I wanted to love this book. I loved the premise of it and the enemies to lovers trope. I felt like the first half of the book was slow and had a lot of extra details that did really have much relevance to the story. Also, I feel like the chemistry between Gillian and Noah felt kind of flat.

With all the trademark elements readers look for yet flush with new ideas on the genre, Jayne Denker's Hedging Your Bets is a nourishing read that will add to the flowering garden of contemporary romance books.

Hedging Your Bets was a cute and enjoyable romance. I enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers storyline and garden competition plot. It was a solid read that I would recommend for people looking for something quick and lighthearted with some romance! It was my first Jayne Denker book but I don't think it will be my last!

Hedging Your Bets is your classic, enemies-to-lovers rom-com. While I wanted to love it, I never really found myself immersed in the story. There is nothing wrong with it, the problem was more so that nothing really stood out to me as original. If you love rom-coms and the genre, I would recommend this to you, just know it might read like something you've read before.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC of Hedging Your Bets by Jayne Denker.

This is the 1st book by Jayne Denker I’ve read, and I tend to enjoy a good enemies to lovers romance. This was a low/no spice romance which is a nice change of pace. The main characters spend the majority of the story disliking each other and or denying their feelings, till they both finely realize they are in love. Pretty predictable, yet still enjoyable. I’d say more of a 3.5⭐️ but rounded up! I’d read another book by this author.

Cute closed door romance. Enemies to lovers between two neighbors fighting for top spot in a garden contest. Enjoyable though I could have done without the Bette side tracking.

This is a cute sorry about Gillian, whose life’s mission is to win the community garden competition, and Noah, new to town and also wrapped up in the garden competition. I felt the enemies to lovers portion was a bit heavy on the “enemies” portion, which felt a bit repetitive. There are great supporting characters that I wish we got to see more of. I appreciated the body positivity with the FMC.

This was a cute, clean, grumpy/sunshine, enemoes to lovers, rom-com.
It had a slow burn which was a bit annoying at times. I like when a book gets to the good stuff fast 😂. This book was also sweet, not spicy.
One thing I really liked was the gardening aspect. The FMC had a beautiful garden that she often entered into the local gardening competition. I like when a book is centered around a unique (to me) concept.
Overall, this was a fun quick read!
If you like rom coms, this is for you!

I would label this as a contemporary romance, with closed door scenes. Very fun, very flirty, enemies to lovers trope. I loved the storyline; the fun characters were well developed and by the end of the story I felt like I knew them all. Both main characters, Gillian and Noah, are coming off of a bad relationship experience. Gillian has decided that she's ready to start dabbling in dating again, so she signs into an online dating app. Noah's breakup is a little more recent so he's not into looking for someone special at all. When Noah buys a house and becomes the new owner of the town's marina, it is immediate enemy territory with Gillian, who unbeknownst to him is his next-door neighbor. It's a fun ride as they battle back and forth competing with one another in the annual Garden Contest. It was a good story, a palate cleanser romance that I will definitely recommend as well as going on to read other books by Jayne Denker.

Thank you to Jayne Denker, NetGalley and St Martin's Griffin Press for allowing me this kindle arc version in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hedging Your Bets is a fun romantic comedy with enemies to lovers. When Noah moves to the small town of Willow Cove, Noah does not expect to get into a feud with his gorgeous but "annoying" neighbor Gillian. The two could not be more different and they seem to clash on everything. When Noah decides to enter the town's gardening contest, the competition gets fierce, but maybe the competition will bring them closer together.

This book surprised me. I actually enjoyed the concept of the gardening competition and the banter that ensued between Gillian and Noah. The online dating for Gillian showed how awkward dating can be but I found many of her dating situations to be comical. I was a little confused on the number of characters that had backstories and although this book seemed to be a standalone, after checking on Goodreads it seems that Hedging Your Bets is part of a series. You may want to read Jayne Denker's first book, The Rom-Com Agenda before reading this book. However, you can definitely read this as a standalone.

Hedging Your Bets is out now!

