The good: the open discussions about mental health issues, Aja overcoming her anxiety to make friends in her new town

The bad: the relationship between these two just didn't have that special something I look for in a contemporary romance. It felt more like they were into each other because they were in a small town with limited other options, not because they had a real bond.

I walked into this book expecting more sassy grandmas at bingo and it just...wasn't that! Jodie Slaughter is clearly a talented writer, this just wasn't the relationship for me.

I received this book as an ARC and here is my review. I loved this book and the honesty of difficult feelings it presents. It is filled with fun and laughter and also with angst and heartache. The characters are multi-dimensional and filled with every possible emotion. This story is impossible to put down and is well worth the time and thoughts. I totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance and all the ins and outs of any relationship.

I don’t usually read romances but the description of this one had me intrigued. I didn’t expect the book to be a page-turner and one that I wouldn’t be able to put down but I was pleasantly surprised. Although the book started out very slow by the time I got to the middle I had to find out how it would end. The sexual tension the author has the protagonists, Aja and Walker, endure is nail biting to say the least. I found the characters very believable and endearing. The author chose to deal with mental illness throughout the story which is what prompted me to read the book. The author portrayed very well what can occur during a panic attack and this helped make the characters believable.

I do hope there’s a sequel because I would like to know what the future holds for Aja and Walker. The epilogue provides a sneak peek but not enough to satisfy my curiosity.

I enjoyed this book and will read more by this author in the future.

What a breath of fresh air for the romance category. First off, as a young adult who has accompanied her Mamaw to Bingo, the author really captured the essence and vibes of Bingo. I love that it was dual perspective and that both of the main characters had depth and real problems. For once, the characters weren’t only existing with each other. They both had friends and/or family that they were interacting with throughout the book and not just to discuss the relationship between the characters. They both had mental health diagnoses that allowed for a deeper look into the characters. Watching Aja grow into her true self while Walker works on forgiveness made for a truly dynamic read — and you can’t forget the spice between Aja and Walker. Excited to see what Jodie will come up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Press, and the author for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4376809328

Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a delight! Aja and Walker are so sweet and our ever-present meddling grandma is the QUEEN of the whole book!

I really loved how the author detailed Aja's journey with anxiety. It was honest, sincere, and made me root for her above everything else!

This was a very heartwarming romance in small town South Carolina. I truly appreciated the focus on mental health and knowing your boundaries, and also touching on just how hard it is to make friends as an adult. I will definitely be getting a copy of this when it is released.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I was not expecting this book to be as amazing as it was! It’s tackling topics like normalizing mental illness and therapy, finding love and taking chances, and facing your fears all in one amazing book! I found myself cheering for both of the main characters to work through their struggles in finding friendships, repairing family relationships, and falling in love at the same time! Plus, this book really makes me want to play some bingo LOL

Favorite Quote: “Heartbreak is like any other loss… It doesn’t matter how much we try to brace ourselves; the blow never comes any softer.”

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. TRIGGER WARNING CHILD ABUSE, ALCOHOL ABUSE. This book is set in South Carolina. It is quick paced with great mental health representation. I highly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This book will be in stores on July 12, 2022 for $16.99 (USD). This book will keep you engrossed from the first page to the last page. So when July gets here check this book out.

This was my first book by Jodie Slaughter, it was a well written story with just more of everything.

Aja and Walker both have anxiety disorders and this story has brought a new light on this subject matter, making it real and giving an inside view of what people struggling go through. This story also shows how the characters grow by just finding each other and finally feeling seen.

This is a wonderful story with so much emotion, and the perfect amount of heat!! Don’t miss out on this one!

Overall this was a cute story. I really liked both Aja and Walker. I don't think I've ever read a romance where both the leads had such mental health issues, but it was different and rather educational to an extent. Overall though I don't think their relationship was that well developed. I know that weeks were supposed to have gone by but I didn't really ever get why they were totally in love all of a sudden. I just didn't really buy into their relationship. Overall it was a relatively fun read, but I would probably never pick it up again for a re-read.

Bet on It
By Jodie Slaughter
A Review by Jamilla, @LandsAwayBooks on Wordpress.

I’m not entirely sure what I expected, I have read a Jodie Slaughter book before and enjoyed it so much that when I saw that this was on Netgalley I quickly snapped it up! (Thanks a bunch for this copy for review y’all)

But, like I said, I wasn’t sure what the heck I was getting into!

This story deals about small towns, petty gossip, PTSD, anxiety, making friends as an adult, finally coming home and bingo.

It felt warm, real and familiar.

So, it was a lot! And it was glorious!

Say yes to this title if:
-you like truly friends to lovers is your jam
-you like foot rubs
-you like when someone has to grovel
-you like stories that tackle mental health in all it’s complexities and makes it a point where the main leads relate to each other
-if you like lots of sexy time
-if you like small town stories
-if you’re an adult who wants to make more friends
-if you like bingo!

Thanks so much to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who grew up in the American Deep South (and went to college in the Carolinas), I can say that it was really refreshing to have a book set in the South, with honest-to-god Southern characters and speaking patterns and sayings, that managed not to slip into either stereotypes or fetishized mannerisms. Ms. Slaughter handles that so well here. You really get a sense that these MCs could be real people, just trying to make it through a grocery run at the Piggly Wiggly.

All in all, this was a nice book. There are really honest and raw characterizations of mental illness - both of our MCs have their own struggles / history with that, and both are actively on the path of healing. The way the author handles it, you really feel as if you are getting a whole pictures of Walter and Aja, without their mental illness becoming <i>who</i> they are. There's a lot of great themes with family trauma, family healing, and found family. And you definitely get some steamy scenes in there too.

