Okay, that was absolutely adorable. I’m extremely picky with YA, maybe because I’m 100 years old and no longer relate to the kids, and I feel the mark of a great YA book is if it manages to appeal to a wider audience. This was the friend to lovers book of my dreams. Definitely in my top 5 YA romances of the year.

Dual POV shined here since Bailey and Charlie were both excellent characters with their own issues and lots of depth. I do wish Charlie’s chapters were longer though and that we got to know more about his health and family issues but it was definitely the Bailey Show about 98% of the time. These two had SO MUCH chemistry. They had the sweetest dynamic and I loved reading these two go from enemies to coworkers to friends to best friends to lovers. The progression of their relationship had such a natural quality to it and felt so real. Great banter. Too many Taylor Swift references but I’ll let it slide.

Highly recommend to all the YA romance fans! I’ve already recommended it to a few people in my life that are fans of the genre to keep an eye out for this when it releases.

4.5

Lynn Painter has done it again!
I loved almost everything about this book. The romance was probably the best I’ve seen in a YA romance book, maybe even a romance book overall. My only complaints were that as much as I love Taylor Swift, I think the references were a little overkill-especially for Charlie to make the references, which I found unrealistic. And I’m not sure the two bets really worked in this story. They felt like a plot device that wasn’t fleshed out until the third act conflict. But this book was amazing and any romance book lover will enjoy it. Especially the quiet moments between Bailey and Charlie, like the night at the condo in Colorado and the blanket fort.

4 stars

I very much enjoyed this enemies-to- lovers YA novel by Lynn Painter. I love how she can go from very spicy adult romcoms to thoughtful and not-so-spicy books for teen (and teen-at-heart) readers. Bailey and Charlie met as she was boarding a plane to leave her dad and her hometown of Fairbanks, to catch up with her mom, who's recently moved to Omaha. Bailey's new to this "custody kids club." - the kids who fly solo between their divorced parents. Charlie's a veteran and more than a little jaded. Bailey's a rule-follower. Charlie? Not so much. A year so later they end up working together at a local resort. Throw in a few more tropes - some Parent Trap-esque plotting to break up Bailey's mom and her boyfriend, some fake dating, and you've got a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the digital ARC in return for an honest review..

I texted a friend and asked "is Lynn Painter a monster for breaking my heart, a genius or someone we should force to be our bestie" We decided all three. lol. Once again, Lynn Painter masters sarcasm, witty banter and the emotions you want to feel when you read romance. This story of Charlie and Bailey is a little enemies to lovers/friends to lovers/parent trap-ish all at once. Bailey and Charlie are both children of divorce navigating the new in their lives reluctantly. They have completely different approaches but that contrast makes them grow and change and learn from each other in ways that hold the readers heart close. I was a little nervous about the betting, but it was handled well and lightly and didn't seem too much in the story. I am all in on Lynn and this book just confirms why.

Lynn Painter has quickly become one of my favorite authors to recommend. Her books are so much fun to read! This one is not my favorite, but once I could set aside the time to read a big chunk at a time, I really enjoyed the characters in this book.

Librarians: if you need a book about divorce that is geared towards teens, this is it. This book dives into divorce and the way the kids involved might be feeling. It's messy and uncomfortable when your parent starts dating again, and your relationship with them changes again as well. This book really looked at those deep feelings and frustrations of new divorce, blending families, and trying to stay connected to a parent you might not live with all the time. All while appealing to the romance factor of teens.

Enemies to friends. Friends to lovers. Pick this up if you like a good YA romance that has witty friendships and text convos.

Thank you to netgalley for an eARC to review.

I'm of two minds about this book. On one hand, I literally read it in one night, practically in one sitting. It's the typical cutesy Lynn Painter that we're used to.

