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kelly_e's review
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
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, and Drug abuse
maddireads13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
jessgj's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Here's my review of Bet On It, which was given to me by NetGalley and St. Martins in exchange for an honest review. These are all my own thoughts and opinions.
First off, Jodie Slaughter, you're an evil genius and I love you. I will sit here and wait patiently for your next book while complaining about how talented you are. As a plus-sized Black woman with anxiety in the south (TN to be specific), this book hits so close to home on a lot of fronts. I can't begin to list the number of times I put the book down because I read something that just resonated so much. It also nails the pros and cons of living in a small community.
Something I love about the book is how quiet and the "lower stakes" it is. I say lower stakes because a lot of romance stories have some impending disaster in the background: a career on the brink of ruin, a big competition a lead is desperate to win, the cops closing in a big case, etc. This book focuses solely on Aja and Walker and building new relationships despite their fear and trepidation. And not just their romantic relationship. Much of Aja's POV is her starting new friendships in town while Walker's is him rebuilding his connections with his family and on some level, Greenbelt itself.
This book is so gentle and sweet as we watch these two struggle with their anxiety and trauma while wanting more for themselves. I love their friend groups and how friendship is staging a dinner party/intervention with hors d'oeuvres while being their hype person. This book really distills a large chunk of what I love about reading romance. I highly recommend it to everyone but especially new readers.
Also, if Jodie Slaughter wants to do a sequel about Miri, I would pre-order it the moment after she posts the link. Just saying.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for giving me a copy of Bet On It. This review is my own thoughts and opinions.
TW: FMC has Generalized Anxiety Disorder, MMC has PTSD, Panic/anxiety attacks, MMC's father is a recovering substance abuser, bullying/gossip, and brief descriptions of substance abuse.
First off, Jodie Slaughter, you're an evil genius and I love you. I will sit here and wait patiently for your next book while complaining about how talented you are. As a plus-sized Black woman with anxiety in the south (TN to be specific), this book hits so close to home on a lot of fronts. I can't begin to list the number of times I put the book down because I read something that just resonated so much. It also nails the pros and cons of living in a small community.
Something I love about the book is how quiet and the "lower stakes" it is. I say lower stakes because a lot of romance stories have some impending disaster in the background: a career on the brink of ruin, a big competition a lead is desperate to win, the cops closing in a big case, etc. This book focuses solely on Aja and Walker and building new relationships despite their fear and trepidation. And not just their romantic relationship. Much of Aja's POV is her starting new friendships in town while Walker's is him rebuilding his connections with his family and on some level, Greenbelt itself.
This book is so gentle and sweet as we watch these two struggle with their anxiety and trauma while wanting more for themselves. I love their friend groups and how friendship is staging a dinner party/intervention with hors d'oeuvres while being their hype person. This book really distills a large chunk of what I love about reading romance. I highly recommend it to everyone but especially new readers.
Also, if Jodie Slaughter wants to do a sequel about Miri, I would pre-order it the moment after she posts the link. Just saying.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for giving me a copy of Bet On It. This review is my own thoughts and opinions.
TW: FMC has Generalized Anxiety Disorder, MMC has PTSD, Panic/anxiety attacks, MMC's father is a recovering substance abuser, bullying/gossip, and brief descriptions of substance abuse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying
laceystairs's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
3.5
Such a refreshing romance.
This is a romance novel with dual views which allows the reader to hear what's going on in the minds of both love intetests.
Aja and Walker have a meet cute in a grocery store while one of them has a panic attack. It's an interaction that sets the tone of the book.
While visiting his home town, a place that Walker promised himself he would never go back to, he runs into Aja and dispite not wanting to get attached, feelings start to creep in.
Aja moved away from the city for some quiet and peace so she can work on herself and build a life she can enjoy.
Both characters have mental health struggles, and as such they have some difficulties in day to day life, and especially with personal relationships. During this story we see our characters work hard to do what's best for themselves and still uphold the connections they are building with those around them.
I loved that both Walker and Aja were working with therapists and coming up with strategies to cope with the world around them and come to terms with their own emotions. It was refreshing to see a healthy relationship in a romance novel. I especially loved Aja's character. She was a talented, independent black women who was plus size, but that was not her main focus. Her focus was on her inner self which was exactly what I have been looking for in this genre.
This book has cozy small town in summertime vibes. You will definitely want some homade desserts after (peach cobbler anyone??).
This is a romance novel with dual views which allows the reader to hear what's going on in the minds of both love intetests.
