4.5 Stars

I adored this book and couldn’t stop reading! From Hallie and Jack’s first encounter I was hooked. I loved their chemistry and witty banter. It was the perfect friends to lovers book filled with flirtation, sexual tension and tacos. I highly recommend!

Read if you enjoy: friends to lovers, fake dating and the one bed trope.

This was a sweet, feel-good, laugh-out-loud romance novel! I loved Hallie and Jack’s meet cute, and their chemistry felt so believable 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 It was refreshing to read about a non-problematic male protagonist. I absolutely adored Jack! Hallie and Jack complemented each other so well and their witty, sarcastic banter was a blast to read, especially over their endless taco meetups 🌮

This book had…
💕Fake dating
💕Dual point-of-view
💕Dating apps
💕Only one bed trope
💕Friends to lovers

I disliked the miscommunication (this seems to always happen in romance novels but it never ceases to irk me) and a somewhat predictable ending.

Overall, this was a really great read and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for some light-hearted romance! 🫶🏻

I rated it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like: friends to lovers, fake boyfriend, one bed trope.
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This book was so cute and just what I needed! I loved the chemistry between Hallie and Jack. Both are on a journey to find love, so to encourage each other, they make a bet on who is going to find true love first. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize that they might have already found it.
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This had so many great tropes in it and the plot was fast paced enough to keep me engaged the whole time! If you’re looking for a great feel good romance then this is it!
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Thank you Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

Lynn Painter provides the perfect rom-com escape in The Love Wager, a trope-driven romance that will remind readers why they love the genre as they laugh themselves to tears. Hallie and Jack hit it off while she's tending bar at his sister's wedding and they spend a passionate night together before she sneaks out the next morning. That night kicks off a fresh start for Hallie, but when she spots Jack's profile on a dating app, she sends him a purely friendl message. After commiserating about the dating scene, they agree to wing-person for each other and as extra motivation to keep slogging through the dating mire, Jack and Hallie make a bet--whoever falls in love first gets an amazing prize.
With humor and charm, Painter cleverly reveals her characters' compatibility as they go on many failed dates, provide support and generally have a good time together. By the time Jack agrees to go with Hallie to her sister's wedding as her fake boyfriend, readers will be itching for the two to finally figure it out. Painter builds a foundation of friendship under the characters' immediate physical chemistry and while their pent-up attraction does bubble over into a couple of open-door scenes, the focus is always on how Hallie and Jack make each other--and readers--laugh. As Jack and Hallie find their happily ever after, readers will feel like they won The Love Wager.
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Reviewed for Shelf Awareness. An edited version of this review will run there around release date.

It was my first Lynn Painter book and idk... something was missing for me. I gave it three stars because there were still parts I enjoyed but just felt lackluster. Still a very good palate cleanser though.

The Love Wager is one of the rom-coms you can’t help, but binge read.

I adore Lynn’s books. They are always the perfect “pick me up” read. I know I will laugh, swoon, and just fall in love with anything that was written by Lynn. The Love Wager is the second book in the Mr. Wrong Number series but can’t be read as a stand-alone. This story follows Hallie and Jack, both on a quest to find their soulmate. They decide to be each other’s wing person, despite the fact that there is obvious chemistry between them. What I love about Lynn’s books is that they are so easy to sink into, and there hasn’t been a book of hers that I haven’t binge-read. The Love Wager has lots of fun, witty and sarcastic banter. Every conversation or text exchange between Jack and Hallie was utter perfection. It was fun and light while, at the same time, there were some definite spicy undertones to them.

I loved the use of technology in this book. I don’t always enjoy a rom-com where the two main characters converse a lot of text messages, but in this case, I didn’t mind. Lynn took Hallie and Jack’s texting conversations and made them fun and flirty. The character’s personalities shined in their messages, and it was great to see Hallie and Jack’s relationship deepen during these exchanges. Dating apps also play a big part in this story. As much as I don’t like dating apps, they are how people connect nowadays. It was a lot of fun getting to spend time with Hallie and Jack as they went on first date after first date with people who they met on these apps. Some of their dates were definite horror shows, and others were missing that spark.

