I found The Love Wager to be exhausting. I have enjoyed the trope of two idiots who don't know that they're in love with one another in the past; I also enjoyed a number of Lynn Painter's previous books - however, this one did not work for me.
There's a lack of depth and maturity to both characters and the reason for the third act breakup (and how Hallie comes across the information by happenstance) was just bonkers.

Thank you to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an arc for review,

I've been struggling with romances this year. Not a lot have really captured my attention, and most of the time I force myself to finish them because they are arcs and I have to review them. This one though, I really enjoyed! I read it in one sitting (which is usually how I read books that I love) and it was hilarious, snarky, tender, sweet, and romantic. Lynn Wager doesn't waste any time, she hits the ground running from page one. You have the two leads meeting RIGHT AWAY, and you know what? It works! I almost wonder why not more books do this.
The chemistry between Jack and Hallie was very present and real, and their friendship was sincere. You never feel that it's put on. The banter is one of the best (totally commend Lynn Painter on this one!) and you could definitely feel them falling in love with each other throughout the novel. With chemistry off the charts, why not, right?
Anyway. Love this romance. If you're looking for a light, swoony, and hilarious read, I'd wager (yep, I went there) this is the book for you.

I alternated between audio and digital for this book. Both formats made me laugh out loud. There is both a male and female narrator and they did an excellent job.

Hallie and Jack meet at a wedding. She’s the bartender and he’s the brother of the bride (bride is the main character from Mr. Wrong Number, the first book in this fantastic series). The next morning she’s literally crawling out of a hotel room and decides it’s time to be a grownup and get in a dating app. Jack is also in the dating app and they decide their relationship is purely platonic. They actually make a bet on who will find love first and sweetly encourage each other (and laugh at with each other).

Hallie and Jack are both characters I loved and would want to hang out with (especially Hallie) and I adored their friendship as they supported each other through their dates. I loved watching them bond and laugh and have fun. Because they’d decided on friendship, this is the best kind of slow burn. There are so many fun scenes and characters.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy. All opinions are my own.

Okay, where do I even begin. Have you wanted a book with so many tropes that it makes your poor little heart beat with all the warm fuzzies? Well here you go!
Hallie is working 1 full time job and 2 part time jobs. She is trying to get back on her feet after her ex douchecanoe broke her heart. What she didn't expect is to not only help a man pick out an engagement ring at PT job #1, but to have said man buy a drink from her at PT job # 2. As she is making the connection, the man's (soon to be fiancé) accuses him of cheating on her with Hallie and promptly throws a drink in both their faces. What better way to drown their sorrows (ish) than to get stupid drunk and have crazy sex in the elevator, the desk in the hotel, the ..okay you get the point. As she crawls out of his room, Hallie is determined to get on with her life. She quits her two PT jobs, starts apartment hunting, and gets on a dating app. But who does she see there? The GUY, Jack!
But she DOES NOT want to date him and vice versa so they agree to be each other's wingperson and help find their other half.
This turns into a wager to see who can find love first and they become best friends that go eat A LOT of tacos after their failed dates. But they sort of, prefer each other's company more than any of their dates.
Now they're firmly stuck in the friendzone, but Hallie told her family that she has a boyfriend that she is taking for her sister's wedding so Jack agrees to be her fake boyfriend for the weekend. What? It's not like one weekend of fun (and sex) going to ruin their friendship while both are hoping for more... right? Yes, One bed folks! AND THEN there's a scene in the rain during the climax and it is SO Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet!
I literally laughed out loud reading this book and I absolutely adored it!
The only thing I wish was explored more is Jack's job after the revelation at her sister's wedding and what happened to his PhD candidate date!

Hoping for bonus scenes soon!!

3.5/5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley & Berkley Publishing I received an E-Arc of this book for an honest review! I’ve got into a bad habit of forgetting to check if books are part of a series before reading them and ding ding ding this one is the second in the series which I didn’t realize until almost halfway through… whoops....

