As someone who hasn’t read Lynn Painter before, I had no idea what I was in for. Even so, the writing of The Love Wager and the storyline immediately captivated me. The book follows Hallie who is a wedding bartender which is where she meets Jack. The two have a mishap while his girlfriend is here so Jack gets broken up with.

Jack goes back to talk to Hallie and the two end up leaving the wedding early to hook up. At first, it seems like the two will never see each other again but after matching on a dating app, the two agree to both look for love and meet up either during or after their dates to discuss.

While things are going great at first, feelings start to get involved especially for Jack. Everything comes to a head when Hallie invites Jack to go along with her to her sister’s wedding which her ex is also a part of.

Aside from the fun storyline, I enjoyed these two as characters. Hallie is just trying to get her life together and feel more adult while Jack is grappling with the grief of losing a beloved family member and having his worldview changed. It’s so incredible to see how much these two overcome in such a short time of being friends and working to be better together.

While the romance does take a bit to develop, the tension, mutual attraction, and pining were delightful. I love friends-to-lovers romances and this gave me everything I wanted because they were best friends despite their hookup at the beginning. I just couldn’t get enough of these two.

The Love Wager was also funny. This was truly a romantic comedy. There were plenty of funny moments happening with Jack and Hallie separately along with them together. Honestly, this book was so much fun and I can’t believe it took me this long to finally pick Lynn Painter. Her books are a hoot.

The only issue I had was with Jack’s decision in talking to one of Halle’s interests. I do understand why he did it, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. I understand it was a key part of the plot, but I didn’t enjoy that. Nevertheless, The Love Wager was a lot of fun and is a romance I know I’ll revisit in the future.

The Love Wager was such a fun and sexy read. I cannot recommend this book enough to lovers of rom coms. It was so charming, funny and well written with main characters that felt real with dialogue that felt authentic. It was impossible not to root for Hallie and Jack as their relationship ran the gamut from hookup to best friends to lovers. Their chemistry was perfection. I did not want to put this book down, and I did not want it to end.

I am now in love with Lynn Painter, and I will be reading everything that she's ever written. There was also an excerpt for her next book The Objectors, and I am so excited!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

“Because every molecule of his being wanted Hallie Piper. She was all he ever thought about anymore.”

Hallie and Jack. From having a one-night stand to finding each other on a dating app to making it clear that they aren’t interested in one another and being best friends only. They make a wager on who can find love first. But the more time they spend together, the feelings begin to grow.

Lynn did it again! I love her words and her characters! It was full of chemistry, hilarious banter, cute moments and lots of tacos! I am head-over-heels, worship-the-ground-you-walk-on, wildly obsessed and madly in love with this book!!

✨READ IF YOU LIKE✨:
- dual POV
- strangers to best friends to lovers
- fake dating
- one night stand
- dating app
- witty banter
- hilarious text messages
- post-date Taco Hut routine
- one bed only
- Pride & Prejudice

cw: death of loved one

Thank you to @berkleyromance for the free ebook! The Love Wager is available on March 14, 2023!

rating: 3.75 ~~~

this book starts off with our two main characters, jack and hallie, who meet at jack’s sisters wedding (*wink wink* if you’ve read mr.wrong number) where hallie is working as a bartender and jack is prepared to propose to his current gf who quickly becomes his ex gf when it becomes clear the two are not a match. things happen quickly and next thing we know is hallie waking up next to jack the next morning.

they both go their separate ways until they coincidentally end up matching together on a dating app and the real bet begins from there…

overall: I really enjoyed the banter between the two characters, and from the beginning it was pretty clear how perfect they were for each other. I’m personally not the biggest fan of friends to lovers, especially when they start to fake-date because it can be really frustrating to read about. I do in fact believe that public enemy number one in books IS the miscommunication trope. but anyways, super light and quick read that I would recommend to fans of mr.wrong number!

loved this romance of a one night stand that turned into a friendship and romance and while trying out a new dating app. Loved the family and the heat. very good romance and very swoony.

The Love Wager by author Lynn Painter, is my first time book from her, but I will be looking up her other books for sure. Her writing was quick witted and just what I was looking for in a cute rom-com.

A bartender and landscape architect have a one-night stand when they hook up at his best friend’s wedding; when they reconnect on a dating app, they make a bet with a prize to whomever finds their love match first. Hallie is looking for a best friend with chemistry; Jack wants his one true love.

