I really enjoyed this romance! Gardening is one of my other hobbies after reading, so I knew I’d love the gardening competition plot. It has great tropes in it, such as enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity. It has great representation of body image positivity. For those of you, who love closed-door romances, this is a great option. I’m excited to read more from this author.

Ya know, I knew I wasn't going to like this when I read the synopsis and I was right. These enemy neighbors were quite immature and it was hard to get through. I did love the gardening though!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This was not my favorite rom-com. I wasn’t very invested in the main characters or their relationship, maybe because they both acted foolish for half the book. It took 50-60% of the book before the main characters even started acting decent towards each other. The “conflict” wasn’t substantial enough to warrant their fighting, especially because they (especially her) are supposedly great people. This book was honestly just boring. I considered dnfing it multiple times, but it was a quick enough read, I just pushed through. There was no third act break-up, which was nice, but it’s mostly because they didn’t get together until almost the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

Noah moves next door to Gillian and gets off on the wrong foot when he destroys the backdrop to her prize-winning garden. Though both seem to enjoy the other's company, they keep stepping on each other's toes and become enemies instead of friends. Their feud comes to a head when both have entered the local garden competition and there can only be one winner.

This was a charming small town, an enemies-to-lovers story. It was a cute, low-angst, entertaining read. There were some funny moments (like the gnome) but I wish there were more. There could have also been more bickering between the two if they were truly enemies.

I didn't find this book particularly unique and found that the enemies portion of the story was not there. I found they said they hated each other, but were friendly, and developed to more. They seemed to like to think that they were enemies, but if they had just talked they would have discovered they were friends.

I liked the cast of side characters we got but would have liked to get more meddling by the neighbours, they could have added more antics to the story.

This was a cute and enjoyable read, and I had a great time. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

Read if you like: slow burn, next-door neighbours, opposites attract, enemies to lovers

Gillian’s favorite hobby is gardening, and she makes an enemy when her new next door neighbor, Noah, destroys her hedges. This story is an enemy to lovers, small town slow burn romance. It was closed door on the romance, so this is a fun read if that’s your style. The writing was very charming. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced read.

Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker
Narrators: Katelyn Levering; Nick Mondelli
Rating: 3.5 stars
Steam: Closed-door
Pub date: 1/9/24

Noah and Gillian get off on the wrong foot when Noah first moves in next door and accidentally destroys a part of Gillian’s prize garden. Somehow, the animosity between them keeps getting worse instead of better, and it doesn’t help that these two run into each other everywhere in the small town of Willow Cove.

This is a super cute enemies-to-lovers, small-town, romantic comedy that’s full of humor and heart. Gillian and Noah are relatable, and their banter is a lot of fun. The small-town atmosphere adds charm to the story, and the quirky side characters are hilarious.

I love the unique addition of the gardening contest, giving a layer of competition and camaraderie to the story’s budding romance.

Overall, a light, quick, heartwarming rom-com that I really enjoyed on audio. The narrators did an amazing job bringing all of the characters to life.

If you’re a fan of low-spice romance, then you should definitely give this one a chance.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for my early copy and Dreamscape Media for my complimentary ALC.

When Aretha up and leaves to Tampa, in walks Noah West, the new owner of her house and the town marina. He soon makes himself the nemesis of his next door neighbor, Gillian after unknowingly ruining her gardening design. All hell breaks out between the two over the local gardening competition, which soon turns out that the feuding, is not the only tension between the two.

Gillian has been finding herself not just weeding her garden, but also the terrible men on the dating apps she’s been using. Noah moved across country to Willows Cove where he used to vacation as a teenager to nurse his recent break up.

When I say I instantly feel in love with these two, I mean head over heels. These two had me laughing and swooning the entire time. Not only does Denker write phenomenal main characters, but her side characters make the story even better. I don’t know who was rooting for these two more, me or the old hens on the block.

All I can say after reading this book is that there is love for everyone, even the grumps. And I will never look at a garden gnome the same.

