Reviews with content warning for Cursing - The Love Wager

Well I liked the plot and I like Lynn Painters writing but this was just not it for me it was like there was a narrator but u are also in the persons mine but idk maybe it was just a me thing over all I enjoyed the book but would have wanted to hear more about jacks job

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sunshinekmp's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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brooke_andbooks's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. There were a few pick me-ish moments when Hallie was criticizing other women, especially in the beginning, but if you ignore those her character is really loveable. I found the relationship to be sweet, very believable, and the chemistry was great. I’m a sucker for friends to lovers. I won’t spoil anything but this book is like a mosaic of classic tropes, with some fun but not forced pop culture references.

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juanat77's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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samone2's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

It would be 5 starts without the fast ending and third-act breakup. But it was a fun quick book I read in one sitting in my room to start the year off.

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chelle22's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted

4.0

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melissaslibraryy's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Had several full body cringes while listening to the book bc the overuse of millennial humor trying to be cute and having the opposite effect, had me pausing every few mins. The “railing” jokes got boring really quick and the fact that it kept going until the last chapter is ridiculous imo. The friends to lovers trope was cute and the premise of the story was great but the constant miscommunication almost had me ripping my hair out. The overthinking from both characters of “I love them but they don’t love me” when it’s clearly the opposite, genuinely could’ve been cleared up immediately after a long conversation of what they expect of their relationship after they continued to SLEEP TOGETHER. Like ???? You two are grown adults who want to be in a relationship post wedding trip so why is it so hard to just say that instead of saying a bunch of bs you assume the other person wants to hear? 🙄😭 I also expected a better epilogue but that’s just me (even a well written bonus epilogue could’ve bumped this up to a 3.75)

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I was wanting to read more of Lynn Painter’s work and have read Mr Wrong Number and Better than the Movies, whilst looking at what other books she had, I noticed The Love Wager and saw on Goodreads that it said it was the second book in the series to Mr Wrong Number. I knew this would be the next one I read of Lynn Painter’s work, and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved it.

This book has two points of view, the first is Hallie Piper, she is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room after a one-night stand, she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult. She gets a new apartment, a new haircut and a new wardrobe. But when she logs into a dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack Marshall, the guy whose room she’d snuck out of. Jack Marshall thought he’d found the one – he had bought an engagement ring and everything, but now it’s over and he doesn’t know what to do and if he wants to settle down. After he slept with the bartender, he can’t seem to get her out of his head. He joins the dating app, looking for God knows what. Through the app, and after the joint agreement that they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie become each other wingman in their respective searches for the One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don’t go well, the two of them can get tacos afterwards. Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off. As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they each struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.

I love these two characters. I don’t usually like friends-to-lovers, but I felt like this was more like just a lot of flirting and then friends with benefits to lovers. They weren’t like childhood friends or friends since college or anything like that, so I liked the trope better. The book was such an easy read and I loved it so much. I loved the dual POVs and the texting banter that happened. It was very fast-paced and the plot was predictable but still enjoyable. I loved the dynamic and both of them trying to figure out if they want to fuck up the friendship. I loved seeing Colin and Olivia again and being like a normal couple. This book was fun and adorable.

I don’t have anything bad to say about this book, I just wanted more and hopefully we get a novella of all four of them on holiday or with the children at Christmas.

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