I absolutely LOVED this book so freaking much. Mr. Wrong Number is one of my favorite rom-coms and I am so happy that Jack got his own book with the most perfect fmc Hallie.

I literally smiled so much while reading this book, it made me so giddy and it was the most perfect one night stand turned friends to lovers story. If you are a hopeless romantic like me you will fall head over heels for this book.

One thing about Lynn Painter is she is always going to write the most cutest books ever. Jack and Hallie have my heart forever.

“Kissing Hallie in the airport security line—that was something else entirely. That was like coming home.” 💛

The Love Wager is the perfect follow up to Painter's Mr. Wrong Number. Hallie and Jack have instant chemistry when they meet at the wedding of Olivia and Colin, our main characters from MWN. After an amazing one night stand, the two reconnect through a dating app, sparking a bet between the two: whoever can find their "soulmate" first through the app wins, and the stakes are certainly high. However, as the bet progresses and Hallie and Jack go one hundreds of bad dates, they form a fast and fond friendship. After each date (during which they spend the majority of their time texting the other) they get tacos and beers and regroup. Then comes the kicker: Hallie needs a date for her perfect sister's wedding, and after many failed attempts at love, Jack offers to be her fake boyfriend. Can their blazing chemistry and astute knowledge of the other survive a weekend of fake romance, or will Hallie and Jack fall in love with being in love?

Hallie and Jack are the quintessential romcom couple, and it was a joy (as always) to read Painter's sexy slow-burn. Hallie was absolutely hilarious, and Jack took brooding and machismo to the most written-by-women level possible. I loved having the cameos of Olivia and Colin throughout the book, but also appreciated the focus we got on Hallie and Jack by themselves. Lynn Painter never misses, and I can't wait to continue to read everything she ever writes!

the queen of rom coms! this was so fun and such an easy read, seriously, i read it in one sitting! i adored the characters and hope that she continues this series with more characters!

I have discovered something about myself. I am always 100% in on a book that has characters with witty banter and this one knocked it out of the park!
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This book revisits the characters in Mr. Wrong Number. This could be read as a stand alone but let me tell you both of these books are so enjoyable!
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In this one Hallie is working as a bartender at the wedding of Olivia and Colin (from Mr. Wrong Number, yay HEA!) and ends the night with a one night stand with the bride’s brother. This was a wake up call for her. Time to start living life as an adult, not that her night with Jack wasn’t memorable.
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She decides to get what she considers a grown up job, a haircut, new clothes and get on a dating app but she comes across Jack. They message and strike up a friendship and become dating buddies, usually meeting for tacos after their disastrous dates. They make a wager to see who can find love first challenging each other to put their best foot forward while not shockingly falling for each other along the way.
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I really loved this one. It’s just pure fun and Painter writes characters that you root for. This book is out tomorrow!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was just such a fun, enjoyable read. The chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts, the banter was superb, and it was such a fun take on a friends with benefits to friends to lovers trope. There was also the fake dating and only one bed tropes which were done really well.
Overall, such a great romcom book - I can’t wait to pick up more from this author.

This was such a great rom com. There was banter and the chemistry between Jack and Hallie leapt off the page. I loved that they were always competing. They are so perfectly flawed. Enough to make them relatable but not enough to turn me off.

I loved Hallie from her first meeting with Jack. Taking things in stride, yet being confident and sassy. Jack was swoonworthy as he stepped up and did the little things for Hallie. They were great characters that knew what they wanted in a relationship and didn't have any excuses as they hunted their forever relationship.

I could have kept reading about those characters for forever.

I switched back and forth between reading and listening to this one and loved the dual narration of the audiobook. That is my favorite way to listen to a rom com. The story was a little bigger and entertaining as I listened.

Break-ups and exes, bets, weddings, & friends-to-lovers fake dating, this has it all. Hallie is finally getting her life together when she runs into Jack, her wild one night stand; also fresh off a break-up. They begin a competition to see who can find The One first. But when they encounter another wedding weekend, the lines blur…again.
This is a fun romcom and quick, easy read. Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is out now.

I feel so bad, I usually LOVE lynn painter and her writing, but this book was just not for me. I felt the characters to be way too childish and immature and just could not bring myself to read this and I struggled to feel a connection to the characters. I appreciated the Colin and Olivia cameos but that’s about it

Hallie is working as a bartender at a wedding when she gets talking to Jack. His girlfriend becomes jealous and accuses him of having an affair with Hallie, so he tells her that he had been intending to propose but not anymore. Instead Hallie and Jack get drunk and spend the night together.
Deciding they are better suited to being friends after they end up on the same dating app, Hallie and Jack team up on dates, and forge a wager about who will find a partner first.
You can bet on plenty of banter, hidden attraction and fake dating, with a dual point-of-view.

