I’m convinced no one can write a YA romcom the way Lynn Painter can. She always manages to strike the perfect balance of high school humor, young love butterflies and the emotional turmoil of being an actual young adult, and all that that entails. Her characters are not only lifelike, full flushed out and relatable, they are also very memorable. With a heck of a lot of laughs, a few tears and a whole lot of heart, this is the perfect, feel good, love story.

ʀ ᴇ ᴀ ᴅ ɪ ғ ʏ ᴏ ᴜ ʟ ɪ ᴋ ᴇ :
•friends to lovers
•enemies to lovers
•witty banter
•fake dating
•When Harry Met Sally
•endless Taylor Swift references

Thank you Simon Teen and Simon and Schuster for my gifted copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Teen for providing me an e-arc of this book.

This is my first Lynn Painter book I've read. After many recommendations from friends to pick up Better Than The Movies, I decided to read this first, and I'm so excited to read more of the author's work.

Starting this book off, we meet Bailey, a 14 yr old redhead about to board her flight, and is annoyed by the obnoxious, make-out boy in front of her named Charlie. To make matters worse for Bailey, not only does he try to cut in line with her to board the plane early, he also ends up being her seat mate on the plane, entering us into a quirky conversation, filled with odes to classics like When Harry Met Sally, and having us delve into the fun world of a "small world" romcom. The tale old question of "can boys and girls be friends?" is the main topic of this book, filled with glimpses of adjusting to a new life after your parents divorce, how to embrace your quirks, and learning to stand up for yourself.

You can truly tell that the author is a true Swiftie, so if that's your jam, you'll love the references made in this book. I truly felt I could find a song from Red (TV) for almost every situation that happened in this book, and I loved it.

Hey Ms Painter, could we get your soundtrack writing list to confirm some of these songs? O.O

I truly loved how much Bailey embraced her quirks, even if she were teased about them. Understanding that preferences to things, whether you're type A, have OCD, or just generally a particular person, is not only normal, but should be welcomed in this world, was quite a refreshing take I loved reading in a YA book. Learning from Charlie, that it's not only okay to have your mind changed, but also be open to loving someone without fear of loss, was a beautiful outcome.

My only wish was that a couple of the sub-plots that were part of the main character's stresses (Scott's early treatment and control over Bailey's actions, her mom's neglect, and Charlie possibly talking to his mom about his stresses) would have been great to see, and brought some closure, if not even just some addressing of the matter.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I kept laughing throughout while enjoying the cute pop culture references. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves a romcom with a Happily Ever After ending, and for anyone looking for a palate cleanser between some heavy books.

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Romance: 4/5

Overall: 4.25 out of 5 stars.

I had such a great time reading Betting on You. It was such a cute adorable YA romance. Lynn Painter is automatically one of my favorite romance authors. Better Than the Movies will forever be my favorite book but Betting on You came really close. Bailey and Charlie were adorable characters and were so much fun to read. Charlie and Bailey were opposites who complimented each other perfectly. Bailey was so relatable and Charlie was hilarious. Thank you so much NetGalley for giving me this amazing opportunity. Can’t wait to purchase a physical copy because the cover is extremely beautiful.

I enjoyed this YA romance. Lynn Painter is becoming an auto-buy author for me. My favorite thing about her romcoms is how she fully embraces and enhances the "strangers/enemies to friends to lovers" trope. I love that the relationship between the two main characters is the central focus and you can see the relationship grow. Instead of focusing on the individual characters, her plot is centered around the couple and their relationship on the page.

Since this one was dual POV, I would have liked to see Charlie a little more fleshed out. His chapters seemed to be much too simple for a character that really needed more attention considering his anxiety that was alluded to in the story. It would have been nice to cut some of the redundancy of Bailey's conflict with her mom and new stepfather to be able to see more about Charlie's relationship with his mom. Although it was dual POV, it really felt like it was only telling Bailey's perspective.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE YOU LYNN PAINTER!! Lynn has become an instant buy author for me and her latest YA romance is no different!
Our two main character meet on a plane and instantly butt heads, or at least on Bailey’s side. We then continue to see them meet a few different times in their life before we get to present time where they end up working at the same place! They send their time on the clock picking on each other but also growing closer. They put the age of question to the test: “can guys and girls JUST be friends” (I believe so but for the sake of romance, let’s hope not!!)