There's also an absolutely wonderful sense of our leading lady as a black woman, and how that differs from Walter's experiences without it taking over the story (or being a main point of conflict). It reminded me of many recent LGBTQ+ romances that make a point in the world-building to assume that homophobia isn't a big deal, and the characters don't have to deal with it. While that absolutely doesn't erase the very real-life issues, there is something radical in creating a story where the author can say "fuck that" and instead give the characters something else to find conflict over. Slaughter does that in this book in terms of race, so the characters are left just dealing with themselves and their own issues without having to add that as a layer.

For me, though, the overall book fell a little flat with the sense of place, the depth of the storytelling, and the dialogue... sometimes it just didn't flow naturally, we moved fairly quickly through different scenes when I would have liked to linger, and I was REALLY waiting to get more of those small-town Carolina vibes.

Bingo! This was just the 🔥 rom-com I was hoping for.

Aja just moved to Greenbelt, South Carolina. A more desirable, smaller town. A quiet place where she can more easily manage her daily struggles with anxiety. And today is no exception. A simple shopping trip to the local Piggly-Wiggly has Aja frozen in place, ironically enough, next to the frozen foods section in the midst of a full blown anxiety attack.

A simple gesture of kindness from a stranger.

Walker instinctively recognizes what’s happening to Aja and offers to simply stand by her side until the attack passes. He understands only too well, because he too deals with the same issue. And yet another chance encounter finds the two meeting again at the Wednesday night bingo event.

I‘ve noticed lately that many rom-coms have started delving into heavier topics such as mental health. Jodie Slaughter does an exquisite job of shining a light on many of the effects anxiety can have in someone’s life. The support and love from their families and friends was truly touching and heartfelt.

I loved both characters as they navigated their way towards love while also looking after their own hearts and minds. The attraction and chemistry felt oh so real.

Looking forward to reading more from this very talented author.

⚠️ be prepared…this is a very spicy rom com!

Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press

This was such a fun book with likable characters! Without spoiling too much, seeing a character deal with and find ways to manage anxiety was such a welcomed addition to a fun and sexy romance. Would definitely recommend!

This was just an okay romance for me, and I think a big part of that was because of the writing. I love that a central focus of this book is trying to navigate mental health issues as an adult, and in a relationship. But I feel like the writing really let that aspect down. More specifically, there was a lot of show-don't-tell, to the point where we would get large swaths of text that were just the protagonists telling us things about themselves. The more I read, the more I wanted some dialogue rather than character exposition. I also found that a lot of the discussion of mental health and romance was crammed into these exposition-heavy sections of texts rather than more cohesively integrated into the story through feelings, dialogue, plot points, etc. Overall, I would've liked to see more themes explored through small character moments or small moments in general, rather than just told us to us over and over again in exposition that made the book drag.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. Wow what can I say about this title it was just an awesome read. This book was just something so wonderfully different I’ve never quite read anything like this. You should read to find out you won’t be disappointed. I’m definitely going to read more by this author.

3.5 stars
Bet On It is a cute romance with some really great representation. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fairly light read with some serious discussions sprinkled throughout. The conversations about anxiety, triggers, etc never felt overwhelming, but they were appropriately serious. I also loved that the main character, Aja is a plus-size woman of colour with anxiety. It's good and diverse representation. The romance and premise of this book were both really cute, but I never felt super connected to them. I found that although the main characters had clear chemistry, for most of the book they were at the same point in their relationship, so there wasn't a ton of development. For the most of the book they were sexually attracted to one another, really liked each other personalities, but didn't let themselves get to deep into the relationship. The only other 2 distinct points were the start when they were introducing themselves, and the end when they were in love, so although the romance was really cute, it also felt a bit slow. Still, I really enjoyed this overall and would definitely recommend it.

Guys, guys guys. This book was SOMETHING ELSE, and I was blessed enough to I receive an ARC copy from NetGalley (yes I squealed). I’ll do a full review closer to release but I was so excited I felt like I would explode without doing a teaser!

🍑Immersive story telling with a dreamy Southern background
🍑Diverse heroine with a candid look at mental health
🍑Cinnamon roll hero with a dirty side (HAWT scenes galore)
🍑A satisfying grovel moment (you already know I love those)
🍑 Raw, but still laugh out loud funny.

This baby comes out on July 12, 2022 and will be the perfect summer time treat (but honestly I loved it so much, read, reread, fall in love with it).

BLURB: Aja Owens considers Greenbelt SC her own little slice of paradise, somewhere she can unwind, take charge of her mental health, and work on some self love, that becomes especially true when she meets Walker Abbot (AKA her bingo buddy’s hot grandson). Walker Abbot was dreading coming home to his stifling small town where his bad memories threaten to consume him. When he meets Aja he recognizes a kindred spirit… but can these two fight for the love they deserve?

Thank you so much NetGalley! You made my weekend!

Bonus if you get the Avett Brothers reference. :)

Heat Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

First, I requested this book because I met my husband in Piggly Wiggly, it tugged at my sentimental heart.

I really enjoyed that I could feel the characters anxiety and that the author took care in how Aja and Walker were presented as fully realized people outside of their relationship. What stood out most for me was Aja, vulnerable but determined.

Bet On It was definitely the most fun book about bingo I've ever read! While I loved the diversity in characters represented, along with the realistic and insightful depiction of mental health, ultimately I felt the romance was slightly lacking. The intimate scenes were well written and sexy, but I didn't really feel the connection between the two main characters. Perhaps this is a reality of reading about mental health issues and falling in love in the midst of dealing with that, but regardless I couldn't connect with the characters as much as I would want to. Overall, Bet On It was an enjoyable and easy read, but didn't hit all the notes I wished it would.