I loved this audiobook! The narrator was fantastic with all of the characters and it really brought it to life.

Aja and Walker's romance is so real and honest that I felt like it made the story even more relatable. They were flawed characters who have to deal with family drama and find the strength to be brave enough to share that with each other.

I love that they were placed into a bingo hall as the meet cute! What an original idea.

Jodie's writing style was so easy to read and it flowed perfectly through the characters' storylines.

Thank you for my advanced readers copy.

This was such a cute contemporary romance and it pulled some serious mental health punches too! I've never read anything from Jodie Slaughter but the cover pulled me in, the narrator Angel Pean was perfect, and the tension between the characters kept me coming back for more. I would have been happy with a little more spice, considering the premise of the bet between our characters, but the tender moments really made up for it. My eye is going to be on Jodie Slaughter now to see what is next!

Aja Owens has anxiety, really bad anxiety, but she’s trying her best to push herself. She chose a small town to live in, and her favourite activity is the bingo nights. Things are going well, but then, her favourite bingo friend (an older lady she gets along well with) hurts herself and that’s how she starts bringing her grandson Walker to bingo nights. He’s around Aja’s age and he’s gorgeous too, which makes things stressful suddenly. They do get along well though, and understand each other on an unsuspected level. Walker’s plan is to leave this godforsaken town as soon as his grandma is feeling better so making a new friend at bingo night is perfectly fine, but it should stay like that and nothing more, cause he definitely wants nothing to do with this town.

This was such a lovely read. A bingo love story? I’m always in for that! It was so cute and still quite deep. The mental health of both characters was very well brought and it was very interesting to see how they dealt with it and how they were both very careful in their actions to try and help each other. The way this was written I feel it was easy to understand what was going on in their minds which was great cause not everyone understands anxiety. Both characters were pretty complex, they had their pasts and history which made them really interesting. It was also a great book to put positive body image up front! It was my first book from the author and I really enjoyed her style. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, this book has spice. I feel like I never know with cartoonish covers. It’s always a surprise haha!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Thank you, Netgalley, for a free copy of this audio book. Here is my honest and unbiased review-Friends were made, comfort zones were tested, and peach cobbler was eaten. Bet On It revolves around Aja and Walker/Wally, whose chance meeting occurs in the grocery store frozen food aisle, but whose love story takes place at the bingo hall. This started out very cute and sweet to me, but it went really far with the steam and the smut, especially for what you'd expect looking at the colorful and wholesome front cover. There is (what I would consider) strong and relatable mental health rep throughout, which is forewarned at the start of the book. The romance was as sweaty at the Carolina heat, but at times the dialogue was cheesy and cringey. That could be due my personal preference, as I tend towards romances that are sweeter and more tender than raunchy. I thought the characters made good growth and they felt very cozy and "friend-like," as in I wouldn't be mad if the girl group took me in like they did Aja. This could be perfect for you if you could imagine spending a night at bingo with the old folks and handle the level of sexy spice.

So cute, made me want to play so Bingo! I enjoyed the romcom and thought it was a bit unique with their pact.

Such a refreshing romance.

This is a romance novel with dual views which allows the reader to hear what's going on in the minds of both love intetests.

Aja and Walker have a meet cute in a grocery store while one of them has a panic attack. It's an interaction that sets the tone of the book.

While visiting his home town, a place that Walker promised himself he would never go back to, he runs into Aja and dispite not wanting to get attached, feelings start to creep in.

Aja moved away from the city for some quiet and peace so she can work on herself and build a life she can enjoy.

Both characters have mental health struggles, and as such they have some difficulties in day to day life, and especially with personal relationships. During this story we see our characters work hard to do what's best for themselves and still uphold the connections they are building with those around them.

I loved that both Walker and Aja were working with therapists and coming up with strategies to cope with the world around them and come to terms with their own emotions. It was refreshing to see a healthy relationship in a romance novel. I especially loved Aja's character. She was a talented, independent black women who was plus size, but that was not her main focus. Her focus was on her inner self which was exactly what I have been looking for in this genre.

This book has cozy small town in summertime vibes. You will definitely want some homade desserts after (peach cobbler anyone??).

This was a great audiobook romcom. The narrator did a fantastic job, and I really enjoyed listening.

As for the story, I liked the representation of anxiety and PTSD from our two main characters, how they were so similar but also different in some ways as to their reactions/behaviors. There was a lot of character growth and they didn't feel one-dimensional. The steamy scenes were well done - 3/5 on the spicy scale.

I really enjoyed this story. Slaughter did a really good job of accurately depicting mental health issues in a relatable way. I really loved both of these characters and their growth throughout the book.

Fun, sexy, and sweet enough to make me crave peach cobbler. I was enraptured by Walker and Aja's stories. I felt like this was a great narration of story, and handles mental health in a respectful way.

You know how sometimes a book is objectively good and yet, something about your mood leaves you feeling flat about it anyway? That's me with Bet on It. In another life, in another mood, I would love this book. The mental health representation of anxiety and PTSD is so well done and I really loved how both characters handled their own mental health and the issues the other was dealing with. I also felt like the third act break up situation was actually consistent with the characterization of the characters and din't come out of nowhere or feel forced. But... something about either my mood or the book itself just really kept me from ever getting so invested I couldn't put the book down. I had to force myself to keep picking it up and finish it. So, let me focus on all the reasons you should consider picking this book up, in case some of these aspects would appeal to you.

