Betting on You Review

Thank you to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for this eARC! This rom com is out now.

I had read a book by this author before and really enjoyed it so I was really excited to check this one out.

I loved both main characters and how dynamic they were. I also loved that the female lead had glasses and never had a makeover that involved removing them!

The humour and sarcasm of the book was so fun and it made the dialogue super interesting. It was definitely kicking my feet and smiling material.

I thought it was interesting that they were high school students, but that we never really saw them at school. It made their ages a bit hard to remember sometimes because quite a bit of the book took place at their work.

The miscommunication trope is strong in this one and it also had the hopeful/pessimistic dynamic going on. The realism mixed with the naivety was sweet.

A huge theme in the book is dealing with divorce and how having divorced parents can impact your own view of love and relationships, but my parents have been together since they were 17, so I really didn’t relate to the conflicts that the main characters were having. Seeing as I’m older now too, it was kind of hard to understand the reactions and actions of the leads sometimes, for me personally.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I cannot recommend it due to the author’s stance on the genocide in Palestine… I will also not be promoting it on my bookstagram for the same reason.

lynn painter does. not. miss. and i am simply head over heels for everything she writes. she writes the most mature and realistic and RELATABLE young adult romance I've ever read and I'm just kicking my feet in the air and giggling and forcing everyone around me to read every word LP writes. this one is fun and flirty and funny and has incredible side characters and great banter and SQUEAL worthy kissing and mental health rep and oh my god charlie has acid reflux from anxiety and ME TOO. anyways read this.

And @lynnpainterbooks does it again 👏🏻😘 I have read & LOVED her other YA books, & this one is no different!!!

Bailey & Charlie are just so perfect ☺️ they compliment each other perfectly, & their chemistry is on point!! The banter between the two of them made me laugh out loud! Both have been through a lot, & watching them grow together & individually was lovely 🥰

There was laughter, there was tears! This book had it all & you just couldn’t help but love the characters 💕 the dual POV was well done, & gave you the best from both characters. I would’ve loved more of Charlie’s family life, but it didn’t take anything away from the story not having it all.

I could go on & on about how much I enjoyed this book! But I’ll just say, add it to your TBR 👏🏻 you won’t regret it!

What to expect:
✨awesome banter
✨dual POV
✨YA romance
✨”coworkers”
✨cute cats!
✨fake dating
✨enemies to friends to lovers
✨opposites attract
✨AND MORE!!!

Thank you @simonschusterca @ net galley for the early copy! This marvellous book is OUT NOW!!!

4.5/5 stars

Betting on You is a YA romance. It has both the male and female POV. However we definitely get a lot more of Bailey's POV (female).

The book starts 3 years before when Bailey and Charlie met at an airport in Fairbanks Alaska when they are flying home to Nebraska. Both teens have divorced parents.

Then they meet again two years later at the movie theatre.

Fast forward to the present when they are both 17 years old. I really enjoyed the banter between them. They started out hating each other and could not be more opposite. I thought that them both having divorced parents was a very interesting part of the story. Especially seeing their parents dating people and how that affected Bailey/Charlie.

The book features some fun popular tropes, as well as some great friendships. I loved seeing Charlie try to help Bailey ruin her mom's new romance.

The relationship between Bailey and Charlie was unique. Did they hate each other? Were they friends? Co-workers? Did they like each other? I thought all of these dynamics were fun. And think that overall this will be a great read for anyone who likes the author's YA books.

Thank you so much Simon & Schuster for providing me a digital arc for an honest review.

✨ Not me over there, mid thirties, wishing to be seventeen again to fall in love like that while reading this book !

This story was fantastic. It was my first Lynn Painter's book and it won't be my last. The way she wrote those characters is gold. I fell in love, HARD, with those precious teenagers, broken by life and family.

Bailey is an introvert, bookworm and serious person who's dealing with the divorce of her parents and the change it's bringing to her life. She's also an influencer, like us, for books !

When she meets Charlie, who is more detached and cynical, it's a clash of values and personalities. And guys, he's a Swiftie !

I love how the author wrote their banter, their quirk and how their relationship grew.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves :

✨ Opposites attract ;
✨ YA Romances ;
✨ Enemies to Friends to Lovers ;
✨ Anxiety Rep ;
✨ Recomposed Family.

I Received an e-arc copy of this book from Simon & Schuster eGalley in return for an honest review!

This is my first book by Lynn and I was pulled in from the first few chapters with this cozy and addictive read.

When opposites attract, the outcome is truly unpredictable! Perhaps enemies were a sure thing, co-workers their neutral ground, friendship not even close and a couple, never in the cards for these two, yet the best laid plans to guard one’s emotions couldn’t stand the test of chemistry and chance!