I think Lynn does a fantastic job with her characters and makes them real with flaws and problems. I love that this book was in a dual POV cause I appreciate seeing the story play out through both characters in real time.

I think this book is perfect for any season, but I feel it will have an uptick in sales again in the summer! The cover of this book is just as cute as Lynn’s other books and is very on trend.

What a breath of fresh air! Lynn Painter has written one of the best YA romances out there. Bailey and Charlie do not exactly hit it off when they sit next to one another on a flight from Alaska to Nebraska. Correction...they hate one another. The bright side is that they won't have to see each other again. Or so they think. A couple of years later, Bailey is dismayed to learn that Charlie is also working at the new waterpark attraction where she was recently hired.

I think the genius of this book is how real it felt. All the little moments that these two share with one another organically transform their relationship from enemies to friendship to more. The dialogue is very real for their age and the experiences they share are believable. There is both depth and real character growth for both characters as each handles shifting family dynamics as they handle parents divorcing and dating again. They also navigate drama with friends as well as with one another. I loved how polar opposite these two were and yet were much more than they presented on the surface. It made me want to keep reading to get to know these lovable characters more as they slowly got to know one another.

This is a YA romance that I would hand to any teen or adult looking for a book centered on two people slowly forming a relationship together over small moments. I laughed so many times and was charmed by both Bailey and Charlie. I wanted their win so badly. I adored this book and recommend you pick it up ASAP.

dangit 😩

I'm most definitely in the minority here, but I didn't love this one. Maybe nothing will just ever live up to BTTM in my mind? I don't know, but I was disappointed.

Generally, I just felt like this book was trying WAY too hard. It was over the top, it was missing what I love in a strong YA. For me, the best, most authentic parts were Bailey's experiences with her parent's divorce and her mom's new relationship -- THOSE moments really hit at what teenagers genuinely experience and felt the most real.

But everything else? Slightly ridiculous. I just wasn't really buying what this book was selling. It wanted to be cute, it wanted to be fun and youthful, but for me, it just wasn't. I was rolling my eyes and the romance wasn't something I even wanted to happen after a while. The best YA books, in my opinion, are those quiet, tenderly authentic stories that focus on emotion rather than shock value or drama. It's a fun idea to try to use the WHEN HARRY MET SALLY comp, but it didn't quite work.

Not a winner for me, but I know this YA romp will find the right audience! I love Lynn and will try again with her next one!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. BETTING ON YOU is out 11/28/23.

In a meeting of unfortunate circumstances Bailey meets Charlie at the airport while moving across the country due to her parents divorce. After what seemingly is an airport/airplane visit, Bailey is not impressed. In a second meeting at the movies the two recognize each other, then again a third meeting at a new job. The two slowly become friends.
Teenagers place bets on all sorts of things, right? Friendships get tangled, you end up caring when you shouldn't. Painter paints a perfect picture of teenage angst, friendships, and love. The chances of finding each other, leaning on and learning from each other.
I thought this was a cute and quick read. Fun and easy. I enjoyed the characters and the plot.

I think that this was a very cute teen romance. It has the usual grown up characters that are in YA novels. Both characters bonded over their parents' divorces and dealing with the aftermath when their parents get into new relationships. I really liked that aspect of this story. I thought that it packed a lot of romance novel tropes and I wish that it had just been fake dating rather than reading through all of the tropes.

This is more of a 4.5 ⭐ for me, but I truly did love it! I just had a small issue with two moments towards the end of the book but that's ok.

I loved Bailey and Charlie's relationship. How they met, their chemistry, and how they help each other through their family dynamics. It was a cute YA that also went into some rough topics that affect many people. I wish we would've seen more interactions with Charlie's family and had more insight into that, but I loved seeing Bailey having to deal with her mom's relationship with Scott and how all of that was playing out.

This was a fun enemies to coworkers to friends to lovers story. It had some fake dating, banter, and a cute kitty-saving moment.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest opinion and review.

