Happy pub day to The Love Wager by @lynnpainterkirkle. I’m so grateful to @prhaudio for the free audiobook so I could listen while I wait for my preorder to arrive!

I will read anything Lynn Painter writes and can pretty much guarantee I’ll love it. The Love Wager is no exception. Bartender (among other jobs) Hallie Piper decides to turn over a new leaf after belly crawling out of the hotel room of a one-night stand from a wedding she worked. The guy is Jack Marshall (Olivia’s brother from Mr. Wrong Number and while it isn’t necessary to read that one first I can’t think of a single reason why you wouldn’t want to—and this book does have Olivia and Colin cameos). Of course the two run into each other again, and of course they make a “love wager” (hence the title!) on which of them can find lasting love first (hint: they think it won’t be with each other). Hijinks like speed dating ensue, and it’s probably obvious to everyone but these two where this love wager is going.

As with any Lynn Painter book, the banter is fabulous. Both characters are insanely fun and there are a lot of tacos. I listened to this one in practically one sitting (or technically standing since I was cleaning) because I couldn’t bear to part with the characters until I got my HEA. Even then it was kind of hard to leave them behind.

This book is full of great tropes. Friends to lovers. Fake dating when they decide to pretend to be a couple for a wedding. Just one bed. Because it wouldn’t be a romcom if there were two beds. And I loved every minute of it. I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a super fun romcom.

Lynn Painter has officially become one of my favourite authors. This is the third book of hers that I’ve read this year and I am absolutely obsessed! I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to read The Love Wager before its publication. Though it is technically a sequel to her book, Mr. Wrong Number (which I did not read and absolutely must!!), this book can be read as a stand-alone. As far as I can tell, the two books have character crossover but they follow different couples’ love journeys. While The Love Wager follows Jack and Hallie, Mr. Wrong Number follows Jack’s sister and best friend 😱 we hear a bit about them in the second book, and I definitely thought that dynamic was interesting, so I would love to read about it firsthand - and it wouldn’t hurt to learn a bit more about Jack prior to this second novel.

Lynn writes some of the CUTEST romcoms that I have ever read. Her characters and their stories have me genuinely THRILLED! Also, she writes some swoony and hilarious banter between love interests! I cannot get enough of it - ever. The Love Wager starts with a meet cute and quickly turns to a friends-to-lovers, with a fake relationship and only one bed in the mix. It has a little of all the best things! I cannot wait for the world to read this one!

𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙸𝙵 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴/𝙻𝙾𝚅𝙴/𝚆𝙰𝙽𝚃:​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
◾️ 🌮🌮🌮
◾️ Friends-to-lovers
◾️ One bed (forced proximity)
◾️Fake dating
​​​​◾️All the LOLs
◾️Dual POV; 3rd person
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𝙼𝚈 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃𝚂: I freaking love Lynn Painter so much! This is my 3rd book from her, and it would have been a 5 star if only it wasn’t written in the 3rd person. I prefer 1st person point of view in romances especially when it’s a dual POV.

The MCs Hallie and Jack were cracking me up throughout the book with their banter while also making me feel all the chemistry crackling between them! Lynn has a way of just combining the perfect amount of character buildup, spice, and plot which has her down as one of my auto-buy authors now.
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This is book #2, but can be read as a standalone since it’s just interconnected with the MCs from book #1. However, I highly recommend that you read Mr. Wrong Number first as there are some Easter eggs in The Love Wager which I always love finding in interconnected series!

Really enjoyed this Rom Com! It was light and funny and I couldn't put it down. The banter in this one was excellent as well.

I had no idea this was a sequel so I will be checking out Mr. Wrong Number soon because I loved this one so much.

Basically- two people meet at a wedding and then spend the night with each other then they wind up on the same dating app and they start discussing their dates.

This one is available today and I recommend it if you like rom-coms. I don't feel like I missed out on anything not reading Mr. Wrong Number first.

Thanks to @letstalkbookspromo @berkleypub @berkleyromance and @netgalley for a copy of this one for our buddy read!

The Love Wager by Lynn Painter – Book Review

Fans of alternating points of view, slow-burn romances, fake dating, and witty banter will enjoy Lynn Painter’s latest. The Love Wager, Painter’s follow-up to Mr. Wrong Number, employs all of these for a charming friends-to-lovers romantic comedy.

