Meh. 'Meh' pretty much sums up this book for me in one neat, three-lettered, one-syllable word.
The characters: meh.
The story: meh.
The romance: meh.
The writing: meh.
My feelings throughout reading this entire book: meh.
Is this book memorable? Meh.
Okay, to be fair the writing was actually more than 'meh'. It was easy to read and the story itself was paced well. But in saying that, there were also a couple of things in this book that I would say were less than 'meh'. Like:
The Charlie chapters were pointless. They only went for like 2.5 seconds and didn’t really add anything to the story that we couldn’t get from Bailey’s POV eventually.
I hated how Bailey was about her mother’s relationship with Scott. Like ‘I want her to be happy, but I want to be the reason she is.’ TOXIIICCC. I get that it sucks about the whole situation with her dad and his girlfriend, but still, she seemed really childish.
I love T-Swizzle, but the numerous references to her and her songs throughout this book were kinda lame. Like one or two sprinkled throughout would’ve been alright and not really aged the book, but the sheer amount of them became cringey and annoying.
On a whole though, this was a decent book. I don't think I'd read it again or buy a physical copy of it, but I enjoyed it well enough. Like I said: meh.

l'm a huge fan of this author after reading the Do Over last year.
This book was just a good, a fun, light new adult romance, that made me laugh and gave me all the feels.
This book would be a perfect romance read for Valentine's Day.

“When you’re in the room, every single cell in my body—every nerve, every muscle, every breath—is lost in you.”

- YA romance
- Strangers to friends to lovers
- Fake dating
- Dual POV
- Narrated by Zachary Webber and Jesse Zilinsky (listened via Spotify)

Betting On You follows Bailey and Charlie. They have an awkward airport meet-cute, then serendipitously run into each other a year later, and THEN get a job at the same place.

There are lots of moving parts and things happening in Betting On You:
- Bailey and Charlie make a bet about her best friend and their coworker and whether their constant flirting will lead to more because he vehemently believes guys and girls can’t be just friends.
- They’re both struggling with the aftermath of their parents divorcing with absent parents and parents moving on.
- They fake date for a hot second when her mum’s boyfriend invites her away for a weekend.

I’m not a child of divorce, but I believe Painter’s representation was realistic and relatable to those who are. She digs deep into Bailey’s feelings and reactions, and I appreciated this unique angle. I also really liked the friendship between Bailey and Charlie. They were just so stinking cute and wholesome!

But I think there was honestly too much going on, and some of the storylines weren’t fleshed out. For example, Bailey texting her ex? And then their fake dating lasted one weekend, and her mum didn't comment on it? I also think it was too long for a YA romance, and I saw the conflict coming.

But overall, fans of Lynn Painter are sure to enjoy it! I think The Do-Over is still my favourite of her YA releases, though.

4.5 stars I really enjoyed this! The characters were so cute and their banter was so sweet! I highly recommend! Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for a review. All thoughts are my own. 😄😄😄

What more could you want, Fake Dating, Lyn Painter and the so cute story of a crush so well written that i giggles and squealed like a girl. The best summer school holiday that I could recommend this year.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Lynn Painter for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

As always, I enjoyed this story by Lynn. It was adorable but real and raw. However, in true Lynn fashion there were also some LOL moments.

I really enjoyed reading this one- thank you!

Betting on You was a super cute YA read. It is written well, the story is paced perfectly and I quite liked it.

The downside for me was the FMC, Bailey. I found her quite hard to like, mainly because of her insistence on calling Charlie Mr. Nothing, as well as her frequent complaining/getting upset over family.

Charlie was a real standout character for me, he was an absolute sweetheart.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read a copy!

Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.

Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?

There are just some days where you need a good old wholesome YA romance. This is equally sweet and funny, and entertaining all at once. The immediate chemistry between Bailey and Charlie kept me so hooked for the entire book. It was great that the book touched on the troubles and worries of coming of age, along with the troubles of being part of a split family - and the thoughts that come with that split family merging with another. Make sure you put on your favourite Taylor Swift playlist and binge this one, this is definitely one for the Swifties!

Thank you to everyone involved for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Betting on You is available now.

Lynn Painter gives us another charming ya rom. Charlie and Bailey are strangers who keep finding themselves thrown together. The two are complete opposites but when they start working together things start to change. Then bets are made and teen drama appears.
This is a mash of 90’s rom coms and is quite funny to read. As always with Lynn the characters are likeable. Read if you like
Taylor Swift
90s rom coms
Friends to lovers
Opposites attract

Quick and easy to read and will leave a smile on your face.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 20%. Whilst I'm usually happy to sink my teeth into a YA dislike-to-lovers romance there's something about these two main characters that activated my ick, especially the MMC. Perhaps it's a personal thing, but someone being mean to another person for wearing glasses, being organised and generally not being laidback or "cool" should be illegal, even if they apologise for their behaviour later. With regards to the actual story, I was very bored, put it down and did not pick it up again.

