thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This was good, not necessarily ground-breaking, but that‘s okay. I chose to read it because of the gardening theme and I enjoyed all of the gardening-talk in here. It‘s a slow burn, low on the spice. I enjoyed the small town sense of community surrounding Gillian and Noah and the rest of their friends.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for my thoughts!

When Noah moves next door to Gillian they compete against each other in a garden competition
Enemies to lovers
Notbing that interesting happens in this book

This was a very fun, lovely, heartwarming read! The characters were so charming and I was rooting for them from the beginning. The plot was fun and the gardening aspect a nice addition.

I received a copy of this for my honest review.

Our FMC has started online dating again 5 years after her divorce, and its...not going great. That is when our MMC becomes her new neighbor, he moved across the country after a breakup, and bought a new house and the local marina. It could have been fine, except he decided to pull up hedges on his side of the yard - which she had included in her garden design for the annual garden contest. This causes them to be instant enemies. Their animosity continues to grow as they keep interacting, but eventually they start realizing they have more in common. This comes in a local old lady extorting him to beat our FMC in the garden contest all because of a years long grudge of her being plus sized and existing. Will they put aside their arguments to take down a common enemy?

Great romantic comedy with heartwarming qualities! Loved the two main characters and this was a fun read!

When I finished The Rom-Com Agenda last year, I wanted to read more novels featuring the supporting characters from that story. Well, Jayne Denker delivered with Hedging Your Bets, which features Leah's friend Gillian.

This was a sweet story overall. I don't like gardening but this novel made it seem interesting, at least, and it made me appreciate the gardening and planting that my husband and kids have been doing. I enjoyed seeing both Gillian and Noah's perspectives and wondering if they would ever admit that they liked each other more than they were letting on. The nosy neighbors were a lot of fun and they almost need their own book, which would be akin to The Golden Girls. I appreciate that Jayne addressed body image in this novel. Gillian felt relatable in that way.

My main concern was that it felt like the conflict came early in story and was resolved by the middle and then things were smooth sailing minus a few small issues here and there.

Overall, this enemies-to-lovers slow burn is adorable and entertaining with witty banter throughout. Great for a pick-me-up if you need something light and sweet.

(Trigger warning below.)

Movie casting suggestions.
Gillian: Emerald Fennell
Noah: Justin Hartley
Sebastian: Brandon Routh
Louise: Frances Fisher
Leah: Katie Stevens
Eli: David Corenswet
Jenna: Allison Williams
Ben: Kendrick Sampson
Gray: Dan Amboyer
Delia: Olivia Luccardi

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TW: Body shaming (Gillian experiences this and talks about it.)

Thank you St Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

I absolutely devoured this one. I will say enemies to lovers just is so good for this story. I loved both characters. The dual perspective really made this book for me. I enjoyed seeing their relationship developing from both the main characters perspectives especially because they are so different. Even though they are different there relationship really works! I also loved the side characters in this one. The small town was a character all its own and it did not disappoint. Jayne Denker really brought this story to life for me. If you are a fan of anything I said above you will enjoy this one. I think this would also be a GREAT audiobook!

This story follows Gillian a pharmacist who enjoys gardening and Noah West Who just moved back to Willow Cove. Noah moves into the house of one of the seasoned ladies who moved to be with a lover in Florida. Noah decides to change some stuff up and Gillian loathes him for it. How can he not appreciate what her friend had done with the place? They soon strike up heated arguments and discussions. When Noah's business in town is in trouble the meddling seasoned ladies hatch a plan to get Gillian and Noah together while also getting Noah to learn to garden. What could go wrong?

Read if you enjoy:
Body positivity
Romance
Enemies to Lovers
Gardening
Meddling seasoned ladies

STORY LIKES
⭐⭐⭐

SPICE
-

RECOMMEND
💳 yes

"Hedging Your Bets" is the quintessential saccharine romcom that can easily be produced as a movie for the Hallmark Channel. If this is your jam, give this book a read. I hope you enjoy this story more than I did.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read & review "Hedging Your Bets".

📚BOOK DESCRIPTION🌻🌼
Opposites attract in this enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy of feuding neighbors and dueling hearts from Jayne Denker, the author of The Rom-Com Agenda.

When small-town neighbors go head-to-head, better start Hedging Your Bets.

