Lyn Painter is just it.

Her writing voice is hilarious and fluffy, but packs a great punch. The Love Wager is teeming with chemistry and hilarity from the first page. I laughed out loud and marveled at the dating situations both of the MCs encountered. This novel is just a delight and matches well with TBR first book in their series, Mr. Wrong Number.

Thank you Berkeley for the gifted copy.

When it comes to romcoms my criteria is stringent: the sequel to Mr. Wrong Number TICKS ALL THE BOXES.

Hallie is an adorable, refreshing character who doesn’t take herself too seriously, but the guys she dates want her to be less herself and more what they think she should be. Jack just wants what his friends have, someone to spend his life with.

When Hallie and Jack end up on the same dating app (after a crazy one night stand) they make a wager. The first one to find love wins…

Lots of banter, chemistry for days, and a super fun read.

4.25 ⭐️ Hilariously fun! An absolute joy to read!


"You have bewitched me body and soul, and I love you three times. Please tell me my hands are cold so we can get on with our lives already."


WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ sarcastic, hopeful bartender / tax accountant FMC
✨ charming, witty landscape architect MMC
✨ one-night stand to friends to lovers
✨ dating apps
✨ 'who can find love first' bet
✨ fake-dating (at the end)
✨ one-bed trope
✨ open door romance with minimum details
✨ snarky banter
✨ amazing flirting
✨ eventual jealousy
✨ omission of feelings
✨ love confessions in the rain 'The Notebook" and "Pride and Prejudice" style
✨ dual pov


I read Lynn Painter's Mr. Wrong Number and thought it was cute, but I wasn't necessarily eager to read this one until a friend of mine gushed about it, saying it is now her favorite contemporary romance! So I requested an ARC on NetGalley, and thank goodness I did because The Love Wager was an absolute freaking delight! You know a book's good when it makes you laugh out loud so many times and ultimately pulls you out of a reading slump. So if you're questioning if you should read it, this is your sign to do so!


My Thoughts:


I absolutely adore Jack and Hallie. Even though they are great characters on their own, I can't think about one without the other. Together, they just make sense. There is no Jack without Hallie and vice versa. They really do complement and complete each other. They see the other for exactly who they are, and not only do they accept the other's uniqueness, they love it. Jack and Hallie are the definition of soulmates, and I would die for them.


The one-night stand to friends to lovers romance. I'll admit, I wasn't sure how on Earth this was going to work, but Lynn Painter did it beautifully! Not only do these two have so much romantic chemistry, but it's made abundantly clear that their friendship is just a strong. Even though they had a one-night stand, they really were just pals after, and it was entirely believable in my opinion. It was fun watching them banter and develop a sweet friendship that turns into love.


Some of the best snarky and flirty banter. Seriously, I cannot tell you how many times I laughed out loud. Their text messages in particular were great! Here's an example:

Jack: Wow. He seems nice? Is that where the bar is set - at nice?
Hallie: What's wrong with nice?
Jack: Nothing. I mean, I'm sure you cannot LIVE without getting railed by a "nice" guy.
Hallie: Eww can you explain the particulars of what getting "railed" entails? It sounds . . . torturous. Painful. I think you might be doing it wrong.
Jack: HAL.
Hallie: I'm mocking the terminology and THAT IS ALL.


The romantic scenes may not be very descriptive, but they are still sexy. One of the things I didn't love about the first book was that these scenes were usually only two paragraphs long and extremely light on details. While they still aren't explicit, they are much longer and happen more often, so I was happy about that!


The only reason this isn't getting 5 stars for me is that I didn't 100% jive with the author's writing style. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. I just sometimes had to pause midsentence to reread a sentence more than a handful of times, which disrupted the flow of the story for me. It could be because this was an ARC, so it wasn't fully edited either.


Overall, The Love Wager is a rom-com you should read if you're looking for something charming, comical, light-hearted, and romantic. I'll definitely be buying a copy for my library.

“Jack: That falling-off-a-building feeling the first time you kiss someone is just perfection.”
— The Love Wager, Lynn Painter

You know that feeling you get in your chest when you read a really good love story? Your heart swells, your pulse quickens, you’re kicking your feet and squealing? That was me with this book.

I didn’t think it was possible for Painter to top herself because Mr. Wrong Number is a masterpiece, but…she did.

This book was funny, sweet, sexy, two-halves-of-a-whole, once in a lifetime kind of love amazing.