When Hallie Piper finds herself waking up from an impromptu hookup after a bartending gig, she decides it’s time to get her life together. She draws up several “adult” goals for herself, including that of finding true love. And who does she first meet on a dating app but Jack Marshall, her one-night stand?

When Hallie and Jack get to messaging, they strike up an unexpected best-friendship. They also decide to strike a wager, betting on who can find love first. The “love wager” leads to a lot of shared tacos, first-date horror stories, and friendly flirtations. And when Hallie is unable to find a date in time for a family wedding, Jack offers to step into the role of her fake-boyfriend–but their pretending leads to a lot of real feelings, and both begin to wonder: Will they be able to remain best friends once the wedding weekend is over?

A testament to Lynn Painter’s skillful romance writing, Hallie and Jack’s chemistry jumps off the page. I do think Hallie’s feelings for Jack could have used more fleshing out in writing her point of view; it was hard to get a grasp on what she was feeling about Jack except during the scenes in which they interacted. Those scenes are enough, however. Their banter is lively and sparkling, betraying their mutual attraction and providing a strong backbone for their developing romance.

Bolstering the tried-and-true romantic tropes in the novel, Painter adds to the mix strong and likable characters in Hallie and Jack, who are extremely easy to get attached to. The Love Wager lives up to Painter’s hype. It’s cute, funny, and endearingly romantic.

The Love Wager will be released today, March 14. You order the novel here. Our thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced reader’s copy.

Lynn Painter writes banter like no one else. Please always write books with texts and sarcasm and one liners that make me laugh out loud while reading. I binged this book late at night while waiting for the washing machine to get done and I just kept doing the laundry. Way late into the night. It had all the best tropes. It was super low angst with no secrets and conflict that actually made some sense. I adored the friendship between Hallie and Jack and could not stop reading as they found love with each other.

4.5 Stars

I adored this book and couldn’t stop reading! From Hallie and Jack’s first encounter I was hooked. I loved their chemistry and witty banter. It was the perfect friends to lovers book filled with flirtation, sexual tension and tacos. I highly recommend!

Read if you enjoy: friends to lovers, fake dating and the one bed trope.

This was a sweet, feel-good, laugh-out-loud romance novel! I loved Hallie and Jack’s meet cute, and their chemistry felt so believable 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 It was refreshing to read about a non-problematic male protagonist. I absolutely adored Jack! Hallie and Jack complemented each other so well and their witty, sarcastic banter was a blast to read, especially over their endless taco meetups 🌮

This book had…
💕Fake dating
💕Dual point-of-view
💕Dating apps
💕Only one bed trope
💕Friends to lovers

I disliked the miscommunication (this seems to always happen in romance novels but it never ceases to irk me) and a somewhat predictable ending.

Overall, this was a really great read and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for some light-hearted romance! 🫶🏻

I rated it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like: friends to lovers, fake boyfriend, one bed trope.
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This book was so cute and just what I needed! I loved the chemistry between Hallie and Jack. Both are on a journey to find love, so to encourage each other, they make a bet on who is going to find true love first. But the more time they spend together, the more they realize that they might have already found it.
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This had so many great tropes in it and the plot was fast paced enough to keep me engaged the whole time! If you’re looking for a great feel good romance then this is it!
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Thank you Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the gifted copy.

Lynn Painter provides the perfect rom-com escape in The Love Wager, a trope-driven romance that will remind readers why they love the genre as they laugh themselves to tears. Hallie and Jack hit it off while she's tending bar at his sister's wedding and they spend a passionate night together before she sneaks out the next morning. That night kicks off a fresh start for Hallie, but when she spots Jack's profile on a dating app, she sends him a purely friendl message. After commiserating about the dating scene, they agree to wing-person for each other and as extra motivation to keep slogging through the dating mire, Jack and Hallie make a bet--whoever falls in love first gets an amazing prize.
With humor and charm, Painter cleverly reveals her characters' compatibility as they go on many failed dates, provide support and generally have a good time together. By the time Jack agrees to go with Hallie to her sister's wedding as her fake boyfriend, readers will be itching for the two to finally figure it out. Painter builds a foundation of friendship under the characters' immediate physical chemistry and while their pent-up attraction does bubble over into a couple of open-door scenes, the focus is always on how Hallie and Jack make each other--and readers--laugh. As Jack and Hallie find their happily ever after, readers will feel like they won The Love Wager.
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Reviewed for Shelf Awareness. An edited version of this review will run there around release date.

