I thoroughly appreciated the depth and authenticity in which two characters with anxiety were portrayed. I found Aja and Walker's banter to be comforting and endearing, and I loved the portrayal of the awkwardness that comes along in those moments of newness with a potential partner. I'm definitely going to be picking up more romance by Jodie Slaughter in the future.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC to read and review!

"Bet on It" was an earnest and entertaining summer romance.

Aja wants to put down roots in a quiet town and be more social and less anxious. Walker wants nothing to do with his hometown beyond his short return there to take care of his grandmother.

I liked how open they were with each other about their mental health, the cause and how it’s impacted their life. I loved that Aja (who has Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and Walker (who has Complex PTSD) find another safe space with each other. Any time they discussed their mental health I felt like that safe space extended to me. This feeling is testament to how well the author did depicting mental health, life with anxiety, and discussions that need to be had about mental health. I wholly appreciate all of the secondary characters whose patience and understanding allow Aja and Walker to work through their emotions. That kind of support is so important to have.

Aja and Walker were spectacular main characters with delightful personalities and wonderfully developed storylines that show the power of finding your people. Their friends with benefits pact through bingo made for several entertaining and red-hot scenes oh my goodness!

Even though they’re exactly what the other needs, they are understandably afraid to give up all the progress they’ve individually made. Not to mention Walker is adamant about leaving Greenbelt he hates for treating him badly and avoiding anything to do with his father. Knowing all of this slowly chipped away at my heart because the more time Aja and Walker spent together the closer and more clearly in love they became. The tension and inevitable downfall approaching loomed like darkening clouds before a storm.

I enjoyed reading "Bet on It" with each passing page. It took my emotions on a thrill ride. The plot twisted and turned in all the right places. I love the cover - it’s so cute and perfect for this story! The mental health rep was great and relatable. I felt a connection to both main characters in big and small ways. A few of my favorite moments were at the bingo hall with Walker’s grandmother, Ms. May, and Aja and Walker’s trip to the drive-in movie. And the romance was sweet fire! A lovely read for summer.

CW: anxiety, panic attacks, drug abuse, child neglect

I think I wasn't expecting this story in many ways. For one, I wasn't expecting it to be as smutty as it was. I mean, sure, this is a romance, but it felt borderline erotica at some points, which is fine if you're into that sort of reading. I just hadn't expected it and was caught off guard. This book is super sexual. That said, the romance took a bit of a backseat and didn't feel as sweet and close as it could have been? I liked Aja a lot and Walker grew on me more as the story went on. I think I just wish that we would've seen more of those sweeter moments between them where their connection could've felt closer than just sex. This is probably more of a personal problem since I prefer slow burns, but yeah.

I think the lack of those close moments between them was off putting to me. However, I have to commend the mental health rep. That was marvelously done in my opinion and I liked it so much, I gave the book an extra star because Aja is such a fun character! Overall, I'm not in love with this book, but I did appreciate it. It's a different kind of romance than what I usually prefer to read, but I think many people will love it once it's released!

3.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Bet On It is a story about Ada and Walker, both characters who struggle with mental health issues. I really liked reading a story that explored mental health problems like PTSD, anxiety, and panic attacks. Although this book got a little heavier at the end, I enjoyed reading about each character's growth and personal journey, especially as they grew closer to each other. Also, as cute of a romance as this is, it's also spicy, so be prepared for a lot of steamy scenes. Overall, this was a great read, and I would give it 3 and a half stars.

TW: PTSD, anxiety disorder

Aja Owens has just moved from the bustling city of Washington, D.C. to the small town of Greenbelt, South Carolina. She is in the midst of a panic attack when a kind and handsome stranger approaches her and helps calm her down. Convinced she will never see him again, she is shocked to discover he is the estranged grandson of her elderly bingo buddy. Walker and Aja begin a friendship that quickly proves to be much more as they spend more time with each other, knowing Walker is not in town permanently, they decide on a bingo based sex pact to keep things under control. However old wounds and trauma quickly resurface threatening any chance of a happy ending between the two.