Good news if you haven't read the first one “Mr. Wrong Number” you won’t be missing out or feel like you’re getting too many spoilers. Could easily be a standalone.

This book was super cute and had me laughing out loud. This was a great friends to lovers romance novel. The characters genuinely became friends first and the romance in the end was truly a bonus. With a hilarious meet cute and then a reinteraction it was straight fate. This book is such an easily light read if you need a little serotonin boost!
I’ll definitely be checking out the first book and the rest in this series!

includes: one night stand, friends to lovers, fake dating

the second book in the series is always so fun to read because you're so excited to see how the universe will continue to build and knowing you're going to fall in love with new characters.

lynn painter is always going to deliver a book with happy endings, witty characters and books that will make you laugh and smile. the love wager was no different.

this book had me at fake dating and it delivered.

if you're looking for a mild spicy romance that will make you laugh, you have found it.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc <3

*Thanks to NetGalley and Lynn Painter for my eARC of this book!**

Loved this! Jack and Hallie are good at bring friends, but better as a couple. Their banter is a squirmy blend of silly, sweet, and sexy. The wedding / fake dating scenario was the cherry on top. Recommend for readers who like Tessa Bailey, Jasmine Guillory, and Penny Reid.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

4.5 hearts

The Love Wager starts with a wedding. I didn't realize it until much later in the book, but it's the couple from the first book Mr. Wrong Number, Olivia and Colin. They are barely mentioned as this book is about Olivia's brother Jack.

I really enjoyed the humor in Mr. Wrong Number so I was excited to read The Love Wager. It doesn't disappoint. There are many, many hilarious moments. Other than the beginning, there are so many great times as Jack and Hallie get to know each other. Since as friends they are discussing, and sometimes commiserating, about their dates from the app, they are in a supportive friendship rather than truly adversarial. They do make a bet about who will find true love first. Neither seems truly competitive about it and it comes up in teasing ways.

Jack is a really good guy who has never really been in love. He hadn't even considered its importance until he goes to his uncle's funeral. He really enjoyed his uncle, who always seemed to have lots of friends, ladies and love. But there is hardly anyone at the funeral besides a few family members. So the footloose and fancy free with lots of ladies is no longer as appealing. Jack tries to find someone but is just going through the motions.

Then he meets Hallie twice in one week. She's smart and sassy and fun. Her self esteem took a bit of a hit when she was dumped by a long time live-in boyfriend. She's suffering over the upcoming wedding of her perfect sister where the ex will be a groomsmen.

So after some time, Jack has figured out he has feelings for Hallie so he agrees to go with her to the wedding and be her fake boyfriend. They enjoy this time so much but they don't want to loses their friendship by admitting they want more. Grrr I hurt for both of them in this. Hallie realizes her feelings for Jack too. I loved how the ex saw her in a new light.

So I felt bad for Jack struggling to understand and express his feelings. I imagine it was easy for him to find women to date and he hurt a few, but I don't see him as being dishonest with them. But he's clearly out of his depth when he has fallen for Hallie. I thought she was a little hard on him though they got there in the end. I loved them together and the humor was amazing.

Perfect book and lunch for #TacoTuesday! Some of my favorite parts of The Love Wager, by Lynn Painter, are Hallie’s and Jack’s after date meet-ups at the taco stand.
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This is a great romcom with all the witty banter and chemistry I enjoy reading. One night stand, friends to lovers, fake dating, one bed? Throw in all the tropes and I am all for it. Give me dual POV and I am sold!
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This was definitely bingeable, I didn’t want to put it down. I love when a romcom, in a sea of romances that I read, really stands out and makes me smile. I am quite positive that Jack will be on everyone’s book boyfriend list!
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Lynn Painter has done it again! The Love Wager is another 5-star romcom that you absolutely need to read.

This friends-to-lovers romance has so much going for it. The banter between Hallie and Jack is perfectly written and had me laughing out loud multiple times. I was in love with both the main characters from the moment I met them. Their DM and text conversations were my favorite and I don’t usually go for texts in books, so you know Painter made them pretty damn funny.

