Hedging Your Bets follows Noah and Gillian in a great demonstration of enemies-to-lovers. Noah is new in town and Gillian is a local. After unintentionally destroying her hard work, Noah becomes enemy #1 in their small town. With the yearly garden contest on the horizon, their true rivalry will come to pass.

What I liked: I found this book to be a cute read. I enjoyed at the beginning of the book how Gillian’s weight is barely mentioned, but acknowledged that she is curvy. I loved to see her confidence in herself and the fact that her weight was not the main part of the story. The slow burn in this book felt very natural and showed a great progression of their relationship.

To keep in mind: while I loved the beginning about how Gillian’s weight is not a plot point, I was not a fan how addressing her weight seemed to just appear in the middle of the book and become an issue out of the blue. I found the climax of the story uneventful. We are lead to believe this huge issue is happening, but it gets resolved in a paragraph. The bad guy in this book had so much potential to add dynamics to that story, but she felt very one dimensional. This was also a fairly closed-door romance if you enjoy that.

Rating: 3⭐️ This book was cute, and as an avid gardener I loved an enemies-to-lovers surrounding one of my favorite hobbies. The author is a good writer, I just felt that this story needed more polishing by adding more dimension to the characters and the climax of the book.

Thank you to NegGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Hedging Your Bets comes out January 3rd!

This book was a romance with a grumpy x sunshine trope which alternated a little bit. I loved the premise but I wanted more from the characters since I did not feel connected to them or fully understand their motivations. In conclusion, it was a really fun book but it fell a little flat for me.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gillian is trying to get her mojo back after her divorce. Her ex-husband left her doubting herself - because of her size - although she is a successful professional woman who is highly regarded in her community. Her elderly next door neighbor suddenly moves and her house is bought by Noah, a former summer visitor to the area. Noah is regrouping after moving across the country after selling his business and having a relationship end. It's hate at first sight for them, but is it? Good read!

A sweet summertime closed door romance set in the small river town of Willow Cove. A very cute, very relatable enemies to lovers plotline as Noah West moves in and almost immediately makes a HORRIBLE first impression on his new nextdoor neighbor Gillian.

My two favorite things about this book:
1. Gillian's (the FMC) internal monologue on self-esteem and body acceptance. She isn't bothered by her physical experience but occasionally the opinions of others start to grate on her. I get it!
2. The supporting characters are hilarious! The author Jayne Denker gives them enough of back stories that I suspect (and ohmygosh I hope I'm right) some of them will get their own books. This is the 2nd Willow Cove book she's written, though it can be read as a standalone. You can bet I added the 1st Willow Cove book, The Rom-Com Agenda, to my TBR as soon as I finished Hedging Your Bets.

Thank you, Jayne Denker, for the delightful escape to Willow Cove!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jayne Denker for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.

If you like dual pov romances with main characters that are in their mid thirties and have been through it and both a bit broken hearted I think this one could be for you!

Our MMC is a new transplant to the area after getting out of a relationship with a woman with a child he no longer has contact with as the ex that wasn’t a dad.

Our FMC is an independent & curvy divorcee that hasn’t had good luck with dating after her divorce and is now the neighbor of the new guy in town who becomes her instant enemy when he rips out shrubs that she had used as part of her design for her own yard on the property line.

If you like the forced proximity and enemies to lovers vibes with neighbors that both have some baggage I recommend this one!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

After loving the romcom agenda, I couldn't wait to dive into the latest from this author!! Everything I look for in an enemies to lovers - the tension, the chemistry, the those can't be *feelings*, them finally getting together, was unfortunately almost non existent in this story. 😩 enemies to lovers used to be one of my favorite tropes but all the books I've read recently with this as a major plot point have been downright mean, is that like a new feature?

Noah, is Gillian's new neighbor, moving back to a town he used to spend summers in with family growing up and taking over a local business following the death of its owner. For whatever reason the two get off on the wrong foot. She, a local pharmacist and gardener extraordinaire, is searching for love following her divorce and keeps ending up on these god awful dates (but the fact that she didnt let them let her confidence in what she deserves, more power to her!!
The town has an annual garden competition, Gillian, the most deserving winner, has lost every year due to this vendetta by the head judge. Noah, unexpectedly joins the competition, despite not knowing a thing about gardening (and having positively terrible allergies), due to a little blackmail and extortion (which I'm sorry felt a little out of the blue for this light hearted plotline). When Gillian and Noah end up spending a day together, their friendship starts to get more intentional and heat up a bit.

Even though it felt like this book was missing some things (the garden competition was a HUGE part of the plot but yet you didnt get any descriptions of said garden, and i wish there had been an epilogue!), it had the most intentional and wonderful friend group, a hilarious bunch of old ladies (the binocular scene? Boozy brunches? So good), and no third act break done in a way that the plot line really didn't need one, it was a fine quick read. I said this after reading the rom com agenda and I have to say it again here, I'm still holding out hope for a Delia and Gray book (loved the glimpses we got of them in this one) and I would pick that book up immediately!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I love a rom-com with a spunky heroine, and Gillian certainly fits that bill! Pair her sassiness with a sexy but broody neighbor and it’s a winning combination! This is an entertaining small town, low-spice romance filled with so many fun characters! I laughed a lot and I felt a lot, and that to me is what I love the most!

A feel good romance with just the right amount of sizzle. I couldn't put it down. The enemies to lovers chemistry between Gillian and Noah was palpable. Definitely a home run by Jayne Denker!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

In the aftermath of a challenging divorce, Gillian Pritchard ventures into the realm of online dating, yearning for a fresh start at love. However, her tranquil life takes an unexpected turn when Noah West, her new neighbor, disrupts the idyllic garden she has meticulously nurtured. The initial tension between Gillian and Noah introduces a compelling dynamic, adding depth to their evolving relationship. While the novel's early chapters lacked a certain spark for me, the latter half unfolded with a sweetness that compensated for the initial shortcomings. The genuine progression of emotions between Gillian and Noah, both scarred by past heartbreaks, resonates authentically, steering clear of the predictable third-act breakup trope.

