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.

This all worked itself out a little too well a little too immediately, but was a sweet story anyways.

The Love Wager is the second installment in Lynn Painter's Mr. Wrong Number series, and it's a delightful friends-to-lovers romance. Fans of Painter's work will undoubtedly be pleased with this latest addition to the series.

Thank you to the publishers at Berkley and Netgalley for my e-ARC of The Love Wager.

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
🤞🏻 love fake dating
🛌 enjoy the one bed trope
🌮 eat tacos every day
💕 have ever used a dating app

• 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄

After a one night stand, Hallie and Jack decide to pursue a strictly platonic relationship.

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Hallie and Jack meet during Jack’s sister’s wedding. She’s the bartender, and he’s just been dumped. After getting drunk and having a one night stand, the two find each other again on a dating app. They decide to be just friends and make a wager - whoever can find love by the end of the year gets a special gift. But Jack doesn’t expect his feelings to grow for Hallie and when they decide to fake date for Hallie’s sister’s wedding, both of their feelings will come to light.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was such a cute story. I loved how much chemistry Jack and Hallie had. They were truly perfect for one another and I don’t know why they didn’t see it soon enough. I liked watching their friendship grow though, as it allowed their true feelings to grow stronger for one another. I also laughed at a lot of scenes and I wanted to binge eat tacos with the two of them!

Lynn Painter is still a rom com genius. No, she’s the queen of rom com I think it’s safe to say. I giggled and swoony and got a little hot and bothered throughout The Love Wager. I loved the original idea of this plot line right from the beginning and immediately fell in love with the characters. I adore Lynn’s spunky, funny, no fear female main characters who are loved for who they are so much.

I am devastated to say though that I felt like this book was a touch too similar to Accidentally Amy, one of Painter’s previous books, that I had finished last week. Maybe it was because I just read them too close together, or I’m entering a rom com burn out, but it niggled at me that there were so many similarities. The Love Wager was also the first book by this author that I didn’t constantly laugh out loud at. While it wasn’t my favourite, I definitely recommend you check it out for a happy, feel good giggle rom com!

Friends to lovers Check. Sexual chemistry with slow burn vibes Check. Excellent banter Check. A smiling reader who enjoyed a most welcome fun read., big check. and of course tacos, also Check.

A great follow up to Mr. Wrong Number, which was one of my fun romance audiobooks last year! Thank you Berkley for the copy of Lynn Painter's The Love Wager, I can't wait to send a copy to my romcom romance reading bestie. I am so glad I could read this during the very long weeks of the shortest month of the year (how is that a thing?); I do just love banter and fake dating tropes and how can I not love the tacos?

I became a fan of this author with her first in this series, Mr. Wrong Number and I was excited to see that Jack finally gets his story! As always, this author delighted me with a fun, sweet, humorous read! I loved the characters of Jack and Hallie - they were a match. Not only was romantic, but it had so many troupes I love to fall into and get lost in!

I adored this book! It's one of those books that keeps you smiling the whole time you are reading it.

Hallie and Jack meet at his sister's wedding. Things happen, they end up drinking together and have a one night stand (even that whole thing had me laughing). She sneaks out the next morning doing the walk of shame through the hotel and thinks they will never see each other again. But they do! They both sign up for a dating app and start messaging through there. Then texting. And become best friends. Their conversations by text are hilarious!

They are both on the app to find "the one" and it isn't working out so well. They decide to make a little wager to up the game. They have their dates at the same place to give each other an out. If the date sucks, they ditch their dates and go for tacos (cheese on the bottom, of course!).

We the readers see early on that they are actually each other's "the one". But it's a long, bumpy, hilarious ride until it slaps them in the face as well.

The side characters were perfect and I'd love to see some of them have their story told (Ruthie please!)

I did not realize this was a book 2, and I will definitely go read the first. It was easily read as a standalone. This is also a new to me author, and I will be hunting down all of her prior books because I adored her writing!

Many thanks to Let's Talk About Books Promo, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC of this fun book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an adorable romance.
I loved Hallie & Jack's chemistry a ton. Their banter was witty and whew the sexual tension was there.
I remember reading one of Lynn Painter's YA books before and really enjoyed so I'm glad to see she transitioned into into adult romance quite nicely.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙏𝙬𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩, 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙗𝙮 𝙇𝙮𝙣𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧.

📍 Read if you like:
• Friends To Lovers
• Fake Dating
• One Night Stands
• Sweet + Steamy

This is the second book in the Mr. Wrong Number series. I haven’t read the first one yet, but I didn’t find myself struggling with the characters.