In addition to the friends to lovers trope, there’s a fake dating and only-one-bed situation that was swoony and angsty and made me fall even more in love with the story. This one is a bit of a slow burn once Hallie and Jack become friends, but the getting-there parts are so fun I barely noticed the slow burn.

The book has some open-door scenes but nothing is explicit, so I’d say it’s actually pretty clean. (or at least it’s definitely easy to skim the steamy parts, if that’s not your jam.) The story moved effortlessly from funny to steamy to sweet and back again. It’s just so good!

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
A quick read with some definite steaminess. Quite enjoyable.

This was a fun, low-angst read full of great banter and chemistry between the hero and heroine and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good epistolary romance.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

this was a super cute light rom-com that I really enjoyed. I beyond enjoy lynn painters YA romances and this one was just as good. I absolutely loved this one and also loved how there was no 3rd act breakup or unnecessary drama. I’m not normally a fan for strangers to friends to lovers but this one was great. There are a few points where this book lost my interest, mainly near the beginning but other than that loved.

HOLY CHEMISTRY!!! Y’all this book was PHENOMENAL. I didn’t think Lynn could write a better rom com after Mr. Wrong Number…. But she one thousand percent did it with The Love Wager. I’m telling you, from Chapter 1 to the Epilogue it was full on goofy grinning and insane butterflies. I was laughing out loud and shaking the book because I could couldn’t handle the banter and angst. I just wanting to devour all the words while simultaneously trying to pace myself because I didn’t want the book to end. Jack is the book boyfriend to end all book boyfriends. I said it and I won’t take it back! And Hallie is just so amazingly HALLIE. She’s cool and funny and someone I want to be best friends with.

Y’all — I haven’t been this excited about a pub day in I don’t know how long!

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter comes out today and it is a RomCom MASTERPIECE! You’ve probably already seen me say this, but it will without a doubt be a top 2023 book for me. The banter, angst, and laugh out loud moments are unmatched! Go grab a copy ASAP!!!

💗 Tropes 💗
- one night stand
- Friends to lovers
- Only one bed
- Dual POV
- Fake dating
- Open door-ish

[thank you @berkleyromance for the free copy, all opinions are my own]

Painter is one of my favorite authors and this was such a delight! I LOVED it. I found the humor in it resonated and I loved that it had some fun tropes, but they weren’t the entire plot point; I loved at times this book had a lot of funny self-awareness towards tropes in romcoms, like the “only one-bed” trope. I found Hallie and Jack undeniably cute and I cannot wait for my reread of this!

What’s it about?
Hitting rock bottom after crawling out of a man’s hotel room, Hallie is resetting her life. When she logs on to dating apps, she comes across Jack, the man she just crawled away from. Establishing that they don’t want anything romantically between them, they still support one another in finding love by making a wager on who can find it first- Thus ensues a series of comedic, questionable, and heartfelt experiences, but while they have determined they don’t want to date each other, the universe calls for other plans.

Read this if you want:
-Fake Dating Plot
-Cheeky Jokes
-Friends-to-Lovers
-Dual POVs
-A Couple to Believe Would Last Beyond the Book

Thank you to Berkley, Lynn Painter, and Netgalley for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you for providing me an ARC in exchange for a review of the book.

I wanted to read something fun, light that was a quick read. This book achieved all of this. I picked up the book and finished it within 24 hours. The story involved a couple different tropes at the same time: a hook-up, and fake dating. This book was perfect for meeting this.

Hallie is working two jobs and having fun living a young adult life. She has put her grown up life on hold and wants to work lots and save up money before she starts adulting. Jack is attending his sister's wedding party where the bartender (Hallie) looks familiar. Turns out earlier that day Jack purchases an engagement ring for his current girlfriend who is planning on proposing to that day. Things don't go as planned, as his girlfriend becomes jealous, has an outburst and throws a glass of wine in Hallie's face. Jack revisits the whole notion of proposing to Val and decides not to move forward with the proposal plans. He ends up breaking up with Val, returning to the Wedding with a bottle of alcohol and suggests to Hallie they get drunk together and hangout.

