Cover Image: The Love Wager

The Love Wager

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Member Reviews

It would have snagged five stars for me if I had felt attached for either main character...but I didn't

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Overall, I enjoyed this second book from Lynn Painter. Hallie was a likeable enough character and it was satisfying to see her growth throughout the story. Similarly, Jack was also generally likeable, although as more about his character was revealed, it seemed somewhat unbelievable that he was such a playboy. As with any friends-to-lovers storyline, it eventually reaches a painfully obvious point at which it so overtly obvious that it's annoying. Granted, more details are needed to complete the storyline, I wish they had both realized sooner (even if individually and kept it to themselves) that they actually liked the other person.

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When a one-night stand turns into so much more, hilarity ensues. This book is hilarious. You'll be laughing & rooting for the main characters to find their 'one true love' in one another.
Whenever I read Lynn Painter's book, I look forward to the next. Her stories capture my attention, and I can't get enough.
I give this book a 5-star rating. It has a little of everything; I believe everyone will enjoy it.

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I didn't like this book but I did like the author, if that makes sense? Like I didn't care for the setup or the characters but I thought the writing was fun. I gotta go back and read Mr. Wrong Number!!!

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This is such a cute and adorable read. I loved the premise and enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.

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I haven’t enjoyed banter like this in a bit. Usually I only find it in the enemies to lovers troupe, but this story gave those a run for their money. I love how comfortable Jack and Hallie became with each other early on, their friendship was so fun and made the story that built on it believable and also enjoyable to watch develop. A lot of the favorite troupes were featured, including friends to lovers (which usually isn’t a favorite of mine, but I adored this one). The main and side characters were a blast to be around, and I would honestly love to see some of them again in their own HEA’s. This is the first Lynn Painter book I’ve read (I know, where have I been? And why haven’t I read Better Than the Movies yet?) and it most certainly won’t be my last! If you are considering picking this one up, here is your sign to grab it and a fluffy blanket and settle in.

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I started and finished in one night! Couldn’t I
Put it down. I loved both the MCs and their winding road to each other! I think the mix in if dating apps into recent romance books has been a nice way to incorporate what the current realities of dating are as well. I couldn’t get enough of these two. It was one of those kicking your feet smiling adorable love stories

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It was cute, had some spice, and also some cringiness - a pretty average romance for me, but it serves it's purpose. As far as sequels go, I think the Love Wager does exactly what it was supposed to for Lynn Painter's audience. There was some wit and banter, but as a fellow red head I am BEGGING authors to PLEASE create red-headed characters without that being their ENTIRE personality. 3 Stars from me!

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I really liked the premise of this book and wanted to like it a little more than I did. Overall, the reason the main characters weren't together felt a little to prolonged for my tastes.

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This was my first Lynn Painter book & now I completely see the hype. I loved how giddy he was when he texted her and the banter had me kicking my feet and giggling. I found it very entertaining and refreshing to have a book that wasn't 90 percent miscommunication.

This book did friends to lovers so well and it was nice to see the relationship build before my eyes. I really enjoyed watching them each discover their feelings as well and things not being immediately obvious. If you like boy obsessed books & romcom banter, this book is for you.


I definitely will be picking up some more Lynn Painter books in the future.

Thanks Penguin & Berkley Romance for the ARC

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While working as a bartender at a wedding reception Hallie’s meeting with Jack went well but meeting his girlfriend didn’t go so well. Before they know what happens not only has he broken up with his girlfriend but a little too much fun leads to a night of steamy fun. Full of regrets Hallie’s only thought is to leave but when he appears on the dating app she is part of they agree to help each other find their perfect match.

Jack is looking for love however he realizes that it isn’t going to be with the woman who is now his ex. He and Hallie’s attempts to date are definitely a work in progress but at least they have each other to console themselves with. When she needs a plus one he volunteers for the job and that is when the fun really begins!

The interactions between them were humorous, the chemistry was intense, and I enjoyed seeing them realize what they were looking for had been right in front of them all along.

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Truly one of the best friends-to-lovers relationships in a romance novel! So fun, peppy, and sweet, with a satisfying ending.

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I love Lynn's writing and this is officially my new favorite book by her!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and it exceeded my expectations!

Friends to lovers & fake dating are my favorite tropes so this was honestly perfection.

I’m not a huge romcom person but Lynn’s romcoms get the balance just right!

This was a masterpiece!

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I adored this book so much! I didn't realize this was. a sequel of sorts and that we were getting Jack's story from Mr. Wrong Number. So as I was reading and thinking "that character's name sound familiar" "surely there can't be that many books with siblings that share the same names" I then realized what was going on.

