Firstly, this book had fantastic representation. Specifically, I hardly see jews of color represented in media so Ezra was such an exciting character. All of the characters identities were handled with grace and nuance. I also appreciated how the author included more serious issues like gentrification--I wish more YA books had tackled these topics so explicitly when I was younger.

That said, the pacing of this book felt off. While the first 25% of the book did focus on the titular "bet" the rest of the Ezra and Sasha's relationship was all over the place. They went from competiting against each other to a relationship within a few chapters and I would have liked to see more of their relationship grow. I also wish we could have spent more time with Chance and Priscilla so that their friendship had higher stakes.

Overall I do think this book, despite some mature language, skews to the "young" end of young adult and that's why I didn't connect with it as much, and that's okay! If you're in high school or younger and love academic rivals to lovers (and are cool with a lot of pop culture references) I would definitely recommend reaching for this one.

You Bet Your Heart by Danielle Parker is an absolute gem! As a young adult debut, it radiates charm and captivates you from start to finish. The story revolves around two ex-best friends who suddenly find themselves in fierce competition for the prestigious titles of high school valedictorian and the accompanying scholarship. Determined to settle the score, they make a daring bet—a best-of-three challenge where the winner takes it all.

This academic rivals-to-lovers tale is one of the best I've ever read. Ezra is an absolute sweetheart. His endearing nature and his flirtatious interactions with Sasha had me grinning like a fool throughout the book. Their chemistry was simply too adorable to resist. On the other hand, Sasha, with her ambitious plan and the weight of her tie with Ezra as an obstacle, resonated with me deeply. I empathized with her fear of disappointing her mom, but I was relieved to see that she had a strong support system in her best friends, Pricilla and Chance. Their bond was an absolute delight to witness, and it made me appreciate their friendship even more.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I couldn't help but wish for a deeper exploration of Ezra and Sasha's past as best friends and the events that led to their fallout. I believe delving into their history would have added even more depth to their complex relationship. However, despite this, there were countless heartwarming moments shared between them that left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

If you're in the mood for a heartwarming teen romance that will leave you with a smile on your face, You Bet Your Heart is the perfect choice.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy!

This was a super cute debut from Danielle Parker. I loved Sasha and her fierce determination. I loved watching her realize it’s okay to be vulnerable and be yourself. She really grows a lot through the book and she has a special place in my heart. Ezra had to grow on me. I didn’t really like him at first, but by the end I truly enjoyed his character and the bond between him and Sasha was extremely cute. I love how Parker writes her teenagers; she really showcases all the strong feelings that only teenagers possess. Sasha and Ezra were both smart, hilarious, petty, dramatic, and overall wonderful characters who both made some mistakes and were mature enough to make amends and better themselves.
I also loved the diversity that Parker brought to her debut. Sasha is Black and Korean American and Ezra is Black and Jewish and they both shown a lot of light on the issues their communities face. I think this is a phenomenal YA romance and a killer debut.

This was a pretty good book. I was in a deep reading slump and I didn't think I would like this book, just like any other book but somehow it ended up being a great story. I enjoyed the characters and their differences and them slowly becoming closer and seeing more of their past. It was a very fun book.

This was the cutest YA book ever!!

I finished in one day and was so engrossed in the characters and their lives. Ezra was adorable. And SJ was so worrisome lol but they made for the perfect pair ... when SJ wasn't sabotaging.

My only "negative" would be that we saw more of their falling outs than the swoon-worthy moments. I would have loved to read more about the process of them falling in love, more. BUT I still thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Ezra & SJ are ex childhood best friends who are both in the running for valedictorian and earning the scholarship that comes along with it. SJ has a heart and mind set on winning and does not want anything to get in her way until she finds out she and Ezra are tied. This sets off a chain of events that involves bets, falling in love and overcoming and acknowledging grief.

Joy Revolution has not lost yet when it comes to the books that are being published!

This was super cute and I liked Ezra and Sasha. He brought out a really good part of her and helped her loosen up. I kind of wish it was dual pov but it worked well this way too.

I received an arc through netgalley.

