Honestly, it was a little shocking hearing the characters profess their undying love to each other considering that all they did was objectify the other. It could just be me, but I think the characters could’ve been developed further instead of having their personality traits consist of loving their grandmother and having a traumatic childhood.

Sweet, steamy romance with mental health rep, a Bingo setting, and a meet-cute in a Piggly Wiggly. I have heard of this author, but this is my first of her books. I expected rom-com and might have been more prepared for a heavier style of romance if I was familiar with her work. It is a nice summer romance read and I liked it a lot, but be prepared for the tone to be less “rom-com” and more “intimate and intense”.

I really wanted to like this book but something about it just didn't click with me. I found myself very bored during most of the book and I struggled to finish it. I did however really like the representation in this book, with a plus-sized heroine and mental health being the main focus (both anxiety and PTSD).

I did really like Aja but had a hard time connecting to Walker. I didn't like his inner dialogue which was mostly just sexual thoughts and innuendos, which got tiresome and repetitive very quickly. I wish that the book had focused solely on Aja because I think I would have enjoyed in so much more.

Audiobook review: I think that the narrator did a great job of the books and I thought she was a great fit for the story and the characters.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✏️ Advanced Listener Audiobook Review: coming July 11, 2022!✏️

📚66/100
Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter
Format: 🎧 (@netgalley )

Thank you so much to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this #alc in exchange for an honest review!

Disclaimer: I am not a “spice” girl. Therefore, this book isn’t in my genre wheelhouse. However, if you’re a romance genre fan, this was an quick and fun “friends to lovers” addition! Aja and Walker’s profound struggles with mental health were well represented and not glamorized, which I definitely appreciated. They were lovable and real characters, and made the story worthwhile!

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*Spoiler Free Summary*

Aja moves to the small town of Greenbelt to start a new life, as she seeks to find an environment more conducive to her journey with anxiety. It is in the grocery store where a panic attack hits that she meets a kindred soul in Walker Abbott. Walker is there to assist his grandmother during an ailment. After helping her through it, the couple encounter each other yet again in a seemingly unromantic place- a senior citizen Bingo game.

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This was a fun read. I liked both Aja and Walker's characters. I liked the side characters and small town aspect to the story. I loved that Aja is a gorgeous plus size woman portrayed in a positive light. And I loved the mental health representation.

I went into this story for the romance, but the mental health representation, the portrayals of anxiety and ptsd, really stood out.

Also, I listened to the audiobook version of this book and loved the narrator's voice. Highly recommend the audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. 🖤

This book wasn't for me but will be a great read for most!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Jodi Slaughter and Netgalley for the ALC copy of Bet On It.

Unfortunately, I DNF’d this book at about 53%. I just couldn’t get into it at all. I liked the representation and the small town vibes, but it was just…. Boring. Nothing really happened the whole first half, I didn’t really feel a connection to either of the main characters and there was soooo much unnecessary swearing. There was honestly an F word like every other sentence in some parts.

Thank you for the advanced copy, but this one just wasn’t for me.

I loved it so much, not only because it had some of my favorite tropes & all the steam, but also for the rawness of the novel. There is a huge focus on mental health with the FMC having generalized anxiety disorder & the MMC having C-PTSD. You really get an insight into the thoughts & details of what goes on in their mind & physically as they navigate through life. Especially with seeing the characters trying to heal past traumas, find themselves worthy of friendships, relationships & find love. I was also left craving a yummy peach cobbler!

Aja moved out of the big city to the small town of Greenbelt to start a new life & soothe her anxiety. While Walker (who grew up there & hates the town bc of past traumas), is only there for a short time helping his grandma after she has a minor accident. Aja has found comfort in bingo nights which Walker’s grandma religiously attends, and he has no choice but to go with her. That’s when they meet for the second time, the first time being at the Piggly Wiggly, their local market, when Aja was having a panic attack. As they start spending time together & find it hard to keep their hands off each other, they make a no-sex pact. They are both healing & trying to find themselves, & the last thing they need is to fall in love, or so they think.

If you enjoy small town romance with heavier topics all the smut & lots of dirty talk, this one is for you!

You can expect:

* Based in South Carolina
* Fun Bingo Setting
* Explicit Open Door Romance
* Instant Love + Lots of Dirty Talk
* Small Town Romance
* Plus Sized Heroine W/ Anxiety
* Cinnamon Roll Hero W/cPTSD
* Trauma Healing Journey
* A No-Sex Pact + Crazy Sexual Tension

Everything about this book felt like it needed the volume turned up. I like realistic characters with real world problems but they were both really boring. The blurb was good but it doesn’t match up well with the overall tone of the book or the action inside it.

