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.

Jack is a dreamboat!!!

A drunken one night stand finds two people going from friends to lovers in the most dreamy way. Jack and Hallie had the best time as friends, as each outing has drawn them closer together but neither could see what was right in front of them LOVE. Their witty banter was romance perfection!

The Love Wager has definitely cracked the list of favorite romance reads of all time. Never has a couple been more ideal for each other than these two. I was also schooled on the taco, cheese on the bottom. What's the point of cold, hard cheese? GENIUS

RomCom YES as you'll be laughing out loud!

Thank you Berkley Publishing / Berkley Romance for the advance reader copy.

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 18+
Spice Level: 2/5
Over All: 4 stars
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

This is my first Lynn Painter book, but it won’t be my last! The Love Wager was fun, tropey, and fast paced. A dual POV romance, it’s part one night stand that’s not so one night, part friends to lovers, part love bet, part fake dating, all fun.
This is a light hearted read, and it was easy to fly through. There was nothing about it that particularly stands out or lends it to having any sort of last impact on me after reading, but it was a good time, and there was nothing in the book to speak bad against it, either.
Admittedly, the third act break up/miscommunication trope was more painful than they usually are in my opinion. However, that was only a few chapters, and it does end up resolving nicely.
I also want to mention that despite this being marked as book 2 in the Mr. Wrong Number series, it can easily be read as a standalone. I have not read book one, and I wasn’t confused at all. There are overlapping characters, so there may be some easter eggs/cameos that went over my head, but it was plenty clear and enjoyable either way.
This is one of those books where I just don’t feel like I have a lot to say. It was fun! You should read it!

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter, book two in the Mr. Wrong Number series, is a one night stand, friends to lovers, fake dating, bets, and one bed story with all the feels. The wit, the humor, the sarcasm, and the back and forth banter was just perfect.

Hallie is bartending the wedding when she unwittingly precipitates the breakup of the best man and his girlfriend. Fortunately it turns out that he's not all that upset about it; and their commiseration over the events of the night lead to an amazing one night stand. Though they part without exchanging contact information, they are matched on a dating app, they both joined. Hallie sends Jack a message as a joke, and a friendship begins, with them making a wager to see who finds true love on the app first. They are super compatible as friends, and since neither one wants to date a one night stand they decide to be each other's eternal wingmen. They start planning concurrent dates at the same place and time so that they can meet up afterwards for tacos to debrief. When Hallie starts getting serious with another guy, Jack has to decide whether he should take the plunge and let her know how he really feels. There’s only one teeny, tiny problem. After weeks of fun and flirtatious texts and calls, one or both of them just might have some actual real feelings growing, and neither of them is prepared to risk their friendship to find out. When they decide to pose as boyfriend and girlfriend at Hallie’s sister’s wedding for the benefit of her family, it’s not the alcohol that’s blurring the lines this time.

Ms. Painter wrote an enjoyable, humorous, delightful story full of snark and sass and a lot of laughs that should not be missed. She provided a tale rich with sizzling chemistry, family dynamics, clever humorous banter, lots of laughs, and strong secondary characters giving Hallie and Jack the confidence to go after having a happy future together. I highly recommend The Love Wager to other readers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Review: I loved loved loved this book! Seriously, it was so good. The whole time I was reading it, I kept thinking this would make a perfect romcom movie, it was just so easy to picture in my head. This book made me laugh, made me giggle, and made me just so happy. Hallie and Jack were perfect main characters, and I loved reading about how they fell for each other. Overall, I highly recommend this book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

The Love Wager comes out tomorrow and it is just adorable. It is the follow up to Mr. Wrong Number - this time about Jack (one of the roommates from the first book) and Hallie. They have a one night stand at the wedding of Olivia and Colin and after becoming strictly friends, make a wager as to who can find love first. There are hilarious bad dates, witty, sarcastic and flirty banter, pop culture references and just pure sweetness. Of course it is predictable but there is comfort in seeing how it all unfolds. It was like a warm hug with some 🔥.

