Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC audiobook of Hedging Your Bets. This one was a sweet and quirky story, but overall, it fell a bit flat for me. The audiobook was a bit choppy and slow at times. A cute story (slow burn, closed door, and enemies-to-lovers) but one that felt a bit forced. I enjoyed the cast of characters and “character” of the town of Willow Glen. I think this might have been a continuation of a series (that I haven’t read before), and that might have been part of the disjointedness for me

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Grab your largest gardening hat and plenty of sunscreen, because the cutest enemies to lovers of the spring season has arrived!

Determined to not let the last four years of consecutive loss get her down, Gillian has decided that this is her year to win the Willow Cove Gardening Competition. Her garden beds are lush with romantic flowers, her grass as green and soft as a lawn care commercial, and her overall yard design? Impeccable. However, what Gillian doesn't count on is Noah West moving in next door.

Things I loved about this book: the gardening (specifically Gillian's passion for it), the slow burn, and the community of Willow Cove. The second stand-alone novel in a series, there were plenty of well-developed and interesting secondary characters that provided plenty of laughs!

This would be a great option for people looking for a sweet, non-spicy romance novel to welcome in spring!

This book had a lot of potential, but it fell flat for me. I think the first and biggest issue I had was that it’s in third person POV. That’s so hard to read and even harder to listen to. It’s difficult to connect to and super impersonal. In addition, we’re supposed to buy into Noah liking Gillian when he’s super rude to her and calls her a terrible decision?? Is this kindergarten where boys that are mean to us like us? I’m not into it. The story line was great in theory, and I think if it was written differently, I’d have liked it. Now… the narrators Katelyn Levering and Nick Mondelli were FABULOUS. I would have DNF’d this title if it weren’t for the narrators. They brought it to life for me and put on a great performance.

In the quaint town of Willow Cave, a cold war unfolds between next-door neighbors Noah West and Gillian as they compete for the prize of the best garden.

The very premise of this story caught my attention, as I find the small-town trope fascinating. The author weaves together a cute romance, yet I found myself hoping for more. While Gillian's relatable character drew me in, I couldn't fully connect with Noah.

For the most part, the chemistry I anticipated between the characters was absent until the story reached its climax, which left me wanting more romance. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the endearing friendship between Gillian and her meddlesome neighbors, and the inclusion of a curvy female main character was a delightful touch.

I thoroughly enjoyed the narration by Katelyn Levering and Nick Mondelli, though the transition between characters was somewhat disjointed. I grew accustomed to their style.

While this story possesses a certain undeniable charm, it does lack the excitement that many readers may crave. However, for those who find joy in closed-door romances where opposites attract, this tale may prove to be the perfect read or listen for you.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for providing the ARC of "Hedging Your Bets" in exchange for my honest review.

This slow burn rom com was adorable! The beginning was very slow but once I knew that Gillian and Noah were flirting, it made it easier to want to keep reading. I love how Gillian was confident in herself and her body as a plus size woman. It's always great to read about that representation. I was cracking up at the group of old ladies who live in the neighborhood and meddle. If the beginning had not been so slow, this would have been a 4 star read for me, but it took me numerous tries to get into the book.

Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker was a cute listen, I enjoyed both of the narrators and the story. It was a little slow at times and kind of silly, but if you enjoy clean, small town, grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, dual POV romcoms, with a strong female lead, funny side characters, and of course gardening, then you will like this! It was well written and creative. Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and the author for this ALC.

This is a well-written, low-angst, small-town romance featuring nosy neighbours and a gardening competition. It has an enemies-to-lovers vibe founded on a trivial disagreement. The audiobook narration is well done.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Quick Summary: An odd to even couple romance

My Review: Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker is a super cute rom-com with heart.

About the Book: Willow Cove has a new resident. His name is Noah West. He plans to set up roots, but he might not be off to a good start. He and his happily divorced neighbor seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot. Can a community of well-meaning ladies, a garden gnome, a bit of friendly competition, and a few acts of kindness help them to overcome their differences?

My Final Say: This was a very enjoyable read. I genuinely liked it. I really appreciated that the leads were firm in their convictions about self, even if it was different from how others perceived them to be. I also liked how they both showed concern and compassion for each other. It was sweet. Lastly, I loved the older ladies and how they rallied around Gillian and Noah. They were busybodies with good intentions.

Other: Readers who like community-rich stories and stories about rising from the ashes of life will find this story entertaining.

Rating: 3.3/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status: Clean
Level: 🍬

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Dreamscape Media), and to NetGalley. Thank you for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my thoughts and opinions on this wonderful women's fiction novel.

The cutest flirty meetcute with a second encounter turned awry. I seriously could not stop reading from page one I was hooked. Love me a small town with all the meddling older ladies. Noah and Gillian are the best enemies turned friends turned lovers, I laughed and I had a great time.
The narrators were great, the voices were very lively and the slight voice change to each character was distinct enough to know that it was a new character.

Denker has a lovely writing style, which made the book an overall enjoyable read even though the plot didn’t work for me.

Premise - a divorced, curvy woman gets a grouchy new neighbor who tries to beat her in a gardening competition in order to save his business.

What I liked:
✔️ curvy representation (it’s refreshing to see a variety of FMC types)
✔️ writing style that didn’t get in the way of the story
✔️ meddling grandmas

What didn’t work for me:
🖍️ they went from hate to love in an instant and it didn’t feel earned or make sense
🖍️ she hallucinates Bette Davis but seems fine with it? She doesn’t get medicated for schizophrenia or even see a psychologist, even though it’s an ongoing problem. What’ll happen when Bette tells her to jump off a cliff (or push someone?)
🖍️ the stakes were very low
🖍️ the bullying she faced for her weight didn’t feel true to today’s adults… an older woman risks her societal standing, her money, her career, etc to annoy her, all because she hates that she’s fat.
🖍️ the way they talked about her weight, justifying it by her good health and rigorous exercise, was weird, too. It felt like suggesting she would have deserved the bullying if she was unhealthy

This book wasn’t a hit for me and I’ll have forgotten it by this evening, but I can tell the writer has talent and I’d read what she writes next, once she has plot ironed out.

Thanks, NetGalley and St Martin’s, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this opposites attract, dual POV, small town, enemies to friends to lovers next door neighbor romance that sees two feuding small town people competing to win a gardening contest and slowly realizing they actually like spending time together. I loved how unapologetically fat and fabulous divorced pharmacist and avid gardener, Gillian. Especially when she decides to dip her toes in the online dating world, going on a series of first date duds while also trying yet again to win the town gardening contest.

Meanwhile, Noah is new to town and fresh off a break up with his old girlfriend and her son. Noah has no kind of green thumb and has zero interest in the gardening contest until the woman who hates Gillian blackmails him into competing to rig the contest. I really enjoyed watching Gillian and Noah's friendship develop. They feel comfortable enough to get vulnerable and share some deep secrets with one another.

My only real complaint was that this was a closed door/fade to black story and there didn't seem to be much build up before all of sudden they were together. Good on audio and recommended for fans of books like How to love your neighbor by Sophie Sullivan. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!