Hallie and Jack were fabulous characters. I loved everything about them; they were great separately, as friends, and as a couple. Hallie and Jack are just a lot of fun; they love to laugh and have a good time. Their upbeat and, at times, quirky attitude just percolates to all aspects of their lives. Even though these two are fun, their characters still have a lot of depth, and they both have some issues to work through before they can become a couple.

The Love Wager is a treasure trove of romance tropes. There are lovers to friends to lovers, fake dating, one bed, and miscommunication. Right from the very beginning, things spice up between these two. They have a drunken one-night stand they can’t (and don’t want to) forget. Then when they meet up on the dating app again, they decide to be friends and help each other out with dating. The chemistry between these two was on fire even when they were friends. As the story progresses, Hallie and Jack pretend to be in a relationship with each other, and that’s when things really start to heat up. I loved the romance in this story. It was really well thought out and had just the right amount of humour, spice, and charm. I knew these two would get their HEA with each other, but the journey there was just so darn fun.

The Love Wager is a delightful, spicy rom-com that will not disappoint.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book! I loved everything about Hallie and Jack, from how they met, to them meeting again on the dating app, to them becoming friends and going on their dates “together”, and finally, to them realizing their feelings for each other.

The relationship between Jack and Hallie felt real to me. It was interesting how they were able to become friends after a one-night stand, but what I loved about them was the support they gave to each other and their banter was fantastic. This book had me laughing a lot which is really what I look for in a romcom.

I liked that they bet each other to see who could find true love first. But when they end up fake dating at Hallie’s sister’s wedding and are forced to share a bed, all bets are off! Fake dating and forced proximity aren’t my favorite tropes, but they worked so well in this story.

Lynn Painter has now become an autobuy author for me! Oh, and when I saw in the synopsis “spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together” I knew this is a book I’m going to love, and I wasn’t wrong!

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I just finished my favorite romance of the year! I absolutely loved the Love Wager. It was perfect timing for me; I needed a pick me up and this was everything I dreamed of.

Hallie’s life hasn’t turned out like she expected and she hits rock bottom one night after running into someone she knew from her hometown. But rock bottom included a one night fling with the handsome Jack. After decided to pull her life together, she joins a dating app and meets… Jack!

They both think they can do better than the other one at dating and they put a wager on who can find love first. They have all their dates at the same bar and time so they can help each other out if things don’t go well. And then after they go get tacos! They even get to pretend to be a couple at her sister’s wedding and there’s everyone’s favorite trope: only one bed! 🛌

Jack and Hallie are definitely friends to lovers and they have the best chemistry. I would love to hang out with them. They were both so funny and just a good hang. They eat lots of yummy food and I completely agree with Hallie that the cheese goes on the bottom of a taco! 🌮

Thank you so my to @lynnpainterkirkle and @berkleypub for my gifted copy.

The Love Wager 🎰♥️

I SQUEALED when I got this ARC of Lynn Painters new book. After LOVING “Better than the Movies,” I couldn’t wait to read her adult romance. Dual POV of Hallie & Jack who bet on who can find their one true love first. One night stand, friends to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity.

Lynn’s writing is so digestible, if I had the time I would have been able to finish this in one sitting. I love her pop culture, movie and music references. Her characters are vibrant and quirky. I really love her as an author.

My hiccup with this book is that it mirrors “Better than the Movies.” The main characters were alarmingly alike. Something I’m struggling to identify just didn’t click for me in this one, I didn’t feel invested.

Ty for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cute, fun, and sexy. Three words that I would use to describe The Love Wager. I fell into Hallie and Jack’s world of dating through an app, although they are not dating each other. I love their quirky, flirty texts, and their banter when they are together made me smile.

Watching two characters fall so adorably in love made me wish that there was more to this book. I did not want to leave their world. I enjoyed seeing them flirt, be sexy together, and fall in love. I did not love the families “help”. Both families seemed to be working against Hallie and Jack, not wanting them to find their HEA.

After reading ‘The Wrong Number’ by this same author, I knew that this novel would be rom-com at its best… and I wasn’t wrong! Hallie was such a unique character. She had this easy-going personality that oozed friendly charm. Her chemistry with Jack was so smooth. Their clever conversations and growing friendship was fun to read and I couldn’t wait until that moment when that heat that they had that one night returned for their forever future. I thought Jack was kind of a unique character too because you don’t usually see a ‘hero’ in a romance novel who is desperate to be a couple. It was an interesting perspective and personality quirk that easy breezy Hallie helped him overcome. They were a fun, cute couple!