Aja and Walker have a meet cute in a grocery store while one of them has a panic attack. It's an interaction that sets the tone of the book.
While visiting his home town, a place that Walker promised himself he would never go back to, he runs into Aja and dispite not wanting to get attached, feelings start to creep in.
Aja moved away from the city for some quiet and peace so she can work on herself and build a life she can enjoy.
Both characters have mental health struggles, and as such they have some difficulties in day to day life, and especially with personal relationships. During this story we see our characters work hard to do what's best for themselves and still uphold the connections they are building with those around them.
I loved that both Walker and Aja were working with therapists and coming up with strategies to cope with the world around them and come to terms with their own emotions. It was refreshing to see a healthy relationship in a romance novel. I especially loved Aja's character. She was a talented, independent black women who was plus size, but that was not her main focus. Her focus was on her inner self which was exactly what I have been looking for in this genre.
This book has cozy small town in summertime vibes. You will definitely want some homade desserts after (peach cobbler anyone??).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
duckyreads's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
In "Bet on It", Jodie Slaughter crafts a beautiful and complex story between Aja and Walker. Aja and Walker are both impacted by anxiety and PTSD in their personal lives, and as readers, we follow them from their meet-cute in a grocery store to their regular meetings at bingo. One of my favorite aspects of this book is how Aja is described, whether she is focusing on bingo, or sharing time with Walker in her apartment. I also appreciate that there is a considerate background story for Walker as the male love interest because the focus is usually on the female love interest as the protagonist. I would caution that "Bet on It" is a combination of Literary Fiction and Romance. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for more yearning in their Romance and thoughtful portrayals of mental health.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Addiction and Bullying
brokenbodybitch's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
4.75
4.75 ⭐️
I REALLY loved this book and will be getting a physical copy for my shelf/to annotate.
Do not take the CW's at the beginning of this book lightly, as it has a VERY heavy entanglement of mental health representation in the plot; They both have anxiety and Walker has PTSD. Both the anxiety and ptsd rep felt as subtle as a slap across the face with a brick because of the accuracy and it was honestly a little hard to read in my current mental state BUT, I am not complaining at all...it was like therapy. There actually is therapy in this book and I love how casual the therapy is worked into the plot, also the sheer amount of coping skills added in and kindness/gentleness towards mental health that is throughout this book is very nice.
Aja and Walker's relationship is so cute and I love the bingo aspect of this book although it does become less prevalent throughout the book and I wish it had a bit more of an appearance towards the end but like I don't really care. The spice is a fairly average amount and not all that crazy but it is well written and at one point he says he's going to cry if he can't taste/eat her and I fucking love that for her, I am waiting for my physical copy for the rest of my quotes but the way the author describes Aja in one of the spice scenes made me have a lot of "queer panic"... just women 🥵
*thank you netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I REALLY loved this book and will be getting a physical copy for my shelf/to annotate.
Do not take the CW's at the beginning of this book lightly, as it has a VERY heavy entanglement of mental health representation in the plot; They both have anxiety and Walker has PTSD. Both the anxiety and ptsd rep felt as subtle as a slap across the face with a brick because of the accuracy and it was honestly a little hard to read in my current mental state BUT, I am not complaining at all...it was like therapy. There actually is therapy in this book and I love how casual the therapy is worked into the plot, also the sheer amount of coping skills added in and kindness/gentleness towards mental health that is throughout this book is very nice.
Aja and Walker's relationship is so cute and I love the bingo aspect of this book although it does become less prevalent throughout the book and I wish it had a bit more of an appearance towards the end but like I don't really care. The spice is a fairly average amount and not all that crazy but it is well written and at one point he says he's going to cry if he can't taste/eat her and I fucking love that for her, I am waiting for my physical copy for the rest of my quotes but the way the author describes Aja in one of the spice scenes made me have a lot of "queer panic"... just women 🥵
*thank you netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse
kristinecircenis's review
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC to review.
A story about redemption and fresh starts, Aja and Walker’s story is captivating (and filled with bingo) from the get go. As a fellow sufferer of anxiety, it was truly special to see two main characters both affected by and dealing with their anxiety in their own ways.
Looking forward to celebrating this book even more this July!
A story about redemption and fresh starts, Aja and Walker’s story is captivating (and filled with bingo) from the get go. As a fellow sufferer of anxiety, it was truly special to see two main characters both affected by and dealing with their anxiety in their own ways.
Looking forward to celebrating this book even more this July!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Addiction and Drug use