2.5/5 for me. I think if this had stayed more on the rom com side it would have been so much better

This book had some really cute elements and the character growth for Walker was beautiful. I loved the therapy angle for both Aja and Walker, because it is so important to talk about. I wish the author had played more into this though, it could have had a much bigger role to show character growth.

The biggest negative for me here is that the romance scenes seemed like they were just thrown in to keep this from being a YA novel. There were a lot of descriptions that just made me cringe, like the use of phrases like “fleshy parts.” I just think there is a way to make romance still feel sexy without sounding like a frat boy sharing stories of his conquests.

Unfortunately for me, the cringe factor outweighed the love story behind it, so I just didn’t love this one.

This book had me hooked from page one. I consumed it in about one day, and it was so fun to read. Have already recommended to friends!

Jody Slaughter has written a fun, spicy, and simply delightful romance with this book. I can’t wait to recommend it to my romance readers.

Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter ⭐️⭐️

Mini summary: Aja and Walker both deal with anxiety. Both stemming from different reasons. Because of this shared burden, they feel comfortable and safe with each other, plus that love spark isn't too bad either. But will their anxieties be able to keep them together? Or ultimately drive them apart?

Sadly for me, I couldn't get into this one. Something was just lacking for me. Not sure if I just didn't fall in love with the characters or the fact of that the story had a Bingo element the author mustn't have known much about the game (there is no B90 🤣) and the use of it in the story seemed...weird?

Anyway, it's a no for me, but it might be a yes for you!

Pub date for the contemporary romance is July 12, 2022.

This was a cute book in theory. It has all the composite parts of a good romance, but ultimately I just wasn’t sold on the character’s chemistry. While I found certain aspects of the personal arcs interinting, the overall relationship progression bored me, at no point was I particularly rooting for them to get together. However, I appreciated the anxiety representation and the sensitive way the author built both character’s varying challenges into the narrative,

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

I thought that this book was perfect for me! I loved the BINGO theme and how the characters were so open with their mental health struggles in a way that felt relatable to me. Towards the end, I do think that the BINGO aspect could have been worked in more, but I did enjoy the happy ending.

I am so happy there are more novels out now that deal will real life issues. Mental health needs more of a spotlight as the majority of humans have some kind of life issues. I just did not buy in to the relationship of the main characters.. DNF for me.

Thank you St Martins for the ARC to read and review.

Aja and Walker’s story was sweet but I didn’t really care about either character. I liked that they were flawed characters but I just wasn’t invested. I also hated the twang that Walker’s character spoke in - it was very distracting.

Thanks for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martins for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Aja Owens recently moved to Greenbelt, SC looking for a change of pace. Walker Abbot is back in Greenbelt for one reason only - to take care of his injured grandmother. That is, until he spots Aja panicking in the frozen aisle at the Piggly Wiggly. What starts as a Bingo buddy friendship quickly escalates as Aja and Walker find out they have more in common than they expected.
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I think NetGalley is onto me - they keep sending me ARCs with EXCELLENT anxiety representation.

My favorite thing about this book is how flawed both characters are - in similar but different ways. I found Aja's struggle with social anxiety to be deeply relatable and I thought the author did an amazing job of writing the internal monologue of an anxious person. I could tell that it was personal to her and I love when authors do that.

Walker's struggles with anxiety were relatable too, though for different reasons. I really enjoyed the voice changes between the two characters re: their internal thoughts. You could tell they were both struggling but in different ways. The author tackled the family dynamics between Walker, his grandmother, his father in a really believable and heartwarming way.

I thought the plot and premise were fun and unique. Some of the scenes were TOOTH ROTTINGLY sweet and I literally had butterflies at some points. The discussions about mental health were mature and real and not preachy at all and made me tear up at some points. Normally anything that makes me shed a tear is an automatic 5 star - but I'm giving this one 4.5/5 stars only because some of the dialogue was a little cringey and I didn't like (I know there's a word for this but I can't think of it - sorry) how Walker's Southern twang came across on the page... which I am fully aware is a me problem.

Regardless! I will definitely be recommending this in my romance Facebook groups and I can't wait to see how it's received when it releases!

Bet On It is a romance with a very funny (and unique) setting for a meet cute: the bingo hall. To be technical... the meeting may have happened in a grocery store first, but the bingo hall is where it's at! 2022 is the year of the severely anxious, panic-disordered protagonist, and the men who can't help but want to take care of them and love them as deeply as possible. This book continues in that vein, and I have to say, I'm going to need a break from reading about anxiety after this. The banter, the steam... all of the elements are there to make this an engaging and fast read, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys their romances set in small towns and with meddling grandmas. Thanks to NetGalley for an early review copy, all opinions are my own.

