thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for a review.

this book was a cute, light-hearted romance read.

it was alright, nothing particularly struck out to me from other books.
only complaint is there was way too many characters to keep track of in my opinion.

This was an adorable rom-com! I always love a well-done enemies-to-lovers trope, and this one didn’t disappoint. The gardening side plot added a charming and unique touch to the story as well.

Gillian Pritchard has been single for five years and, her friends think she should start dating and she’s tries online. After chatting to the men and texting, she goes on dinner and coffee dates. What a disaster, she discovers the men seem fine on their profile, it's a different story when she meets them, they have no personality, lack basic manners and conversation skills and some don’t like women with a few curves. Gillian is a pharmacist in Willow Cove, she knows about food, nutrition, her doctor has pronounced her perfectly healthy, she’s a normal sized women and comfortable in her own skin. Gillian loves gardening, she decides to devote her time to winning the local contest and she’s tired of always coming third. Noah West moves to Willow Cove after his relationship ends, he has fond memories of spending the summers here with his Uncle Manny as a teenager and he buys a house next door to Gillian. she's mad when her new neighbour stars changing things on their shared boundary, without asking, the stubborn man has no idea what he’s doing in his garden and when she needs to stay focused. I liked the romance, the nosy neighbors were a lot of fun and they almost need their own book. Many thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher.

Hedging your bets is a fun flirty novel that you won't wanna put down. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

I just really didn't like this. I didn't connect with either of the characters and was struggling to get through it. I initially picked this book up solely because of the cute cover and the title so I am a little disappointed I didn't enjoy it.

DNFed at 43%

I’ll say that I did not like the characters and I did not like the plot. The MMC left behind his child (doesn’t matter that they were not related by blood) bought a company without looking at the books and is shocked that it’s failing and has this huge tax debt he has to pay. The small town politics with bribery. “You help me and I’ll give you an extension on your tax payment”. Fucking gross.

Now, FMC is “I might be fat but it's ok because I'm healthy”, and it rubbed me the wrong way. I did not like her at all. Nothing personal.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

p.s. Lol. I just realized I DNFed another book by this author the same time last year. It’s my own fault.

This is such an adorably cute read, I love the characters and their banter is amazing. I love the storyline, it was just hilarious and heartwarming. Ok ok this is bad but based on the cover this didn't look like my typical read but it was sooo good.

Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker had well-developed characters and a plot that was engaging. This book was an awesome read. I highly recommend!

**Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions expressed are voluntary and my own.**

Unfortunately this book did not work for me. I did not connect with either of the main characters and I wasn’t bought into their romance. Sometimes tropes work, but sometimes they don’t. dNF at 26%.

This book was really witty and heartwarming, capturing the essence of small-town charm and the complexities of love and life.
Denker's writing is engaging and filled with humor, ensuring a delightful reading experience. The plot is well-paced, with enough twists and turns to keep readers hooked. The setting of the quaint small town adds an extra layer of warmth and authenticity to the story. Overall, "Hedging Your Bets" is a charming, feel-good read that perfectly balances romance, humor, and heartfelt moments. Jayne Denker has created a story that is sure to resonate with anyone who enjoys contemporary romance with a touch of wit and wisdom.

Hedging Your Bets doesn't have the same attention grabbing introduction as The Rom Com Agenda. As such, it was a little bit more difficult for me to get into even though I was looking forward to my return to Willow Cove. While I liked Gillian and her close relationship with the older ladies in the neighborhood, it was difficult to warm up to new neighbor West. Despite being a visitor to Willow Cove when he was younger, he is rude about small town living and the residents (especially the elder ladies) there. He was just so hot and cold. There are funny moments like Gillian's gnome revenge, or threat depending on perspective, but those are scattered among their animosity toward one another. They just couldn't seem to be nice to each other and it was aggravating. It was difficult to believe they would be attracted to each other, mostly because I was not a fan of his attitude. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

✨eARC Book Review✨
Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker

This is an enemies-to-lovers small town romance that features a gardening competition, boats, and a lot of bad dates. This isn’t a direct sequel to Denker’s last novel set in Willow Cove, but it does have overlapping characters, which was a fun touch.

Sadly, though, this one didn’t really do it for me. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to finish it. There were too many things that felt unrealistic, and I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief. The woman villain felt like a cartoon character, and her dislike of the protagonist, Gillian, made no sense. The enemies-to-lovers trope fell a little flat because the “enemies” phase wasn’t convincing. And the plot wasn’t very gripping. Was it still satisfying when the characters finally got together? Of course.

I think one of the more interesting points in the story takes place when Gillian is having lunch with her newly agreed upon “frenemy” and opening up to him about how some of the men she’s dated in the past respond negatively to what she eats given that she’s not skinny. It read like a really candid and lovely scene that added some depth and vulnerability to the characters. I wish more of the story had unpacked this thread of Gillian’s dating rather than simply bombarding the reader with random specifics of annoying dates that she’s been on.

So, I ultimately preferred The Rom-Com Agenda and would recommend that one instead of this one. But I still enjoy the Willow Cove setting and would probably give another Willow Cove story a try. Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This one’s on shelves now!

📖: (2.5/5–rounding down on Goodreads) ⭐️⭐️💫

I absolutely loved this book! Jayne did such an amazing job with this one, the dynamic between Gillian (MFC) and Noah (MMC) is top notch. One of my favorite to look for in book is positive plus size representation and this one definitely fit the bill. Also I really loved that there was zero smutt!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute enemies to lovers!

This book was a cute enemies to lovers romance that was entertaining to read but ultimately it wasn't anything amazing and didn't really stand out to me. This book did make me laugh and I enjoyed the extra layer of the gardening competition, however I felt like the body shaming thoughts were extremely repetitive and could have been cut back.

Oh my heavens, Hedging Your Bets is an adorable novel that I can't wait to purchase!

Gillian and Noah's relationship is fun, witty, and hilarious. I can't say that I'd ever have thought an "enemies to lovers" romance could come out of a gardening competition, but I love that it has.

This was so cute and engaging and did not follow typical cliche tropes in the way we are used to which I appreciate! Had a fun time, cuteness overload, happy vibes.

Cute, predictable, Rom-Com, with like able characters, just enough tension in the enemies to friends to lovers, one jalapeno worth of spice, but the pace moves along well. If you want a sweet, quick read, about humorously finding love again, then this book is for you.

A cute enemies to lovers romance. While entertaining, it was a typical romance, and a little predictable at times.

Overall, this was a super cute romance that left out all spice whatsoever. A mild 'enemies to lovers' type story of neighbors who grate against each other at first but learn that they have a heck of a spark.
It was fun to listen to while I ran errands and took care of chores around the house, nothing offensive or an issue. A fade to black intimate scene after basically one or two kiss descriptions.
However, this was *just* cute and wouldn't be a book that I would return to for a multiple read (or listen). Not much depth or interest to revisit the world with different characters.