I really enjoyed reading Bet On It. Aja and Walker are so cute together and I love their cheeky little pact based on Bingo night. Even more so, I liked the discussion of anxiety and mental health and how the characters related to each other and worked through their struggles together. I also enjoyed Aja's journey to making adult friends in a new place, which can be so dang tricky!

Another romcom causing such an extreme overwhelm of emotion that I am compelled to dump text about it on Goodreads? Seems about right.

We follow Walker and Aja, who are both recent transplants in Greenbelt, South Carolina. He’s returned home to care for his injured grandmother and she’s trying to start a new, quieter chapter in life. After a rocky first meeting, the two become fast friends—sharing peach cobbler and bingo tips—before their mutual attraction morphs into a saucy lil sex pact.

While Walker and Aja’s chemistry alone could have easily carried the book, I appreciated the attention that Jodie Slaughter placed on deepening their relationship. The sweet, slow pining and southern backdrop were a dream to read about. I loved the unabashed adoration that Walker had for Aja (seriously, his POV was a delight) and how her kind-hearted, attentive energy towards him was never unrequited. There’s also some great anxiety representation and it’s clear that a lot of care was taken in giving the characters healthy and (relatively) realistic arcs. Lastly, of course, I would be remiss to not mention the truly *scrumdidlyumptious* smut that Bet On It had to offer. Finger lickin’ good shit, literally. Coochie smoochin’ that could save a life…I’ve said all I need to say.

And that’s all I’ve got!!! This story was a wonderful example of why I love me a romance ALWAYS, why fiction will never not be FAR superior to reality, and why my Google history is currently FULL of small town real estate searches.

Rating: 3.5
I liked the characters and the representation of panic attacks and anxiety. The relationship was ok, but I think it happened to quickly and I didn't care that much about it.

This was such a refreshing read. Not only was it a fun, unique romance but it worked in mental health representation, something that I'm really enjoying seeing in contemporary romance novels lately.

I enjoyed this book.
It all goes down in the Piggly Wiggly…. Frozen foods is where it’s at….. for a panic attack….. when you meet the man of your dreams….
Poor Aja!
This book is so sweet, friends to lovers with a little bit of steam and a lot of feeling.
The author really showed character development between Aja and Walker and their extreme chemistry.
Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title.

I really tried to like this but this just was not the book for me. I didn't really like either of the main characters was was pretty board. The cover is so cute and I wanted to like this but I had to DNF.

Funny, heartwarming, swoony and now one of my favorite rom-coms of 2022! Who knew I’d get obsessed with a book centered around bingo night?! I loved Bet on It and can’t recommend it enough—it’s just the kind of book you’ll want to live in.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I loved the premise of this novel, but the execution lacked key elements for me to enjoy it. I thought there was a tad bit of insta-love and lust that was driving this novel forward. I don't mind steam but in a rom-com I expected laughs and a bit more of the romance. I didn't get the romantic chemistry between them, and it wasn't keeping my attention. I also thought some of the steamy scenes were more cringe than hot. Outside of the bedroom some of the scenes were just boring (?) and I wasn't registering where their chemistry was supposed to come from.

Moving to a new town is hard, especially when you suffer from anxiety. Aja’s method of meeting people is going to the local bingo hall, here is where she meets Walker.

This was a cute book but I didn’t feel much a spark between these 2 which made it hard to root for them. There’s was also excellent mental health representation in this book but at times it was too much and too heavy for me in a Romcom.

I enjoyed this surprisingly spicy romance that touches on PTSD and anxiety. The main characters meet at bingo and I thought the care they showed to the residents of the small town was so sweet. There are so many good side characters involved in this romance and I loved how the main characters helped each other with their difficulties. The narrator Angel Pean does a good job breathing life into these characters and the small town.

I really enjoyed this cute rom com.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really loved this one in the beginning but the romance fell short for me. :( The main female character was so relatable too which is why I was so sad this one fell flat.

I really appreciated the mental health representation and I thought the steamy scenes were done well! Super cute, I enjoyed it.

Aja offers a very relatable journey with her life and friendships. I felt very drawn in by the struggles with her anxiety and panic attacks; hit close to home. The way in which the author handled it was perfect. It wasn't sensationalized and it wasn't a put down on Aja as a person, it was just part of who she was, plain and simple.

That being said, the over all connection between Walker and Aja seemed more lusty than full on romance; him focused on her butt and her focused on his broad shoulders. Don't get me wrong, there was plenty of spice, there just wasn't enough to fully grab me.

Certainly glad I was granted a copy of this to review as I did enjoy it.

The mental health representation is so on point in this novel!! I appreciate that the first moments that we find our love interests meeting is during Aja’s panic attack at the Piggly Wiggly. Seeing how Walker and Aja both deal with anxiety throughout the novel is also great.

And a bingo sex pact? I’m so in.

I always love when older adults are side characters in romance novels, and bingo is such a fun setting that Aja feels at home in. The fact that Walker is her bingo buddy’s grandson is a great catalyst for a friendship(and more) after their initial meeting.

There was plenty of spice, and I appreciate any time we normalize mental and menstrual health in romance! Period cramps aren’t sexy, but they happen, and I liked that this story feels more real because of it.

This is one I intend to revisit and would highly recommend!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Bet On It” by Jodie Slaughter. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I greatly appreciate the author including content warnings at the beginning. That being said, I found the first chapter very stressful and overwhelming and it didn’t make me want to keep reading. I do think having representation in literature about panic attacks and mental illness is important and some readers will appreciate seeing themselves in the pages, I find these kinds of books overwhelming and exhausting to get through. Romance as a genre absolutely has room for more mental health representation, but usually when I’m reaching for a romance book I want a different experience. I have to it myself in the right headspace to read a book dealing with heavy mental health discussions and I am so rarely in the headspace to tackle that and that’s totally on me. I need to know my limits more and stick to the kinds of romance books that don’t overwhelm me.

Again, I greatly appreciate the trigger warnings and I hope these become more common place in romance stories.

A story of sweet and steamy romance and lots of mental health rep! Overall cute but not a memorable one for me.

Aja moves to a small town due to her anxiety issues and on her weekly Bingo night meets Ms. May's grandson, Wally. Only she had met him before when she was having a panic attack in the Piggly Wiggly. This is labeled as a romance but honestly I didn't feel it. I didn't really connect with the characters. They seemed kind of awkward and instead of meaningful conversations for the most part it was just lusting after his broad shoulders and her big behind. By the time I got to the end I just didn't care. I wasn't feeling it.

I'm giving it 3 stars rounded up from 2.5.

Also this is definitely not a closed door romance. This one is definitely open door and all the windows too.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I feel like it could be better advertised for what it is which isn't as cute and fluffy as it seems

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

As someone with an anxiety disorder, I would like to start by saying that this book was very well done. Both Aja and Walker learn about themselves and their own strength. They were both so understanding and open with one another, even when it hurt, and I appreciated that. It was refreshing to not have to watch characters deal with the daily things like being shamed by those around them or being told it's all in their heads. I loved the way that they grew and healed and didn't give up parts of themselves to do it.

I really loved their romance and thought it was adorable and sexy at the same time. The whole bingo concept was the cutest, and I loved the way it played into their relationship. There was so much gentleness between them and I loved the way they fit so perfectly together.

I also really enjoyed the plus sized representation and the way that nothing was ever really said about Aja other than how gorgeous she was. She was such a powerful character and her confidence even in the midst of her anxiety was so inspirational. I loved that every part of her was so authentically her and that she never shied away from any of it.

If you're a romcom fan, check this one out! I *bet* you'll fall in love!