I think I may be a little in love with Jack. OK a lot in love. There's just something about the way he cares for Hallie that's very appealing, and she is a firecracker that I would love to be friends with. Their story is so much fun and I enjoyed the little twist that made it unique in the world of romcoms. I won't spoil it for you, but you don't want to miss this one! The audiobook is narrated by Kristen DiMercurio and Zachary Webber which makes it perfection!!

I absolutely loved Mr Wrong Number, so I was beyond excited to read this one. Unfortunately, I think this was a case of it's me and not the book. I just didn't click with it. I will most definitely recommend it to other rom com lovers!

One thing about me is I love a book set in my hometown. 🫶🏾 okay this is my first Lynn painter book and I am obsessed. I loved this story from start to finish. From the one night stand gone wrong to best friends to lovers. I ate it up. This book kept me laughing and swooning. So so good. 10/10 recommend.

A fun rom-com that will make you laugh out loud. When two people make a wager on who will find love first. This book will make you laugh and make you want tacos.

Full teaser review at http://wellreadpiratequeen.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-love-wager-by-lynn-painter-book.html
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I am still largely on the "romance is bullshit" end of the spectrum and I'm actually surprisingly okay with it ... for me. Then there's Jack and Hallie and you just have to know from the description that they're destined to be together. Watching them figure that out and overcome the obstacle course of online dating other people in the process was an absolute delight -- except, of course, for the times that I thought it was going to rip my heart out.

It was nice seeing Jack's best friend and sister, Colin and Liv. I would highly recommend reading Mr. Wrong Number first to meet the family ... and because it's another phenomenal book.

And now I go back to swiping left and right just in case there's actually a Jack out there.

AMAZING !! LOVED IT!! Full of ALL the tropes!! I fell in love with Mr. Wrong Number and this was no different. Lynn is the QUEEN of online message banter !! I loved the friends to lovers, fake dating, and one bed tropes!! The characters were so fun and lovable. I laughed so much! I can’t wait to read more by Lynn Painter!! Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review!

Lynn’s writing is simply effervescent. Her stories always keep me smiling, and The Love Wager is no different. It’s fun, flirty, and so funny.

Hallie Piper meets Jack Marshall when he buys an engagement ring from her. The next day, she’s bartending at his sister’s wedding, and he ends up dumping his girlfriend (bc really, she’s the worst). He and Hallie are each flailing near rock-bottom. They end up hooking up that night. It’s just the tipping point Hallie needs to fuel her transition into so-called adulthood. After a new haircut, apartment, and wardrobe, she takes her chances on a new dating app. When she connects with Jack on the app, the two team up to help each other find love, making a wager to see who will find it first.

Dating wise, it’s not going great, but Hallie and Jack become fast friends. And their consolation prize for failed dates is getting tacos together, so it can’t be all that bad, right? The banter is perfect. The epistolary elements through the app/texting are so cute. It was really rewarding seeing these two goofballs fall hard for each other.

Thanks to Berkley/ berittalksbooks for a digital review copy and buddy read!

Hallie and Jack think they don't want to pursue a relationship. Are they lying to themselves or just can't see it yet? I don't know. They do, however, strike up a great friendship. I thoroughly loved their banter via text message and in person. These two are so good together. Of course, it takes the whole book for them to realize there is more than friendship here.

As mentioned, the banter was great. Both Hallie and Jack are sympathetic and likable. The whole book was a great escape from the real world for a bit.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars.

I wasn’t aware that this was the sequel to Mr. Wring Number. I guess I should’ve picked that up when the synopsis said it followed Jack, the brother of the female lead in Mr. Wrong Number.

Overall, The Love Wager was a cute read. Lynn Painter writes witty dialogue and is my favorite thing about her books. However, I found Mr. Wrong Number to be a bit more engaging and funnier than this book.

I liked seeing the characters from Mr. Wrong Number make an appearance! But overall, the friends to lovers and characters in this book were less compelling and engaging than book one!

I will absolutely be reading this book again. The banter, chemistry and swoon factor were off the charts here! Jack and Hallie were a couple made in fiction heaven. Betting on who will fall in love first while on a dating app, it just gets so sweet and honest! The tropes in this book are wild! It made me so happy. Forced proximity, fake dating, he falls first...really the list goes on and on! But you should read this book purely for the banter!

Review: THE LOVE WAGER by Lynn Painter http://bit.ly/3Z7vs0T
Publication Date: March 14, 2023
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas: Donna
Rated 4 Stars

I enjoyed this fast-paced witty story. Hallie and Jack were both people I identified with, and they had me grinning throughout their journey. The banter between them was easy and never felt forced for the sake of laughter. Their blossoming friendship pulled me in and kept me invested in their relationship. The sexy time was also fun and hot, making the story flow into a lovely romance. The friends and family around them added to the group camaraderie that I always enjoy in a book. The storyline was entertaining, even when some situations made my eyes roll. A fun read that still has me smiling.

*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

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Kindle https://amzn.to/42zqhtk

Hallie and Jack meet at a wedding where things go from zero to one-night-stand. The experience pushes them both to join a dating app, where surprise surprise, they match with each other. This causes them to strike up a friendship and a wager for who will find love first.

The banter between the characters was good and felt realistic. The situations didn't always seem that realistic but there is always a bit of suspended reality when reading romance novels.

I enjoyed this and blew through it pretty fast. I'd recommend it for fans of friends-to-lovers romance and for fans of Lynn Painter.

