Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
5/5 stars
I loved seeing more representation of someone living their life with anxiety. This romcom managed to be both ab light, fun read and a deeper, emotional read at the same time. Also, the spice, so good.

Bet On It tells the story of Aja, who suffers from severe anxiety and panic attacks, and how she meets Walker who is her friend's (who she met at Bingo) son. Walker also suffers from PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks.

It felt a little flat and felt it could've been shorter and still say the same thing.

A scintillating rom com that will have you turning the pages. The story addresses the topic of mental health and anxiety and is very well written.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

One of the best books I've read this year. The way Jodie writes about such an emotional situation in a thoughtful and well thought out manner is incredible. There were so many different elements to the book that I loved such as having a mixed race couple as the main characters, plus size main character, mental health issues, parental issues, and spice.

The way she portrays Aja and Walker's issues in different lights but brings them together in understanding shows such thoughtfulness. Aja is a beautiful woman who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks living in a small town. Walker grew up in Greenbelt hating but comes back to take care of his gram meeting and befriending Aja while suffering from his own anxiety. The way Walker and Aja come together throughout the book is beautiful and I will admit I shed quite a few tears throughout the story! I loved every minute of this book and couldn't put it down!

Jodie Slaughter I owe you my life!!! This book is so full of heart and joy, it was impossible not to fall in love with Aja and Walker. All the charming characters in this book felt so real and grounded; like real, complex people just trying to live, that I was hooked from the start.

Aja was so wonderfully written; so witty and sweet that you couldn’t help but root for her. Not just in her relationship with Walker, but in everything. I found myself just as overjoyed about her making friends as I did when she kissed him. I was just so happy for her. It felt like she was my friend! It was so wonderful to watch the layers of herself be shown to the reader. She is one of those people who is just a breath of fresh air, so full of light. I know she’s not real but to me, she’s my FRIEND.

Walker is as good as they come. Watching him work through anxiety and PTSD was so cathartic and heartwarming. Again, I was rooting for him the whole time. I was learning from him. It was so beautiful to see a male love interest go through just as much personal growth as his lover. He was bettering himself for her, and for him. For his grandma and for his dad. Im so glad he and Aja found a safe space in each other.

As it ended, I found myself dying for more. I felt so connected and attached to these characters I needed to know what happens next in their life, like I was catching up with old friends.

This book unfortunately wasn’t my cup of tea. I put it down and went back to it but intimately the setting and plot just didn’t keep me wanting to go back, though I really enjoyed the MC. I think this was just a case of wrong reader for the book.

An incredibly soft and sweet and sexy book. I loved the PTSD and generalised anxiety representation. It was handled with care and accuracy. I also loved how quintessentially southern this was. So cute!

Super fun novel about Aja Owens -- a come of age adult looking to take care of herself and spread her wings a bit too. Aja struggles with anxiety and socialization. In comes Walker Abbott, a delightful man who carries his own baggage. They meet through Walker's grandmother and games of Bingo. Just the right amount of heart and a whole lot of fun will have readers calling their own "Jackpot!"

This was the kind of romcom I was hoping it would be.

The whole bingo based sex pact just hit the spot. It was amazing. The anxiety rep was something most book don't have which is one of the things that pulled me in. The sex, the language, the love was SO good. About 1/3 of the way into the book I already felt it being a 4 star read. Thank you so much for this arc it was beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The relationship between Aja and walker was a slow burn, but steamy at times. The story is based on a sex pact the two make during a game of bingo Loved the representation of a plus size woman, as well as a POC. Walker is dealing with past traumas, while aja has some anxieties of her own. It made the characters very relatable and we saw character development throughout the book. Though the two had their ups and downs, they ended up finding each other in the end even thought the pact was created because neither wanted to get too serious. You could see the two falling for each-other almost since the very beginning in the frozen food isle, they just could not fight it. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Jodie slaughter.

Aja Owens has struggled with anxiety for as long as she can remember. She left her family behind in DC, hoping the quiet pace of Greenbelt, South Carolina, would help soothe some of her stress, but then a panic attack hits her right in the frozen food section of the Piggly Wiggly. When a stranger stops to help, Aja hightails it out of the store in embarrassment, safe in the notion that they'll never cross paths again. Unfortunately for Aja, the kind (and handsome) stranger turns out to be the estranged grandson of her bingo pal, who has come to town for a few weeks.