3.75⭐️
Betting On You is a fun, dual-POV, friends-to-lovers YA rom-com. This was overall a very enjoyable, fast-paced, easy read! I don’t think it lives up to Painter’s Better Than The Movies, but it proves to be an entertaining time nonetheless.

I will say, this had way too many pop-culture references for my liking - these took me out of the story when I was reading it, especially the volume of Swiftie references (Yes, I think there can be too many Swiftie references 🫣). Despite this, this book is definitely one I’d still recommend if you want to add a fun YA rom-com to your TBR!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Being a Young Adult novel I really wasn’t sure what to expect of this novel. I was surprised. This was a delightful story about two young people coping with change. Change thrust upon them by their parents. Divorce and new relationships. This along with the lovely blossoming relationship between “Glasses” and “Mr Nobody” I just loved this book. The only thing I would change is how quickly the Happily Ever After (HEA) happened. It was all angst and then all happiness. It felt a bit forced and a bit quick. Apart from that it was a beautiful book that I devoured.

Big thanks to Simon and Schuster, Netgalley and Lynn Painter for this early release copy in exchange for my honest review

This book was the first Lynn Painter book and after reading it I'm definitely impressed. It was a really enjoyable read and I really liked both characters. I adored the concept of them meeting and then bumping into each other again a few times over the span of years before finally seeing each other consistently and beginning their friendship/relationship. Bailey was this hopeful optimist, meanwhile Charlie was a cynical realist. This caused them to clash but also to try to see things from each others perspectives.

I'm writing this review a few weeks after finishing the book and all of the plotlines in this book that I remember honestly feel like I'm thinking of multiple books instead of one. There were just so many tropes and plot lines that it definitely hindered my enjoyment of the story at some moments. Enemies-Friends-Lovers, Co-worker Romance, Fake Dating, the classic trying to break up your divorced parent and their new partner, etc etc etc. It just felt like a bit too much honestly and we could've done with losing a few of them without it really changing much of the major plot points.

All in all I enjoyed the writing style and the characters, and I'm definitely wanting to try out some more of Painter's works to see if I like them better.

I love Lynn Painter. I’ve read almost all of her books and I have really enjoyed them. I was so excited to read this, thinking it’d be a super cute romance, exactly what I need more of in my life. However, I definitely had some issues with this one – I didn’t dislike it but this was missing a lot of the magic for me, for multiple reasons.

Firstly, it honestly feels too long. The first half felt like it took forever to read and I was really struggling to get into the story. Bailey and Charlie cross paths twice before they end up working at the same jobs when they are 17 and both of those interactions….look, I know I’m not the YA demographic. My kids are the YA demographic, which is probably why Charlie on the plane reminded me of my oldest, blindly stating his opinion as an indisputable fact and existing only to push Bailey’s buttons for no discernible reason.

A lot of the book deals with both Bailey and Charlie’s feelings about their parents separating and dating again (more Bailey than Charlie, who doesn’t tend to disclose as much). And I get that would be an incredibly hard adjustment. But I really felt like Bailey’s issues were with the wrong person. She’s really against her mother’s new boyfriend Scott for…..no reason other than he exists. But the more we get into the book, with Bailey trying to sabotage the relationship, the more I realised that Scott shouldn’t have been the recipient of her frustration. Her mother should have been. There is probably no “right” way to handle this and every situation is different but we are kind of led to believe that Bailey and her mother were super close before Scott and now it feels like Scott is always there. Later in the book Scott sets Bailey straight on a few things and it really is obvious that her mother should’ve been honest with her much sooner. And allowing the scene that takes place at the pizza restaurant to happen in front of Bailey with zero warning, was shitty. Bailey is also having issues with her father, who lives in Alaska and this is something that really bothers her but something that she hasn’t even told her mother about? And then at the end it’s resolved but in a way that doesn’t answer any of the questions Bailey had or address any of her hurt feelings and issues of abandonment. It’s really weird.

Then there’s what happens with Charlie and Bailey. After him proclaiming that boys and girls/men and women can’t be friends and her insisting they can, they become friends. When Charlie catches feelings and things get a bit complicated, his actions were….. look in a potential boyfriend, not great. Not in the this guy is dangerous way or anything, just in the….is this how you want a person who is important to you, to treat you when they are confused? Is this the standard you want to accept? This is a person, who at worst, was your friend and at best, was someone you were hoping very much for more with, and this is the way they acted. Bailey girl, you deserve better. Charlie, I might’ve been more forgiving if you hadn’t acted the way you first did in the aftermath.