This YA offered a lot as we navigate Charlie and Bailey’s friendship and romance that started with detesting each other and chance having its way of bringing them together years later. Lynn kept us interested and presented two characters you could not help but love in all their imperfections. Charlie tough on the outside and an absolute cinnamon roll on the inside. Bailey though guarded wore her heart on her sleeves.
With so much in common navigating their respective family challenges Bailey and Charlie unknown to them both became more to each other. Lynn gave us witty banter, laugh out loud moments and all the swoon wrapped up in these two. A page turner no doubt.
I don’t believe I could have anticipated the direction of their story but I can say I really enjoyed how they became equally vulnerable on the pages and matured as well.

For my YA fans, you definitely want to read this one :)

Happy Reading

There is something about Lynn Painter’s YA books that hits just right at the right time. She has mastered the recipe of a perfect YA rom com for me and I always look forward to reading or rereading them.

Betting on you was no exception. It’s kind of enemies to coworkers to friends to lovers, there is a bet, there is fake dating, and there are a hundred Taylor Swift references that made my Swiftie heart happy. I read it right after watching The Eras tour concert movie and it was the perfect pairing.

The banter is still the best part of it. Bailey and Charlie are kids of divorced parents, struggling with adjusting to changing family dynamics, and they meet a few times and annoy each other. But then, they end up working together (at a an hilarious job) and the rest is the best part.

I laughed, I swooned, I smiled and I sang a little in my head. And I can’t wait to read it again.

Oh my gawd this was so swoony and bantery I just absolutely loved every minute. The banter & chemistry between Bailey & Charlie had me giggling out loud through the entire book.

Enemies to friends to fake dating to lovers... does it get any better than that?

I absolutely loved Better than the Movies but this one was simply *chef's kiss* and I could not get enough of it.

Absolutely knocked this one out of the park, and if you're looking for a cute & swoony YA romance then this one is for you & its out now everywhere that you get your books!

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the chance to read this incredible book in exchange for an honest review.

Betting on You - Lynn Painter

5 ⭐️

Okay, I’m sold on Lynn Painter books.

This is my second and I loved it! I hit a point where I was actually annoyed that I had to put it down for life things instead of being able to just sit and savour it.

I loved the banter and the teenage angst and the journey it took me on. I don’t like most love but I do love that teenage, heart breaking, young love.

So basically, you should read this one.

Pub Date: Nov 28, 2023

Thank you netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the arc!

Read if you enjoyed: The Sun is Also A Star, Breathless or Better Than The Movies

To my core I’m a fantasy girly through and through, but omg is Lynn Painter converting me over to the contemporary side 🙏 I’ve read a few of her other books, starting off with “Better than the Movies” of course, and she has quickly became a new favourite author for me, especially after reading “Betting on You”.

This book absolutely does not disappoint. I loved and adored “Better than the Movies”, so I had high hopes for this one and I can confidently confirm “Betting on You” is right up there with it. I loved reading about Bailey and Charlie, I thought their personalities were so fun and relatable and their chemistry together was so organic and natural. I also loved reading about their own personal lives and journeys. I never once was bored and I felt like everything flowed perfectly. I had so so much fun reading this book and I absolutely cannot wait to reread it and experience it again.

If you’re looking for a cozy, feel good teen romance I highly recommend this book. Especially if you loved “Better than the Movies”, you’ll love this one. It might even outrank BTTM for me, but I guess I’ll have to re read them both to decide for sure. I read this after a super busy summer when I just needed a good book and this was absolutely perfect. All I was hoping for in a new Lynn Painter book.

After reading a couple of heavier novels lately, I was definitely ready for Betting on You by Lynn Painter. She did not disappoint!  Although there are serious elements in this novel such as divorce, anxiety, and toxic relationships, overall the characters draw you in as you navigate all of the tropes thrown at you.  A dual POV story, Bailey and Charlie meet while boarding a plane to Omaha where Bailey will be living full-time with her Mother following her parents’ divorce.  Charlie immediately rubs her the wrong way and then fate has them sitting together on the plane ride home.  I was committed to be reading an enemies to lovers story, but that changes.  After settling into her new life, Bailey and Charlie cross paths a couple of times before they ultimately end up working together.  The conversations between Bailey and Charlie are interesting and provide a glimpse into their lives helping each other with some pretty big life changes even though on the surface they definitely don’t have many common interests (dare we say opposites attract?).  They ultimately team up to help each other try to win back their exes, sabotage a parent’s new relationship, and with pride on the line, bet on friends of theirs becoming more than friends.  Adding in a sprinkle of fake dating, the pair test their belief that men and women cannot be friends and maintain they are strictly coworkers.  Painter peppers iconic music and movies throughout the book which keeps the cozy vibes coming. This book was definitely what I needed and would be perfect to introduce new fans to Painter’s YA stories or established fans, and what makes her an autobuy author for me.
 