If Walker Abbott had his way, he would never step foot in Greenbelt again. But when his grandma breaks both of her arms, he begrudgingly comes back to care for her. Walker has nothing but bad memories of this town, but the one new shining spot is Aja. From the moment they met, Walker has been intrigued by Aja, and neither can deny the attraction between them. Both know that Walker isn't here to stay, so to try and contain whatever is between them, they strike up a bingo-based sex pact. However, when emotions start running high, will the pair be able to make a clean break?

For someone who has never really played bingo, I love it. I have this weird fascination with it, so when I saw this was a rom-com based around it, I was sold. I loved the whole southern small-town setting and the way Slaughter depicted it made you feel as if you were right there, sweating along with Aja and Walker. I thought the pair had decent chemistry, and I liked the progression of their relationship. I went in expecting a fluffy romance, but it was pretty heavy. Slaughter incorporates elements of mental health and trauma in a very realistic way which I thought was well done. The only issues I had were the dialogue got pretty cringy at moments, and the ending felt a bit lackluster. Other than that, I enjoyed this.

I really didn’t like this book, I thought it was boring so I won’t be reviewing it on my platform. I appreciated the characters finding love and conquering their social anxiety, panic attacks and ptsd, together but it just wasn’t enough for me. I really didn’t like Walter.

What I liked about the book was the slow burn… the build up. The getting to know each other through our good and bad times. That made this story more believable and easier for me to connect with the characters.

Aja is such a sweet girl that knows her limits but knows she wants more so she can live a fuller life.
Wally (yes I’m using that name cuz it’s cute 😛) had some hard times that made strong in the long run. However, it also made him cut off one of the people that loved him more than anything. But he learns and grows.

This two together is something special they equal each other out. I like that. That’s how relationships should be.

I recommend everyone give this one a read!
4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow.

This book was fantastic. Aja and Walker were so beautifully written (it was so easy to fall in love with them), and their chemistry was amazing along with their individual growth.

From the get-go, we know Aja loves Greenbelt and Walker hates Greenbelt. This is one of those disagreements where you just can’t help but agree with both sides. It’s a matter of perspective, and it’s my favorite type of disagreement. It not only adds to the characters, but the resolution of such disagreements really make or break the book sometime, and I was not disappointed.

One of my biggest fears with books that involve sex-pacts is that the focus on the sex and the physical tension becomes more than the actual emotional and romantic aspects of it. This book did it wonderfully. It was so obvious through out the book how Walker and Aja were able to connect with each other so easily, and while it took some time to get to the actual pact, I absolutely loved the pacing and build up of it.

I absolutely loved this book! Definitely would recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not for me. I really wanted to love it, but did not unfortunately. I was not invested in the characters and found the story a little dull and boring. I found myself just wanting to skip to the end to see how everything went instead of just reading. However, do not let this deter you from reading, because there were also a lot of great parts about this book.

I loved the anxiety representation in this book! I felt I could understand what the characters were going through even if I was not invested in their lives, I understood. I also loved the body positivity and inclusivity. The banter was also one of the best parts.

Overall, this book was cute and unique but did not capture me and keep me hooked.

Bet on It is a fun romantic comedy set in small-town South Carolina. Aja moved to Greenbelt a year ago because life in D.C. became overwhelming to her. Walker grew up in Greenbelt, and had gotten out of the small town as quickly as he could. Now his beloved grandmother is injured and he must come back to take care of her. What I loved about this book is that both Walker and Aja suffer from anxiety. The author does a great job talking about what that is like - and since this book is dual POV, it's a little different for each of them. As a person with anxiety, I found their love story so charming and relatable. I liked that both characters were able to deal with it on their own - they weren't looking for someone to save or rescue them. I've read several romances where one character has anxiety and it feels like they rely on the love interest to save or fix them. This wasn't that. The author made their story feel more real and less fairy-tale-esque. I loved seeing the characters' personal growth.

The steam in this book was A+. also!