The “bet” isn’t even a bet, it’s a super low stakes agreement that they throw out the window anyway.

There’s great coverage of anxiety and PTSD but very few of their choices follow the actions of people who deal with mental health struggles. They both have severe anxiety and panic over what everyone in this small town will say about them, but they fingerbang against the car in a parking lot? Ok sure. Why not. 👍🏼

Everything felt forced and there’s no chemistry between the couple. You know that moment when you’re reading and you’re like “oh yay they’re finally going to make a move/confess their feelings/do something exciting!!!” - this book doesn’t have that.

The audio narrator wasn’t the right choice for a dual POV novel.

Every felt flat. It needs more excitement, higher stakes.

Oh sweet buttered biscuits this book is EXCELLENT!

Aja is a plus sized, black woman who suffers from generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks living her life as a relatively new resident of Greenbelt.

Walker “Wally” Abott is a southern, white man who suffers from C-PTSD due to a tumultuous upbringing and trauma inflicted on him from people from his hometown of Greenbelt.

Walker is back in town to help his grandmother he broke both her arms and meets Aja (again) at Wednesday night bingo (that both Aja and Wally’s grandmother attend weekly and sit together as friends).

The banter is winning, the setting of the bingo hall for a love story is a delightfully fresh take and the lust filled bet on winning bingo games is both a little ridiculous and positively charming.

This book is honest and raw about mental health and as someone who also has generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks I felt so seen in Aja’s character (and Wally’s as well). I really enjoyed the friendships Aja made in Greenbelt and how they accepted her for who she is, anxiety and all. This book is also spicy in the best way. 🌶 🥵

I really need booktok and bookstagram to love this as much as I do so we can get the movie we rightfully deserve from this book (who I have fancasted Lizzo and Chris Evans as the MC’s).

The audio narrator did an excellent job, her voice was soothing and I’d like her to sing me lullabies and narrate my grocery list, however, I do wish there was a male narrator as well when there were speaking parts for Wallace.

This was definitely a 5 star read! I enjoyed the heck out of this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and MacMillan audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bet On It transport the reader to small town Greenbelt in South Carolina. Aja Owens has Generalized Anxiety Disorder and sometimes has panic attacks. To live a quieter, and hopefully less stressful life, she decides to relocate to Greenbelt to settle down. Now that she is there, she wants to try and become more acquainted with the town and the people. She begins attending a weekly Bingo night and begins to bond with the other attendees, even if she is the youngest of the group. When she goes to her next Bingo night, she runs into Walker Abbott who happened to be the man who witnessed her panic attack at the local grocery store. Walker also happens to be the grandson of May, the woman Aja bonded with at Bingo. Walker is in town to take care of May after her accident. His plan is to return to Charleston and away from Greenbelt the moment May is feeling better.

The two of them bond during their Bingo meeting and end up forming a bet involving Bingo, which was a very cute and unique idea. Bingo is a huge activity and I loved how Aja and Walker used these nights to have fun while also getting to know the other. Their relationship becomes more casual as Walker is set to leave and Aja is still trying to adjust to the small-town life. As Walker has complex PTSD, the two of them connect by being able to openly discuss their mental health struggles. They also keep a lot in as they want to deal with it alone, so there is a push and pull for this, which does add to the realism as not everyone wants help all the time. While each of them has their own struggles, each goes through it differently, which is very relatable. It added some nice realism story as no two struggles are exactly alike.

Their entire Bingo bet was very enjoyable as Bingo seems easy to win, but it can be a nice mix of luck and skill. Bingo can also sometimes be thought of as a game for older people, so I love how inclusive it was in this story. The use of Bingo, though, did hinder the progress of the bet as, just like real Bingo, is not easy to win a lot, so it dragged out the bet a little. Another very inclusive element is this story is Aja’s size. Aja also is plus-sized, and I loved how the author normalized it as just a general description of her with occasional mentions from Walker, but it was not her defining trait or a plot device. The two of them had great chemistry, but I did want a little more to connect with them as a potential couple. Overall, this a sweet romance weaved together with heavier topics. It is one where I enjoyed the author’s style a lot and would easily read more from her in the future.