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Lynn Painter book but it won't be my last. I loved this YA romance so much. It reminded me of She's All That at some points as well as 10 Things I Hate About You, movies that were SUCH a big deal when I was a teenager many years ago. I love a YA that doesn't seem like a YA. The characters were relatable, and loveable and I just wanted to give them both a big hug.

Lynn Painter is an auto-buy author for me, and she did not let me down! She is the absolute queen of banter, and this one is no exception.

📖 Betting on You
📝 Lynn Painter
🗓️ 11/28/2023
💜 YA Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️

Betting on You is a teen romance between Charlie & Bailey, enemies who become fast friends (even though according to Charlie that’s just not possible with a member of the opposite sex).

As they get to know one another through fake dating to piss off Bailey’s potential future step dad, they can’t deny the growing chemistry between them.

As someone whose parents divorced when I was a teen as well, I found many of their personal struggles relatable.

I LOVED the banter between Bailey and Charlie, and with the side characters as well. I also just really wanted to give them both hugs, and I was so happy they found the support they needed in one another.

Tropes + Topics:
⭐️ YA romance
⭐️ Enemies to friends to lovers
⭐️ Opposites attract
⭐️ Fake dating
⭐️ Workplace
⭐️ Banter + betting
⭐️ Teens of divorce
⭐️ Dual POV/first person

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own!

This was sweet! I really enjoyed this one. It felt incredibly age appropriate and made me happy. A lot of YA either skews older or younger, but this was perfect. I loved the relationship within, and the timeline it took. I also enjoyed the Taylor Swift references as well as the bookstagram ones, it felt really realistic to me

If there is one thing Lynn Painter knows how to do, it's write a YA romance that pulls you in and makes you root for the characters.

Reading this book felt like being transported right back to my teenage self, butterflies in my stomach, giddy over a boy. But this time it was a fictional character and his name was Charlie. I loved the banter between the two main characters and the fake dating aspect of this story was so much fun. I enjoyed watching Charlie and Bailey slowly realize their feelings for each other as they went from being annoyed by each other to wanting more than friendship.

I can't wait to see what Lynn Painter does next in the YA genre!

This one was pretty enjoyable, I liked how easy it was to relate to Bailey, and I loved the interactions between her and Charlie. What I didn't like was the over the top Taylor Swift references and a whole bunch of drama that I felt was unnecessary. Overall, not a terrible book but not one of my fav.

My favourite YA books come from Lynn Painter. This was such a joy to read.

This is enemies to friends to dating and the banter during the entire thing made me crack up. These two characters are hilarious, and they learned so much from each other.

The major theme in this book is being the kid of divorcing parents and I feel like so many people will be able to relate to that.

So many other things I loved about this:
-their jobs (HILARIOUS)
-the scheming
-multiple meetings over years
-parent/child and friendship relationships


4.5 stars rounded up

4.5⭐️

This was a really cute, fun romance. Really good for the YA audience. As I’m sure a lot of teens can relate to a lot of issues in this book. Heck- I enjoyed this book and I’m in my thirties.

Charlie and Bailey first meet at an airport, but definitely not a meet-cute. They run into each other year or two later, and then end up working at the same place three years later. This is when Charlie starts a bet with Bailey.

I love the banter between Charlie and Bailey and how they’re the sort of enemies to lovers type with a fake relationship in the midst.

I highly suggest you read Lynn Painter’s newest novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a DRC. Betting on You is available November 28.

Ok, this review is going to be a mix bag because on the one hand, the author is a FAV of mine. But on the opposite hand. It was just TOO juvenile for me .

I enjoy YA books but I definitely need to be in the mood for them. So consider this review not an accurate one , because i definitely wasn’t ready to sink into those teenage emotions.

On that note. I love a good Swift reference just maybe not that many… and I honestly don’t remember thinking about sex as much as they do at the same age.

Again I say. I love the author. Love her books. But this one wasn’t my fav of hers.

This book was so stinkin cute! It was so nice to have a break from the heavier books I've read to read this sweet gem of a book!

Charlie and Bailey were just so adorable! I loved their banter, jokes and friendship. I really enjoyed the fake dating and seeing them try to deny how they felt for each other.

Bailey was so unapologetically herself and never changed for anyone! It was so lovely to see Charlie fall in love with her for exactly who she was. This book felt like such a warm hug and brought me back to the days of teen rom-coms that just made you feel good after watching.

This was my first book from Lynn Painter and it certainly won't be my last!