Absolutely loved this book! It had from the start, as the author so accurately discribes the the main female protagonist experiencing a panic attack. The way that the author then integrates real, deep discussions surround mental illness throughout the book is refreshing. It is a steamy romance but with very real life discussions. I don’t think the cover matches the book at all, but don’t let that detour you. I love was invested in the characters the whole way through. And while the ending was predictable, I throughly it enjoyed it.

I had high hopes for this one because of the description, but ultimately, it fell very flat for me. The sad thing is, I got 60% through and realized I could easily DNF it and not give a care if I ever found out the rest of the story.

Things started off strong with good characters and a unique story concept. I loved the Bingo aspect, and it definitely made me want to find the nearest Bingo parlor and hunker down for a few games!

The representation of characters with anxiety and panic attacks was done well, in my opinion. As someone seeing it from the outside, there's only so much I can personally relate to, so I'd be interested in hearing from someone on the accuracy of it.

I wasn't a fan of how Walker treated his grandmother, and I thought it was kind of a cop-out to blame it all on his anxiety and coping mechanisms. I just found that very hard to justify when she was the one who stepped in and took care of him his whole life. Yes, he has a lot of past trauma that shaped his future, but don't treat your grandma like that.

The romance with Walker and Aja felt rushed and forced, but their slow burn friendship/longing was done well. I think they were great together and I was all on board for them starting a relationship, but once they actually got together, it all just felt like it happened out of nowhere. And talk about CRINGE. I didn't enjoy reading any of the scenes, and multiple times throughout, I found myself rolling my eyes or being a little grossed out. The dialogue was too cheesy and over the top, and nothing really flowed well or made you want to stick around. And the nickname he gave her??? Please...so stupid and cheesy. I rolled my eyes every. single. time. he said it.

The F-word was also used a lot throughout, so if you're not much for language, this one probably won't be for you.

Personally, I'd like to see Miri's backstory. She seemed like a much more interesting character, and I would love to see what she went through in her past to get where she is today. I found it hard to be invested in Aja and Walker fully, which just made the story pretty meh for me as a whole.

Also, I could not stand the way the narrator did Walker's voice. All the others sounded fantastic, but his just didn't match his character well.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This book is a heavy hitter and has a content/trigger warning warning in the beginning. That being said I really enjoyed this audiobook. The story was heavy but fantastic, and the narrator was perfect for the story!

Adorable, fast listen. Lighthearted romance featuring very wholesome discussions of mental illness, addiction and anxiety. Easy to root for both of the mains. I don’t won’t reach for it again and again but am glad to have picked it up. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ALC.

Having a panic attack in the middle of grocery shopping is not the typical way anyone thinks they will meet their next love. That is exactly what happens to Aja Owens. Aja and Walker meet as Walker tries to help Aja through her panic attack. Walker is in town helping his grandmother recover; Aja is a loner who only really goes out to grocery shop and play bingo a few times a week. She is particularly friendly with one of the older ladies at bingo who just happens to be Walker's grandmother. The three start attending bingo together and the attraction between Aja and Walker becomes something they can't ignore. However since Walker plans to leave town in just a few weeks, he doesn't want to complicate things between them so instead they make an unusual pact. A pact that stipulates whoever wins at bingo gets to choose what their prize is--and it goes exactly where you'd expect. When things start getting more involved than either Aja or Walker expect, their relationship inevitably gets complicated when it's time for Walker to leave town. Can they figure out a way to make this whirlwind relationship work?

THIS BOOK. I loved it so much! Aja is confident and does not refer to herself in a negative way at all throughout the story. This is what I want in my plus size heroines! Walker is so sweet, considerate, and sexy as hell frankly. Their steamy scenes are amazing and very well written. I have zero complaints about this book and can't wait to read more from this author!

Oh where do I even begin? I absolutely loved this book. It was emotional, realistic, heartfelt. I connected with these character's so much!! The mental health rep in this was superb. As someone who also suffers with anxiety, it was amazing to see this written in a book and written well. In addition to seeing mental health rep, we also get a man that goes to therapy - OBSESSED.

Aja has decided to try out life on her own and so she moves to a small-town. With Aja's anxiety, she believes a small town is perfect because it is slow paced and more laid back. However, Aja starts to have a panic attack in the middle of a local grocery store. To her surprise, a gentlemen immediately knowns what she is going through and tries to help her through what she is feeling.