Jack and Hallie meet when she’s bartending his sister and best friend’s wedding (yes, Olivia and Colin!!!!) and what ensues is a super hot night of slutty wedding sex. But they later connect on a dating app, and through mutual dating woes, become best friends.

Until they both want more, and it all comes to a head in Vail at HER sister’s wedding.

Lord I just love these two so much. They were both hilarious and sweet and soooooo hot. They both wanted to find love, and wound up finding so much more than they ever dreamed of.

Lynn’s writing is beautiful. Her prose flows well. She’s hilariously talented, and creates characters that you feel like you’re living right alongside. I wanted to live in this story forever.

I adored this book! As usual the characters, the fun, whimsical storyline, the snarky banter, hilarious situations the characters found themselves in, all of it added up to perfection for me! It was fun getting to see Jack, was Olivia’s brother from Mr. Wrong Number, get his HEA. And we got a fun bit of time spent with Olivia and Colin too in this book.

The meet-cute in this book was a little bit of an eye-opener for Jack, who found out the woman he’d been about to make his fiance was a bit of a jealous crazy for no reason. And he hadn’t even asked her to marry him yet! But the getting over it along with Hallie was pretty fun. But they left it as a one night stand kind of thing until they “found” each other on a dating app. I loved the parts with the dating app as I am someone who does the scrolling, or as I call it, window or catalog shopping. The two of them became friends as they tried to help each other navigate to find their perfect match.

As you would expect though, the friendship between them became so rich and wonderful, that it was hard to not develop more feelings. While Jack kind of fell first, the feelings were niggling at the back of Hallie’s mind as well. As I mentioned the banter, the hilarious texting and nicknames and debating over what was the “okay” term for sex, railing, bonking, etc., was exactly what I love in a rom-com. The fact that Jack’s cat was named Mr. Meowgi was perfect as well.

It was not just the main couple that I loved, but the side characters as well. And not just the ones that we know from the first book, but also Hallie’s roomie, and sister, and really it was just a great ensemble of characters. I hope there is a third, not sure who it would be, but I’m there for any characters that Lynn Painter wants to write a story for.

I did discover a bit of a continuity error in the book, and I assumed it was probably going to be changed before the book was released. I reached out to the author to ask her about it, and she said that it slipped through. And also there was a mention about someone making a funny Kansas City Chiefs joke, and I don’t remember that, so don’t know if that would have made me a bit mad as I read it, lol. My only criticism really is that there was so much of the “not ruining the friendship” and not believing he wanted more even when he really did kind of come out and say it. I know, I know, it’s a normal romance dramatic storyline, but sometimes I get a little bit irritated with characters who keep it going, like Hallie kind of did. Also, I’d like to find my own Jack who has lots of frequent flyer miles to upgrade my plane ticket to Scotland this summer.

I didn't read Mr. Wrong Number before reading this and I was still able to follow along and enjoy the book. Hallie was character to root for as she figured out a new line of work while romancing her one-night stand. I will recommend this one to readers looking for something light and enjoyable.

Lynn Painter is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. The Love Wager is no exception to her reputation as an excellent rom-com writer. Hallie has been working dead end jobs in an effort to reinvent herself after a bad break-up. Jack recently dodged becoming engaged to the wrong woman. After a one night stand the two form a fast friendship, and an alliance as they seek their "forever" partners.
The structure of the novel, the texts, and the supporting players -- all add to the novel instead of detracting. I loved this book. Great banter, fast pacing, and well rounded and likeable characters.

A disclaimer that this book will have you laughing out loud, smiling like a fool and giggling.

Dang this was SO good. Hallie and Jack had some electric chemistry that make reading this book SO SO fun. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first book in this series but this book was SO surprisingly good. I’m obsessed with this friends to lovers meets fake dating goodness. Hallie was such a good heroine and Jack was a jealous, romantic, HOT hero.

Here’s a little bit of what to expect:
- Friends to lovers
- hero who has cat 🐈
- Fun texts 😏
- Shameless flirting 🤭
- So many good jealousy scenes
- Fake dating scheme
- One bed trope 🛌
- THE BEST BANTER
- Love confessions in the rain

Maybe the only thing I didn’t like was that they spent a long time not being together but it was a slow burn so totally understandable. I’m honestly struggling to find something about this book I didn’t like.