Having only read one of Lynn Painter's books before this one, I didn't completely know what to expect. I'm happy to report that it was just as amazing as her last book!

This plot reminded me a lot of Christina Lauren's "Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating," a book that I LOVE. While it didn't have as much heart or humor as Lauren's book, Lynn Painter still did a great job creating a devourable romantic comedy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was my first Lynn Painter book, and O.M.G. I am obsessed! Everything about this book just worked and I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time I read it. I haven’t read the first book in this series, Mr. Wrong Number, but you can 1000% guarantee I just stocked up my kindle with it and all of Painter’s other books.

Hallie and Jack are the greatest rom-com characters ever. I am so in love with them. I loved their banter, their personalities, their chemistry, everything. As with all good rom-coms there was some miscommunicating between Hallie and Jack, but unlike others where you just want to yell ‘just talk to each other, we moved through their ‘issues’ pretty quickly. The fake dating trope isn’t always my favorite, but Painter did such a good job of weaving it into the story in a realistic way, that I didn’t mind it.

Highly, highly recommend The Love Wager! With just the right amount of spice, this one is a fast, fun, friends to love rom-com filled with all the humor. I cannot wait to read more from Painter and I think she just became my new favorite romance writer!


The Love Wager is out now. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

After waking up in a strangers hotel bed, Hallie is determined to turn over a new leaf. She is going to get her own place, get a haircut, and finally start online dating. When the handsome stranger from the bed ends up as a match, the two make a bet on who can find love the fastest, and quickly become BFF. When Jack offers to be her fake date to her sisters wedding, well…I think we all know where this going.

Ahh, one night stand, fake dating, friends to lovers, only one bed, this book hit all the great tropes in one! I loved seeing Hallie go from truly rock bottom, so finding herself and becoming a grown up! I also really enjoyed that the book switched between Hallie and Jack’s perspectives, so we got to see both sides! Also, I now want tacos! If you enjoyed Mr. Wrong Number, you will love this one just as much!

5 When Fake Dating Becomes Real Stars!!

I was so excited when I realized we were getting Jack’s book after I finished Mr. Wrong Number. Having said this, The Love Wager can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. Jack is so much more than I thought he was and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see this side of him. I knew he was a man that didn’t take life too seriously, but having his best friend and sister find their forever love, lit a fire under him to have the same thing. Imagine having your last one-night stand be your wing-person?! And this is how the scheme of Hallie and Jack helping each other find “the one.”

I loved these two together. You wouldn’t think they’d work as a couple but the more text messages and phone calls and dates they setup at the same restaurant, it quickly became apparent to me that what they’re looking for is right in front of them! Their witty banter had me chuckling out loud. The further into the book I got, the more I enjoyed it. When Jack and Hallie pretend to be a couple at Hallie’s sister’s wedding is when things changed for them… realizing that maybe the person who’s become their best friend really can be their forever.

Ms. Painter has once again given me a story that is funny, swoony and steamy and I’m so glad I found her as I’m now going to be an avid reader of all her books.

When Hallie and Jack hook up after a wedding and then see each other again a few days later on a dating app, they make a bet to see who can find real love first--and certainly not with each other. Instead, the two become best friends, and fall into a habit of getting tacos together after their respective bad dates. But when Hallie needs a date to her sister's wedding, and Jack offers to play the role of boyfriend, lines get blurred and they each wonder why it can't be real between them.

OBSESSED. I'm not sure why I was surprised at just how amazing this book was--everything Lynn Painter writes is pure magic dripping in gold. But this book did just that--blow away any and all expectations. It felt like a sexy warm hug, perfect in every way possible and the best slump-breaker. I have nothing but good things to say about this book and Jack and Hallie are pure #couplegoals

Thanks to Berkely for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 10/10

I will read anything Lynn Painter writes. What a swoon-y story! Fantastic chemistry, amazing banter/dialogue, and BELIEVABLE storyline. I adored this one - will definitely recommend to romance fans.

Firstly, the theme! I liked the plot of two people making a wager on who will find love first.

I love Jack and Hallies banter. It is hilarious. The book started with a bang and I hoped that it continued so and definitely met the expectations.

I love him already. 20% in and he is ugh so good. I mean Jack. The date with Stephen was hilarious and the way he talked about stuff. You will know once you read this.

I love Jack and I cannot say this enough. This book has made me laugh at every page.

"he kissed her like he was sampling dessert, dessert he’d been denied his entire life and now he couldn’t get enough of it."

This book makes me swoon, giddy and smile throughout. My heart.... What stood out for me more is their texts! Those were brilliant.

It was my first by the author and I am definitely reading more. Friends to Lovers, forced proximity, one bed, fake dating so many tropes in one, it was hot, spicy and fun.

The writing, pacing is well done and I am glad to have received an arc of this one.

I highly recommend it (sorry for my review being more like pointers but this book gave me all the feels and had me making notes on Kindle).

Lol this book was so fun! I am definitely into reading about a bizarre situation that falls into a one night stand then a texting friends to lovers, fake dating relationship, dang loved it. I may have found my husband's phone number on fb (before we dated) and started texting him while I was drinking a L of Hofbrau at a German beer hall. These books are so highly relatable to me.
"There's a lot of wine in that smile" hehe love that line.
Also, I think that text flirting should be a thing! It is my favorite banter cause it's where you say what you aren't brave enough to say out loud. But also their banter is the best and so funny! They established this silly trusting friendship before he fell first. She held off cause she didn't think he was available or into her. So they were so comfortable around each other.
Thank you berkley romance and net galley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.