Even though Aja suffers from anxiety, she is encouraged (gently) to make new friends and get involved in the community. Because of this, Aja happens upon bingo and her bingo partner's grandson happens to be Owen - the same man who helped her through her panic attack at the grocery store. This is a small town after afterall. Owen has, also, recently moved back to this town in order to help his grandma recover. Aja and Owen start to form a bond and of course sparks start to fly.

After endless days of playing bingo together, the chemistry is uncanny and well, insert some steam. Not wanting to give into their feelings they make an agreement that they won't get involved with one another like that - unless one of them wins. Because celebrating - duh.

Who knew I would want to go to Bingo night nd find myself an Owen? Not I, but I am here for it. This may be a cute cover, but the spice in this... it was so hot.

One scene that will now live rent free in my head and it takes place in a car... in a carpark.

Thank you Netgalley for the audio of this.

This was a cute small town, friends to lovers romance. I found the characters to be a little awkward and un relatable. I did enjoy the mental health representation in this book. It was a nice change of pace. This book has some steamy moments, which made me cringe a little. Usually they don’t bother me, but for some reason, in this book, it did. But, I know a lot of others loved this book, so I recommend checking out their thoughts on it!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried. I really did. But I cannot finish this one. I keep losing focus and it is just not drawing me in. I even sped the audio up several times and it didn't help.
I did not rate/review publicly since I am throwing in the towel at 20%.

Aja and Walker...My heart is tied to these two. They have such a unique, honest, vulnerable relationship that makes you really believe in true love and all is fair and love and war...but in the sweet innocent way with a little spice here and there. These two are a perfect match. Anxiety and mental health were key parts in their relationship and evolution and Jodie did a great job navigating how difficult life can be at times. The beginning of the book was a little slow but the second half really drew me in and I found myself cheering for their relationship and then gasping when bumps in the road occurred. A great romance read with a great attention to body positivity and mental health, realities in today's society.

I didn't end up listening to this one, but read it as an e-book instead. My review is below:

This book was unfortunately not for me. As much as I wanted to like it, the male main character was a 30 year old with an inner monologue of a thirteen year old who couldn't seem to keep his imaginative hands to himself. The male character had such promise but truly fell flat for me.

I loved the rep for anxiety, PTSD, and panic attacks in this book. I think that part was incredibly well done.

There's definitely an element of miscommunication, but that does go hand-in-hand with the anxiety disorders that surfaced.

The other part of the story that bothered me were the scenes that were meant to be intimate. I honestly love reading intimate scenes – the more detailed the better, but these often felt graphic and not in the pleasant way. They were crude and abrasive – and hey, some people are that way in their intimacy, but it didn't entirely feel like it fit these characters.

The overall plot I did enjoy, which is the only reason I continued reading – I just wanted more from the male MC. I enjoyed the female MC and found her a breath of fresh air compared to many other characters I've read recently.

The first time Aja Owens and Walker Abbott meet, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson.

Walker left his hometown and didn't plan on ever going back after being the root of all the rumors in his town. But fate has other plans. Going home to take care of his grandmother, who broke her arm, Walker bumps into Aja, who is working through her own insecurities, and sparks fly. Both Walker and Aja are dealing with anxiety while trying nit to gall fir each other, since they don't live in the same town.

So, a hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep the spark between them from getting out of hand. I like the instant chemistry that both characters had to one another. I also like the fact that both characters suffer from anxiety. It helped them understand each other when going through stressful situations.

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Bet on It follows the story of Aja and Walker, who both recently moved/returned to South Carolina and bond over mental health and bingo. While they both come with some baggage, they also can’t deny their mutual attraction to one another.

Quick thoughts:
LIKES - I definitely appreciated that the book highlighted mental health. I also really liked the relationship between Aja and her new friends in the city.

DISLIKES - I felt that the book actually focused too much on mental health for my liking. I also would have liked to see more depth from the MCs, especially Walker.

Read if you like:
*books with a strong mental health focus
*supportive female characters
*challenging family relationships
*small town vibes
*lots of steam

4.5 stars, rounded up!
2/5 peppers

Bet on It is heartfelt, genuine and a joy to read. I enjoyed every bit of this story from start to finish.

Aja Owens finds comfort in the most unexpected place when a stranger approaches her mid-panic attack in the frozen section of Piggy Wiggly. Then her world is thrown upside down when the same stranger turns up to bingo a few days later with his grandmother.