Thanks SO much to Berkley Publishing for this ARC!!🫶🏼

THE LOVE WAGER – Lynn Painter
A Perfect 10
Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-593-43728-5
March 14, 2023
Romantic Comedy

Omaha, Nebraska – Present Day

After having gone through a painful breakup with her longtime boyfriend, the last thing Hallie Piper needs is a new romance. One night while working as a bartender at a wedding, a man comes up to the bar to order a drink. She recognizes him from the jewelry store where she also works part-time and remarks to him about it. His girlfriend thinks they are coming on to each other and throws a hissy fit—and tosses a drink at Hallie. With the guy now being dumped by his girlfriend, he corrals Hallie into drinking with him. She wakes up the next morning in his bed. She doesn’t know his name, but it must have been good drunken sex. She sneaks out and doesn’t see him until she meets him a few days later.

Turns out the guy’s name is Jack Marshall, and he is fun to be around. Hallie and Jack hit it off as friends and avoid the romance route. As they kid around and get to know each other, he gets her to agree to a dating app challenge. If one finds true love using the app, they will have to pay the other in a bet (she offers up a rare, signed baseball and his is a bunch of airline miles). Along the way, they encourage and critique each other’s date choices. Despite the chemistry between them, Jack and Hallie don’t want their friendship to turn into friends with benefits.

There’s plenty of fun going on in THE LOVE WAGER, a romantic comedy that revolves around the romantic lives of Jack and Hallie. To a point, neither can find Mr. Right, so after they ditch their online dates, they end up at a local Mexican food joint to commiserate. Just when it looks like they are both about to hit the jackpot, things change—and Hallie needs a date to her sister’s destination wedding in Vail. Jack agrees to be her pretend boyfriend for the weekend, and that is when this tale really takes off as the chemistry between them sizzles smoking hot. It doesn’t help that their shared room turns out to only have one bed. Can they spend a night together in the same bed? It isn’t like they haven’t done it before…

THE LOVE WAGER is cute and entertaining with its sassy dialogue and intriguing characters in Hallie and Jack. They don’t see themselves together as the perfect romantic couple but feel friendship is their best bet. He teases her and she confides in him. Why ruin a good friendship with love? Yet, it is clear to readers that they are great together. When will they realize it? THE LOVE WAGER takes you inside the ins and outs of online dating. It is either hit or miss, but is it worth it? Yet, Hallie can’t get past that night of drunken sex (as she calls it) and feels they will ruin a good friendship by having sex. Will the trip to Vail be a game-changer? You’ll have to read this tale to find out the answer.

Enjoy the fun and sexy shenanigans by grabbing a copy of THE LOVE WAGER. I certainly enjoyed it and that is the reason I gave it a Perfect 10.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Four and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭒
The Love Wager by Lynn Painter is the second book in her Mr. Wrong Number series. It’s a delightful, laugh-out-loud, romantic comedy that I enjoyed very much.

Story Recap:
Hallie Piper had a night she doesn’t want to remember and decides to turn over a new leaf. She’s ready for one steady boyfriend and to start a real relationship. She gets a new wardrobe, haircut, and attitude.

When Hallie goes to the app to find someone, she finds Jack, the man with who she spent a one-night stand that made up her mind to change herself. Through the app they become friends, and they decide to go on dates at the same time, so they can back each other up if the dates go wrong.

My Thoughts:
The Love Wager has the perfect balance of romance, humor, emotions, and conflict. I loved the characters and just knew they were meant for each other from the beginning. The chemistry between Hallie and Jack was evident from the very beginning, but I loved their friendship even more. They were great together, and their banter was so much fun to read.

This book took off from the very beginning and never slowed down. I just can’t explain how much I adored both Hallie and Jack, they know how to have fun.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend The Love Wager to anyone who loves romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

"It couldn't have been anyone but you."