It was my first Lynn Painter book and idk... something was missing for me. I gave it three stars because there were still parts I enjoyed but just felt lackluster. Still a very good palate cleanser though.

The Love Wager is one of the rom-coms you can’t help, but binge read.

I adore Lynn’s books. They are always the perfect “pick me up” read. I know I will laugh, swoon, and just fall in love with anything that was written by Lynn. The Love Wager is the second book in the Mr. Wrong Number series but can’t be read as a stand-alone. This story follows Hallie and Jack, both on a quest to find their soulmate. They decide to be each other’s wing person, despite the fact that there is obvious chemistry between them. What I love about Lynn’s books is that they are so easy to sink into, and there hasn’t been a book of hers that I haven’t binge-read. The Love Wager has lots of fun, witty and sarcastic banter. Every conversation or text exchange between Jack and Hallie was utter perfection. It was fun and light while, at the same time, there were some definite spicy undertones to them.

I loved the use of technology in this book. I don’t always enjoy a rom-com where the two main characters converse a lot of text messages, but in this case, I didn’t mind. Lynn took Hallie and Jack’s texting conversations and made them fun and flirty. The character’s personalities shined in their messages, and it was great to see Hallie and Jack’s relationship deepen during these exchanges. Dating apps also play a big part in this story. As much as I don’t like dating apps, they are how people connect nowadays. It was a lot of fun getting to spend time with Hallie and Jack as they went on first date after first date with people who they met on these apps. Some of their dates were definite horror shows, and others were missing that spark.

Hallie and Jack were fabulous characters. I loved everything about them; they were great separately, as friends, and as a couple. Hallie and Jack are just a lot of fun; they love to laugh and have a good time. Their upbeat and, at times, quirky attitude just percolates to all aspects of their lives. Even though these two are fun, their characters still have a lot of depth, and they both have some issues to work through before they can become a couple.

The Love Wager is a treasure trove of romance tropes. There are lovers to friends to lovers, fake dating, one bed, and miscommunication. Right from the very beginning, things spice up between these two. They have a drunken one-night stand they can’t (and don’t want to) forget. Then when they meet up on the dating app again, they decide to be friends and help each other out with dating. The chemistry between these two was on fire even when they were friends. As the story progresses, Hallie and Jack pretend to be in a relationship with each other, and that’s when things really start to heat up. I loved the romance in this story. It was really well thought out and had just the right amount of humour, spice, and charm. I knew these two would get their HEA with each other, but the journey there was just so darn fun.

The Love Wager is a delightful, spicy rom-com that will not disappoint.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book! I loved everything about Hallie and Jack, from how they met, to them meeting again on the dating app, to them becoming friends and going on their dates “together”, and finally, to them realizing their feelings for each other.

The relationship between Jack and Hallie felt real to me. It was interesting how they were able to become friends after a one-night stand, but what I loved about them was the support they gave to each other and their banter was fantastic. This book had me laughing a lot which is really what I look for in a romcom.

I liked that they bet each other to see who could find true love first. But when they end up fake dating at Hallie’s sister’s wedding and are forced to share a bed, all bets are off! Fake dating and forced proximity aren’t my favorite tropes, but they worked so well in this story.

Lynn Painter has now become an autobuy author for me! Oh, and when I saw in the synopsis “spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together” I knew this is a book I’m going to love, and I wasn’t wrong!

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I just finished my favorite romance of the year! I absolutely loved the Love Wager. It was perfect timing for me; I needed a pick me up and this was everything I dreamed of.

Hallie’s life hasn’t turned out like she expected and she hits rock bottom one night after running into someone she knew from her hometown. But rock bottom included a one night fling with the handsome Jack. After decided to pull her life together, she joins a dating app and meets… Jack!

They both think they can do better than the other one at dating and they put a wager on who can find love first. They have all their dates at the same bar and time so they can help each other out if things don’t go well. And then after they go get tacos! They even get to pretend to be a couple at her sister’s wedding and there’s everyone’s favorite trope: only one bed! 🛌

Jack and Hallie are definitely friends to lovers and they have the best chemistry. I would love to hang out with them. They were both so funny and just a good hang. They eat lots of yummy food and I completely agree with Hallie that the cheese goes on the bottom of a taco! 🌮

Thank you so my to @lynnpainterkirkle and @berkleypub for my gifted copy.