Walker Abbott swore he'd never come back to Greenbelt, but his grandmother needs him and he'll put aside his issues with the town this once in order to help her. It doesn't hurt that he meets the woman of his dreams his first week in town. Unfortunately, it can't go anywhere since he has no desire to stick around once Gram is healed.

The two bond over bingo, peach cobbler and their own precarious mental health.

The good:
- Curvy, Black FMC
- Mental health rep that includes: panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, complex PTSD, fear of abandonment, addiction, and more!
- Open and honest communication
- Both main characters go to therapy
- This was fun and spicy while also covering difficult topics in a raw, genuine and relatable way

The bad:
- The sex pact that the two make in the beginning feels somewhat out of character. It does work later on, but it did not feel natural to me initially.

This is it, the only thing I disliked. Other than this, the book was really great. I felt like both characters were incredibly relatable, the way they comforted each other and helped the other work through their mental illnesses without taking on the other's problems was so incredibly healthy and well done. Bet on It is one of my new favorite romcoms, and I can't wait to get a physical copy on my shelf.

Read this if you're a fan of steamy romcoms that cover heavy topics like The Charm Offensive, Act Your Age, Eve Brown and The Kiss Quotient.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

You can "bet" I loved every bit of this book! The familiar setting of South Carolina, the attention and awareness of struggles of mental health, and a healthy dose of steamy romance left me extremely satisfied. Aja and Walker's romance was quirky, sweet, and steamy. I loved their emotional connection through similar experiences and struggles with anxiety. Listening to the audio had me laughing out loud and it was wonderfully narrated. I loved hearing Aja grow not just romantically but in her platonic relationships as well. The story just felt personal and relatable. Overall I adore this story and will definitely be highly recommending this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review with amazing book.

First off I want to say thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin and of course Jodie Slaughter for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you are a fan of Talia Hibbert, Abby Jimenez or Jasmine Guillory this book was written for you. Don't let the cartoon cover fool you though, if you are looking for a cute light hearted rom-com this is not the book for you. Both the FMC and the MMC struggle with severe anxiety, CPTSD and panic attacks (check tw before you read). The author does a really good job at representing day to day struggles with mental health and how it can affect your relationships, not only romantic but familial and platonic friendships as well. This one was hard for me to rate because I found the pacing of the book made it hard to get through. I loved the story though which is why I am rating it 4 stars.

This was my first from this author, and it was definitely a five-star read. Bet On It was funny, raw, steamy, and so much fun. Aja and Walker have a connection immediately, and while that’s great, I think the most important part is how they can relate to one another emotionally. This story is about more than them falling for each other. It’s about Walker’s journey to healing and Aja’s growth. Still, I found their connection to be organic and heady. I could feel the tension like hot South Carolina humidity. The spice was… whoo, spicy. 2/4 on the spice scale. Which I wasn’t expecting. While I loved the story, I listened to it on audiobook and found the narrator to be reading slightly too slow for my taste. 1.25x ended up sounding like a normal pace for me. Also, I really wish they’d gone for a male voice actor for Walker’s parts. The narrator did great doing the male roles but I do feel like it took away from some of the more romantic moments.

As a person with anxiety, this was something that I had connected with especially well. Thank you for the great read! Will be recommending to a friend.

A small town, friends with benefits to lovers dual POV romance.

This was a cute little romance, I really enjoyed reading it. This had some great representation: anxiety, PTSD, plus size, and a Black woman MC. Aja, the female lead, was a very relatable character and Walker was such a cutie. The book was cute, not too deep but did touch on deeper topics, surrounding mental health especially.

I listened to the audiobook of this book (thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a audiobook copy of this book). The narrator did very well conveying the emotions of the characters.

Overall, this was such a cute read and I enjoyed listening to it.

I adored this book, but wish I would have read it instead of listening to it. The narrator was fine for Aja, but I wish they would have had a male do Walker's chapters to help differentiate. Additionally, it was rather slow, so I listened at 1.75-2x the speed which was much more enjoyable for me.

This romcom was sizzling, spicy and sweet. I absolutely loved the author's take on mental illness (it added to the character development and not just something to centre the plot around). I also really enjoyed the plus size representation - beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and the descriptions for Aja were amazing. The story also had side characters with lots of character development, which enhanced connecting to them all. Overall a fun, easy to devour summer read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced audio copy!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This was such a cute book. The main characters met in a Piggly Wiggly while the the main character Aja is having a panic attack and Walker does his best to help her. These characters later ended up with a friendship and a sex pact involving Bingo. I would definitely check out more by this author.