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kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Title: Bet On It
Author: Jodie Slaughter
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: July 12, 2022
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
T H R E E • W O R D S
Refreshing • Unique • Steamy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In the midst of a panic attack in the aisle of the Piggly Wiggly, Aja meets the man of her dreams. She meets him again at her weekly bingo, when he is introduced as the grandson of her closest bingo buddy.
There are only two things in Greenbelt, South Carolina that take up room in Walker Abbott's heart: the peach cobbler at his favourite restaurant and his ailing grandmother. When he returns to help care for her after a decade away, he has fast plans to be gone as soon as she's rehabilitated.
After the very first game, it's clear they are both going to pose a problem to each other.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was initially drawn to Bet on It because of the cover, and after hearing the author discuss it in upcoming book preview event I attended, I was even more intrigued. It just sounded like the type of book I'd enjoy.
What I like:
• the representation. This book has mental illness representation, diverse representation, and fat representation. All of which were done incredibly well. The anxiety felt so accurate and relatable, and healthy conversations about therapy were a nice touch. The body positivity aspect was flawless.
• the meet cute. Meeting in a bingo hall. Yes, please! Aside from the mental health rep, the whole bingo aspect was my favourite part of the book.
• the grandma. It's no shocker I loved the grandmother.
• the small town vibes. Also not a shocker.
What I didn't like:
• lack of character depth. I felt like both Aja and Walker could have been developed more. Because of the lack of depth, the story kind of petered out.
• the second half. The relationship felt mostly about the sex, and I needed more of their relationship. My attention definitely waned after being so invested throughout the first half.
Overall, I enjoyed the idea of this book, the execution just could have used a little fine tuning. I'll be interested to see what Jodie Slaughter writes next based on the representation alone.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who like their books steamy
• anyone looking for mental health rep in a rom-con -
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Her brain loved to overthink things. Find hidden meanings in moments without any. She was always digging through simple conversations for unspoken things that she’d already convinced herself were real, even against all logic."
"Shit’s hard. It’s important to be open and honest when you’re ready and willin’. But I don’t think we owe it to anybody to tell them shit we aren’t comfortable tellin’ them either."
Author: Jodie Slaughter
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.75
Pub Date: July 12, 2022
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for sending me a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
T H R E E • W O R D S
Refreshing • Unique • Steamy
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In the midst of a panic attack in the aisle of the Piggly Wiggly, Aja meets the man of her dreams. She meets him again at her weekly bingo, when he is introduced as the grandson of her closest bingo buddy.
There are only two things in Greenbelt, South Carolina that take up room in Walker Abbott's heart: the peach cobbler at his favourite restaurant and his ailing grandmother. When he returns to help care for her after a decade away, he has fast plans to be gone as soon as she's rehabilitated.
After the very first game, it's clear they are both going to pose a problem to each other.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I was initially drawn to Bet on It because of the cover, and after hearing the author discuss it in upcoming book preview event I attended, I was even more intrigued. It just sounded like the type of book I'd enjoy.
What I like:
• the representation. This book has mental illness representation, diverse representation, and fat representation. All of which were done incredibly well. The anxiety felt so accurate and relatable, and healthy conversations about therapy were a nice touch. The body positivity aspect was flawless.
• the meet cute. Meeting in a bingo hall. Yes, please! Aside from the mental health rep, the whole bingo aspect was my favourite part of the book.
• the grandma. It's no shocker I loved the grandmother.
• the small town vibes. Also not a shocker.
What I didn't like:
• lack of character depth. I felt like both Aja and Walker could have been developed more. Because of the lack of depth, the story kind of petered out.
• the second half. The relationship felt mostly about the sex, and I needed more of their relationship. My attention definitely waned after being so invested throughout the first half.
Overall, I enjoyed the idea of this book, the execution just could have used a little fine tuning. I'll be interested to see what Jodie Slaughter writes next based on the representation alone.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who like their books steamy
• anyone looking for mental health rep in a rom-con -
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Her brain loved to overthink things. Find hidden meanings in moments without any. She was always digging through simple conversations for unspoken things that she’d already convinced herself were real, even against all logic."
"Shit’s hard. It’s important to be open and honest when you’re ready and willin’. But I don’t think we owe it to anybody to tell them shit we aren’t comfortable tellin’ them either."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Bullying and Cursing
PTSDcaitlinemccann's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Minor: Bullying and Child abuse
megs23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really wanted to completely love this book. I loved a lot: the authentic mental health representation for both anxiety and ptsd, the normalization of therapy for both characters (although Walker didn’t have a current therapist the whole book), Aja as a leading character, how hard yet meaningful it is to make new friends as an adult, how 0% of the book was about Aja (or anyone else) trying to change her body in anyway, and actively felt countering fatphobia, interracial MCs, bingo, and the imagery. I struggled with the pace of the book. It moved slowly for me, and although that was on theme for the summer rural South Carolina setting, it took me much longer to finish than typical. I also struggled with the flow. It felt like there were several scenes that didn’t fully end before abruptly transitioning to the next chapter and a completely different scene. I would have loved to see more how the dinner party went, how the Fourth of July picnic was, and just in general have more complete scenes than the many snippets. Sweet read, good steam, great representation, and good epilogue to wrap up on Aja and Walker’s story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying and Drug abuse
Minor: Self harm
alyssajp's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
- interracial romance
- main characters with anxiety
- contract trope: sex only when someone wins at bingo
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse
emmaline09's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, and Drug abuse
julsmarshall's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This love story really packs a punch. Both characters are on challenging mental health journeys and are struggling to find their way. I love how open an vulnerable they are with each other and the small town setting is charming! And the Bingo meet cute was a high point. I wouldn’t call this a light romance but it is an enjoyable one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Mental illness
paperbacksandvinyl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Mental illness
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
toffishay's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
I loved the exploration of anxiety and PTSD. The book took the time to explore what that meant for our characters individually as well as their relationship to each other in a way that really humanized mental illness in a way that it often isn't and made them more fully fleshed out characters. Walker and Aja are so fun and flirty and real with each other; I couldn't turn away from their story once I started.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
alisonreadsitall's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest feedback.
Whew - this was quite the steamy read. 🥵 I mean, I guess what else do you expect from a Bingo Sex Pact?
I appreciated the positive impact of therapy throughout the book, and the relationship between Aja and Walker was pretty great. I loved that they understood each other on a deeper level, since they both struggled with mental illness. Walker annoyed me in his unwillingness to admit his feelings, and my biggest annoyance was the lack of accuracy in how to play bingo. lol
3.5 rounded down to 3 stars.
Tropes: Friends to Lovers
CW: panic attacks, drug abuse, child abuse
Whew - this was quite the steamy read. 🥵 I mean, I guess what else do you expect from a Bingo Sex Pact?
I appreciated the positive impact of therapy throughout the book, and the relationship between Aja and Walker was pretty great. I loved that they understood each other on a deeper level, since they both struggled with mental illness. Walker annoyed me in his unwillingness to admit his feelings, and my biggest annoyance was the lack of accuracy in how to play bingo. lol
3.5 rounded down to 3 stars.
Tropes: Friends to Lovers
CW: panic attacks, drug abuse, child abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse and Drug abuse