I did not expect this Jack to come out. He didn't give me the same vibes as he did in book, but it was such a great surprise! I love the connection between him and Hallie. They were such a sarcastic and funny pair and I rooted for them from the start even though they would obviously get together. I love their fake dating, their "lets be real" moments, and the closet scene melted me.

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💖 REVIEW: The Love Wager 💖

SUMMARY: Hallie has one hot night with wedding guest Jack before deciding it’s time to get her life together. She begins by signing up for a dating app, where she promptly encounters her one-night stand. The pair jokingly message back and forth, agreeing that dating one another would be way too weird, and make a bet to see who can find love first.

This is my second Lynn Painter book, and it won’t be my last. Her books are consistently 🔥, fun, and exactly what I’m looking for in a romantic comedy. This is the stuff that perfect 90s romcoms were made of.

Check it out if you like:

😏 Fake dating
👫Friends to lovers
🛏️ Only one bed
💬 Charming banter
🌮Weekly taco night

I read this one, but after I was done I immediately put myself on the waitlist for the library’s audiobook copy. It was just so fun; I know the audio version will be entertaining.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

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This was my first book from Lynn Painter and I absolutely adored it! I was a little iffy at first. There were definitely some cringe moments that had my secondhand embarrassment screaming. Secondhand embarrassment is the absolute worst for me, where I either have to skim the pages to get through it, or I stop reading for like a whole month. HOWEVER, I loved their banter, so I ended up skimming through the cringe and finished the book in a day.

This one was hookup > friends > lovers. We also had some fake dating. And their angst and chemistry was off the charts.

We follow Hallie, who is a bartender when we first meet her. And then there’s Jack, the brother of the bride. They meet at his sister’s wedding that she’s bartending, and after a semi-public breakup, Jack and Hallie get drunk and end up hooking up. They both end up on a dating app and they become the greatest friends. They’re basically wingmen for each other and it’s so sweet because we watch him fall first.

Then it’s time for her sister’s wedding in Colorado, so he agrees to fake date her regardless of his feelings for her (that he won’t admit to anyone). AND WE KNOW HOW FAKE DATING GOES, especially while packing on the PDA to sell it to family. And this is why it’s one of my absolute favorite tropes, especially tied with friends lovers.

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This was funny, romantic, and I had a great time reading it. It was easy to follow and hard to put down. I love books like this where you see the struggle between the two main characters and you just know they will end up together so you find yourself yelling at the book to just figure it out already! LOL overall, a lovely contemporary romance.

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oh my goodness, this was the best book!! it was soooo sweet and i'm so in love with it!! as always, thank you so much to netgalley for letting me read this book early! pick it up asap!!!

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Thank you @berkleypub for the free book and @prhaudio for the audio version as well. My thoughts are my own.
#penguinrandomhousepartner

GENRE: RomCom
PUBLISHER: Berkley
DATE RELEASED: 3/14/23
320 pages
7h 1 m
Narrated by: Kristen DiMercurio & Zachary Webber

SUPER SHORT SYNOPSIS: After a one-night stand Hallie and Jack become best friends and they make a wager about who can find REAL love first. The story becomes hilarious as they often choose to date at the same restaurants and then meet afterwards to commiserate about how hard it is to find the “right one”! I especially enjoyed the speed dating and later, when they became a “fake couple” for a weekend wedding!
 
MY THOUGHTS:
This is a light-hearted friends-to-lovers troupe with good character development, an amusing plot, and lots of good-natured banter. It is a fairly quick read; I read it in one night. I also checked out the audio version and it was particularly enjoyable with Kristen DiMercurio and Zachary Webber bringing the characters to life.

This cute book would make a great rom-com movie!

Add this one to your summer beach reads if you enjoy:
*fake dating
*strangers-to-friends-to-lovers
*likable characters
*witty banter
*some spice

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The Love Wager is a one night stand-to friends- to fake dating- to lovers romance. The novel starts with Hallie Piper, the protagonist having a one night stand. After Hallie decides she wants to get her life together, she finds herself on a dating app and ends up matching with Jack, the man she had a one night stand with. Hallie and Jack become friends and make wagers on who will find their one true love first. Not so spoiler alert: they are each other's one true love.

I really enjoyed The Love Wager. As the first sentence of my review might have revealed, this book has tons of common romance tropes. In my opinion, they were done well. This story is fun, funny, and entertaining. The characters were very likable. As Hallie and Jack dated other people, I was 100% rooting for them to get together and that’s proof that this story was successful (in my opinion).

There were some phrases that got used a lot that were an inside joke between the characters. It got a little repetitive, but it wasn’t too terrible.

I will definitely be going back to read the first book in this series and I’ll be looking out for Painter’s next romance release!

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