I recommend you pick this book to take on a vacation and enjoy by the pool or on a plane.

Absolutely delightful.

This book is a friends to lovers romance of sorts, after a friendship blooms after a drunken "one" night stand.

This book is hilarious and sweet. It's got alternating perspectives between both main characters, and it's laugh-out-loud funny!

Thank you to PRHAudio and Netgalley for the ebook and audiobook copies!

LOVED this book. This is my third by this author and I’ve loved them all.

I especially loved the alternating chapters in this book as well as the wit, charm, and hilarity of the situation both characters have gotten themselves into. They shared a drunken one night stand together, but ended up becoming very good friends. Because their friendship bloomed so quickly and genuinely, this reads more like a friends to lovers, even though they’re new friends and only recently met.

Oh, gosh. Where to begin? Thank you, thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC! First and foremost, I went into this already behind a huge fan of Lynn Painter as both a writer and a person. Better Than the Movies, her YA debut, is one of my favorite novels. I also read Mr. Wrong Number, her NA debut, and enjoyed it, mostly for the comedy. Anyway, I was rooting for Jack and Hallie from the very first page. The two of them have one night together, and then become best friends after betting on which one of them could fall in love with someone from a dating app first. Obviously, it’s not very platonic between them, and as we read each of their POVs, we learn how much they enjoy being around each other and are begging them to finally admit their feelings to each other. Like Lynn’s other books, this one felt like I was watching a romantic comedy. She hit every beat—from the meet cute to the confession in the rain—and yet it felt fresh and organic. It’s an incredibly sweet story and the dialogue, especially the banter, is GRIPPING. I was giggling and kicking my feet, and although romance is my favorite genre, I don’t usually have strong physical reactions to flirty lines or romantic gestures. If you want to feel like you’re watching a movie, and if you enjoy stories in which the boy falls first, I would highly recommend picking this up!

Review to come on YouTube within the first week of April! The video will be titled MARCH WRAP UP.

Thank you for the free book @berkleyromance!! #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG #BerkleyBookstagram

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: online dating, one night stand, fake dating, wedding vacation trope, one bed, friends to lovers, Pride and Prejudice, cats in books

"𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙡, 𝙡𝙚𝙩'𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚. 𝙄𝙩 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙪𝙩, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞-𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨"

And now let’s let that quote sink in! 😂

This book will show you that the friends to lovers trope can be fun and can deliver banter like an enemies to lovers book could! I really enjoy the back and forth between the two leads and find myself either laughing or gushing at their exchanges.

Hallie was such a great female lead and Jack is totally book boyfriend material. You’d honestly find yourself rooting for these two to just finally talk and admit their feeling to each other lol

Idk what it is but if a book includes travel and a wedding trope, I also gravitate towards it. I love reading abut Vail, Colorado and honestly, it’s in my travel bucket list too.

From the disastrous meet cute to that movie worthy of an ending, this book has fully grabbed my attention! I am honestly fighting a reading/ booksta slump right now because life is crazy this week but this book reminded me of why I love reading and it’ll now be forever special to my heart because of it.

It is a little spicier than what I usually read but like I said if the chemistry and story are both there, I can handle all the spice 😂

Seriously, Lynn Painter is a romance author you should look out for!


I’ll try to make the synopsis as short as I can so IG won’t cut me lol
Both recently single, Hallie and Jack were convinced by their friends to consider online dating. There they have found each other and started building a sense of friendship. After a couple of failed first dates, they have set a bet to motivate each other to continue on dating with the hopes of finding The One…

💭Thoughts on online dating?
☕️ Dare I say that this book gave me some motivation to start swiping again but then I remember the emotional rollercoaster that dating brings so we shall see. 😂 I am enjoying living my peaceful life right now though