I liked this YA Book,it was funny and sweet and took on real issues like class and culture and pressure in thoughtful ways.

You Bet Your Heart has such an interesting premise. It follows Sasha Johnson-Sun who is studious and hard-working so it’s only right she’d be valedictorian. At the start of the book, she finds out she’s neck-and-neck with Ezra, her estranged childhood best friend.

Rather than give up what she’s worked for, SJ and Ezra decide to bet each other for their title which includes besting each other on 3 challenges. As you might imagine though, feelings start to get in the way and a romance soon begins to form.

What made You Bet Your Heart so readable for me was that these characters felt so real. Even though this is Danielle Parker’s debut, SJ and Ezra resonated with me. These two felt like real teenagers, going through these things and just trying to do their best. Yes, they were messy at times, but they’re teenagers.

I especially adored the focus on Sasha and her mother. Since Sasha’s father passed away, it’s just been the two of them and it’s clear they have a tight bond. With the pressure of school and everything weighing on her, these two do have a few tense moments yet it felt so realistic. As an adult reading, I know I’ve felt those same moments with my mother so it felt like a nice addition.

The only qualm I had was that the ending felt a little bit anticlimactic. Maybe I was just hoping for more drama or razzle-dazzle. Regardless, everyone got their happy ending which is what we always want. Plus the tension between SJ and Ezra was just undeniable especially when they’re in the photo room together, swooning.

All in all, You Bet Your Heart is another homerun for Joy Revolution. Even though I’m not a big YA reader, I know I’ll be on the lookout for more titles from the imprint.

Thank you for granting me this arc
This story by Danielle Parker was a delightful read. It follows the story of two high school reunited frenemies, Sasha and Ezra, who are both competing to be the class valedictorian and make a bet to decide the victor. The book is full of relatable characters and situations, and the writing is witty and engaging. The story does a good job of navigating the feelings and emotions of a senior in their last year of high school especially all the awkwardness that comes with being a teen and the uncertainty of entering adulthood. I loved the depiction of the relatable friendship and the diverse array of characters. The banner between the main two love interests was witty and cute. The ending is satisfying and heartwarming. I will say I didn’t love how quickly Sasha change her habit when she who’s headstrong and stubborn behavior is the whole reason for the plot. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a lighthearted and enjoyable read.
Rating 3.75/5

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Joy Revolution imprint once again delivers another winner, this time with a YA contemporary from debut author, Danielle Parker. Parker is a delightful new voice in YA romance, putting a fun spin on familiar tropes, like academic rivals-to-lovers and friends-to-rivals-to-lovers.
Sasha and Ezra are such wonderful characters, and I love the dynamic between them. Both are ambitious, and want to be the top of their class, but the tension between them because of their shared history adds an extra layer to the story that I liked. There was a great balance between the ruthlessness of the competition between them and making a believable transition to a stable relationship. Both are flawed, and make mistakes, but are endearing in spite of their flaws.
I also loved the cultural nuances to both characters, influenced by their backgrounds and the social issues that impact them. Both are Black, and the narrative reckons with the impact of gentrification. Both also are from multicultural backgrounds, with Sasha also being part Korean, and Ezra being Jewish.
This is a great book, and I’m looking forward to more from Danielle Parker in the future. If you’re looking for a multicultural Black romance, I recommend checking this one out!

You Bet Your Heart
📝 Danielle Parker
📌 Book 38/50 for 2023

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4)
𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗘: Teen/YA 🌼
𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟: 🚫

🔔 Publishing May 30, 2023 🔔

✨ This was an eARC gifted to me by Random House Children’s via @netgalley The following review is my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions. ✨

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 📖
Adorable YA romance crammed with academic rivalry, self reflection, quirky friends and lots of fries 🍟 ✨ You Bet Your Heart showcases diversity (Ezra is Black and Jewish, Sasha is Black and Korean - for example), touches on the struggles that young Black and POC people deal with on a daily basis, highlights grief and loss and the affect it has on your priorities, and points out the stress that comes with being a high achieving student. Sasha and Ezra’s story is heartwarming, and although there wasn’t a huge focus on their romance, their friendship (both as children and present-day is uplifting and healthy. Sasha’s self discovery was the real plot point in this book, and I believe her story would resonate with a lot of today’s young adults (especially with the cute Gen-Z-isms that I may have had to google the meaning of when reading 🫣).
•
𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗜𝗙 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 ⤵️
childhood friends to lovers ❤️, “it was always you” 💕, cute friend group 🫶🏽, academic rivalry 📓