This review was also posted on Goodreads at the following link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4493813747

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

OH MY GOSH! THIS BOOK HAS MY HEART! Im obsessed with Walker and Aja. Walker is the sweetest southern boy working through his trauma & recovery while helping out his loved ones & Aja is a plus size, POC girl working through her anxieties in a new city.

Im in love with how this book mentions and displays Aja is a plus size woman but it is treated as if it is normal and not a big deal that she is plus sized and it shows that she deserves just as much to given equal treatment. This is by far one of my favourite times I have found a plus size representation in a book!

Through the plot I loved how it's showing both main characters working through their mental illnesses and having therapists help them be able to grow as a person and grow to the stages they are at the end of the book where they pushed through their struggles to get out of their comfort zone. Although it was unfortunate of the main conflict being due to a trauma response, I am glad to see they have worked through it while being very understanding. I think this book is one of my favourite books ever for mental health and plus size representation and I believe for those 2 reasons alone, everyone should read this NA romance.

Bet On It is the story of Aja and Walker, two people who share some of the same mental health issues that allow them to understand each other a bit better than others in their pasts. Each of them has their own struggles, but they take comfort in and enjoy each other so much that just being friends is not an option. There are some steamy sex scenes that might be a bit too much for some readers, and some of the character's issues may come with triggers. Otherwise, Bet On It is a fun, quick read.

Aja Owens has just moved from Washington, D.C. to Greenbelt, a small town in South Carolina, trying her best to make new friends despite her anxiety disorder. Those efforts have led her to the local bingo parlor and meeting her bingo friend, an elderly lady named Mrs. May. Shopping in the local Piggly Wiggly one day, Aja suffers an anxiety attack and stands stock still in front of the freezer section waiting for it to pass. Another shopper, Walker Abbott, who Aja does not know recognizes the situation as he, too suffers from anxiety issues and offers to help. Mortified, Aja manages a few minutes of conversation and leaves the store. Unbeknownst to Aja, Walker Abbott is Mrs. May’s grandson, in town to help his grandmother who has just broken both her wrists and, of course, Mrs. May drags him to bingo night. Sparks fly between the two and romance blossoms, albeit an unwelcome one, that both Aja and Walker are bent on ignoring.

Jodie Slaughter has written an enjoyable and steamy romance that fans of this genre will certainly appreciate. While she describes both characters’ struggles with their anxiety disorders in a manner that enables the reader to clearly understand their emotional state, her overuse (in my opinion) of the F-word ruined the book for me. She has a better command of the English language than this.

What a wonderful book! I love that I am starting to read more and more books with romance and mental health topics. This is a beautiful trend that we need. This was such a cute book and I loved every minute of it! Read it! Now!

I really liked the premise of this book and I felt like the mental health representation was important. It had just enough spice to be considered a romance but to me felt like it was more about mental health than love.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Aja was okay and I was rooting for her, but way Walker spoke drove me up a wall. The random trauma the author threw at him so he could relate to Aja I guess? seemed gratuitous. And the ~sexual chemistry ~ the author tried for was too forced.

What a. Fun sweet and steamy read. I read it so fast but i enjoyed the story about overcoming anxiety to find love. Really relatable

I can’t remember the last time a book resonated with me the way this one did. Yes, this was a romance, but it was also a book about overcoming obstacles and loving yourself. The main characters both struggle with their mental health and are drawn to each other because they honestly see each other’s struggles. The openness between them as they work to improve their own lives is what makes this such a believable love story. I saw so much of myself in Aja that I felt at times this book was about me, but she’s also my hero for getting out of her comfort zone and working to build relationships, friendships as well as a romantic relationship. Add a love of Bingo, which speaks to my old soul, and I had an amazing time reading this! I can’t wait to see what else Jodie Slaughter publishes! Oh, and the editor made this a 5 star for me, because it was almost grammatically perfect!

As a person who struggles with generalized anxiety disorder, I loved and appreciated the understanding within the pages of this book. I was hooked within the first 3 pages. The story unfolded slowly, and the only drama came from just the healing journeys each of the main characters went on.

My only negative critique is that I wasn't in love with the way the last chunk of the book evolved. I'm glad Walker and his Dad had their talk, but I would have loved more depth and emotion and drama to showcase why Aja and Walker are who they are. We saw alot of their present, but not a lot of their past. I think it would have helped connect even more to their characters.