I have always been a fan of LYNN PAINTER'S work, and every book of hers that I read, continue to remind me why. This book will have your emotions going haywire, and at some points, want you to smack your head against the wall because of how dent Hallie and Jack can be, but these are what what makes this such an AMAZING BOOK. Hallie Piper has just ended things with Ben, who she thought was the love of her life, but turns out he was only in love with the "idea" of her and what he was trying to get her to be like (what a loser🙄). Meanwhile, Jack's gotten out of a relationship with Vanessa aka a girl who may be gorgeous but honestly needs help🤢 When Jack meets Hallie at his sister's wedding (READ MR. WRONG NUMBER OMG OLIVIA & COLIN ALL THE WAY) where she's working as a bartender, sparks fly over alcohol and small talk. After that one night stand ends, Hallie believes she'll never see Jack again, and after some convincing from her best friend/cousin, she goes on a dating app. But WHO DOES SHE MATCH WITH ON THIS APP? THAT'S RIGHT, JACK HIMSELF. But of course, the two decide to just be friends, and instead, bet each other into seeing who can find love first on the app. They plan taco dates when their dates with other people don't work out, and text each other all the time about prospects. However, when it's time for Hallie's sister's wedding, and she doesn't have a date due to a lack of prospects, Jack steps in as a fake date (YUP WE'VE GOT A FAKE DATING TO LOVERS TROPE HERE TOO). But, what happens during the weekend of the wedding, when lines are being blurred between what's real and what's fake? Can Hallie and Jack have actual feelings for each other that never went away to begin with...UH OH. CUE THE CHAOS Y'ALL. LOVED THIS BOOK. WE GET THE WHOLE JUST KISS AND GET TOGETHER ALREADY VIBES RIGHT HERE.

This is so freaking good!! I loved the banter, the funny and everything else about it! Hallie and Jack are so freaking cute! They hit the rock bottom together and see mature dating through an app as an only way to adulting. They find each other perfect wingperson while they go on dates……while they text each into the land of best friends who have a lot of fun….and maybe more?

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter is the definition of a cute rom com. Aside from entertaining characters, and a friends to lovers, fake dating plot, it has the best banter and funniest quips I’ve read in a long time.

4.5/5 stars

The story begins at Jack’s sister’s wedding, when instead of proposing to his jealous girlfriend as planned, he breaks up with her. Bartender Hallie gets drunk with him and they have a one night stand. Neither can stop thinking about it, and later the two coincidentally match on a dating app. After lots of amusing messaging, they bet on which of them will find true love first, and start dating other people. But what happens when their friendship is the most fun either of them has ever had? Clearly when Hallie needs a date to her sister’s wedding, it makes perfect sense for Jack to attend as her fake boyfriend. No romantic feelings here, right?

I’m a big fan of a story where the characters say they won’t develop feelings but oops they somehow have feelings. It’s the banter and chemistry between Hallie and Jack that makes this trope feel fresh. I wish I was as quick with a quip as Hallie is! And any book that features a cat named Mr. Meowgi is a winner for me.

Sometimes it’s tricky to have one MC dating someone else when other decides they’ve fallen; how far does that other relationship go? I thought Painter did a great job of pushing to exactly the right point where it feels convincing, but not like cheating. And while book is not closed door, it is low heat, which worked for this rom com settling.

The Love Wager was my first book by Lynn Painter, and it won’t be my last. This book is a wonderful execution of a friends to lovers, fake dating romance. But it’s the top notch banter that makes it so much fun.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This is a sweet sequel to Mr. Wrong Number, and I love this universe from Lynn Painter. This author is a great writer of contemporary romance, and really master's the art of romantic banter and comedy. This book starts at the wedding of Olivia and Colin from the first book in this series, but this time Olivia’s brother Jack is the main character looking for love. Jack has a one night stand with the wedding bartender, Hallie. Hallie is trying to reclaim her life after a bad breakup, and decides it’s time to get serious about dating after this one-night stand. Jack and Hallie reconnect by finding each other on a dating app, and become friends while searching for love. But will their friendship turn into more? I loved this book, mostly to do with Painter being so good at writing flirty scenes, fun side characters, as well as sweet and thoughtful romance. She’s really good at this complicated balance. I love a friends to lovers plot line, and liked Hallie and Jack. In order to create conflict between these two who are obviously perfect for each other, the book does rely on the miscommunication trope, but again, the sweetness, banter, and respect between the characters makes this work. I recommend this book for fans of Lynn Painter, romantic comedy, and low-angst, fun contemporary romance.

I love Lynn Painter. I have read her teen books and now this one. This story kept me thoroughly entertained and I love how she can tell a story that elicits so many different emotions. The intimate scenes are always on point and then can turn around and make me laugh in the next sentence. A great read that my library has already purchased.

Hallie and Jack met at his sister’s wedding where they had a one night stand. After that night, they are both convinced that it’s time for them to enter the dating app world. When Hallie comes across Jack on the app, she teases him over message and they begin to chat. Over time, they decide to motivate each other to find their soulmates on the app by making a bet. Whoever falls in love first wins.

