
Member Reviews

Aja Owens has moved to Greenbelt, South Carolina to try to deal with her anxiety. The first time she meets Walker Abbott, she is having a panic attack in the grocery. Then he shows up at her weekly bingo night, the grandson of her one friend in town, and she knows he’s going to be a problem. For Walker, the only two good things in Greenbelt are his grandma and the local diner’s peach cobbler. Back in town to help his grandma heal after more than a decade away, Walker finds a third thing to like about Greenbelt: Aja. Knowing that Walker is leaving in a month, will the two take a chance on love or protect their hearts?
I loved the rep of seeing a heroine and hero who both deal with anxiety, and the friendships Aja developed with some of the other women in town. I enjoyed the flirting between Aja and Walker, but so many of the things they did together made me cringe. I recommend the book for those who like spicy romance.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

I tried so hard to finish this but unfortunately I finally DNFed the book at around 50%. I feel like I’m pretty used to reading mediocre romantic comedies. However, I just felt zero chemistry and connection between our two main protagonists. Aja seems to be more interested in Walker as a person but whenever we were in Walker’s mind it was like he was obsessed with wanting to do sexual stuff with Aja. It was always about how turned on he was just being near her. At first, this added some nice anticipatory chemistry but it got old soon. It almost felt like that was all he was thinking about and it gave me the ick. Unfortunately this ended up being a disappointment and my only DNF of the year so far.
I did like Aja much better as a character and I appreciated the mental health inclusion.

I think I might be over standard adult contemporary romances. This just didn't work for me.
Part of that is probably because I hate bets in romances. And ya know, that was my dumb ass fault for not putting together that a book with "bet" in the title that was a romance would have romance related bets in it.
I also have some questions about the author's knowledge of how the game of BINGO works.

Bingo and peaches aside, the story was entertaining and sweet. Stubborn as both characters were, I enjoyed the will they, won't they a lot. A big bonus was mental health awareness that was involved in the story. It wasn't the book's theme, but the author thoughtfully worked it in as a part of both MC's traits.

This was such a cute romance - I loved seeing a plus sized main character, romance needs more plus sized main characters!
Everything about these characters was just adorable, I loved that they both played Bingo & every scene had me wanting more. I found this romance so cute and fun and I will definitely be reading more by Jodie Slaughter in the future. These characters felt so real, I found myself wondering what they were going to say next and how they were going to react in every situation.
I definitely recommend Bet on It and will definitely be rereading this one once I get my hands on a physical copy.

Bet On It is an instant hit that deals with some serious topics! Our main couple first meet in the middle of a panic attack. They form an instant bond, and I'm obsessed with them. I'm also obsessed with Bingo, so this was prefect for me! The chemistry of the two leads is undeniable, and I hope we can get more books from this universe, because I'm not ready to say goodbye to Aja and Walker.
The pacing of the story is pretty simple, but sometimes book call for that. I feel this book will keep the interest of it's audience and create fans of new romance readers. I appreciate the different representation Bet On It brings, and I hope to read more of Jodie Slaughter's books in the future.

This was such a cute story, it gave me the warm and fuzzies from start to finish. I loved the two main characters- their chemistry was great! The mental health rep in this book was excellent. Ultimately, this book gave me everything I look for in a romcom: it had me laughing, it gave me butterflies, and had just enough angst to keep me reading.

Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book! Apologies for the delayed review.
I really enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but almost immediately forgot everything about it (I know I'm writing this months later, but I remember thinking it even back in July). I don't remember the plot at all besides that it involves a bingo hall and maybe some kind of "no feelings just fling" pact? And I haven't retained anything about the characters, though I remember admiring how much of the conflict came from baggage that each character was aware of and already working through on their own. Even if this book didn't stick with me, I liked that the characters were already in progress of working on themselves rather than being frozen before coming onto the page.