This book was a good starting point for the year. It was fun and quirky, while also being super enjoyable. My biggest complaint is that this book came out in the middle of winter and I can't go outside and work on my garden after reading this. I'm having garden envy! 4 stars

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Jayne Denker's previous book, so this one felt a bit different. I wasn't as invested in this relationship as I was previously. Maybe it was just me, or maybe it was the arguing that put me off. Or it could have been the small issues that sort of came out of nowhere, like Gillian's weight, or Noah's random business.

Hedging Your Bets follows Noah and Gillian in a great demonstration of enemies-to-lovers. Noah is new in town and Gillian is a local. After unintentionally destroying her hard work, Noah becomes enemy #1 in their small town. With the yearly garden contest on the horizon, their true rivalry will come to pass.

What I liked: I found this book to be a cute read. I enjoyed at the beginning of the book how Gillian’s weight is barely mentioned, but acknowledged that she is curvy. I loved to see her confidence in herself and the fact that her weight was not the main part of the story. The slow burn in this book felt very natural and showed a great progression of their relationship.

To keep in mind: while I loved the beginning about how Gillian’s weight is not a plot point, I was not a fan how addressing her weight seemed to just appear in the middle of the book and become an issue out of the blue. I found the climax of the story uneventful. We are lead to believe this huge issue is happening, but it gets resolved in a paragraph. The bad guy in this book had so much potential to add dynamics to that story, but she felt very one dimensional. This was also a fairly closed-door romance if you enjoy that.

Rating: 3⭐️ This book was cute, and as an avid gardener I loved an enemies-to-lovers surrounding one of my favorite hobbies. The author is a good writer, I just felt that this story needed more polishing by adding more dimension to the characters and the climax of the book.

Thank you to NegGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Hedging Your Bets comes out January 3rd!

This book was a romance with a grumpy x sunshine trope which alternated a little bit. I loved the premise but I wanted more from the characters since I did not feel connected to them or fully understand their motivations. In conclusion, it was a really fun book but it fell a little flat for me.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gillian is trying to get her mojo back after her divorce. Her ex-husband left her doubting herself - because of her size - although she is a successful professional woman who is highly regarded in her community. Her elderly next door neighbor suddenly moves and her house is bought by Noah, a former summer visitor to the area. Noah is regrouping after moving across the country after selling his business and having a relationship end. It's hate at first sight for them, but is it? Good read!

A sweet summertime closed door romance set in the small river town of Willow Cove. A very cute, very relatable enemies to lovers plotline as Noah West moves in and almost immediately makes a HORRIBLE first impression on his new nextdoor neighbor Gillian.

My two favorite things about this book:
1. Gillian's (the FMC) internal monologue on self-esteem and body acceptance. She isn't bothered by her physical experience but occasionally the opinions of others start to grate on her. I get it!
2. The supporting characters are hilarious! The author Jayne Denker gives them enough of back stories that I suspect (and ohmygosh I hope I'm right) some of them will get their own books. This is the 2nd Willow Cove book she's written, though it can be read as a standalone. You can bet I added the 1st Willow Cove book, The Rom-Com Agenda, to my TBR as soon as I finished Hedging Your Bets.

Thank you, Jayne Denker, for the delightful escape to Willow Cove!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jayne Denker for providing me with an ARC in return for an honest review.

If you like dual pov romances with main characters that are in their mid thirties and have been through it and both a bit broken hearted I think this one could be for you!

Our MMC is a new transplant to the area after getting out of a relationship with a woman with a child he no longer has contact with as the ex that wasn’t a dad.

Our FMC is an independent & curvy divorcee that hasn’t had good luck with dating after her divorce and is now the neighbor of the new guy in town who becomes her instant enemy when he rips out shrubs that she had used as part of her design for her own yard on the property line.

If you like the forced proximity and enemies to lovers vibes with neighbors that both have some baggage I recommend this one!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

After loving the romcom agenda, I couldn't wait to dive into the latest from this author!! Everything I look for in an enemies to lovers - the tension, the chemistry, the those can't be *feelings*, them finally getting together, was unfortunately almost non existent in this story. 😩 enemies to lovers used to be one of my favorite tropes but all the books I've read recently with this as a major plot point have been downright mean, is that like a new feature?