I think this book tries to do too many things and as a result, does none of them with excellence. It does some things quite well and other things less well. I think Bailey and Charlie are funny together and some of their moments are really cute. There are times when they are wonderfully supportive people to each other. There are times when they are each other’s nemesis. Some of their early interactions felt a bit childish but they are children so look, it’s understandable. And I’m not a teen anymore, so I’m going to identify less with the teens in this book. But I also feel like the adults weren’t really adulting either.

I know I’ve sounded super down on this, but there were times I thought Charlie and Bailey had such cute interactions and were really great for each other. And had good chemistry. But that was unfortunately overshadowed a lot by some of the other things that I really struggled with, or found didn’t work as they should.

However I know that this is most likely an anomaly for me from this author because I have loved so many of her other books. Sometimes a story just doesn’t gel with a reader.

6/10

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loooved this book. The characters were amazing, and I could read Charlie and Bailey’s banter all day long! Even though there were no sexual scenes, I really enjoyed their chemistry.
Coming from a divorced family myself, I could really sympathise with them. Parents always have an impact on their kids.
I’ll be recommending this to my kids when they’re old enough to read it.

Look, I like Taylor Swift. But I did not enjoy a Taylor Swift reference every other page of this Swiftie obsessed book.

This author writes well and I've enjoyed other books by her, but I took a break halfway through this book. When I decided to pick it up again, it was only TWO PAGES LATER there were TWO MORE Taylor references.

I am giving this 3.75 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed other Lynn Painter books, but for me this one fell slightly short of her others. There are so many Taylor Swift references. I also felt there was a bit of a disconnect in the chemistry between Charlie and Bailey and I know, they had a not-so-cute-meet-cute, and the bet, and it was fake dating (which is bit of hit and miss for me), so I felt like something was missing. However, as with all of her other books, this one has witty banter, bonding over shared experience/trauma, relatable storylines and some parts had me screaming, kicking my legs up and down from enjoyment and totally swoon-worthy plot points, so it’s really conflicting for me when I consider rating it.

Another thing that I think might be an issue for some people is whether this is YA, or New Adult. The reason I say this is that there were a lot of references to sex and a decent amount of swearing. Don’t get me wrong, teens these days are probably more well-versed in those things than I am (and honestly I swear like a sailor), but it is something I think about with a niece who is 13 going on 30 and I’m not sure I would necessarily want her to read this one, yet.

Overall, I did enjoy it, but it wasn’t my favourite of her books to date.

Lynn Painter is back with another sure to be smash YA romance!!

Lynn is an auto-buy author for me, and Betting on You is no exception to the rule. Full of swoon-worthy and laugh out loud moments, plenty of bets and relatable content.

This story is a YA romance lovers dream - so many moments weaved perfectly to build up some amazing tension between Bailey and Charlie, angsty and sarcastic teenage drama, a great representation of the affects of divorce on teenagers AND Taylor Swift references.

The tropes in this one worked so well, and it truly feels like a story WITH tropes rather than a story written AROUND tropes.

All in all, Ms. Lynn Painter can do no wrong and I am eternally grateful to Simon & Schuster Au for hearing my pleas and granting me an advanced copy!!

Thank you to the team at NetGalley for this eARC. This was such a fun read. I wasn’t sure how I was going to enjoy the storyline, but it was written perfectly, with the right pacing and I just fell in love with this book. I loved that this was a duel pov book, because it just added to the whole tension between Charlie and Bailey but it also helped create the perfect pacing. Fake dating is always a hard trope to get right, but oh how I was on the edge of my seat reading this, just screaming at the characters to see what we as readers can see. I think that the road trip and whole family aspect of this book really made it stand out giving its plot a gripping depth. I definitely have gained a new meet cute from this book, oh how from that first meeting at the airport you just wanted to see where the further would take them. The road trip/ holiday sequence of this book was my favourite part, I was almost convinced that I was a cat person (oh my god Charlie and that cat was the cutest thing I’ve ever read in my life). I will definitely recommend this to my fellow romance readers (it’s tame, I would say there’s no spice), and to anyone who wants a book that’s going to make them laugh, and cry, and long for love. I’ve yet to be disappointed by Lynn Painter!

Over the course of a few years, Bailey and Charlie find themself bumping into each other. When the two start working at the same hotel waterpark, they finally get to know each other better. That's all I'm telling you :P

I will read anything Lynn Painter writes. Her books always make me happy and this one was no different. The banter was so witty between our two main characters. I loved how Bailey gave it back just as well to Charlie and then when they got together, it was so swoonworthy! Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes and this one was done so, so well. Though this book is YA, I didn't really feel the "youngness" of the characters. There were a few kissing scenes too but nothing too raunchy if you prefer your romcoms on the cleaner side.