The plot was entertaining to read and the fun dialog kept it move forward fairly quickly, a formula that is my particular favorite because I can read the novel in a day or over a weekend. If you are in the mood to read an easy breezy rom-com, this would be a good pick!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

This is my first book by this author and won't be my last! I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put this one down. While I didn't read the first book, this book can easily be read as a standalone. The chemistry between Hallie and Jack is palpable and I knew from the beginning that they were perfect for each other. I just wondered how long it would take them to figure it out. I think I love tacos as much as they do and bonded with them over their love for them. The banter in this book is awesome and reminds me of why I love this genre so much. They make me laugh, help me feel more normal about my dating past, and show me the importance of being friends before lovers! The eclectic cast of supporting characters added depth and their dynamic only added to the fun of this story. I look forward to reading the first book and am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!

💕🌮 The Love Wager by Lynn Painter 🌮💕

H’s Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Genre: RomCom
Tropes: one night stand, guy falls first, friends to lovers, forced proximity, one bed, fake dating

📖 Read if you like 📖
💬 Texts on page
👩‍❤️‍👨 He falls first
🛏️ One bed trope
🌮 Tacos
🗣️ Fun banter
🤝🏼 Fake dating

💭 H’s Thoughts:
This was a cute, fun read. I loved the banter and the bet between the two main characters. Their texts on page were especially fun to read! Overall, this one was cute, but the miscommunication at the end of the book bumped it down to 4 stars instead of 5. The HEA was heartwarming and made up for it, though! If you like steamy, funny, and playful romcom books, you will LOVE THIS! -H

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleyromance for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

*Note: This will be posted on my bookstagram, @therapist.book.swap on pub day, 3/14/23. I will edit this review to add the link to the post once it’s posted.

Hallie and Jack meet for the second time through a dating app. They become friends who help each other navigate the dating world. But what happens when you start to fall for your BFF?

I enjoyed the first book in the series, Mr. Wrong Number, but liked this one even more. I binged it in 2 days! This can be read as stand alone though I definitely recommend book one.

I loved this friends to lovers romance! Jack and Hallie are a great couple. I really liked seeing their relationship develop. The fun banter and flirty texts were some of my favorite parts to the story.

Along the way we get some other favorite tropes: one night stand, forced proximity, one bed. Secondary characters including Olivia and Colin from book one also added to the story. I can't wait to read more from this author! Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

The Love Wager is the second book in the Mr. Wrong Number standalone series.

After a hot one-night stand with Jack, Hallie decides to turn a new leaf. She is going to make some changes in her life and finding new love is on that list. When Hallie runs across Jack's profile on the dating app, she messages him to joke around. The message leads to them messaging back and forth, and they slip into an easy friendship. Hallie and Jack decide to put a wager on their dating goals. Whoever finds love first wins the bet. Neither of them thought how the wager would play out if they started to fall for one another.

I really enjoyed Mr. Wrong Number and I was excited to dive into this one. This one had the witty messaging banter that I absolutely loved from Mr. Wrong Number. Lynn Painter sure has a way with building chemistry through characters messaging one another, which is not an easy feat.

This book featured two friends who were on a journey of trials and tribulations of the dating world. I didn't have to date in my adult life and I don't envy Hallie and Jack. It seemed like they had the worst luck! I thought it was so darn cute that they would commiserate and bond over their dating fails. The ease with which they slid into their BFF relationship was perfectly paced.

When they had to pretend they were dating, I was excited to see what that situation would do for them. It was amusing and entertaining just like I thought it would be.

If you have a chance to listen to this book, I highly recommend it. Zachary Webber is perfection!

Pick up this one for a cute and sexy friends-to-lovers and fake-dating romance!

Steam level: 🔥🔥½

With its undeniable charm and downright lovable characters, The Love Wager perfectly blends the tropes of fake dating and friends to lovers together to create a fun and heartwarming story about falling for the person you least expected.

After a spontaneous one-night stand, Hallie decides to start fresh and join a dating app, only to find said one-night stand, Jack, on the site as well, looking for love. A strong friendship sparks between the two of them as they decide to join forces and help each other out on their quests for “the one”. But as the dates turn into late-night taco runs, helping the other through heartbreak and so much more, will their chemistry ignite into something other than friendship?