<b>Quick Stats</b>
Age Rating: 13+
Over All: 3 stars
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Setting: 3/5
Writing: 3/5

So I originally started this book thinking it takes place where I live—turns out it doesn’t—and because the premise had me intrigued. Childhood friends to strangers to academic rivals to lovers? It sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t cut it for me.
The dialogue, especially the between Ezra and Sasha, was off at the beginning. I just kept thinking <i>people don’t talk like this</i> It wasn’t necessarily the content of the dialogue, but there was just something off about the way it was said. I couldn’t put a finger on what, but in the beginning—especially the first two or three interactions between the two of them—there was something about their interactions that felt fake, stilted. This lessened the further I got into the book, but there was always around one conversation every chapter or two where the dialogue felt off or lacking.
My main issue with the book was that it all felt very surface level. Sasha had her goals, she had her traumas and her neuroses, but there was nothing outside of that. She didn’t have a personality. No one in the book seemed to go beyond the few labels slapped on them. They felt very 2D. This lack of character development led to a lacking in most other areas, too. There was no chemistry between Sasha and Ezra, and no convincing emotional ties between her and her friends either.
This book dealt with a lot of important, emotional topics: race, socioeconomic class, parent loss and grief, and divorce, but it doesn’t truly dig into any of it. There are passing mentions, but they aren’t explored for more than a few sentences here or there, and they are never discussed in a way that gave them any emotional weight, in my opinion. It was all too fleeting.
This book was very short and very fast paced, and I think that was both the saving grace and the downfall of this book. It needed more: more depth, more development, more emotion. That can’t be done without making it longer (or re-prioritizing some scenes). However, I think the only reason I gave this book 3 stars was because I was able to fly through it. If it had been even 5o more pages at the level that the current book is at, it would have gotten harder to sit through, and I likely would have DNFed or given it a lower rating.
In the end, I don’t think this is an inherently bad book. It was underwhelming for me, but I could see other readers feeling differently about it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story follows former best friends Sasha and Ezra. The two are vying for valedictorian and an academic scholarship. Sasha has been wrapped up in academia without experiencing the fun side of things. While Ezra has “lived a little more but managed to keep great grades. I very much adored Ezra’s character more than Sasha’s. I do appreciate the diversity of the characters and lgbtq representation. It reminded me a lot of highly suspicious unfairly cute by Talia Hibbert. It was overall a good read.

Thank you to Random House Children’s, Joy Revolution and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

oh my goodness, this was the best book!! it was soooo sweet and i'm so in love with it!! as always, thank you so much to netgalley for letting me read this book early! pick it up asap!!!

This was a cute debut, with friends to enemies to rivals to romance, which is always a fun journey. The main character, Sasha, was a little frustrating in how she treated people, but I enjoy her growth. And Ezra was adorable. I'll definitely look forward to more from this author.

Random House Children’s and NetGalley provided an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

This started off promising, but lost a bit of steam for me. The story was overstuffed with details that ultimately didn’t matter while being light on insight into why the main characters drifted apart and what made their reconnection special.

This book was SO cute! Ezra and Sasha were the cutest, and I loved how easily they fell back into their friendship and caring for one another so easily. I loved Sasha’s friendships with Priscilla and Chance. They were such a great characters and were real, honest friends that Sasha needed! Such a cute book. I really enjoyed it.

If you like a good YA book then this is for you! Characters are well developed and the plot was amazing!

I think fans of “Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” and “Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry” will really like this one, a YA romance about two academic rivals. It wasn’t really for me, since I felt like I’ve read this premise before many times, but I know lots of teens who would love this.

this was a really good! I liked the characters, and they were super well-developed. the plot was super cool and fun to read, and the writing was also smooth and easy to understand
highly recommend