Jack and Hallie were so good. They had amazing banter which I’m always a sucker for in romance novels. I immediately fell in love with Jack. I loved that even though he had his personal issues, they weren’t massive. Hallie also had some small issues, but everything felt very relatable. Their chemistry was off the charts. I honestly couldn’t understand how it took them so long to get together.

I also felt like Painter did a great job accurately writing about the world of online dating. The few dates that they went on made me laugh and I definitely understood Hallie being heart broken over the possibility of something more than losing the person you were dating.

One other thing I loved about this novel was that the conflict wasn’t ridiculous and was resolved quickly. I hate when the conflict is a huge overreaction that takes forever to get resolved. This didn’t happen in the book and it made me like it so much more.

I flew through this book. I thought it was funny, light, romantic, and a complete joy. Painter writes clever and relatable characters who I was rooting for the entire time. I will definitely check out more of her novels in the future and highly recommend looking into her if you like banter in your romance novels.

Hallie feels like she’s hit her social life rock bottom after belly crawling out of the hotel room of her one night stand. It’s time to try dating for real. She joins an online dating app, but instead of finding someone new, she finds the man she spent her one night stand with.

They keep chatting while agreeing there’s no chance of them falling for one another, forming a friendship while they help each other navigate dating other people. As an incentive, they place a bet to see who can find love first. What could go wrong??

Quick Breakdown

Dual POV
One Night Stand
Friends to Lovers
Fake Dating
Only One Bed
Lots of Tacos
Open Door - Mild Details

This book was downright ADORABLE & I found myself having to pace myself so I wouldn’t devoured it too fast. I don’t know what it is about Lynn’s writing, but it never ceases to suck me right in and make me swoon. She is the QUEEN of banter & humor. I found myself cackling while listening on multiple occasions!

This one is also another example of why I LOVE the strangers to friends to lovers trope. That gradual build up of trust & comfort in each other is the best foundation for a relationship 🙌🏻 Toss in the fact that this couple already had a one night stand so you know they’re compatible on that front, it’s a recipe for some of that delicious sexual tension I live for. Add in the sprinkle of fake dating & I was done!

If you’re a fan of audiobooks, I definitely recommend this one, too. The narrators did a fantastic job - their voices fit the characters perfectly. There’s even a bit of dual narration, which is my new favorite thing!

Confession! This is my first Lynn Painter book, and it won't be my last. I was immediately sucked into Hallie and Jack's story. Their chemistry and relationship, from friends to lovers, had me flipping pages ready to see these two adorable people together. Painter does a fantastic job creating hilarious banter and sexy flirtation. I'm a fan! Thank you to Berkley Romance/NetGalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I’m a huge fan of Lynn Painter’s books, and The Love Wager was just so sweet and funny!

The banter between Hallie and Jack is so witty and fun, and I loved seeing their friendship blossom into something more throughout the story. The gradual buildup of trust, comfort, and support between Hallie and Jack was so sweet. And that sexual tension?! Oh yes, please.

Lynn Painter knows how to make you swoon, laugh, and fan yourself when it gets just a little too hot, and I loved every second of this story!

Hallie Piper makes a cringeworthy choice with a man she met while hotel bar tending for his sister’s wedding party. The next morning, Hallie sneaks out of his hotel room deciding she needs a behavior makeover. Hallie quits her two part-time jobs, finds a new apartment, and declares she is done making poor dating choices. After being coerced to join a dating app, Hallie finds none other than Jack, the man from the wedding whom she spent the night with much to her chagrin.

Hallie and Jack begin a skewed kind of relationship by deciding to help each other find their respective soulmates after agreeing they are not meant to be together. Hallie and Jack go on a series of dates from the app while texting one another, then meeting up for tacos after said dates that are usually less than successful.

Hallie needs a date for her sister’s upcoming wedding because the ex-boyfriend who dumped her, is in the wedding party. She does not want to show up looking like a loser so Jack agrees to be her fake boyfriend for the duration. Not surprisingly, things heat up with them again so that they begin to realize there is more to their relationship than a wager about who will find love first. Neither wants to risk what has become a true friendship by trying for something more again.

Hallie and Jack are both struggling with some emotional baggage that effects their efforts at having a relationship. While this rom-com story of looking for love in all the wrong places is fairly predictable, what makes it fun is their witty banter including Hallie and Jack’s text messages and entertaining dating fails from the app. Engagingly written and entertaining, fans of Ms. Painter will enjoy Hallie and Jack’s story. This book is the second in the Mr. Wrong Number series but can be read as a standalone.