Noah, is Gillian's new neighbor, moving back to a town he used to spend summers in with family growing up and taking over a local business following the death of its owner. For whatever reason the two get off on the wrong foot. She, a local pharmacist and gardener extraordinaire, is searching for love following her divorce and keeps ending up on these god awful dates (but the fact that she didnt let them let her confidence in what she deserves, more power to her!!
The town has an annual garden competition, Gillian, the most deserving winner, has lost every year due to this vendetta by the head judge. Noah, unexpectedly joins the competition, despite not knowing a thing about gardening (and having positively terrible allergies), due to a little blackmail and extortion (which I'm sorry felt a little out of the blue for this light hearted plotline). When Gillian and Noah end up spending a day together, their friendship starts to get more intentional and heat up a bit.

Even though it felt like this book was missing some things (the garden competition was a HUGE part of the plot but yet you didnt get any descriptions of said garden, and i wish there had been an epilogue!), it had the most intentional and wonderful friend group, a hilarious bunch of old ladies (the binocular scene? Boozy brunches? So good), and no third act break done in a way that the plot line really didn't need one, it was a fine quick read. I said this after reading the rom com agenda and I have to say it again here, I'm still holding out hope for a Delia and Gray book (loved the glimpses we got of them in this one) and I would pick that book up immediately!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review!

I love a rom-com with a spunky heroine, and Gillian certainly fits that bill! Pair her sassiness with a sexy but broody neighbor and it’s a winning combination! This is an entertaining small town, low-spice romance filled with so many fun characters! I laughed a lot and I felt a lot, and that to me is what I love the most!

A feel good romance with just the right amount of sizzle. I couldn't put it down. The enemies to lovers chemistry between Gillian and Noah was palpable. Definitely a home run by Jayne Denker!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

In the aftermath of a challenging divorce, Gillian Pritchard ventures into the realm of online dating, yearning for a fresh start at love. However, her tranquil life takes an unexpected turn when Noah West, her new neighbor, disrupts the idyllic garden she has meticulously nurtured. The initial tension between Gillian and Noah introduces a compelling dynamic, adding depth to their evolving relationship. While the novel's early chapters lacked a certain spark for me, the latter half unfolded with a sweetness that compensated for the initial shortcomings. The genuine progression of emotions between Gillian and Noah, both scarred by past heartbreaks, resonates authentically, steering clear of the predictable third-act breakup trope.

Returning to the fictional town of Willow Cove, the author skillfully crafts a narrative that explores the delicate balance between animosity and budding romance. The nuanced character development allows readers to witness Gillian and Noah's gradual transformation from adversaries to potential soulmates. Despite the slight detraction in the beginning, the absence of a contrived breakup in the final act is a refreshing deviation from conventional romance tropes. While this installment may not have reached the pinnacle, the prospect of another romance in the series leaves me eager to delve into the author's next literary venture.

Thank you for the eARC to the Publisher and Netgalley!

dnf at 25%
i was soooo bored! i was one quarter of the way through the book and the “couple” had interacted 3 times, talked bad about each other multiple other times and i just truly didn’t care about them at all.
i didn’t realize the relationship circumstances of the people when i requested this ARC and i just don’t enjoy this specific circumstance.
i was just so bored and not looking forward to spend 4 more hours to finish this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Jayne Denker for this ARC to read and review!

This was such a fun and funny enemies to lovers, closed door romance. I loved Gillian and Noah and watching their neighborly feud full of witty and snarky banter! The supporting characters in this are great too … especially the neighborhood gang of retired busy bodies! I literally laughed out loud at the loser dates that matched with Gillian from the dating apps and all the antics with the garden gnome were entertaining! The small town gardening competition with full on blackmail from the town villain gave the story a little twist of good vs. evil … but she gets hers in the end! This is a nice light romcom for when you feel like reading something to get you in the springy, love is in the air mood!