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This was such a sweet little southern romance that made me smile ☺️ Aja was an amazing character, I loved her so much and my heart ached for her and she dealt with her anxiety. She was a very relatable character, and I really loved how she and Walker were patient with each other and understanding. I really loved the mental health representation in this book and how the two MC’s uplifted and understood each other 💞 Also, I know what your thinking: bingo based sex pact?! It was actually a cute unique spin on their romance and I enjoyed it! Thank you so much to @netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. This title will be released on July 12, 2022.

This was my first Jodie Slaughter read and won't be my last. I really enjoyed Aja and Walker's story. It had plenty of fun and lighthearted moments but also deftly handles tougher issues like anxiety, ptsd and other mental health struggles. Aja and Walker suit each other really well and I was happy to be along for the ride as they figured themselves out both as individuals and as a couple. Also, some really great side characters, future MCs? I hope so!

This book was overall easy to read. I understood the characters and connected with Aja really well. Dialogue felt a little clunky at times but it was a quick easy read for a romance. Enjoy!

I had a good time with this book. There is a lot of anxiety and PTSD on page so that is something to be aware of going in. I though the idea of the characters meeting at bingo and then having a 'friends with benefits' pact for anytime one of the won was really entertaining. The grandmother in the story also added some comedy/deeper dive into the hero's life. For the heroine she struggles to make friends as an adult and it was 100% relatable. It's hard to become part of an organization, engage with strangers, and be social in a new environment once you have left the structured life of school. That aspect might have been one of my favorite things about the book. I liked both of the characters and they definitely worked together, both respecting the others boundaries and what they needed while still being there for each other. I would recommend this book to most people as long as they can handle the anxiety rep because being in the characters mind dealing with that was at times a lot for me (and I personally don't deal with anxiety).

DNF. I got 1/3 of the way through and had to stop. And that makes me so sad, because until that point I was 100% loving the story. The characters were real and blemished and that was okay- it was relatable. The bingo scenes were fabulous. Loved the chemistry there. But then what happened!? I felt like it was a completely different book. The language, sex, etc was waaaay too much for me. So sad, because I really truly was loving it to that point.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This story was super cute!! Who knew I’d love a romance story surrounding Bingo?! Well, maybe I knew.. I love Bingo!!

The chemistry between the characters was great and with a little spicy!! I also loved the inclusion of anxiety as I too suffer. I felt like I wasn’t alone and although friends to lovers isn’t my go to romance trope, I enjoyed it. It was more friends with all the great benefits!! 😉

Overt all a fast, fun and light hearted read. I can’t wait to see what this author writes next!!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book early in exchange for my honest opinions.

Funny story. I’m sitting in the Sam’s Club waiting for my tire to be fixed ( I had a nail) and I’m reading “Bet On It” at one of their food court tables on my iPad. I’ve made a dent in the book and it’s been uneventful. But now I’m reading in earnest just killing time and now the characters decide to have car sex. So now I feel like I’m blushing all over and afraid someone can just read my face and know that I’m in of a sex scene in my book. I’m like, oh God. The last thing I need is to get all hot and bothered in Sam’s. But I trudge on. Good grief. May not want to read in public places. I enjoyed this story. Dealing with anxiety is an issue that a few of my friends have so the story is relatable. Slaughter is not shy when it comes to descriptive sex scenes but the book is more than that. It has some raw moments that the reader has to be patient and let the characters push through their tough moments. My only hang up is the title of this book. It doesn’t fit. But otherwise a great read.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC to review.

A story about redemption and fresh starts, Aja and Walker’s story is captivating (and filled with bingo) from the get go. As a fellow sufferer of anxiety, it was truly special to see two main characters both affected by and dealing with their anxiety in their own ways.

Looking forward to celebrating this book even more this July!

