I absolutely loved this book. This was my first Jayne Denker and it definitely won't be my last. It was witty and definitely kept my attention throughout the entire book.

3.5 stars. This was a cute, quick read. Although it was quite predictable, it also has some lovely supporting characters that add a bit of extra laughs.

We’re heading back to Willow Cove with “Hedging Your Bets” by Jayne Denker. This time we follow pharmacist Gillian Pritchard. Gillian has been on a series of unfortunate online dates, when a chance encounter with her new neighbor leaves her fuming. Noah West might be gorgeous, but he has some stuff to learn about this small town, but especially about Gillian, starting with her garden and how pulling up the hedges is a high offense.

Enemies to lovers, this book is full of fun banter and wit. Gillian and Noah are less of a will-they, won’t-they and more of a they-will-but-when kind of situation. It was a light, easy read that flew by and didn’t get too complicated, which was nice, but I did wish this book packed a little more of a punch plot-wise. I liked the low spice level. I think for the setting and style this book was a nice read.

In the end, I gave it 3 stars. It is cute and sweet, I just wish a little more had happened to keep me guessing or to jog my interest.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book is out now!

This was a cute and quick read, but I felt like it took a little too long to really get Noah and Gillian together. I loved the character of Gillian and how she is no nonsense, tough girl who takes no crap, but I think the characters fell a little flat for me - especially Noah. I needed a little more from him and his character seemed to be like two different people through the story. Definitely a cute idea but needed a little more to it.

Noah the male protagonist of Hedging Your Bets was too much of a grump to grab much of my interest and his stomping on the garden of our female protagonist gave him much hope to say yeah this couple is interesting. Our female protagonist is going to be preyed for sabotage since Noah has to pay back taxes. Just not much of a premise to gain any ground for me as a reader.

As a garden educator, I was looking forward to this story but it wilted for me.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker.

Divorcee and local pharmacist Gillian Pritchard has been put through the wringer as she re-enters the dating scene. After one bad date too many, she’s almost sworn off men for good. She’s decided to focus on getting her garden ready for Willow Cove’s upcoming garden competition, but her new heartthrob of a neighbour, Noah West derails her plans. The pair clash over just about everything, but the spark between the two of them is undeniable. If you like enemies-to-lovers romantic comedies, you’ll want to pick up Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC of this book! All opinions in this review are my own. I have read another book by this author and was excited to get an early copy of this one. That being said, the premise of this one (a garden competition) was just a little too far fetched and silly for me. The two main characters, Gillian and Noah, were likeable and I was rooting for them but I found that I was just a little bored as I was trying to get through the book. It was super slow and with this type of book, I find that it's easy to get bored if things don't happen a little quicker. Thanks for the opportunity to review.

This book just wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't connect to the characters (inner Bette just wasn't for me). I'm also not a gardener so I wasn't that into this part of the story.

Such a lovely book! A small town enemies to lovers romance was just what I needed when I stumbled upon this up. I loved the banted between Noah and Gillian. They become enemies when Noah tramples part of Gillian's garden which has she has spent a lot of time cultivating. Noah owes money in back taxes, hence why he has to sabotage Gillian and her chance to win the gardening competition. I also really enjoyed the grumpy/sunshine aspect and even when they were fighting, I got a sense of sweetness in their relationship. While I don't usually go for closed door romances, this one did not disappoint.

This was an average read for me. It was a nice romance story but nothing that I haven't read before. Overall it was cute and I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the E-ARC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Cute sweet it a little too fluffy for my taste. It’s a one sitting type of read but lacked depth or emotional drivers to feel memorable

First thought: Always love a good strong plus size character that is actually relatable! Plus enemies to lovers in a small town, is two of my fav tropes so this one was definitely an auto must read for me!

Jillian is a plus size pharmacist that is a passionate gardener in her spare time. She works magic and passion into her garden and her goal was to win the local gardening competition. The only issue is no matter how good her garden is she seems to never win. Her other goal this year is to continue her dating journey but she’s learning she has to weed out a lot of guys to find what she’s looking for.

Noah is coming off of a breakup, he is ready to move on from his old life and moving back to the small town that he use to work at during summers growing up. What he didn’t take into account is what living in a small town means. He quickly realizes there will be a melding trio of neighbor netties and a scheming mayor that holds grudges.

Noah and Jillian cross paths when he moves in next door and his first mission is to rip out the hedges in his yard. The same hedges Jillian planned to use as the backdrop to her garden design! So as you can see things didn’t go well, it was instant hate for Jillian.

To make matters worse Noah gets roped into entering the gardening contest and the mayor planned to rig it so he would beat Jillian. But as things progress the lines between hate and like are being blurred and these two will bond over a garden gnome, bad dates and gardening.