On the other hand, oh my God did the characters annoy me. Charlie was an asshole. Bailey was just whiny. Their characterization was flat, and I'm not sure either of them really learned any lessons or grew as characters. So many problems that the characters had in this book could have been solved by people just talking, and that's my least favorite type of plot. The plot seemed held together by Taylor Swift references, random TV shows, and whining. That's it. That's the meat of the book. I'm pretty sure there were some huge areas of plot/problems that were never really resolved. Oh - there were two adorable cats and all I wanted to do was rescue them from this book.

I don't know. Maybe I finally aged out of YA, especially now that I'm not working with that age group anymore. Maybe because, even as a YA, my life circumstances didn't match with either Charlie or Bailey.

If you liked previous YA Lynn Painter, then you'll probably like this one too. There's definitely some good in this book, but overall, not for me.

Young adult me would've loved this book. It was so cute and reminded me of Sarah Dessen's books. Bailey really had a lot of character development between dealing with her parents divorce and her moms new relationship. I enjoyed the teasing and fake dating between Charlie and Bailey.. It was such a cute, fun read.

When Bailey and Charlie meet on a flight, they can’t stand one another. When they meet again, their feelings remain pretty much the same, but a few things draw them together: First, they are now co-workers and though Charlie maintains that men and women cannot be friends, their overlapping schedules and other changes in their lives pull the two into a relationship that is… something. They both struggle with their home lives where their mother’s boyfriends are getting a little too comfortable. As Bailey and Charlie hatch schemes to support each other, they both develop feelings that they were not betting on. I’ve read several Lynn Painter books and Betting On You is my favorite so far. Fun and flirty, but the kids of divorce subplot and Charlie’s anxiety gave the story substance and heart. The story is a reimagining of When Harry Met Sally, both in character development and traits, plot line, and even pivotal scenes and dialogue. I think it’s a little strange that no credit is given to Reiner and Ephron, though the characters mention the movie in an offhand remark.

I love Lynn Painter's books. The characters are so fun to get to know and to read their story. The characters in this story were relatable an their feelings and story felt like it could have been me in high school. I enjoyed this and will definitely be recommending to friends!

Ugh Lynn does it again. It never ceases to amaze me how seamlessly she switches from adult to YA, and how absolutely perfect and unique each story is. I loved the complete disparity between Bailey and Charlie’s personalities, and how the forced proximity thanks to their jobs ultimately had these two growing closer and closer.

Listen, Lynn Painter could write a book about everything she’d eaten every day for a year and I’d read it.

"Betting on You" by Lynn Painter is a sweet and sizzling romance that's impossible to put down. The chemistry between the characters is electric, and the story is filled with humor and heart. If you're a fan of contemporary romance, this one's a winning bet.

*2.5 rounded up
Here's the thing. I don't really know if I liked this more than Better Than the Movies. It's definitely more tolerable in general, but I liked the love interest less and the copious pop culture references were just annoying. I don't want the sole reason for liking a MMC to be that he likes cats and Taylor Swift!!
First off, characters. I did like Bailey more than the FMC of BTTM, but I liked Wes more than Charlie. The background characters were so annoying, too. You should not have to be told by your friend to not cheat on your boyfriend and it's really weird that Nekesa apparently needed that! The parents were so bad in that they both ignored their child so much, but also, what does Painter have against step-parents? They've been so demonized in BTTM and this one which weirded me out.
For relationships, I didn't really mind Bailey and Charlie. Charlie's schtick of "men and women can't be friends" was just annoying and tired, so I didn't like him. They had a lot of chemistry though, so points there. Nekesa ad Bailey's friendship wasn't bad, but wasn't good. I wish Charlie would just tell Bailey "oh yeah my horrible friend thinks I made a bet with him lol" instead of keeping it a secret but whatever.
Finally, I'm making this section about POV. Charlie got a POV in this book unlike Wes, and I'm confused as to what the point was. I do think it added SOMETHING, but the quantity was really weird. I wouldn't have not wanted it, but Bailey told so much more of the story that I just didn't care.
Overall, wouldn't recommend but didn't hate. I don't think I'll read any more Lynn Painter books, but they're not miserable or anything!

