I knew I was going to love this as soon as I heard there was Bingo in it. If you know me, I have a Reading Journal that has a page where I play TBR bingo. I love Bingo anything, so it was a no-brainer that I got my hands on this. And Lordt I was not wrong that I would love it.

Another thing that caught my eye about this book besides the Bingo was the rep in it. There is Mental Health/Illness Rep and the female main character is fat and Black. Literally all I needed to know. I even bought it before I finished it because this sounded so much like me lol I don’t remember feeling so seen in such a long time. I mean from the panic attacks, to the body shape, to her being Black, to the Bingo. It was just all me. And it was done in such a tasteful way. I can’t lie, I was a little scared because I was afraid to see too much of me on the page. Like it just wouldn’t be right. But Slaughter knocked it out the park and I was so grateful.

The romance in this was spicy and sweet at the same time. Because BAY=BAY that freaking car scene?! Sheesh! I had to pause my audio and go take a walk lol It was definitely not the type of scene I was expecting when I started this. And I loved the way they both tried so hard to act like the other didn’t mean much to the other. It was so much fun to watch them realize that they were head over heels for each other. But that means it also crushed me when the third act break up came up.

After listening to this audio, I realized the narrator was Angel Pean, someone I’ve actually listened to before. And recently lol So basically it was easy to listen and enjoy her. Just as with her others, she is great with changing voices and making sure we know the difference between all characters. Especially his grandma. I thought it was pretty cool how she was able to show some age in her voice compared to the others. She is a true talent.

This book was such a surprise. I loved so much about it. If you liked Talia Hibbert, this is one for you. From the romance to the spice, it was definitely a book I wasn’t expecting to love so much. I hadn’t really heard anything about it. I decided on this off pure vibes alone and I don’t think I could have gotten any closer to my reading tastes lol I hope y’all love this as much as I did.

I wanted to love this one but it fell short for me. I didn't feel connected to Aja or Walker. I liked Walker's grandmother and his friends the best. This was an okay read for me.

I love this author and I love her romance books! I adored the characters and I loved seeing their story blossom! I can’t wait to read more from Jodie Slaughter!

I was so excited to read this book after reading the synopsis, a book that was going to talk about mental health and how people deal with, sign me up!

We meet Aja Owens mid panic attack in the Piggly Wiggly minutes before the store is set to close. She was spiraling because she thought she was going to be kicked out by an employee because she couldn’t move due to the panic attack. But lucky for her a man comes to her rescue by simply saying hello and letting her know he is there if she needs help.

Turns out that man is the grandson of her BINGO friend and thins start to spark after they are truly introduced.

There is a bit of smut in this book, but very enjoyable.

I really like the way the author was able to build a solid relationship between Aja and Walker while still discussing their mental health and how they both needed different things to make it work for them each.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book. This is my honest voluntary review.

This a cute small town romance. Aja moved to Greenbelt, SC to get away to a slower paced lifestyle. She’s got anxiety, and has attacks in the most inconvenient places. She hasn’t made a lot of friends, but plays bingo with an older woman.
Walker doesn’t like Greenbelt at all, but his grandma needs help after an accident so he temporarily leaves Charleston. He goes to her bingo night, and meets Aja, who is also helping his grandma.
Their attraction to one another is instant, and they make a pact that they can only have sex after one of them wins at bingo. As their emotional attachment grows, they want to figure out how to have a longer-term relationship. But he lives in Charleston and she lives in Greenbelt. Can they work it out?
The dialogue is very folksy, and the sex scenes are hot and steamy. If you enjoy a homey love story, complete with delicious peach cobbler, this book is for you. 3.5 stars

Synopsis:

The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. From there, all it takes is one game for her to realize that he’s definitely going to be a problem. And if there’s anything she already has a surplus of, it’s problems.

In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life. Far away from the trauma inside of those city limits. Just when he thinks his plan is solid, enter Aja to shake everything up.

A hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep this…thing between them from getting out of hand. Especially when submitting to their feelings means disrupting their carefully balanced lives. But emotions are just like bingo callers—they refuse to be ignored.