This book just made me constantly smile! Painter effortlessly steals my heart again with her adorably written characters and their cute little quirks, and this book was no different. Right from the start, Hallie and Jack hooked me into the story with their witty banter, hilarious inside jokes, and sweet interactions. (The Pride and Prejudice references and inspired declaration of love made me so happy!!)

If you’re looking for a read to sweep you off your feet and into a romance will that will have you laughing out loud while insanely swooning, definitely keep this book in mind!

4.25/5

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times- Lynn Painter can do no wrong. Each and every one of her books feels like classic rom-coms from the chaotic antics to the sharp and witty conversations between the characters. This book holds a special place in my heart because it has some of my favorite tropes- friends to lovers and fake dating.

We all know Jack Marshall from Mr. Wrong Number. This story picks up at Olivia and Colin's wedding, where Jack meets our intrepid and snarky heroine- Hallie Piper. One thing leads to another, and the pair have a night of very drunken sex all across Jack's hotel room, which ends in Hallie gracefully crawling out of said room when the morning comes. When their paths cross again over a dating app, a friendship strikes between the pair and they strike a wager to see who can find their true love first. But when Jack agrees to fake a relationship with Hallie for her sister's wedding, all bets are off.

The connection between Jack and Hallie is undeniable, and I loved watching their relationship unfold from both of their perspectives. They form a fast friendship, and the pact they form as they try to find The One was so much fun. From them taking their often disastrous dates in the same restaurant, to them escaping together to get tacos instead, I was living for all of their antics. In a lot of ways, this reminded me of Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating. Their friends to lovers dynamic was immaculate (of course I am biased because it is one of my favorite tropes). My favorite part was undoubtedly the fake dating scheme that they hatch for Hallie's sisters wedding. They fell so naturally into being a couple, and I was blushing, giggling, and kicking my legs every time they tried to one up each other in their PDA.

If you love fast-paced, swoony romantic comedies that you will not want to put down, then this book is one you need to check out.

While I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters, I think I’m aging out of the contemporary romance. On line dating and texting after these two have a drunken one night stand. Just not for me.

I've been reading a bunch of non-romance reads lately, and The Love Wager was exactly the romance I was looking for to dive into and enjoy with a cold beer!
This book has so many great things going for it - the main characters meet and have a one night stand at his sister's wedding, then they match later on a dating app. They bond over how hard it is to meet who they're looking for and start planning dates on the same day at the same place - so they can decide to bail and go get tacos together instead. There are some fantastic cat characters (Tigger and Mr. Meowgi) and even another wedding. There is fake dating and only one bed… seriously, this book has a little bit of everything romance readers love! I was swept away by the story and couldn't put it down. I had forgotten about the characters in Mr. Wrong Number, so you definitely don't need to read that one first 🤣🤣
The Love Wager publishes on Tuesday 3/14 (pi day!) and I recommend it to romcom fans. Thanks to Berkley for the NetGalley ARC in exchange for my honest opinion - one of the best romances I've read this year!!

I've read each of Lynn Painter's book and she keeps pulling me in for more!

Hallie is a bartender and meets Jack at his sister's wedding (we initially meet Jack in Painter's Mr Wrong Number). They have a one-night stand that evening which turns into a bit of a friendship, which then turns into a competition to find love (the titular wager) all while harboring feelings for each other.

The star of this book was the witty, sparky banter been Jack and Hallie, a lot of which occurs over text, which somehow makes it even funnier. The banter is there throughout the book and is always well-timed. I definitely laughed a ton, obnoxiously and out loud, during the book.

The two characters are, well they’re a bit of a mess, which is always fun in that they are relatable. There's good chemistry building throughout the book, great nicknames, lots of tacos, and a lot of dates. Painter pulls in so many tropes - one-night stand, friends, competition, fake dating, only one bed, while simultaneously mocking some of the tropes.

Overall, this is a fun read. Painter pulled it off well. My only criticism would be Jack's actions in the first few chapters and that quick transition for him. I also thought there were a few too many plot devices to keep the characters apart as the book progressed on, but the banter kept me reading. Definitely looking forward to what's next for this author, either in YA or Adult Romance/Rom-Com.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the advanced copy.