The book starts off with a one-night stand between Hallie and Jack. They know it’s wrong to be together and it’s already awkward. Both characters decide to find “the one” with a dating app, but when everything fails they decide to make a love wager to see who finds love first.

I really enjoyed these characters and their swoony moments. The one-night stand was so funny to read about and I found myself relating to both characters at times.

I felt like this was such a comforting romance story. I haven’t read anything by Lynn Painter before this one, but I definitely want to pick more up in the future.

I really enjoyed this book and the route it took. These characters were adorable and fun to read about. I can’t deny that this author is such a talented storyteller and character development writer.

I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future. I’ll also be going back and reading the first, I would highly recommend this one!

Unfortunately, I don't have a single kind thing to say about this book.

The banter was so forced and cringey, I was physically rolling my eyes and audibly scoffing. The fmc has some of the worst internalized misogyny/white feminism I've read in a book in a very long time (and of course the mmc goes along with it). Beyond that, she is just completely and totally unlikeable, obstinate, and contrarian, and he is not much better. The book is dual POV, which usually I like, but in this case, we are flipping back and forth multiple times in the same chapter, sometimes after only a couple paragraphs, which is extremely disorienting and lazy.

In terms of stylistic prose, I have read worse, which is the only thing saving it from being one-star.

I didn't like Mr. Wrong Number (thought it was weak and a bit creepy), but I thought I'd give Lynn Painter's adult novels another try. Not again. Her YA is leagues beyond this.

Short synopsis: A one night stand turned friends to lovers? Hallie and Jack both go through a bad breakup, and make a bet of who can find love faster on a dating app.

My thoughts: After reading The Do-Over a couple months ago I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Lynn Painter’s newest novel. It is technically a spin off from Mr. Wrong Number (which I haven’t read yet, but have every intention of picking up asap!) but i feel like it can totally be read as a stand alone.

Friends to lovers is my jam! The banter is amazing, and flirty while they just fake like there aren’t real feelings. I adored Jack, great book boyfriend material. And Hallie was cute and quirky and fun!

There were lots of laugh out loud moments, the cleaning closet to name one. And I especially love the cat name puns, I laughed out loud at Mr. Meowgi.

Also, I did a mix of audio and reading this and you have to know the audio is amazing! The dual narrators knocked that signed Cubs ball out of the park!

Read if you love:
* Fake dating
* Friends to lovers
* Finding love on an app
* Cats
* French Fries in bed
* Betting on love

Thank you so much Berkley and PRH Audio for the copies of this book. Pub date is March 7, 2023

Wow! This book is everything I want in a rom-com! Hallie and Jack are the most fun book couple ever. The witty banter had me grinning ear to ear the entire time. I just LOVED they're relationship.

Hal and Jack meet in a chance encounter at a wedding. One thing leads to another and.... they wind up on the same dating app making a little love wager. Who can find someone first?

I'm not normally one to search out a friends to lovers book but this one was so different. Hal and Jack are new friends so it almost felt like a classic relationship progression more than your typical drawn out friends to lovers storyline. It was a great twist on a classic trope.

Read if you like:
🌮 NEW friends to lovers
🌮 Fake dating
🌮 Only one bed
🌮 Witty banter
🌮 Strong female personality
🌮 Cats
🌮 Slow burn
🌮 Tacos (cheese on the bottom, obvs)

This book had so many relatable moments and quotable lines (I've never highlighted so much in a book before). It actually reminded me of my husband and I which was just an extra cherry on top.

Its a slow burn but once you get there, the steam is frequent (but mild) open door.

Gah. I could gush all day about this one! Its just so cute and super, super fun. Did I mention the banter?!

I think I've officially entered my Lynn Painter era.

I adore Lynn Painter’s writing. Mr. Wrong Number and Accidentally Amy were both 5 star reads for me so I’m absolutely not surprised to find out Love Wager is fantastic too.

Jack and Hallie are both very likable characters and they are so easy to root for through out this story. The novel is full of quick and witty banter both in person and via text. I’ll be honest I’m a sucker for text message banter in books. Their banter made their chemistry palpable and made this 300+ page novel fly because I just couldn’t put Jack and Hallie down.

I definitely recommend this to all my romcom lovers!

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hallie decides to clean up her life but finds that Jack, the one night stand that made her realize she needed to change, might be her best friend. OR is he her true love? They agree to date others, eat tacos together, and so forth and then....Jack agrees to be her date at her sister's wedding. All the tropes, all the feels with this one. It's the second in a series but works perfectly well as a standalone. It's funny and sweet (and spicy too). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast entertaining read.

Lynn Painter did it again. I will read anything she writes no questions asked. I just had a good time reading this. It was funny and easy to read!