Thank you Random House Children's Books and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of You Bet Your Heart!

This book was a strong 3 for me until about halfway through, and then it really got better. It took a bit to make me feel what the characters were feeling. Then I started to connect with the characters more and the overall message came through strongly--you as a person are worth more than your grades, the title of valedictorian, etc. I loved this!

The only reason I can't recommend this book for my middle schoolers is because it included a scene with the characters experimenting with marijuana. Everything else in the novel was clean and I was excited as I thought about students whose hands I wanted to put it in, but then the edibles scene popped up. The thing is, it really wasn't needed in the story!

Still, I rated the book 4 stars-it would be great for high school students!

This was my first academic rivals to lovers romance and I will certainly be reading more! This book was so fun, fast paced, and had overall good vibes. The characters and their relationships had dimension. And, unlike many romances involving teens, the dialogue reflected the fact that the characters were teenagers, but not in a cringy way (very much appreciated). The only thing I didn’t love was the fact that Ezra didn’t acknowledge his financial privilege and the fact that he didn’t need the scholarship at all when Sasha had to make sacrifice after sacrifice to get to where she was meanwhile Ezra wouldn’t even show up to class, that made Ezra very off putting for me. Besides that, I loved the book and will definitely read more from Parker!

This one was too cute. Exactly what I needed after delving into mysteries and murder for maybe a little too long.

You knew as soon as bets come into play that things were going to backfire later. How could they not? But when Ezra and Sasha learn they're tied for valedictorian, and the accompanying scholarship, Sasha can't stand to leave it up to chance. Instead, they'll set up 3 challenges, and the loser will gracefully tank an assignment to assure the other will win. And Sasha is not going to lose.

Ezra comes on strong, playful and clearly open to rekindling their old friendship. Which makes his moments of sabotage that much more unbalancing. Sasha finds herself adrift, not knowing how to respond or what to think.

There's Kerrie, who seems poised to be a rival. Someone to stand in Sasha's way and trip her up at the worst moment. And maybe be interested in Ezra, from their first interaction. Instead, she falls to the side, never really having a full presence.

Priscilla and Chance are the kind of best friends you always hope for. Ones who support you, are ready to fight your enemies and also tell you the truth, even when you don't want to hear it.

Sasha and Ezra are great rivals. The kind that push each other, and are on a level playing field. They make an even better couple though. Their banter and chemistry is what I live for in romances, and Shelby, there's enough drama for you! They have this sweet, destined-to-be vibe, while also just seeming to fall into each other.

Once I got properly into the book, I couldn't stop reading! This was the right level of grief, heartache, and angst for me. It didn't destroy me, and the sweet moments more than made up for the hard ones. Definitely recommend!

(Thank you to the publishers through NetGalley for providing an ARC!)

This is my first ever copy of an ARC and I’m so excited to have received it! This was a slow read for me. I enjoyed the plot and the characters, it just took some time for me to really get into the book. I loved seeing Sasha relax a little bit and start to enjoy her senior year instead of strictly focusing on school. I loved the diversity in this book and how it was represented. I also enjoyed seeing how Ezra and Sasha’s relationship grew. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it were a dual pov, so we could have read what Ezra was also thinking.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

This book was a slow read for me. I enjoyed the overall plot and the characters, but the dialogue and the writing felt a bit too “trendy”. There was a lot of ‘slang’ and internet phrases used in the dialogue that I felt didn’t really add anything. With that being said, I really enjoyed Ezra’s character. I felt like he was very rounded out. The other main characters sometimes felt a little two-dimensional.

Overall I thought it was a cute story, but it wouldn’t be the first book I would recommend to someone.

Perfect for fans of Elise Bryant and Talia Hibbert, this flirty rivals to lovers romcom has a romance that will sweep you off your feet.

Plot: 3.5/5
The concept was cute if a little messy because I can’t imagine a principal telling both the students about being tied for valedictorian like that… but how they set up the bets made for a good story.

I think the plot got lost a little in the middle and it all became very dependent on the interactions between Sasha and Ezra.

The third act break up was really frustrating because it hinges on a lack of communication. (START OF SPOILERS) I don’t think it was fair of Ezra to get mad at Sasha for bringing up the bets when they had never talked about calling them off. And if they could have had a conversation about WHY being valedictorian and the scholarship was so important to each of them, they would have understood each other better. (END OF SPOILERS)

Characters: 3.75/5
Sasha is very type A, headstrong, and focused. She makes for a great main character because she has a lot to learn in terms of actually living her life.

Ezra is type B, never has a plan, and expresses himself really well. Except for the deepest parts of him. I felt like he was in denial of living life in his own way.

The side characters were kinda flat to me, I would have liked to know more about what was going on in their lives and see their importance to Sasha more.

It seemed like, from how the story was set up, there would be more conversation from Sasha about being a first gen highschool grad or more about both the characters mixed race identities. That theme/topic didn’t really become as important as it was set up to be.

Writing: 4/5
This is Danielle Parker’s debut novel and I think she’s starting at a really strong point. I enjoyed her style and how much personality she put into the narration.