Returning to the fictional town of Willow Cove, the author skillfully crafts a narrative that explores the delicate balance between animosity and budding romance. The nuanced character development allows readers to witness Gillian and Noah's gradual transformation from adversaries to potential soulmates. Despite the slight detraction in the beginning, the absence of a contrived breakup in the final act is a refreshing deviation from conventional romance tropes. While this installment may not have reached the pinnacle, the prospect of another romance in the series leaves me eager to delve into the author's next literary venture.

Thank you for the eARC to the Publisher and Netgalley!

dnf at 25%
i was soooo bored! i was one quarter of the way through the book and the “couple” had interacted 3 times, talked bad about each other multiple other times and i just truly didn’t care about them at all.
i didn’t realize the relationship circumstances of the people when i requested this ARC and i just don’t enjoy this specific circumstance.
i was just so bored and not looking forward to spend 4 more hours to finish this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Jayne Denker for this ARC to read and review!

This was such a fun and funny enemies to lovers, closed door romance. I loved Gillian and Noah and watching their neighborly feud full of witty and snarky banter! The supporting characters in this are great too … especially the neighborhood gang of retired busy bodies! I literally laughed out loud at the loser dates that matched with Gillian from the dating apps and all the antics with the garden gnome were entertaining! The small town gardening competition with full on blackmail from the town villain gave the story a little twist of good vs. evil … but she gets hers in the end! This is a nice light romcom for when you feel like reading something to get you in the springy, love is in the air mood!

I didn’t think was possible to out do The Rom-Com Agenda but here we are with Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker!
I loved being back in the small town of Willow Cove with Gillian and Noah.
Cute, fun and lighthearted, couldn't get any better than that.
Denker’s writing is crisp and funny, the characters are fully engaging, and the story is delightful.
I adored this enemies-to-lovers romance story.
A small town, neighbors romance who are competing in a garden competition.
This is a solid rom-com and readers of this genre should enjoy this book.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was so adorable! It had a few parts that were a little bit of a miss for me but overall, I had a good time reading it and will be recommending it!

After enjoying The Rom-Com Agenda, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Hedging Your Bets. However, this installment of the Willow Cove romance series fell flat for me.

What Worked For Me
Once the story got started, I found I liked the couple. The banter was great. I also liked that the couple communicated like adults.

The small-town atmosphere was fantastic. Willow Cove is fantastic. I loved this about The Rom-Com Agenda, too. The elderly, nosy neighbors were perfectly meddling. They up'd the comedy level quite a bit. The other side characters are also great. Exactly what I expect of a small-town romance.

What Didn't Work For Me
The story took too long to get going. There is a whole "dating montage" that the female main character goes through. Each date is terrible. The men are terrible. They do and say terrible things. I did not find it enjoyable at all. It felt unnecessary to make them all fat-shaming jerks.

I found the reason for the couple being enemies unbelievable.

The male main character has some super cringy monologues.

Perfect for fans of:
Dual POV, Dual Narration
Small Town Romance
Closed Door, Low Spice
Enemies to Lovers
Competition
Cute, Nosy Elderly Neighbors
Gardening/Nature

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Too cliche, tried way too hard to intertwine too many concepts / themes. Didn’t want to finish this one

I will not be giving feedback or posting a review until the Boycott of SMP ends and they give an adequate response to the demands.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This was a lovely, small-town, closed door romance with an enemies-to-lovers plot. Low spice but everything nice. This was adorable but I felt like I needed a little more chemistry from the main characters.

The storyline was cute--two neighbors feuding over garden spots and hedges while fighting their attraction for each other. I really liked the character of Noah. He was willing to apologize and willing to help Gillian out when one of her many dating explorations turned out to be awful...again. I loved that Gillian was a pharmacist and wasn't willing to take any guff off of men who thought she just "helped out the male pharmacist". That's a pretty unusual profession for a woman in a romcom.

What I really liked was that Noah was super supportive of Gillian and the important things she did in life. I think that was the main emphasis of the story for me.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, this was a very cute, closed door romance set in a small town with a fun enemies to lovers plot. The burn was slow, and I really enjoyed the buildup to our MC's finally getting together.

What took me out of this one was the constant mentioning of Gillian's weight. At first, the references to weight vs. health and men pointing out a fuller figured woman's eating habits did not take me out of the story. However, these references became so off-putting that I would end up skipping entire paragraphs/pages just to escape them.

Was this still an sweet story with really great banter? Absolutely. But is it a book I couldn't put down? Unfortunately, no.

Gillian is looking for love after a devastating heartbreak and broken marriage. Only she seems to be looking in all the wrong places...online. Noah is running from his old life and stumbles back into Willow Cove, the town he spent some summers. But when he is blackmailed into entering a gardening contest, he makes an enemy out of new neighbor Gillian.

First, I love Willow Cove. I fell in love with it in Denker's last novel and was so excited to see her revisit it! Gillian finally gets her love story in this one! She's such a great character. Literally the entire town lovers her...well mostly.

Noah was a great addition to the cast of characters in Willow Cove. He's unbalanced and searching for something that even he doesn't know what it is. It's really great to see him finally finding it as the book moves along.

All of the characters from The Rom-Com Agenda are back in this one, and while I loved seeing them again, I did miss some of the group banter that I loved In TRCA. But, I can't wait to read the next one!

All in all, a cute romcom, with body positive vibes and plants!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All my reviews are honest.