Wow, this is my first book by this author but it definitely won’t be the last. This book had me captivated from the very beginning. I loved Bailey and Charlie’s story, how they grew together and learned so much about themselves and each other. The plot was fast paced and continually had me saying just one more chapter. I love how they both are working through understanding the divorce of their parents and the fake dating premises was unique and well thought out. I was constantly rooting for these two characters. If you want a cute rom com that is fast pace and full of Taylor Swift references then this is your book. I can’t wait to add this to my classroom library. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced copy. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

I wish that I could give this book more than 5 stars! I loved it. Bailey and Charlie meet on a long flight. They are both 14, and they annoy each other. Two years later, they see each other again at the movies. Another year later, they find that they are working together at the same place. Bailey and Charlie go from coworkers to friends. Despite the fact that they are complete opposites, they keep texting and calling each other everyday. I love that this story was dual POV because it added so much to getting to know more about the characters.

Charlie and Bailey go through a lot together, and they each come back to each other. They even start fake dating to annoy Bailey's mom's boyfriend. Once they share a 'fake kiss', they struggle to deny their growing feelings for each other. Charlie believes that every relationship is doomed to fail, and he doesn't want to lose Bailey. Bailey is still processing her parents' divorce and realizing that her mom may be getting serious with her boyfriend.

If you're looking for a YA book with forced proximity, fake dating, and Taylor Swift references galore, this is the book for you.

3.5 stars.
Betting on You by Lynn Painter is an absolutely charming YA romance. Painter's banter between the main characters is absolutely *chef's kiss* and both Bailey and Charlie have really good, complex characterisation.

I will say that I found Bailey immature and annoying throughout the first half of the book--but I think I was either supposed to or, if not, at least it only reads that way to me because I am cough30somethingcough and not a teen/young adult who might very well identify with her feelings. However, her growth was really well done and I appreciated Painter's ability to gradually transform the emotions.

The romance between Bailey and Charlie was very sweet and I liked the slow burn. I think some of it was overly contrived, but it fit the mood of the book well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

This was cute in a modern “She’s All That” sort of way. The characters were a little too witty to actually be high school students (trust me, I know), but it was definitely an entertaining read!

This was my first Lynn Painter book, but wow, it won't be my last! Not only is the main plot fun and interesting, the fake dating premise was done in a fresh way, and made this story unputdownable. Although at the very beginning of the story both main characters were not likable to me right away, they both grew on me, and it didn't take long for me to root for them, not only for their romance, but for their own personal growth as well.
I really loved watching them both navigate life in a divorced parent family, only because Lynn Painter did all of those conflicting feelings realistic justice through both Bailey and Charlie's narrative. And the chemistry between Charlie and Bailey?!? *Chef's kiss*
If you need a good binge read, you just found it!

Genre: YA Romance

Format: Audio/Physical

Pub date: November 28th, 2023

5🌟 - I loved it!

Thank you @bookclubfavorites for the #gifted copy and @simon.audio for the complimentary audio!

Another 5🌟 by @lynnpainterbooks!! I am so obsessed with her books and this is no exception! I knew as soon as this book was in my possession I had to read it and it did not disappoint 🫶

Her books are the coziest and everything I wish I had in books like this when I was in high school! They are truly the best rom-coms, and I won’t ever get over them!

I loved getting dual POV in this book, and loved Charlie and Bailey’s dynamic so much! Their banter was everything 🤌🏻. They have such great coming-of-age themes and handles more serious themes like shifting family dynamics when growing up. When reading a LP book you can expect all the @taylorswift references 🪩.

On her first day at a new job, highschooler Bailey is surprised to discover that one of her new co-workers is Charlie, a stranger whom she has shared a few negative chance encounters with. Despite being total opposites, Bailey and Charlie end up becoming friendly and, after Charlie shares his belief that people of the opposite sex can’t stay friends, they make a bet about whether two of their fellow co-workers, who appear to be flirting even though one of them is already in a relationship, will be able to stay in the friend zone. Whilst trying to fight their own growing feelings towards each other, Bailey and Charlie decide to start fake dating to try to cause friction between Bailey’s mother and her mother’s new boyfriend (who happens to dislike Charlie). Bailey and Charlie, who are both familiar with divorce, must eventually decide whether to remain friendly co-workers or act on their romantic feelings towards each other and risk heartbreak.