The Love Wager was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and I can safely say it surpassed my expectations. This book is hilarious and swoon-worthy and an absolute must read for all romcom lovers. Jack Marshall is my new favorite book boyfriend-- no contest.
Jack and Hallie meet at a wedding, where they have an unforgettable one night stand, before agreeing that they shouldn't date. Instead, they start on a quest to help each other find love, while growing closer. This book is fun and flirty and just such a good time. I honestly was torn between devouring the book and never wanting it to end. Lynn Painter is one of my all time favorite authors and The Love Wager is a new all time favorite book. I can't wait for this book to be out in the world! Thanks so much to Berkley Romance for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn’t sure you could fit ALL the tropes in one book, but it’s not the first time I’ve been proved wrong.

• one night stand
• fake dating
• only one bed
• best friends to lovers

(If you don’t know, this is the second book in the Mr. Wrong Number Series.)

Okay really though, this book was good. Like I couldn’t put it down good. Jack and Hal annoyed the hell out of me with the fact that they wouldn’t just accept the fact that they were in love with each other, but what’s new?

You cannot convince me that Hallie was not named after Hallie Parker on the Parent Trap, and it was one of the best childhood connections I’ve made.

Some of the things I struggled with:
- mixed media text. Going from the normal text, mixed in with text messages, and then jumping between POV’s had my ADHD brain going wild.
- The book is literally called THE LOVE WAGER and the bet is mentioned like 4 times in the book?
- Can someone please just freaking tell me where Ruthie disappeared to?!

Really though, if you like Lynn Painter books, you’re going to like this one. It’s the perfect Valentine’s Day read, for all us diehard rom com readers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

THE LOVE WAGER is a top tier romance! Hallie Piper succumbs to a one night stand with a handsome romeo. Disgusted with herself, she decides a makeover is due, including signing up on a dating app. She discovers Jack, her one night stand, is on there too. Hallie and Jack form a bet to see who can find love first. They text each other and become friends forged on bad dates. If their dates tank, they meet up and get tacos afterwards. The ultimate test comes when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding. Hallie is falling for the delicious dude and Jack is handsy with heavenly Hallie. Will they realize they are better together than just being friends?

Ms. Painter delivers another winning novel filled with hilarious texting conversations, bad dates galore and undeniable chemistry between the two stars Hallie and Jack. The plot unfolds expertly as one bad date after another happens as Jack and Hallie each try to find the one that will complete them. Unfortunately there are more frogs in the pond than princes. Will it ultimately become clear that they are meant for each other? This is a must read for fans of rom-coms. The author is an expert at plotting a delightful tale of a friends to lovers novel. THE LOVE WAGER is fast-paced, fluffy and very funny!

Thanks to NetGalley for access to an advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

To no one's surprise, the banter between Jack and Hallie is just so good!! I wouldn’t really call this a fake-dating rom-com as that happens way later in the story, but more like a "disaster meet-cute to friends who make a wager to fake-dating to lovers".

What I didn't like about the book is that I could not connect to Hallie and Jack as individuals, which took me out of the story for a while. Overall, it was a chaotic and joyful ride that was fun but not quite a memorable one.

Thank you Berkley and Lynn Painter for the arc.

**Review will be published March 9th on my site and socials!**

ON FIRE.

That's how this book made me feel. The banter was immaculate perfection and every single interaction made me giddy and weak in the knees. While I was initially hesitant from the one night stand starting point, I LOVE the way Lynn Painter turned this. One of the best strangers to friends to lovers book I have read to date.

Hallie is my favorite type of contemporary main character. A little rough around the edges but wholly understanding of who she is and being that person always. She was pure fun and light, while maintaining that sense of realness. JACK, stop right now, he was the swooniest and sweetest guy EVER. I loved how he just *there*. The texts, phone calls, showing up to help, traveling, you name it, Jack made an effort to be apart of Hallie's life. I thought they had fantastic chemistry and I could feel the tension from miles away. The slow burn will absolutely put you in a chokehold. Everything was ramped up in harmony waiting for that final breaking point and ohhhh how I loved it.

There's a small dash of miscommunication that surprisingly didn't bug me all that much. It's moved through pretty quickly and is overall reasonably dealt with. I actually thought it made those last few scenes even more rom-com magnificent.

