This story was just all over the place. The plot was a good idea but for me the writing (and possibly the editing) just didn’t work. Everything was too obvious to everyone except the main characters it seemed. Jean running off with Hilde just didn’t make much sense and the fake character persona was strange and not charming. Charlie seemed very inept sort of past the point of golden retriever into kind of brainless amoeba.

loved the cover but ultimately DNF'd at 30%. this just wasn't for me. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Odds of Getting Even by Amanda Sellet is a whirlwind rom-com that pairs opposites-attract chemistry with a dash of adventure. Jean Harrington, a reluctant resort employee with a sharp wit, finds herself entangled with “Charlie,” a sweet but secretive scientist whose reptile facts and awkward charm make him instantly endearing. Their poker lessons turn into sparks, their banter is fun, and their fling feels like the start of something real—until Charlie disappears, and Jean’s quest to find (or outwit) him sends the story in a new, madcap direction.

What I enjoyed most was the humor and the push-pull between Jean’s chaotic energy and Charlie’s bashful reserve. The setup is fun, and the fish-out-of-water moments in both the resort and Charlie’s family business add an eccentric charm. Sellet’s dialogue is snappy, and there are several laugh-out-loud moments that keep things light.

Still, the story sometimes felt uneven. The pacing wobbled between rom-com hijinks and heavier emotional beats, and some of Charlie’s secrets and choices made the romance harder to root for. While the adventurous twists added energy, they occasionally felt over-the-top, pulling me out of the emotional core.

Overall, this was an entertaining, quirky romp with likable leads, but it didn’t always balance its humor, heart, and chaos as smoothly as I’d hoped. If you’re in the mood for a messy, fun rom-com with a gamble on love, this one may be worth the read.

2.5/5 stars!

Quick Summary: Girl meets guy. Miscommunication happens, and then she follows him to South Dakota and disguises her identity to get back at him.


This book was interesting to say the least. I liked the concept of the book, I just wish it had been portrayed better. This book was hard to get through due to the lack of communication.

I also felt like the characters Charlie and Jean fell flat and had minimal character development, which made the book even harder to get through. What I did enjoy in the book was the family dynamics of Charlie and the representation of mental health. I think both of those were really well done.

Overall, I recommend this book as it was an okay in-between book, and if you are looking for a they fall in love at the same time, but are struggling to communicate with each other. There is also a millionaire trope in here and a lot of good information on snakes!

Thank you to St Martin's Press, Amanda Sellet, and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Who doesn’t love a good revenge story? This is my first book by Amanda Sellet. This story I is nonstop wit and sharp humor, yet far from being just lighthearted fluff. The brilliance is in the details, those subtle touches you’ll miss if you’re not paying attention, and they make the writing absolutely sparkle. I connected with every character, I rooted for them, flaws and all. Quick read! Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

This did not start out well for me. I almost DNF at 20%. luckily Mugsy showed up and we were off to South Dakota. That was when things got interesting. I liked Jean from the start. Charlie grew on me. An anticlimactic ending.

If you enjoy a rom-com with high drama, road-trip vibes, and a heroine who refuses to be sidelined, this is your kind of read! Great summertime read. I loved our FMC & MMC . Their flirting and chemistry was the best and I really enjoyed the plot of this story.

So I have a phobia of reptiles, snakes in particular. This book was so filled with snakes it was hard for me to read and at times I had to skip paragraphs and pages. I didn’t realize from the description it would be such a big part. This is all about revenge as per the title. The problem I had (besides the snakes) was that the main characters didn’t actually seem to have much chemistry. They went from just meeting, to instalove, to crossing the globe to “take him down” when he ghosted her. Could have been cute, but just didn’t find them to be believable or to connect with either of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the Publisher for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes; I think I really need to stop picking books based on the cover.

The beginning, and ALL of the dialogue in this book was incredibly odd and awkward...the beginning of this book does not do anything to draw you in and honestly, I really came close to DNF'ing this book.

I loved the snakes and all of the snake talk - I'm kind obsessed with snakes, so perhaps that is why I continued to read? Not sure.