Gillian has been happily divorced for several years and, after trying a few dating apps, prefers to stay that way. Navigating her way through dates with fat shamers and lackluster men has left her with no desire to do anything other than work in her garden in her spare time. Who needs rude comments and awkward first-date conversation when soft roses and vibrant tulips are so much better?

Noah West has just moved to Willow Cove. After a rough breakup that leaves him looking to get far away, he relocates to the same small town he spent summers in as a teen—and moves right next door to Gillian. A big believer in minimalist design and that the best kind of plants are non-flowering, he knows as soon as he meets his neighbor that they are going to clash on just about everything. Now if only he could keep his eyes off her too. That might be helpful.

When a gardening contest brings out the competition in Gillian and Noah, dueling plant arrangements and fiery banter ensues. But is it possible that beneath all their differences, they might just be perfect for each other?

DISCLAIMER:
I do not rate below 3⭐s. Based on my understanding, reviews lower than 3⭐s affects the author's promotability & income - especially for indy authors.

Cute, quirky and entertaining. A real middle of the road rom com. I enjoyed it a lot. Definitely a fun book to read while relaxing in your garden after a long day at work.

I liked the premise of the story. Both from bad relationships. I loved the banter and there were some funny moments. I love the small town vibes, a tight knit community.

Noah was giving me whiplash. One moment he was sweet and kind, very emotional too. Then he was in a rage?! Everyone has their moments but I felt like he was very soft and then aggressive?! He was thinking about her feelings before even getting to know her very well.

Gillian was giving him way too much of a hard time and ya know when I was 40% in, I still didn't know who her ex was and what he did that resulted in them getting a divorce.

I needed more depth.

This was kinda cute, very cheesy. I liked the audio narration, just an easy/sweet read & listen. Thank you for my copy!

I didn't find it to be exceptional or unique in most ways. The hatred the two characters seemed to have had for each other felt a bit far-fetched

This was a great romantic comedy book, with good characters and a fun plot!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Hedging Your Bets was a sweet, closed door romance featuring an enemies to friends to lovers type storyline and a lot of gardening. It was a fine book but pretty slow paced and does rely a bit on the side characters helping to move it along. I just wanted to yell at them a bit to move it along, to talk to each other and to maybe stop gardening so much. It is not a bad book, just slow.

This book was cute, it got a little too mushy gushy and cutesy for me. And repetitive. But I could see the right reader liking this a lot. Also, it’s closed door, no spice. So if that does it for you, maybe this is the book for you!

That being said, the author writes beautifully, imaging the scenes as they unfolded was easy to follow and the characters reasonings behind decisions understandable. I just don’t think this book was for me for my taste, not because it was a badly written book. Which is a compliment in today’s fast paced book machine word!

And I very much appreciate netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

After one too many awkward first dates, Gillian decides she is done with romance and is ready to commit full time to get garden. When Noah West moves right next door to Gillian, he finds himself not into her whole garden obsession, showcasing the fact that the two are polar opposites.
Except, Noah is deeply attracted to Gillian on a physical level. When a community gardening contest starts, the two neighbors of course need to compete against one another.
Hedging Your Bets is a story about two people who have been struck one too many times with love finding love in their opposite. Filled with a memorable cast of characters, I really enjoyed the uplifting and humorous spirit of this book. While it was nothing groundbreaking, I would totally recommend it to someone looking for a small town feel, opposites attract, rom-com.

I would recommend Jayne Denker's new book Hedging Your Bets. Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

I can see how this book is for some people, but it is not for me. I was initially drawn to the book by the cover and the synopsis. I love to garden so I thought this theme would make the cutest romcom. However, it just wasn't there. I really struggled getting into it and forming connections with the characters. In my opinion, the main characters had poor chemistry and they both made childish decisions. There was also body positivity themes throughout that was gone about in the wrong way. It just made me dislike the book even more. I am disappointed because this book had potential.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of Hedging Your Bets in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I have been trying to get through this for a month and it just isn't happening. I think this is a "wrong person wrong time" issue, because it is exactly the type of book I usually LOVE. I'm going try this one again when I'm playing my garden in may and see if the timing is better!

I'm 60% of the way through, and it is really well written with FUN characters and a great setting, so I think readers who love "Friends to lovers" would probably really enjoy this one!