THIS BOOK WAS JUST SO GOOD. READ IT.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: strong throughout
- Romance: light innuendo; 2-3 brief scenes (low-medium explicit)
- Trigger/Content Warnings: brief mentions of a loss of a loved one

The Love Wager by L. Painter, published by Berkley Publishing Group is a stand-alone romantic comedy.
A sweet read with hilarious scenes that had me laughing out loud more than one time.
Hallie the bartender and Jack, the Jack who's about to propose at his sisters wedding.
They're strongly drawn to each other and wonder o wonder, a drunk ons is changing every single thing.
I fell in insta-love with the character rather quickly, loved the unique story, the great writing.

Lynn Painter has done it again. I think I may have even enjoyed this sequel a bit more than the first book of the series. I loved everything about Hallie and Jack, they were both well-written and relatable characters. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

The Love Wager was a wonderful, bingeable read! Hallie is ready to change her life and after a mind-blowing one-night stand, she decides there’s no time like the present, Jack, the guy who’s room she snuck out of, is also ready for a restart and the two form an unlikely friendship, and a bet: they’ll be the ultimate wing person for each other but who ever finds love first will win. But a weekend at Hallie’s sister’s wedding fake dating blurs the lines of their friendship. The Love Wager is funny and witty and smart. It’s romantic and sweet, and I just adored it. Hallie and Jack are a perfect friends-to-lovers romance. Their banter is quick and fun, and they just feel so genuine and are so easy to root for. Hallie is energetic and loving, and Jack is protective and sexy. Their chemistry is off the charts, and this is just one of the most fun reads I’ve read in a while. Lynn Painter does not disappoint.

A cute fake dating rom-com with easy writing and a fun premise.

I didn't love the main characters in this one as I don't feel like we really get to know them, found the miscommunication a bit frustrating, and the writing not as strong, but I enjoyed the banter and found this to be a relatively quick read!

The dialogue in this one was so much fun and the banter made me laugh out loud several times. One of those cases where fake dating leads to way more than either participant counted on - Jack and Hallie meet at a wedding. Where she is the bartender and his date wrongly assumes he’s flirting/cheating/frolicking with her. So in Hallie’s face goes a glass of cheap Chardonnay. And after one dramatic break-up and a bottle of crown, into Hallie Jack goes…

I loved Mr. Wrong Number and I love the Love Wager - another one sitting read!

I think I have found my new auto-buy author! This book was such an enjoyable. Now it is part of a character series, with Mr. Wrong Number setting the stage for this second instalment. I read this one first and didn't find it necessary to read book one, but if you are a completionist I would recommend reading that one first (I did end up reading it later and it was equally amazing!). Painter is able to weave a fun and enjoyable story with the perfect amount of angst and tension, but also humour and laughs. The characters felt real and the conflict wasn't too over the top. Highly recommend !!!

4.5 stars

RATING: 4/5 STARS

THE LOVE WAGER was another Lynn Painter delight! Jack and Hallie had great chemistry. I loved their banter and various shenanigans. This book was just plain fun - an entertaining execution of the beloved, juicy tropes of friends-to-lovers, only-one-bed, and fake-dating. This was a fresh addition to the rom-com genre. Pick it up if you ever need a fast pick-me-up read.

Okayyy I could not put this one down!! I love Hallie & Jack so much!

Ah their banter was incredible, I actually laughed out loud in parts. Plus, I loved that it wasn’t “insta-love” even though it started off the way it did. The story builds as their relationship builds & I loved every second of it.

A must read IMO! I genuinely couldn’t get enough of this one & will definitely be purchasing a copy as soon as it is released!

Thank you so much for the ARC NetGalley & Berkley

If warm fuzzies were a book, this would be it!!!!!!!

I freaking LOVE LYNN PAINTER. Ever since Mr. Wrong Number, I’ve been hooked & she’s never getting rid of me!!!!! Jack & Hallie were perfection & I couldn’t have asked for a better duo to leave a RomCom!! THEIR BANTER WAS PHENOMENAL, and the way I was giggling was low-key embarrassing. I couldn’t stop or help myself. My lord I loved it. And their chemistry. WHEW. I felt it. My heart, soul & body were in this LOL.

I loved it. Really. It’s been a while since a book drew me in right off the bat & the storyline held me throughout the entire book!! Friends to lovers is becoming one of my top tropes & Lynn put her whole all into this one.

I loved the dual pov, the alternating POVs within chapters, and the fun characters!! It always starts with a wager 😏 READ IT BESTIES.

Tropes:
strangers to best friends to lovers
Forced proximity
Fake dating
One bed
One night stand