This was a wonderfully sweet story. I loved all the mental health rep. The author did a fantastic job of blending the serious storylines with the cute rom-com feel. I also enjoyed reading about a plus sized women who was able to just exist. Her size was mentioned, but it wasn’t the main focus. The side friendships that were developed, Nana, and bingo were great additions to the story as well. Overall, I throughly enjoyed reading this and can’t wait to pick up more stories by this author!

This was a really cute romance with some great comedic moments to lighten to the story. I really appreciated the mental health focus throughout the story as well. I thought the author did a great job incorporating that into the storyline. I enjoyed the characters, and I loved watching their romance develop!

This was an enjoyable and sweet rom com with both main characters having mental health rep (which is so uncommon in books, especially ones with black characters. My favorite part of this book is when the heroine ( who is African American) mentions that she felt dainty. As black women, we've never been able to have that feeling nor are we able to be described in that nature. Truthfully, this is the first time I've read that in a book regarding a black woman. Walker's Grandmother is truly a memorable character. I also appreciated the fights, as well as the healing that took place in this story. Such a great job was done by the author.
I received a copy of the book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review of my own thoughts and opinions.

Cute, romantic story of young love. Add in Bingo and grandma...such fun. Set in the south, full of good old fashioned southern charm. Love the characters, rooting for them to find their happiness!

When it comes to love, all bets are on.
This is a heart-stoppingly fun, emotional romance that will have readers falling in love until long after the last page is turned.
The overall tone is fun and cute, especially in the beginning, but then turns more mature and realistic when trigger and sensitive topics are introduced and explored, making it emotional at times. The characters were easy to read about and I especially liked seeing their true colors show as the layers of their outer shells were peeled back. There is a lot of quirky yet cute behavior, some sexy scenes, and lots of psychological elements to ponder. It was a different type of read and I definitely welcomed the multiple varietal tones. As much as I enjoyed the quirky and fun parts, I welcomed the more serious parts to balance it. Being partial towards reading books that focus on psychological issues, I especially appreciated the way troubling topics were addressed and weaved into the story and seeing the characters grow and thrive despite their anxieties and troubles.

I really enjoyed this one. The anxiety rep, the romance, the characters, the friends, the love, the setting. I do love bingo! The two MCs with their own demons finding love with one another was beautiful. I enjoyed this story immensely and will be looking out for more books by Slaughter in the future. Also, I got to listen to the audiobook of this as well and I LOVED the narration.

This was a pretty good book. I listened to the audiobook as well and I really enjoyed it. I would read more books by this Author

Bet on It was a delight of a book! I did not expect to feel so attacked for my anxiety and my issues with my hometown, but I really had an amazing time reading it. Seeing a plus-sized woman of color be depicted as the hero of a story, as romantically desirable, and as a well-rounded character really meant a lot, and I'm so glad I finally picked this book up!

This is another case for me of liking the characters well enough, but not really liking them together? There wasn't that spark of tension, chemistry, or any real vibe felt when they interacted. They were together simply because it was written that way rather than feeling that way.
I do love the trend of mental health in romance because while they aren't typically heavy novels, they are every day problems and I think welcoming these struggles into the conversation is the best way to make talking about them easier.
I love the charm in small town romances and that desire to move to a tiny town in the middle of no where, but this one didn't give me that feeling as much. I wanted more quirk and side characters.
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Can you find true love....at bingo? Aja and Walker don't think so, but are willing to try to find out.
I thought this was a super sweet, easy and fun read, perfect for those days when you just don't want to think too hard but you still want to smile. I like the way that Aja and Walker were written, just the perfect amount of sugar and spice.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I love this book! Both of the main characters are unique and refreshing. It is so nice to see characters deal openly and honestly with their mental health. They are supportive and understanding of each other throughout the whole book. And who knew bingo could be spicy!

The cover first caught my eye with this book, but the story brought me in.
I liked the honest representation of PTSD and anxiety. The story was relatable, well written and had wonderfully rounded out characters. I definitely will be looking forward to more books from Jodie Slaughter!
I want to thank NetGalley, Jodie Slaughter and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.