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter
Rating: 4.5 stars
Steam: 2 chilis
Pub date: 3/14

Every book I read by Lynn Painter becomes my new favorite! I always know that when I pick up one of her stories, I’m going to get whip-smart banter, loveable and endearing characters I want to root for, and a heartwarming love story that I’ll return to again and again.

Hallie and Jack have a steamy one-night stand after Jack’s sister’s wedding. When Hallie army crawls her way away out of the hotel room the next morning, she takes it as a sign that she’s hit rock bottom and needs to get serious about her dating life. She joins a dating app to help her search for love and finds that Jack is also using the app. Unable to resist, she sends him a message, and they quickly become friends. This leads to them making a bet (a love wager, if you will) to see who can find love first.

There is so much to love about this one! It bears repeating that this book has the BEST banter I have ever read, and I laughed out loud multiple times. I loved everything about these two, from their terrible first dates to hilarious text exchanges to their taco nights together.

Read this if you like one-night stands, the guy falls first, friends to lovers, slow burn, fake dating, only one bed, and a sweet and steamy romance. There is a bit of miscommunication towards the end, which is typical and usually not my favorite, but in this case, it made their HEA that much sweeter. I can’t wait to see what Lynn Painter does next! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for my advanced copy to read and review. The Love Wager will be available on 3/14.

Thank you to @berkleypub @netgalley and @letstalkbookspromo for the #gifted copy of the book.

I just added Lynn Painter to my auto buy authors list! First time having read her book and I absolutely adored her writing style. I had a lot of belly laughs while reading this book! I didn't read Mr. Wrong Number so this works as a standalone.

Friends to lovers trope, fake dating, one night stand and tacos oh myyyyyyyyy. Hallie is bartending a wedding when she meets Jack, the brides brother. After a drama filled evening, they end up in bed. Hallie is embarrassed by what happened and Jack has made a complete mess of his life. Both end up on the same dating app. They come up with a friendly wager to see who will find love first.

If you are like me and read a lot of heavy stuff and need something to break it up, choose this book! I will definitely being checking out her backlist!

I loved this delightful book, it grabbed me from the very beginning and delivered throughout, I was sorry it had to end! It has all the tropes I love: slow burn, friends to lovers, and forced proximity.
Hallie and Jack meet at a wedding and then find each other on a dating app. They make a bet - who can find love first?

They both make dates through the app, but schedule them at the same time so if things don’t go well, they can go out for tacos together afterwards. They’re determined to just stay good friends only, until Halle needs a date for her sister’s out-of-town wedding.

I love the romance between Hallie and Jack. It’s is a slow burn, but they’ve got mad chemistry. They’ve spent so much time together being just friends that they haven’t realized they’ve both developed stronger feelings.
I highly recommend this delightful and funny book, 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I love Lynn’s writing. She does such a fantastic job of including fun banter, comedic moment, and emotions

Lynn Painter is one of my go-to authors when I’m craving a hilarious and heartwarming read and her latest rom-com, The Love Wager, is all of that and more.

When the story opens, Hallie Piper is working at a wedding, tending bar. When Jack, the sexy best man, comes up to order a drink, Hallie hits it off with him, a little too well apparently, because they end up in a hotel room together. Hallie ends up belly-crawling out of the hotel room in a desperate attempt to avoid an awkward post- one night stand encounter, and she decides at that moment that it’s time to make some major life changes. She creates a profile on a popular dating app, hoping to meet her true love, and who does she see almost immediately as she’s scrolling for possible matches? Yep, you guessed it, Jack! Hallie messages him through the app, mainly just to mess with him, and the two of them end up actually becoming friends and actually putting a little friendly wager on which of them will find love first.

This story was just so much fun! Friends to lovers is a trope I enjoy anyway, but Painter really leveled it up when she added the one-night stand into the equation to make it more along the lines of a lovers to friends to lovers romance. Hallie and Jack were also both so likeable and had tremendous chemistry (no matter how many times they each tried to remind themselves that they were only platonic friends). I loved how they would set up their respective dates at the same place so that if things didn’t go well, they could give each other an out and escape to go get tacos together. The taco “not dates” were adorable and it was so much fun to watch these two clearly grow more and more attracted to each other, and more concerned for each other’s happiness and well-being, the more they hung out together. At one point, Hallie takes Jack to an event as her fake date and I was practically giddy watching the two of them interact because they had more chemistry than any of the real couples who were there. I was rooting so hard for them to see what I was seeing and just get on with it already, haha!