This is by far my favorite rom-com of the year, and definitely on the top 10 of books I've read this year so far. It's hilarious and heartwarming, with the perfect amount of spice. This is the 2nd book I've read by Lynn Painter, and I am already eagerly awaiting her next release. I highly recommend this one if you genuinely want to have a good time reading a book! 5 stars all the way!

I would love to interview Lynn on my podcast, Raise Your Words. The Love Wager was both funny and swoon worthy.

Lynn Painter is my kind of author!

So. Many. TROPES in this book and they’re all fun and have all the wit and banter I am obsessed with from Lynn Painter. Unputdownable book. Gobbled it right up. I seriously love the pacing of her books and stories so much.

One night stand, friends to lovers, fake dating, bets, one bed. So much fun in this book!

Giving this book 4.5 stars and bumping Mr. Wrong Number up to 5 because I liked that one a smidge more. My only complaint, as it is with most contemporaries, is the 80% mark that hovers over you like an axe just waiting to fall. It makes me anxious reading knowing drama is gonna go down and I hate it when it does.

Loved it!!

I loved Mr. Wrong Number and now I can say that I loved The Love Wager too.

This book is about Hallie and Jack.

The first time they meet, Hallie is working as the bartender for Jack's sister's wedding. It's also the time when Jack's almost fiancee decides to be nasty and attack Hallie. This leads to Jack breaking up with her and instead spending the rest of the time with Hallie. One thing leads to another or should I say, one drink leads to another, and Jack and Hallie will spend a one-night stand together. Yet, this is not the end for this pair. They will meet again while using an app known for finding true love and meeting "The One". At first, their interactions are messages, then texts, and then phone calls. Their conversations are about everything including sharing their bad dates from the app and deciding to meet after those dates to discuss what went wrong while eating tacos together.

You can guess what happens next. Hallie and Jack both start developing feelings for each other but what is the best course of action? Ruin the friendship they have and enjoyed or try to become a couple and wish for the best.

Love both characters, their banter, and their very real friendship. Also, I loved how perfect they were for each other.

I can't wait to read a new book in this series. Will it be about Hallie's roommate? She seems like an awesome character.

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

Lynn Painter is now an auto-read author for me. I absolutely loved this story about Hallie and Jack and how their one-night stand turns into friendship, then turns into more.

The banter in this book was great and laugh-out-loud funny. I'm such a sucker for friends-to-more stories. If you're looking for a cute, well-paced romance, this is it.

A wonderful read. Lynn Painter has a way of writing the sweetest, most heart-wrenching romance books.

When we first met Jack as a background character in Mr. Wrong Number, I was immediately drawn to the little glimpses of his personality, so I was very excited to read more about him and see him get his happy ending. Lynn did not disappoint.

The evolution of Jack and Hallie's relationship, from friendship to the slow burn of something deeper, was beautiful. Their banter was delightful, their inside jokes hilarious, and their chemistry off the charts.

Finished this in one day! Very fun and easy read if you’re looking for something light. I really love Lynn Painter’s YA books and I think that’s where I like reading her voice best but I still found this to be a good time!

I am obsessed with anything that Lynn Painter writes -- it's not every author who can write great YA AND adult novels, but somehow she manages. Another great romcom from this fabulous author.

I am a sucker for a Lynn Painter book, but have yet to find an adult rom com that measures up tot he sheer quality and thoughtfulness of her YA material. This was cute and entertaining but sometimes felt like it was rambling on for the sake of there being more but without purpose.

The Love Wager
By Lynn Painter

Another addictive rom com from none other than the queen herself, Lynn Painter. I just loved this couple – Hallie and Jack - and their amazing witty banter, swoon worthy romance, and please give me all the tropes. This is the second book in the Mr wrong Number Series and it just keeps getting better and better. I love the writing and the audiobook was so well done by Kristen Di Mercurio and Zachary Webber – both did a phenomenal job capturing what I thought Hallie and Jack should be – utter perfection and sizzling chemistry.

Highly recommend.

I’m a huge fan of Lynn painter and it’s safe to say that I will read anything that she comes out with because I just adore her. Lynn is from Omaha Nebraska and she references a lot of places there and I’m from there as well so I love seeing all of those places reference it makes the book come to life even more.