Jodie Slaughter's Bet on It is a heart-stoppingly fun, emotional romance that will have readers falling in love until long after the last page is turned.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/<id type="integer">4189932955</id>

Come for the bingo-based sex pact and stay for the mental health rep is the best way I can describe Jodie Slaughter's Bet On It. Aja Owens and Walker Abbott meet when Aja is having a panic attack in the grocery store and the way Slaughter crafts that scene with care and lightly woven in humor really sets the tone for the entire book.

Slaughter does a great job of showing characters living with PTSD and anxiety, and I also loved the way she wrote Aja's steps towards finding friends and community and how those situations can be both exciting and nerve-wracking to navigate. Meanwhile, Walker's journey deals with some complex family dynamics (and the ways that those who love us can still hurt us) and I really loved his relationship with his grandmother.

And then there's the delicious sex pact, forged as these two try to control the undeniable attraction between them. If you like reading about characters who grow as friends as well as lovers or friends with benefits situations, this is definitely a book for you.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Aja is new in Greenbelt, SC. Walker has just reluctantly returned. When Aja meets Walker at Bingo with his grandmother, sparks fly immediately.

What’s starts as innocent flirting turns into a bingo based sex pact that quickly gets out of control. As Aja and Walker develop feelings for each other, what was supposed to be a quick fling turns into something more serious. But are they both ready to commit?

Bet on It is a wonderful little romance that touches on a lot of realistic life topics - anxiety, parental issues and abandonment, as well as forced independence. I liked the glimpses into both Aja and Walker’s life and the reminder that no one is without their own personal baggage.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

An incredible romance story from Jodie Slaughter!

The anxiety and C=PTSD rep in this book really stood out to me - I couldn't believe how seen and understood I felt while reading this story. The romance was stunning - it was very realistic and honest, and Aja and Walker's chemistry is undeniable!

Jodie's writing is easy to read and yet really fleshes out both our characters' and their lives, inside and out. I really enjoyed reading this one, and cannot wait to see what is next for Jodie!

I absolutely loved this book first off black plus size FMC?! Hell yeah!! I connected heavily to Aja and I loved watching her relationship with Walker blossom as well as her friendships with the women in the town.

As someone who struggles with anxiety and how it will affect or inconvenience the people in my life I felt so seen by this author and I feel like she was able to put my feelings into words!

Also really quick can we get into Walkers dirty talk for just a quick sec?! 🫠🫠🔥🔥 He was obsessed with that girl and she was right back to him. I read this as my first ARC from NetGalley thank y’all so much!!! I really loved this one!

Sweet story about two characters with similar mental health issues and how they feel about living in a small southern town. Aja has moved from DC to Greenbelt, SC to help her to better deal with her anxiety. Walker is back in Greenbelt to help his struggling grandmother although he'd vowed to never return to the scene of his childhood trauma. Aja and Walker's romance is sweet and slow-moving with some surprisingly hot bingo action lol. I enjoyed the setting and the secondary characters. I wish that there would have been a few more lighthearted moments with them.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review in return for my honest, albeit late review.

Cute story overall but this felt more like women's fiction than romance. We focused a lot on the heroines journey and not so much on her relationship with the hero.

I really enjoyed this one, and was grateful to have received an eARC to review. Lots to love about this one: small town romance, friends to lovers trope, plus size rep, mental health rep and interracial romance. Great storyline and I loved the cute romance here. I also appreciated the MC, plus sized and happy with herself...and why shouldn't she be? Definitely recommend.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bet on It had its cute moments for sure. Aja and Walker definitely had more awkward moments than anything else though. Which, yes, could be cute at times but not for everything. She has her insecurities but he's not a saint either. So, when they spark some interest in one another I was kind of intrigued to see where things were going to head between them.

As for the sex bingo? Heck yes that sounds all kinds of fun. I was totally here for it all and was very excited to see their romance blossom. That being said, I was surprised when we turned things into more serious topics and their issues rather than just focusing on the romance. The balance between these made the characters more interesting to me and it made them feel so much more real than anything else.

Eventually their feelings felt more genuine too because we were rushing the romance parts. They evolved and the pages just kept flying by. Doesn't mean that they didn't have their pros and cons because things did annoy me at certain parts. Still, it was such a good book, and I really enjoyed these two.