Overall, the lack of good communication between the characters was annoying, but at the same time - the way the characters grew was rather enjoying. They did have a strong connection, that felt raw and earnest. The way that they would protect each other had me 'aww'ing' more than once, and I just enjoyed that a great deal.

The ending of this book feels like an entirely different book - Jean was just weird.

Overall it was...well, it was a read. Not one that I'd personally recommend or ever even think of again after writing this review, but perhaps someone else would really enjoy it ?

I really wanted to love this one. But also I feel like I didn’t read enough about it before requesting…because similar to the FMC, I hate (and am terrified of) snakes. And that’s like the main premise of the book.

That being said, I had a hard time connecting to the characters and feeling their chemistry. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m in a slump. Who knows. I did finish but I still feel rather ehhhh about the books.

But like I always say, just because a book wasn’t for me doesn’t mean a book isn’t for you.

A very special Thank You to NetGalley, St.Martin’s Griffin, and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this story sounded cute but unfortunately I couldn't get past the instant love/infantilization of the main male character. Ultimately, I could not connect with the characters and did not finish this book.

This book presented a narrative that, while engaging, veered into excessive chaos and miscommunication. While I appreciated the storyline, the overall messy presentation fell a bit short of my preferences.

The last thing reluctant resort employee Jean Harrington expected to find on a middle-of-the-night towel run was a bashful scientist in desperate need of company . . . and clothes. Charmed by his awkwardness and endearing tangents about reptiles, she returns the next day to give the handsome mystery guest she knows only as “Charlie” lessons in poker.

He’s reserved and she’s chaotic, but together, the two of them just click. Their connection might almost scare the commitment-shy Jean if it was more than fun and games. Or so Jean chooses to believe, until she discovers there’s a lot more to Charlie’s story than shyness and snakes—and she isn’t the only person with a pressing interest in his whereabouts, not to mention his secretly scandalous dating history.

When Charlie has the audacity to abandon her without a word, Jean responds like any self-respecting spurned woman with a score to settle. Assuming a false identity, she pursues him across an ocean to stage a confrontation at the centennial celebration for the famous family business he neglected to mention. With their exes around to raise the stakes, Jean is gambling she can get the upper hand before Charlie calls her bluff.

The real trick will be remembering what they’re playing for, when the biggest risk is putting all their cards on the table.

Found it to be charming and hilarious. Will recommend to others.

I'm bummed about this book. I had high hopes, but they sunk further and further throughout the story.

There was too much in the book. Too much of what you might ask? Well, snakes (to begin with). I don't mind a mention here or there, but c'mon, it was way too much.

And just too much turmoil. You expect some, but this was just too much.

I wouldn't recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, and the publisher, for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Jean, a resort employee just trying to grab some towels for a guest, ends up meeting a shy scientist named Charlie—who’s not only awkward and adorable, but also missing his clothes. Their chemistry is instant, and soon she’s teaching him poker and enjoying the fun, until she finds out he’s been hiding his real life. When he ghosts her, Jean goes full undercover to track him down at a fancy family event overseas, ready to confront him and maybe win more than just the game they’ve been playing.

This book was the freaking cutest, and I laughed out loud so many times. Jean is the wittiest and most sarcastic FMC and I absolutely adored her interactions with Charlie. From the very beginning, to the very end, Jean was an extremely likeable character. I also enjoyed Charlie's character even though he did become a little unlikeable for me throughout the story due to the miscommunication.. But he was so cute and nerdy about his snakes, and awkward about life, that I couldn't help but still like him some. Jean and Charlie pulled out the best in each other, even if they were stubborn as could be. The overall character development was well done.

The side characters also played into the plot of the story really well. And the plot was well thought out and made me want to keep devouring the book. I love how the snakes played into the entirety of the story, from the relationship to just who Charlie was as a person. I also thought the notes that were in the chapters added to the story so well and were so cute. Overall, I highly recommend this one if you like quirky romance!

Rating: 4.5/5
Spice: 1/5

Tropes:
Runaway Romance
Enemies to Lovers-ish
Nerdy MMC
Quirky FMC
BANTER
Misunderstandings
Revenge

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Amanda Sellet for this eARC. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and Amanda Sellet for the gifted eARC of the odds of getting even! All opinions are my own.