The Love Wager is a romance filled with heart and humor that has once again cemented Lynn Painter’s place on my list of auto-buy authors. 4 1/2 stars.

Warning, you will want to listen to T Swift and watch Pride and Prejudice while eating tacos after reading this book!
Hallie and Jack have a one night stand at Olivia's wedding after a spectacular breakup (his) and they reunite later in order to help one another get their lives in order. Hallie thinks that night was her rock bottom, her breaking point and Jack wants to get serious about finding "the one", so they devise a plan to help each other out. They will both go on a dating app, get dates and who ever can find the love of their life first, wins a vacation.
When things don't go well on the dates, they devise an escap plan to the taco joint across the street and they end up there a lot, until one of them finds a date that they don't actually need escaping from.
This book has a lot of my favorite things, T Swift, Pride and Prejudice, a hero who is pining for his girl way earlier than she knows he is, one bed and even some fake dating thrown in there. I really loved Hallie and Jack and their tension and chemistry. There were a few miscommunications that hd me wanting to scream at them both, but I had faith that they would find their way back to one another in the end. 4.5 stars because I am still thinking about it the next day.
Thank you to Berkley, Lynn Painter and Netgalley for an early copy.

Lynn Painter has become an auto-read author for me. I LOVED Mr. Wrong Number and this book did not disappoint. She writes the best dialogue and banter, even when we're reading text conversations. I love books with a texting element and Painter does it really well.

What I loved about Jack was how caring and thoughtful he was, and always very mindful of Hallie's feelings. He was a genuinely good friend to have. With Hallie, I was happy we saw her pull her life together quickly. A lot of contemporary romance features girls who take the whole book to really "get it together" but Hallie was smart and felt like a very real character. She wasn't a MPDG but she also wasn't too serious.

This was also a bit of A+ fake-dating and friends-to-lovers. Two tropes that I often overlook and am always pleasantly surprised by.

Lynn Painter is my go to for light, giggle inducing romantic comedies!

The Love Wager is fake dating, one bed, and friends to lovers (though they already banged once at the beginning). The premise of being wing-people for each other and having fallback taco eats after their failed Wednesday dates was really sweet.

I personally always enjoy when both parties are trying to hide their feelings because other has made it "clear" nothing can happen, but then *tension* comes to a boil. There are a couple open door scenes and in locations that could almost be public should someone open the door at the wrong time.

I picked this up Sunday evening, finished it early Monday morning and greatly enjoyed my time with both Hallie and Jack. I completely forgot that this book was about Olivia's brother from Mr. Wrong Number so I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading. There is some miscommunication, or rather withheld information, so tread carefully if that irks you.

First of all, this book’s so wholesome without even trying… and Hallie, the woman that you are omg.
The story begins with Hallie working as a bartender, meeting Jack at a wedding and weeeellll, was it messy. At first I was a little bit afraid about Jack being hung up on his ex bc duh the man was about to propose to a different woman! but that’s not the case at all (fortunately).
Jack’s looking for a real connection, he has his own struggles as so does Hallie, so it was nice seeing how the two of them dealt with those and grew as characters. By the way, when it comes to the moment where the title makes sense… gosh, I love it. The whole development of Jack and Hallie’s relationship felt natural, not rushed and their banter was absolutely hilarious. They went from strangers to friends to lovers, and all the moments in between were entertaining…. Oh boy, I may even dare to say the angst was perfect, I mean, we romance readers deserved a book where the man had to suffer a tiiiiny bit and fall first, not that easy. Hallie knew though, deep down, that Jack had something the rest didn’t.
I loved the humour on this book, although sometimes I wanted it to stop tbh because that’s just me, I have a hard time finding books funny without annoying myself at some point. I laughed every now and then while reading, so no regrets.
Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGallery for the ARC 💖