In the end, I'm really happy that I got the chance to jump into this book.

I absolutely adored this book and would give it more than five stars if I could. ALL OF THE STARS!!
I thought author Jodie Slaughter did a great job of tacking complex mental health issues like anxiety and PTSD in her MCs while still keeping Bet On It light and heartwarming. I’m definitely hoping that there is a sequel or another in the series featuring some of the other characters - maybe Miri?

Read if you love:
🥧 Peach Cobbler
😛 Steamy encounters under the stars
💕 Friends to lovers

Thank you to NetGalley and Jodie Slaughter for an advanced copy. This is my honest review.

Aja was a well-written character who was very relatable. Aja and Walker had sparks flying from the first moments, and kept up the romance AND the friendship/support throughout the book, which I loved. I look forward to more from Jodie Slaughter.

As sweet as Minnie’s Peach Cobbler! I definitely don’t know what I was expecting from this book but I wasn’t expecting to feel so giddy while reading it. I literally couldn’t put it down and those scenes between Walker and Aja definitely were spicy. I really loved this story. It was smart, sexy, and serious all in one. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read it:


TW: Childhood Trauma, Anxiety

I've never read Jodie before, but I really liked the sound of this romance.

Aja has just moved from Washington D.C. to Green Belt in search of a slower pace to help with her anxiety. One night in a grocery store, Aja has a panic attack in a grocery store and a kind stranger helps her come out of it. This stranger happens to be Walker Bennett, former local who has come back to help his grandmother. Walker isn't happy to be back in Green Belt, but when he meets Aja, he feels drawn to her. One night post-bingo, sparks fly and Aja and Walker make a sex pact that the two have a lot of trouble keeping going forward.

I will admit, I had a little bit of trouble getting into this one. The beginning scene of Aja having a panic attack really threw me off. It felt a little too close to home. But once we get past that, I actually really appreciated how open she and Walker were with each other about their mental illness. Beyond this, it was really intriguing to me that they ended up going to bingo and this became part of their routine. I would have never in a million years thought, hey let's become friends over bingo. But I guess, small southern town, you have to make friends and keep connections where things are going to happen.

Beyond this, wow the chemistry. These two had it. HARD. I just was blown away that once they let themselves really just lean in and enjoy each other, they really found something that was worthwhile.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. Thanks for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the characters and the representation of their mental health challenges. Aja has anxiety and panic attacks and Walker has PTSD from a traumatic childhood. TW, drug addiction and abandonment. It was so sweet to read about their mutual care and understanding of each other. Also, who knew a story revolving around bingo could be so hot?! These two have crazy chemistry. There aren’t a lot of spicy scenes, but they’re quite detailed. So many bonus points for a sexy, fat heroine and a hero who’s obsessed with her body.

Walker is only in town for a limited amount of time, to help his grandmother recover from a fall, so in order to not get too attached to each other, Aja and Walker make a sex pact…they can only have sex (again, after a steamy first time) if one of them wins at bingo. While that premise added tension, it’s ultimately what kept me from loving the book more. I felt like the natural progression of their relationship was stunted and it lost some momentum toward the end. But the ending was super cute and I loved their sweet, quiet love story. I definitely recommend it 🥰

I also loved Aja’s new group of friends and the small town they live in (except for the gossips). I heard this will be a series, so I will definitely read the next one! It will be a second chance romance, which I loooove.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

POC lead who is plus size, Count me in. It was so nice to see someone who is real and relatable. I instantly fell in love with these characters. Swoon it was so funny and sweet.

If you're skeptical about how fun a BINGO night can be... this was definitely not boring. This was a cute story full of lots of sexual tension & restraint. We also stan a book with content warnings up-front. I appreciated how Jodie showcased anxiety and panic attacks and how they can differ from person to person – I thought the communication between the main characters and the struggles they both faced was great to read, and of course, I'll be looking for book reviews from OwnVoices readers.

Overall, a sexy book about love, friendship, and most-definitely for fans of open door romances.

4.25 stars rounded up to 5.