- mental health rep
- on page therapy
- friendship and the importance of friendship
- trying to find your place
- dealing with a complex family dynamic and coming to terms with a troubled past
- explicit sex scenes
- Bingo jokes

Also, I want to mention that the narrator for the audiobook, Angel Pean, did a fantastic job voicing both Aja and Walker. I really enjoyed her narration style and look forward to reading more with her narration in the future. So overall, I would recommend this book, but maybe not if you need something that will keep you intrigued the whole way through if you're already struggling to focus on reading.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly July New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

a bingo based sex pact & mental health representation, sign me up. this was such a great read. i loved the characters. they're chemistry was amazing!! i loved the cute small town setting. what a steamy rom-com?! literally everyone has to read this book!!!

I liked this book a lot. I like the bingo parts, I love that game but I never win. I love the characters, Asia is so loveable. I have no idea about anxiety but this book gave me a better idea about it and what happens. I hope that Jodie Slaughter writes another romcom.

This one's writing and character development were fantastic! I'd heard good things about Jodie Slaughter before, and this book did not disappoint: I found it was brilliant in its presentation of various trauma responses, such as PTSD and GAD. I enjoyed how our h/h could relate to that aspect of one other's lives and be supportive of one another (also, a meet-cute at a Piggly Wiggy after a panic attack? is classic). The one thing that didn't quite work for me was that I was expecting a rom-com in terms of tone, which I don't think this book is. There are some humorous parts, but I felt it was overall darker than the marketing marketed it as, so I went into the tale with incorrect expectations. Nonetheless, I will seek out more from the author, and after I corrected what I thought I was reading, I loved this overall.

This was a different kind of love story. The setting was very atypical for a love story but I guess that makes it stand out. The couple meets at their local bingo night and ends up in a hook-up pact knowing that things won't last long. Here's what I liked and didn't like about this book.

I loved the representation of couples with different body types and backgrounds. So many books tend to stick to the "default", skinny, white couple. In reality, people with different backgrounds, body types, or races are just as capable of falling in love. I love that this book follows an interracial couple and that Asia is not the typical skinny body type most writers tend to go with. The author shows the audience that love comes in all shapes and sizes and I loved it! The spice in this book was great. It was just the right amount and written beautifully.

I didn't like that it was predictable. I guess after reading hundreds of romance novels, they all become quite repetitive. It was refreshing having such an odd setting but it also wasn't very romantic in my opinion. Overall, I could see a lot of people loving this book.

Bet on It is just the kind of romance that the word needs. The romance was cute and sexy, but what really stood out was how both Aja and Walker were dealing with mental health issues, and this was handled so well in Bet on It. At no point were they made to feel bad or inferior for having anxiety, panic attacks or anything (in the now, Walker had some childhood issues).

Aja and Walker compliment each other nicely, especially as they deal with their mental health struggles. If you're looking for a steamy romance that focuses on mental health this one is for you!

The narrator, Angel Pean, is wonderful and does both characters well.

***3.5 Stars On My Instagram Account***

"I want to come to you as whole as possible."

The sweet explicitly sexy romance, Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter, is less a rom com and more about falling in love while dealing with mental health issues.

The beginning of this audiobook was a very different kind of meet cute when Aja, a beautiful curvy black woman, realizes she is having a panic attack in the local Piggly Wiggly. As she tries to control her breathing, she hears a soft calm deep voice ask if she is okay. The white lanky Walker quickly realizes Aja is in distress and with a gentle guidance helps her through it.

Embarrassed she thanks him and leaves hoping to never see him again. But there he is on Bingo night with his grandma who is her bingo partner. As they begin a lustful relationship they realize they need to proceed with caution as she deals with her anxiety and he deals with his PTSD from a fraught childhood with a drug addicted father. They make a pact to only have sex if one of them wins bingo. Needless to say, they find ways around this pact.

I enjoyed narrator Angel Pean giving Aja a strong tone while she handles her anxiety but I did have trouble with Walker's tone. At the beginning he had a soft caring voice but as the relationship progressed he sounded more harsh. I am not sure if this was more the narration or the writing but it took me out of the romance during the middle of the story.

I appreciated that Aja knew she needed to live in a quiet place to keep her anxiety controlled and found the quietest place to live on line. Walker knew he couldn't stay there because of the PTSD it triggered from memories of his childhood. This self awareness of their needs is admirable but also a determent to their relationship. You can Bet On It they will find a way around it.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from MacMillan Audio via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do not let this cute cover and title fool you, this contemporary romance has some spicy scenes and some heavy topics. I really enjoyed the character development and their relationship as BINGO friends to lovers. It gets complicated, but the topics that are battled are real. Please read content warnings prior to picking this one up. Highly recommend this book!

This was a really cute little romance. I love a romance with a fun or different premise and this was definitely that. Both main characters were likable and realistic in a way I don't always see in romance. I loved that the characters weren't the same old gorgeous straight sized white characters we almost always see in romance. We had a plus sized poc main character that has anxiety and that alone sold me on this book. This book was just adorable and unique.

I enjoyed the tone of this book and it flowed very smoothly. The heroine was plus size and confident and the story didn’t revolve around her weight. The ✨spice✨was *chef’s kiss*. It covered some heavy topics and I feel like it was done well. The narration was soft and soothing. It was a great listen!