Audiobook:
I was a little late in reading this book. I decided to get the audiobook so I could follow along with the digital copy. I highly suggest getting the audiobook if you are planning on buying this book. I loved the two narrators and found that they were perfect for Gillian and Noah. I didn't want to stop listening.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review Hedging Your Bets. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had a fun time reading this book! It’s a quick, easy, lighthearted romance book that I sped through.

Overall, the book was okay. There wasn’t anything special about it, especially since I’ve read hundreds of romance books before. It was a standard rivals to lovers (I think) book that takes place in a small town.

My only real complaint is that there were WAY too many characters. Most of them had no real plot line, and it was hard to keep track of everyone. I couldn’t remember their relationships to each other, and most of them weren’t necessary to the story. I understand that it’s set in a small town where everyone know everyone, but they didn’t all need to be included.

I loved The Rom-Com Agenda so I expecting to love this one too considering the characters (minus Noah) were the same but I just didn't. Took a bit to get into the story and then I wasn't a fan of how Gillian's weight kept getting mentioned. If the main character is skinny you don't continually hear about it, so why is it if you add some pounds that's everything? Also was not a fan of how Gillian's group of friends decided that she needed to be in a relationship (online dating or not) just because they were all in relationships. Not a fan of that in my own life so wasn't into it on the page either.

Will try again if Delia ends up getting her own book!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a eARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a very standard rom-com and very much not for me. I'm realizing I'm not a huge fan of the enemies to more style of rom com where the enmity is based solely on one or two annoying interactions.

I did like the body positivity aspects, and I suspect people who enjoy gardening will enjoy the garden competition aspects, but for me, I just didn't enjoy the interactions between the main characters and their relationship felt a little forced.

So, not for me, but I'm sure someone who enjoys this style of enemies to more would enjoy this.

I love a good enemy to lovers rom com but this one, unfortunately, fell a little short for me. I did like the characters and it was a decent read, just won’t make the list of favourites.

Hedging Your Bet promises a delightful escape into a world where flowers bloom, sparks fly, and hearts mend under the warm sunshine of small-town meddling. If you crave a feel-good romance with a dash of sass, gardening passion, and enemies-to-lovers closed-door heat, this might be your next literary bouquet.

Tropes:
Gardening
Small Town
Meddling
Plus Size Heroine
Enemies to Lover

I enjoyed the gardening and plus-size representation this had to offer. Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own. I have purchased my own copy.

Fairly predictable rom com but it was still a good read that I enjoyed it. It was also a quick read.

I loved the Rom-Com agenda so was excited to return to Willow Cove and the same cast of characters. Gillian has been divorced for a few years now and despite being on the dating apps, has not had much luck in the romance department. After numerous lackluster dates, all Gillian wants to devote her spare time to is her garden. Enter Noah West, her new next-door neighbor. Oblivious to Willow Cove's gardening competition, Noah decides to rip out the hedges on his property, effectively ruining the backdrop of Gillian's garden and creating tension. Despite this animosity, they both are attracted to each other. When the 2 end up going head to head in the gardening competition sparks begin to fly..

(3/5 stars) I was once again fooled by the cover of this book (I DNF'ed the author's previous book (The Rom-Com Agenda) too and totally didn't make the connection when I requested this book based on the cover alone). It took me FOREVER to get into this book and I'm sorry to say that I still wasn't feeling it. The pacing is slow, the animosity between the two MCs was unbelievable. It looks like other readers are also commenting that it took them until at least half-way into the book for things to actually pick up, and I just can't wait that long, sorry 😩

Sweet, low conflict contemporary romance between two new neighbors who start off on the wrong foot. I enjoyed all the plant/gardening talk, and the small town setting in the 1000 Islands area. I read Hedging Your Bets without reading the first book in the Willow Cove series and it took me a few chapters to keep track of the friend group side characters.

Overall, this story fell a little short for me. I'm all for size inclusivity but it feels like we are reading a shory about the main characters weight rather than an impactful romance with built characters. The book starts off and stays pretty slow.
Spicy level: closed door.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press & Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of content.