Overall: 3.75/5

A very cute senior year ending of an era/ planning for the future YA romance.
Sasha and Ezra are tied for valedictorian which comes with a scholarship. They decide to do bets to secure the win on their own terms.
This was really sweet but also a little stressful some of the ways they tried to get a leg up to win the bets had me anxious for them.
Sasha was extremely high strung which is very relatable but also she annoyed me a bit. The romance was sweet.
Overall a great YA romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC

A swoony and heartfelt debut romance! Sasha was a fabulous MC to follow, and I her struggles with grief and perfectionism were incredibly relatable.

3.25⭐️
I’ll start with the things I enjoyed: 1. The diversity. Sasha is Black and Korean and Ezra is Black and Jewish. Their identities were prominent throughout the story, and truly a part of them rather than just mentioned and forgotten. 2. This author wrote grief really well. The scenes were Sasha is dealing with the loss of her dad made me tear up every time. 3. Sasha’s mom was my favorite character. Despite not being an MC, she felt really well rounded and even had her own little story arc throughout the book.

Onto what I didn’t like: 1. The romance felt weak. I think this would’ve been better as a Contemporary book, because Sasha’s discovery of herself was so deeply wonderful while her feelings for Ezra felt passive and rushed. I think this story would’ve benefited with a dual pov rather than single. 2. The characters are way too forgiving. Ezra and Sasha both say/do horrible things and forgive each other after incredibly weak apologies. 3. Although it’s an academic rivals to lovers, it didn’t feel very academic due to the rivalry being one sided. 4. Her friends felt flat. For example, if Chase wasn’t in the story at all, I don’t think a single thing would be different. Ezra’s friends are never even really discussed except for one, whose mentioned maybe three times, very briefly (once just for the purpose of Sasha being jealous).

Overall, don’t let my review make up your mind about this book. Although it fell flat for me, a lot of reviews seemed to genuinely love this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joy Revolution, and Danielle Parker for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good friends to enemies to lovers. I love that both were hard working over achievers. A great book overall. I would definitely be looking into reading more of the authors books.

bet.

✨Debut Novel, ARC Review✨

super cute.
super sweet.
super diverse.

Release Date: May 30, 2023

This story was beyond amazing. It gave me all the feelings wants and needs. I couldnt stop reading this book.

Such a fun YA romance! This one is childhood friends to enemies and then lovers.

Sasha and Ezra were childhood best friends. But they had a falling out when they were 13 and then Ezra moved away. Senior year comes and Ezra is back in town, but they haven't spoken since the big blow up. When they find they're both in the running for valedictorian, Sasha knows she must win. But will love win in the end? Totally clean fun. My students will love this book.

This is one of the best YA romcoms I've read in ages! Funny, layered, and with the best friends to enemies to lovers slow burn arc. I could see this as a 90s romance movie!

✨You’re a big beautiful brain with long legs 🫶🧠✨

Omg will Joy Revolution ever miss?? I’ve loved each of the three releases they’ve come out with this year and now I just trust them with my life and YA romance!! I can’t wait until their backlist is full 🥹

You Bet Your Heart gave me everything I look for in a solid YA romance: that good high school drama, a lovely close knit group of friends, and academic rivalsssss. I also just love knowing how many teens/tweens are going to see themselves represented in this book!! Particularly, Sasha was Black and Korean American and Ezra was Black and Jewish.

I loved Parker’s writing style, and I found it to be so lush and movie-like. By that I mean I felt like the characters were in my room with me and I was hearing the background noises and such. I think I also just want to be best friends with Chance, Priscilla, and Sasha so maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part lmao. Take me with you to Fry-days!!!

I saw a lot of high school me in Sasha, and I really loved her drive and love of scented stationary. she made mistakes, but man my heart was with her the entire book. Ezra had a some SWOONY lines that I want to embroider on pillows, and my god every hero should carry a camera! He was generally a big cinnamon roll with a little edge to him.

✨

I did wish we got more of their relationship though!! Their relationship relied a lot on their past connection rather than things that happened for us on the page. There were a few cute dates, but it all felt condensed to the middle-ish of the book and happened pretty quick, but then just as quickly they had The Fight and were separated until the last few pages and very short epilogue.

I also think some of my issues with the pace of their relationship stem from how I just can’t quite reconcile how forgiving Sasha was to Ezra and how quickly she just started to ditch school. I’m sorry but if a boy caused me to fail a pop quiz??? Suspension would’ve been the least of my worries. And she just like got over it??

I guess it was because her grades were good and she could afford to be lax but when you’re literally TIED for valedictorian…you don’t play around?? The entire book stems from her wanting to be Valedictorian, so a lot of her actions were just confusing. She was stressed but I would’ve been STRESSED to casually ditch and miss pop quizzes. And she never really got back at him? She was all like “oh it’s ON” and then nothing similar ever happened to him. She did do that ~one~ thing to get back, but it was just different and didn’t actively ruin his grade!