The Love Wager 🎰♥️

I SQUEALED when I got this ARC of Lynn Painters new book. After LOVING “Better than the Movies,” I couldn’t wait to read her adult romance. Dual POV of Hallie & Jack who bet on who can find their one true love first. One night stand, friends to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity.

Lynn’s writing is so digestible, if I had the time I would have been able to finish this in one sitting. I love her pop culture, movie and music references. Her characters are vibrant and quirky. I really love her as an author.

My hiccup with this book is that it mirrors “Better than the Movies.” The main characters were alarmingly alike. Something I’m struggling to identify just didn’t click for me in this one, I didn’t feel invested.

Ty for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cute, fun, and sexy. Three words that I would use to describe The Love Wager. I fell into Hallie and Jack’s world of dating through an app, although they are not dating each other. I love their quirky, flirty texts, and their banter when they are together made me smile.

Watching two characters fall so adorably in love made me wish that there was more to this book. I did not want to leave their world. I enjoyed seeing them flirt, be sexy together, and fall in love. I did not love the families “help”. Both families seemed to be working against Hallie and Jack, not wanting them to find their HEA.

After reading ‘The Wrong Number’ by this same author, I knew that this novel would be rom-com at its best… and I wasn’t wrong! Hallie was such a unique character. She had this easy-going personality that oozed friendly charm. Her chemistry with Jack was so smooth. Their clever conversations and growing friendship was fun to read and I couldn’t wait until that moment when that heat that they had that one night returned for their forever future. I thought Jack was kind of a unique character too because you don’t usually see a ‘hero’ in a romance novel who is desperate to be a couple. It was an interesting perspective and personality quirk that easy breezy Hallie helped him overcome. They were a fun, cute couple!

The plot was entertaining to read and the fun dialog kept it move forward fairly quickly, a formula that is my particular favorite because I can read the novel in a day or over a weekend. If you are in the mood to read an easy breezy rom-com, this would be a good pick!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

This is my first book by this author and won't be my last! I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put this one down. While I didn't read the first book, this book can easily be read as a standalone. The chemistry between Hallie and Jack is palpable and I knew from the beginning that they were perfect for each other. I just wondered how long it would take them to figure it out. I think I love tacos as much as they do and bonded with them over their love for them. The banter in this book is awesome and reminds me of why I love this genre so much. They make me laugh, help me feel more normal about my dating past, and show me the importance of being friends before lovers! The eclectic cast of supporting characters added depth and their dynamic only added to the fun of this story. I look forward to reading the first book and am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series!

💕🌮 The Love Wager by Lynn Painter 🌮💕

H’s Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

Genre: RomCom
Tropes: one night stand, guy falls first, friends to lovers, forced proximity, one bed, fake dating

📖 Read if you like 📖
💬 Texts on page
👩‍❤️‍👨 He falls first
🛏️ One bed trope
🌮 Tacos
🗣️ Fun banter
🤝🏼 Fake dating

💭 H’s Thoughts:
This was a cute, fun read. I loved the banter and the bet between the two main characters. Their texts on page were especially fun to read! Overall, this one was cute, but the miscommunication at the end of the book bumped it down to 4 stars instead of 5. The HEA was heartwarming and made up for it, though! If you like steamy, funny, and playful romcom books, you will LOVE THIS! -H

Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleyromance for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

*Note: This will be posted on my bookstagram, @therapist.book.swap on pub day, 3/14/23. I will edit this review to add the link to the post once it’s posted.

Hallie and Jack meet for the second time through a dating app. They become friends who help each other navigate the dating world. But what happens when you start to fall for your BFF?

I enjoyed the first book in the series, Mr. Wrong Number, but liked this one even more. I binged it in 2 days! This can be read as stand alone though I definitely recommend book one.

I loved this friends to lovers romance! Jack and Hallie are a great couple. I really liked seeing their relationship develop. The fun banter and flirty texts were some of my favorite parts to the story.

Along the way we get some other favorite tropes: one night stand, forced proximity, one bed. Secondary characters including Olivia and Colin from book one also added to the story. I can't wait to read more from this author! Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.