Being inside Jean’s head… I’ll be the first to admit it felt odd. Her inner monologue made it painfully clear she’s immature and has a talent for jumping to conclusions. And yet, somehow, despite the fact that we’re in her head, I constantly felt like I was missing context for her reactions. It made the story a little disorienting.

Then enter Charlie — sweet, awkward, and apparently saddled with a ridiculously meddlesome “best friend” (and I’m using that term very loosely, because woof, she’s the worst I mean she literally is paid to be there, stole charlies gf and then is trying to tell him his dreams don’t matter do what your parents want). He wants to be free and thanks to his best friend, his tryst with Jean is ruined.

Then, determined to be the one doing the leaving, Jean gets it in her head that she has to get revenge and tracks Charlie down, setting the scene for hilarious moments. That said, there were definitely moments that worked and ideas I liked in theory, but overall, this one just didn’t land for me. The writing style wasn’t my taste, and I never really connected with the characters.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️/5

My review was posted to Goodreads and Amazon on 7/31/25.
My Instagram review will be posted on 8/7/2025.

The Odds of Getting Even starts off strong with a fun, flirty setup: a chaotic resort employee meets an awkward, towel-less scientist in the middle of the night—and somehow, sparks fly. Jean’s bold personality and Charlie’s reptile-nerd energy make for a quirky opposites-attract dynamic that had me hooked early on.

There are definite highlights: witty banter, a slow-burn romance with emotional stakes, and some truly laugh-out-loud moments. But as the story unfolded, the pacing faltered for me. The plot took some wild turns that felt more over-the-top than satisfying, and certain character motivations were a little murky. The second half, with its sudden shifts in tone and setting, lost some of the charm that initially drew me in.

That said, if you enjoy a rom-com with high drama, road-trip vibes, and a heroine who refuses to be sidelined, this might still be your kind of read. It just didn’t quite deliver on the potential I was hoping for..

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for granting me access to this title via NetGalley.

The Odds of Getting Even by Amanda Sellet
2nd in a series following Hate to Fake it to You. Contemporary romcom.

I really enjoyed the flirting and comedy of attraction in the first half of this story. Jean is full of joy and Charlie is shy and willing to do anything for Jean. Sweet and sexy and provocative.
The second half of the book gets serious, complicated and sometimes confusing. Maybe it was me and their names or the fact that I can’t do two of the same genre similar books in a row.
I reread the last quarter of the book a second time and really enjoyed the humor and longing for each other. An example: “Charlie almost fell over from the relief of finding her, and also because one of his shoes had come untied.”
It’s adorable and sexy and funny and irreverent.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

At first glance, this book seemed like it was right up my alley—quirky rom-com vibes, endless banter, and a unique setting that promised something fresh. And I have to admit, there were definitely moments that sparkled. I found myself laughing out loud at some clever one-liners, and the chemistry between Jean and Charlie had me eagerly flipping the pages in the beginning.

However, as the story progressed, it felt like it was trying a bit too hard to maintain that momentum. The pacing hit a few bumps in the middle, with some scenes stretching out longer than necessary. The reliance on miscommunication became so heavy-handed that I wanted to scream at them to just talk it out! There’s a lot of charm packed into the pages, but at times, it felt overshadowed by unnecessary fluff and a bit of chaos.

Ultimately, I didn’t walk away from it with a sense of hatred, but I wouldn’t say it captured my heart either. It’s a fun concept with some entertaining moments, but it's not something I’d be eager to revisit anytime soon.

First off...eww snakes! The MMC is absolutely obsessed with snakes and there are a whole lot of snake facts thrown into the book. However that was my only con really. I did enjoy the book. It's a romcom that's sweet and so funny at times. The book often gave me outdoors and camping vibes which I love. The Setting was a mix of Hawaii and South Dakota, both states that I don't feel like I find a whole lot of settings. I loved how Amanda Sellet wrapped up the ending. Perfect!

Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Sellet and St Martin's Griffin for allowing me this e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.