✨

Overall, Sasha changed a LOT by the end and Ezra didn’t change much at all? His character was cute and sweet but I missed her just kinda yelling at him for a scene to get that good Catharsis. The book was also rather heavy and gut wrenching at times. She had a personal journey dealing with her grief over losing her father a few years prior. Some parts were so raw and touching and oof I criedddd. All to say that I think this was part romance and heavily part coming of age I guess? But more like coming of senior in high school who is dealing with the stress of getting older and the uncertainty of it all? I can’t wait to see what Parker writes next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5



**Mild Spoilers**
P.S. I was also in a three-way tie for valedictorian and I just remember that stress because really there was a lot financially riding on it. So I don’t think enough of them understood what $30K could do for her. I’m sorry but I can’t blame her for wanting it even after she reprioritized! She made a lot of points and…I agreed with a lot of them lmao. Obviously, he wasn’t a slacker like she initially believed and I think they equally deserved valedictorian, but I just don’t think the other characters understood the gravity of what it could do for her, outside of honoring the memory of her father. Like it’s not just some honorary thing. It’s THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. I liked how it ended but also…I’m still conflicted. I hope she was able to get herself a new laptop at least!




Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC Avis NetGalley! All opinions are honest and my own ✨

"You Bet Your Heart" by Danielle Parker is a humorous, addictive story about two high school frenemies competing to be the class valedictorian. If that isn't exciting enough, the book also features relatable friendships, diverse characters, and witty banter between the two love interests. Throw in a little sabotage and spy shenanigans, and I was hooked!

Ezra and Sasha were best friends... until pre-teen drama split them apart. After grudgingly reconnecting in high school, they start to see each other in a new light. I like that they encourage each other to follow their dreams. Neither character is perfect (that's a lie, Ezra is adorable!), but they push each other to be better versions of themselves. They also do everyday high school things, like work on homework, practice photography, and spend time with friends. I like that the romance isn't the only focus of the story and that the characters have lives outside of their relationship.

This story also features people of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. I appreciate the diversity, and I think Danielle Parker did a wonderful job raising awareness of important social issues. Some conversations about race are difficult to read, but the author approaches them with courage and honesty.

The plot isn't very original (if you've read The Code for Love and Heartbreak, then you've basically read this book), but I enjoyed watching Ezra and Sasha work through their misconceptions and learn to trust each other. Both characters experience lingering trauma from deceased/absent parents, and I thought their healing process was addressed in a positive manner. It gave credence to Sasha's determination to win and explained Ezra's hesitancy in joining the workplace. Overall, their character arcs were handled well.

One thing that bothered me was that Sasha and Ezra didn't seem as dedicated to their schoolwork as the topic implied. Ezra is almost always late to class, and Sasha skips class to spend time with him as the story progresses. I understand that the author is trying to portray happiness and human relationships as more important than schoolwork, but it didn't seem realistic that they were still top of their class. I worked hard to graduate high school with a 4.2 GPA, and I feel like this book doesn't acknowledge the soul-consuming sacrifice necessary for high academic success.

I also had a few issues with how Sasha treated others. I don't want to ruin anything for potential readers, so I'll summarize it by saying she was unnecessarily cruel to Ezra and her friends during several parts of the story. She displayed remorse and grew from her actions, demonstrating maturity. I liked the character she became by the conclusion of the story.

Also, a quick line about Sasha's legacy speech: it was perfect for her, and I love how it encapsulates the awkwardness of teenage relationships and the uncertain transition to adulthood. I also liked how the winner of the valedictorian title was revealed. I was worried the story would go in a direction Ezra suggested earlier, and I was pleasantly surprised with the verdict. The winner was well-deserving, and their decision about the scholarship money made me love the story even more!

3.5/5 stars and a recommendation to readers in the teen fiction genre.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

This was such a fun YA romance. I adore childhood friends to enemies to lovers and this delivered just that. It was a great story and I enjoyed it! I think it would have been more impactful if I was younger, but I still had fun re-living some high school emotions and really loved Sasha and Ezra!

Covers like this one just get me and hook me. I loved this book so much, it was just what I needed after a long hard week. Such a cozy read. Will recommend!

This is one of the cutest young adult books I've read lately, featuring adorable, quirky, and artsy characters who were childhood best friends. The highlights of the sweet and swoon-worthy story are the enemies-to-lovers trope, the rivalry to be valedictorian, the bets, and the playful banters between Ezra and Sasha.

The diversity representation in the book is also impressively approached, skillfully blending main themes such as self-growth, unresolved feelings with friends, grief, divorce, and class differences.

The story revolves around two former best friends, Sasha and Ezra, who find themselves competing to be valedictorian in high school to earn a scholarship for their dream college. Sasha is eager to beat her opponent and accepts a winner-takes-all bet offered by Ezra, her former best friend and now worst nemesis. As Sasha spends more time with Ezra, she realizes she misses their friendship and maybe even wants more, but is conflicted about her future and the sacrifices her mother has made for her.

Overall, this is a cute, sweet, heartfelt, engaging, and enjoyable young adult romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Joy Revolution for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.