**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio, for a review copy of this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

This is a romance with not your typical character casting which I really appreciated. The characters are dynamic and throughout the book struggle with their own mental health and personal development. Call me a prude but I didn't really care for the internal dialogue from Walker, his sexual innuendos were cringe in my opinion. Additionally, the staging for some of the sexy scenes was kind of weird (frankly I just don't find bingo all that sexy).

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this arc.

Loved this book! Such a cute read. The anxiety part truly was understandable as I have anxiety myself. This was so crazy how bingo nights can change a life. The main character's love interest is so sweet and great and understanding. I loved this story! Beautifully written! Loved the narrator and how she made the characters sound, was such an easy listen!

I received this audiobook by NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. The statements above are my true opinion after fully listening to the audiobook.

I appreciated the intelligent handling of mental health issues, but the romance did not work for me. Getting frisky in the bingo hall parking lot was super weird, and the sexy parts were too gritty for a rom com.

This was very cute and very steamy! I loved the focus on mental health. I did find the book to be a bit too predictable and cheesy at times, but overall it was a very cute romance!

I fell in love with the curvy girl aesthetic of this story, as well as the overwhelming amount of mental illness representation! Aja has a generalized anxiety disorder, and Walker has post-traumatic stress disorder, and together they make the most supportive couple I have ever witnessed. It is one thing to read books where only one main character has a mental health issue, but it is something completely different to see both main characters going through the thick of it together. I was able to connect with the characters because I have some of the same issues, so I could empathize with their emotional turmoil.
The intimacy in the novel was hot, not as explicit as I typically prefer, but it worked well for the story. I also thought it was hilarious how bingo was the catalyst that really brought them together. The character development wasn't really noticeable, but the novel ended on a sweet note without the common cheesy marriage proposal. It felt more realistic and was overall a pleasant read.

This story was cute there was a lot of steam but it was a little predictable. I really enjoyed the storyline of two adults with anxiety disorders working through their problems to make everything work. I like that the author didn't play it off, no one tried to tell them to simply calm down. Side characters were understanding of both MCs. There is a fat MC, she is an introvert, and she's black! There Male MC is white and very much a southern boy. They meet and everything gets hot!

The narrator had a southern accent and she really made me feel Aja. She was able to change her voice when she made other characters' voices but they didn't seem as authentic as Aja's. She did however have an amazing voice and I sped up the audio to 2x speed and didn't miss anything. The flow of the story was marvelous. It was fast-paced. And it has a sweet ending.

I received this advanced audiobook from the publisher (@MacMillanAudio) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#Spicy #ContemporaryRomance #Romance #Anxiety #BINGO #BetOnIt #MentalHealth #MentalHealthMonth #AdultFiction #Adult #Fiction #ARC #Auddiobook #AdvancedCopy #Netgalley

Thank you to #NetGalley, Jodie Slaughter, and the publisher for the eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Aja Owens meets her dream man in the Piggly Wiggly while she is having a panic attack. That is not how Aja intended on meeting a cute guy.
Walker Abbott is back in Greenbelt, SC, a town he would do anything to not be in, but when his grandma needs help, he has to go back.
The second time Aja and Walker "meet" is at the town's weekly bingo game when Aja's bingo buddy turns out to be Walker's grandma.
As Walker and Aja grow closer and want to start a relationship, the start a pact that they can only do certain things if one of them wins a game of bingo. But feelings are stronger than bingo. Will Walker and Aja be able to put their anxieties and family issues aside to be together?
This was a cute rom-com that I enjoyed. I think it is important that books of all genres start including topics of mental health.

I had high hopes for this book, but it just wasn’t accessible for me. Maybe it was the setting or the characters, but I just couldn’t relate or connect to the characters. I hope that this book hits well for others — it just wasn’t for me.

i loved the small town setting of “bet on it” but above all, i appreciated the importance of mental health awareness displayed by aja and walker. certain triggers, like being in public settings, bring on an onset of panic attacks for aja. and walker’s past leads him prone to anger management issues. unlike some rom-come that have these “picturesque” protagonists, aja and walker have their share of imperfections but focus on being each other’s rock. as authentic as these characters are, i couldn’t connect to them as much as i’d hoped to. at certain parts, i felt that their personalities battled against each other instead of supporting one another. instead of trying to understand their triggers, i felt that aja and walker were looking for “quick fixes.”

the plot also focuses on aja’s found family and the friendships she’s formed during her stay at greenbelt. i admired her personality arc and how she eventually came out of her shell. oh and i absolutely loved miss. may! she has such a bubbly, energetic personality and certainly played a big role in aja and walker’s relationship!