I loved how this was friends-to-more and fake dating AT THE SAME TIME because as overdone as they may be, those are my two favorite troupes. Especially in YA. Lynn Painter is an enigma for me because I almost enjoy her YA more than her adult rom-coms when usually if an author I love makes a switch, I love both genres the same.

Bailey and Charlie happen to meet on the same flight back to Nebraska, and are immediacy repulsed by one another. Turns out they happen to live in the same town and run into each other a few times before they both start working at the same place. When a friendly wager about two coworkers turns into them spending oodles of time together, the usual YA shenanigans commence, and it's fantastic.

Thanks, NetGalley!

Lynn Painter has done it again, folks! She is the proverbial master of all banter, and her YA romcoms literally NEVER fail to make me laugh and long and ache for the couple to finally loooove one another! And this one was no different.

I adore Bailey so much. She is charming, she is self deprecating, she is funny. And she is such a great teen girl character, dealing with wanting to be more adult and also not disappoint her mom. I love her relationships, and the way she processes emotions.

Charlie really had to grow on me as much as any hurt teen boy has to grow on anyone… and how he really has to grow on Bailey. 🤣 But I digress. Charlie is so fun. Dark, sarcastic, realistically broken by his own family drama, and really just so relatable.

Then there’s the dual POV. I love a good mutual feelings shows dual pov. They are SO GOOD.

Guys, the text messages. I have a thing for texts in romcoms, and these are top there— plus their adorable phone conversations! I need this to be a movie. I need the Painterverse in movie form, STAT. Someone please. Please.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advance copy!

I always have high hopes for Lynn Painter, and I was really stoked about Betting on You. A YA rom-com inspired by the best autumn rom-com of all time (When Harry Met Sally, of course) - I was sold!

Painter really shines when writing witty banter between teens and the enemies-to-friends-to-lovers trope. The dual POV really worked as well, and I enjoyed being able to see into the heads of both Charlie and Bailey as they were on their journey together (also, as a young person with bad acid reflux who ALWAYS has Tums on hand, I felt so see by Charlie. LOL). That said, I did feel like the pacing was off at times, and that I felt like I didn't know as much as I wanted to about Bailey and Charlie. I wish we could've learned more about their interests, their future plans, and their hobbies outside of work. I know we got a tiny bit of that with Bailey's bookish Instagram account, but I wish there had been more. I also felt like the pop culture references, while toned down from The Do-Over (or what I read of it), were still a bit much at times, but I did love seeing a reference to Poldark. As someone who religiously watched Poldark with her mom when it was on air, I felt seen (again).

All in all, a fun book.

This was such a cute book! I’m so glad I was given this ARC via Good Reads! I loved the characters and even eventually loved Scott :)

Lynn Painter is a YA romance master. This book is spot on with its themes and tropes. It is a bit of a cute meet, when Harry met Sally with some other vibes in there.

I love everything Lynn writes and this was no exception! I really enjoyed the "When Harry Met Sally" vibe this gave off which I know was one of the inspirations for the book. I usually struggle to read YA romance which is still the case but this one was just perfect. I will for sure be recommending this book to my kiddos when it comes out and talking it up until then.

omg what a cute book!!!

If you love Red (Taylor's Version), When Harry Met Sally, enemies to friends to lovers, almost only one bed, and cute rom coms, this book is for you!!

Bailey and Charlie meet in an airport as young teens, both traveling by themselves after visiting family. Both come from recently divorced parents. Both can't stand the person sitting next to them. Flash forward a few years and they see each other at the movies, Glasses and Mr. Nothing. Flashforward another year and they end up working together at the same place, and the same shifts. What will happen to these two?

A fun little YA rom com full of moments that will give you butterflies. Both growing and helping each other navigate divorced parents new relationships.

I felt like the ending was a tad rushed, so I didn't love that, but otherwise, I loved it and it was a quick binge!! Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!

Lynn Painter is my new favorite author! I’ve read almost everything she’s written and this book doesn’t disappoint. Funny, sweet and very relatable. I know many students who will want to pick this up.