able to complete her shopping and leave the store without embarrassment. They meet again at Bingo as Aja plays each week, and Walker is there to help his grandmother who is recovering from a fall. This sets the course for the book. Their friendship turns into much more based on their attraction to each other as well as their understanding of their coping mechanisms. This was an interesting read. I didn't really care for it, but I did enjoy the thought the author put into the situations and the couple's relationship..

Loved the concept of a wholesome meet cute. I always appreciate accurate, and honest mental health discussions. This book had a lot of great things going for it, but I never felt any chemistry. The interactions and dialogue came across as cheesy. Overall, and entertaining contemporary romance…