I felt the final conflict and resolution was a little bit silly, but I still really enjoyed reading Bet on It and would totally recommend it.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It was a quick read, but it left something to be desired in the romance.
The story is about Aja Owens who suffers from Anxiety Disorder and Walker Abbott who suffers from PTSD. They bond over bingo and peach cobbler in the small town of Greenbelt, SC. This story has the common “we are falling for each other but have to pretend like we aren’t because one of us is going to leave in a short amount of time” trope.
The best part of this story was the support characters. I really liked the group of friends Aja made and would like to hear their stories. Walker’s grandmother was a no-nonsense type of woman who knew she’d made mistakes, but was looking to correct them. Greenbelt made a nice setting for the story as well. You could really feel the small-town vibes.
My problem with this story is with the romance. EVERY interaction the MCs had included an “emotional breakdown” or anxiety. I feel like their entire relationship focused on their struggles with their mental health. Finding common ground on mental health struggles should not be the foundation of a relationship. I don’t know anything else they had in common.
Overall, it was a decent book. I would recommend if MCs who discuss mental health and counseling is something you are interested in. 3.5 stars
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

Aja and Walker meet while Aja is in the middle of having a panic while in the frozen food section of the local Piggly Wiggly. Walker has just come back to his hometown in order to take care of his grandma. From the moment that they meet there is an immediate attraction that grows even more when they run into each other again at the local bingo hall. Unbeknownst to them their grandma's have been bingo buddies for months.

This is a fun and flirty book. Aja's girlfriends are great because they remember Walker from when he was younger, tall, gangly and everyone called him Wally.

The area where I had the hardest time was when the characters were discussing their issues with anxiety. I felt like they over shared. Adults don't over share like that, but HS kids do and these are supposed to be adults. These moments made it hard to read parts of the book. I found myself wanting to skip ahead.

Overall this was a good book.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions expressed are my own. This review does NOT contain any spoilers. :)

☆☆☆☆☆ Overall
(Spice: ☆☆☆☆☆)

Trigger/Content Warnings: generalized anxiety disorder, complex post traumatic stress disorder, mentions of childhood trauma, descriptions of panic attacks, mentions of past drug abuse (involving side characters). (If you know of something I should include here, please let me know in the replies and I will happily add it here! Thank y’all!)

Before I say anything else, I would like to state that this book has bewitched me, body and soul. I will need at least 3-5 business days to fully recover.

Reading the blurbs and reviews from other readers, I honestly expected to connect more with Aja throughout this book than I did with Walker. However, as someone who has both c-PTSD and an anxiety disorder, I felt for both of them so deeply. I could not possibly choose whether I love the steamy, heartfelt romance plot or the beautifully accurate depictions of mental illness and perseverance that Slaughter was able to capture in this book. I simply refuse to think of choosing.

The small town atmosphere, the dialect, and the mannerisms all woven into this story make my lil Carolina heart soar. This book feels like home, like a piece of Minnie’s peach cobbler, and now that I have tasted it, I am ready for so much more. This book delivered me everything I could ever ask for from a romance novel, but it hit on so many more levels than just romance.

The way that Walker and Aja navigate their mental health, as well as triggers and traumas and everything else under the sun, is something so special to me. My favorite part of these two people coming together was that they did not try to fix each other. They supported each other in the ways they knew how, and asked how to show up for the other when they were unsure. They were unassuming (in regards to mental health, but sometimes clueless in other arenas hahah) and they took the other as they were and didn’t push their boundaries. This made me fall even more in love with them, and I thank the author so, so deeply for this representation.

Another thing I loved was that Aja’s size wasn’t the center of attention, like a spectacle or something. As a fat woman, being able to read a romance lead say she was fat as a fact, not something to be ashamed of or a way to put herself down, literally made me feel so seen. And the spice?? Scorching and well balanced - I mean, who doesn’t love a sex bet that is fueled by bingo?

I loved this book. I don’t know what else to say, but this book is just beautiful in every way. This was my first read by Jodie Slaughter, but it will definitely not be my last.

Aja Owens has moved to the small town of Greenbelt, SC, from Washington, DC, seeking some peace and quiet. She has major anxiety issues and often experiences panic attacks, which she is in the middle of one in the frozen food aisle of the Piggly Wiggly when she meets Walker Abbott. Walker ("Wally" to his Grandma) knows panic attacks all too well and he talks the beautiful stranger through it.

A few days later they meet at the bingo hall when Walker accompanies his grandma, Miss May, and is introduced to her bingo friend (that his grandma has casually mentioned for months in their phone calls). The two decide to become friends, even though the sparks are flying. We all know how this will go! Some pyrotechnics in the back seat of Aja's car in the bingo hall parking lot after a win lead to a deal that they'll ONLY hook up when one of them wins. (Some hot scenes come later too, do not fret!) They continue to grow closer and closer but Walker is also dealing with the impending arrival of his long-estranged father in Greenbelt.

I loved watching these two learn to trust and support each other and, of course, fall in love. I also appreciated a hot plus-size heroine with not one mention of any kind of body shaming! I really enjoyed this book and hope you do too!