Betting On You is a YA romantic comedy perfect for fans of books like Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, What I Like About You by Marisa Kanter, or The Upside of Falling by Alex Light. Themes or topics present include life after divorce, dealing with change, anxiety, germaphobia, love and heartbreak, growing up, loneliness and isolation, family, and companionship.

Betting On You is a cute and cosy YA romance with some light spice and quite a few swoonworthy moments, including some adorably cute and swoony moments involving a rescue cat! This book was clearly written with Swifties in mind; not only was there a tonne of low-key Taylor Swift references there was also a love interest that is secretly a Swiftie and an impromptu sing-along to the 10-minute version of All Too Well. The plot of Betting On You has similar vibes and many of the same tropes as Painter’s beloved YA romance Better Than the Movies including enemies to friends to lovers, fake dating, and forced proximity. Throughout Betting On You, the main character, Bailey, deals with a lot of anxiety as a result of current and impending big changes in her life; I thought that this was very relatable and relevant as I feel like most people, including myself, have also had anxiety about a big change happening at some point in their lives.

On the downside, I wasn’t sure that all the backstory at the beginning of the novel, detailing Bailey’s first meetings with Charlie, was entirely necessary. This preamble also meant that it took longer to get to the main action of the book, which makes it harder for me to get invested in the plot. Even though both main characters were struggling with anxiety throughout the novel, it seemed like Charlie was the one who was constantly trying to ease Bailey’s anxieties while Charlie’s worries were almost ignored, which seemed unfair.

Even though Betting On You was hard to get into, I ended up finding it quite enjoyable and swoonworthy. I would highly recommend Betting On You to fans of YA romances, especially those with fake dating, opposites attract, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, and/ or forced proximity tropes.

Lynn Painter does it again with Betting on You! This book is so cute and of course, the banter is top-notch. Charlie is just adorable and while Bailey probably could have dealt with her feelings on her parents/the divorce/her mom's new relationship a little better, she is a messy teen and teens don't always handle things in the best way. The romance was fun and I liked that there are also subplots just based on friendship as well. There are probably more Taylor Swift references than were needed and that might date the book kind of quickly, but overall this is a super cute and fun read, and anyone who has enjoyed her previous books will love this one as well!

This might have been the best little YA romcom ever 😭 I honestly loved every second of it and want to read it again immediately. I love how Lynn always has a fresh take on familiar tropes— and this one has a whole bunch that all worked effortlessly.

There was a light mix of meet disaster, hate to love, and workplace romance with a more intent focus on fake dating, opposites attract, and friends to lovers. All wrapped in some parent trap shenanigans, endlessly madeup fun and games, wholesome mischief and some harmless (mostly) wagering. It was hilariously heartfelt and sweet and just... so much fun. I could scarcely put it down. The prose, banter, and wit were vibrant. The playfulness more so. And the undercurrent of vulnerability and emotion squeezed my heart in a big, big Charlie-sized bear hug. I would like to bottle him and keep him for literally ever.

Charlie + Bailey = OTP.

Thank you to Simon Teen for the early copy!

Would I have enjoyed this book as a teenager? Probably. But as an adult, something felt a little off about it. It read as a teen romance written by someone who’s used to writing adult romances. It also had just about every romance trope ever created and I’m not sure if that was on purpose or not. Enemies-to-lovers, but somehow simultaneously friends-to-lovers. Fake dating, road trips, unwise betting, there’s just one bed, guy has random nickname for girl, helping with ex’s…I’m sure there’s more.

The other part that didn’t sit super well for me is Bailey’s relationship with her mom. It seemed to me like they were super close and so I didn’t feel like either of them were making a ton of sense where Scott was concerned. I felt like Bailey should have been more interested in her mom’s happiness and I felt like Emily should have been more communicative with Bailey regarding how serious things were with Scott. And it was super weird to me that Bailey didn’t meet Scott’s daughter until they were literally moving into his house.

And another weird thing is how we literally never see Charlie’s family. He talks about them, but Charlie never interacts with them during his POVs and Bailey never meets any of them. Overall, I’d give this one a pass.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.