Literally Themes you’ll find:

* Enemies To Lovers
* Plus Size FMC
* New to Town MMC
* Gardening
* Small Town
* Dual POV
* Closed Door

🌸🌻🌷🌸🌷🌻🌸🌷🌻🌸🌷🌻🌸

I love romanced and although Grumpy/Sunshine isn't my go to, I really enjoyed this book! I love that the main character is divorced and navigating the world of dating apps. So much more believable than a 20 something year old in my opinion! Major Kudos to the author who made the main character relatable and not some skinny supermodel. A new neighbor moved in and they don't get along. Cue grumpy trope! Noah is from Cali and recently went through a breakup. The two characters are rivals in a gardening contest but slowly grow to find romance! Really great spring read! Thank you @Netgally for an ARC version of this book for an honest review.

In support of the SMP boycott, I will be withholding my review of this title until SMP speaks out. If the boycott is resolved, I will update with a full review.

This one was cute but nothing special. I liked the small town setting and meddling older ladies in town. Willow Cove was a nice setting. I did not feel the chemistry between Noah and Gillian. I felt like Gillian cared much more for her garden than she was interested in Noah. Overall just okay, nothing special or memorable. I would have loved more chemistry and romance between the main characters.

this book was pretty cute but kind of forgettable. i really loved the little group of old meddling ladies because they were super funny and caring. i do think that there were some plotholes that i wish were either resolved or not mentioned at all. also, i understand that her weight was a major point in the book, but i literally couldn't picture her because she was never described (or she was not described well enough?). it was also mentioned so many times that i was like okkk.... i get it. anyways it was a solid 3 stars, cute but not amazing.

This is a charming, lighthearted rom-com. I debated giving this one 3 or 4 stars, but ultimately decided to round up to 4. There were many things I enjoyed about this story - the relationship that developed between Gillian and Noah was sweet and fun and the side characters, including Gillian's group of friends and her trio of older neighbors, were delightful and added a lot to the story.. There were also a few things that bothered me about the story. While I appreciated the theme of body positivity, the continual mentions of Gillian's body type and the effect it had on her relationships was quite heavy-handed. And the storyline involving Gillian's nemesis in the gardening club, Louise, seemed very forced and cartoonish. There was no logical explanation for the level of hatred that Louise had toward Gillian, so her actions seemed over-the-top and unbelievable. Overall however, I did enjoy this story and am interested in going back and reading the first in this "series" (although the books can certainly be read as standalones), mainly because of the fun and entertaining side characters. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Prepare to be enchanted by this rollercoaster of laughs and love in Hedging Your Bets, the latest offering in the realm of enemies-to-lovers contemporary romances. With sparkling wit and undeniable chemistry, Jayne Denker, an author who never disappoints, crafts a tale that is equal parts heartwarming and hysterical.

From the moment Gillian and Noah meet, readers are treated to a battle of wits that crackles with energy and charm. Their banter is razor-sharp and hilarious, and their undeniable attraction practically leaps off the page. The author's mastery of comedic timing ensures that every interaction between the protagonists is a joy to behold, leaving readers grinning from ear to ear and salivating for more.

But what truly sets this story apart is the electric chemistry between the leads. Their simmering tension is palpable, their dynamic is intoxicating, and their slow-burning romance is nothing short of irresistible. As they navigate the complexities of their feelings, readers will find themselves rooting for this dynamic duo every step of the way.

Whether you're a die-hard romantic or just in need of a good laugh at the end of a hard day, this book is sure to leave you smiling long after you've reached the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I had to keep reminding myself that this was supposed to be set in present day. It felt so dated! Online dating is definitely not for everyone but the weird fear and distrust of it felt like it belonged in 2005 and not 2024. And Louise’s lifelong hatred of Gillian just for being a happy plus sized woman seemed like it belonged in the 1950’s. I could not believe the conflict between them. What adult looks at a plus sized 15 year old and just decides “you haven’t done anything to me but you’re fat and I will always hate you”???

Also, if you told me that Noah was an alien in human skin who had never interacted with a human being before the start of this book I would believe you. This was not enemies to lovers. This was bad first impressions with a weirdo bipolar neighbor to lovers. Gillian went on a bunch of terrible dates and said “fine, I guess the hot but super angry for no reason guy next door will do”.

Other things that I hated: The conflict in this book was stupid. Blackmail over a small town gardening contest ridiculous. Betty Davis’ ghost.

Gillian and Noah were enemies to lovers, and that is one of the best tropes of them all. This was amusing, and I'd definitely read it again. Now I need to read the other Willow Cove books!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.