This book felt very cute and light hearted. I enjoyed the feature of Mental Health for both parties especially developed in the Deep South. I also like how their different races wasn’t the main conflict between the couple as most interracial romances. I enjoyed the chemistry between Aja and Walker, but I probably stopped there. The book felt almost like it was 40% filler. I would’ve easily inhaled this book as a short story without all of the extra background noises. There were multiple points and paragraphs that could’ve been removed, and it wouldn’t have impacted the story at all. Overall, it was a nice summer romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Actual rating 3.5
Probably what used to be called a sexy romp, Fun and sensitive touching on anxiety and related mental illness, this checked all the boxes, except - I wasn’t expecting the sex scenes to be quite so explicit. Not that I didn’t read and learn, mind you, but I think it should have been clearer in the description.

This book was a fresh take on a classic friends-to-lovers trope. I especially appreciated the mental health and plus-size representation in the protagonist(s). If you’re in a reading slump, this fun story will definitely break you out of it.

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter is absolutely adorable! Featuring unique and interesting characters that feel like someone you could meet in real life - you will absolutely fall in love with them. The relationships between the characters felt genuine and real, something that could seem unrealistic in some stories. I am someone who can be made incredibly uncomfortable by steamy/spicy scenes but these ones were kind of... charming? in their own way. Overall, this book was wonderful and you'll love to watch the relationship between the main characters grow.

What do you get if you throw two thirty-somethings into a community mostly made out of gossips and older people? What if one of them grew up in the little town and has past demons to deal with? And how in the world do you make a game of Bingo sexy and alluring?

Well, you get Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter, a novel with two main characters dealing with their own mental illnesses. Aja and Walker gravitate to one another right away and, because both now their time together is limited, make a pact: no sex unless one of them wins a round of Bingo. Things get steamy between them, but both also find a way to be vulnerable with each other.

This book is spicy, romantic, has great representation of different character types (Aja is a plus-size queeeeeeen!) and great communication between all of the characters.

Jodie Slaughter did a great job with this book and if you’ve liked books by Tessa Bailey, you will also enjoy this one!

Bet On It will be published on July 12, 2022 and I have received a ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was incredible. Both characters have a type of anxiety disorder, which was relatable, and the fact that they lean on each other for support was so cathartic to read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this e book in exchange for my honest review!
Friends to lovers is my favorite romance trope, and this book did not dissapoint. Exactly what I needed to get out of my reading slump! This book also touches on important themes (like anxiety) that I think most of us face with, it was nice to have a good and accurate depiction of that in this book. Spicy, but not over the top for me. I loved the representation in this book too!

Who knew BINGO could be so sexy? I sure as heck didn’t, but Jodie Slaughter’s Bet on It had me rethinking the game. After moving to a small-town to help escape some of the anxiety living in a city caused, Aja found her social life revolving around Wednesday night BINGO with her new town’s elderly population. However, she finds herself lonely and craving the company of people her own age.

When Ms. Mae, a spunky, bingo-loving retiree, is in an accident, her grandson comes back to town for the first time in over 10 years. Walker, known to the rest of the town as Wally, has a past that haunts him every time he steps foot in the small town, but when he meets Aja, he begins rethinking his decision to stay away.

It took me a few chapters to become invested in this book, but once I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down. Some of the things I loved:

- A fat main character. Aja and Walker both allude to her fatness, but it is never once in a negative light. I don’t recall a single moment in the book where Aja was self-conscious of her size. And Walker didn’t love her in spite of her fat, it was just part of her that made him love her. As much as I love books where characters work through their insecurities, I absolutely love a book that has a fat person just living their life.
- The portrayal of mental health. Both main characters had mental illness, which was part of their developing relationship. Dealing with anxiety myself, I really connected with how it was portrayed in the book.
- Dual POV. I know that dual POV isn’t for everyone, but I personally love knowing both sides of the story. I especially loved it for this book since both characters had their own mental illnesses that affected their relationship.

The book does include trigger warnings at the beginning since it deals with past trauma and mental illness. If you are okay reading the potential triggers, I absolutely recommend this book. It’s cute, spunky, and definitely hot. I’d rank it about 3 out of 5 for spiciness.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for allowing me to read this eARC and provide my thoughts on it!