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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
sdupont's review
emotional
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
I thought the bingo premise/meet cute was such a fun idea. This book really focuses in on mental health for both characters. At times it felt the romance was secondary to their individual mental health plots. While this book had some spicy scenes the chemistry between Aja and Walker didn’t seem to go beyond innuendo and sexual attraction. I did enjoy this book but it didn’t deliver in the way I had hoped.
*I received the ARC for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
*I received the ARC for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse
cakt1991's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Bet on It is my first read from Jodie Slaughter, although I’ve heard a lot about her work previously and have long wanted to try her stuff. In retrospect, while I did mostly enjoy this, I feel this was perhaps not the best place to start.
I really like the way mental illness was depicted on-page as part of the lives of both leads, Aja and Walker. Both deal with anxiety and panic attacks, and I love how it serves as a bonding point for the two of them. And Aja’s relationship with her therapist throughout is really beautiful and affirming. And ultimately, it’s not about being “fixed,” whether through finding love or otherwise.
That said, I had a complicated relationship with…other aspects…of the way the romance proceeded. Despite the deeper bond at play, I struggled to feel really invested as things turned sexual, and found them rather awkward to read, when I’m sure that wasn’t the intent. When it came down to it, and the question of whether they would be together or go back to their old lives, I wasn’t sure what stakes were really at play on the romantic front. I know it works well for other people, but my graysexual self rarely gets the “friends-with-benefits banging to get it out of our system” trope.
This one overall was a mixed bag for me. I can see why it would work for other readers, especially if you enjoy stories that have a balance of lust driving the dynamic with deeper issues below the surface.
Bet on It is my first read from Jodie Slaughter, although I’ve heard a lot about her work previously and have long wanted to try her stuff. In retrospect, while I did mostly enjoy this, I feel this was perhaps not the best place to start.
I really like the way mental illness was depicted on-page as part of the lives of both leads, Aja and Walker. Both deal with anxiety and panic attacks, and I love how it serves as a bonding point for the two of them. And Aja’s relationship with her therapist throughout is really beautiful and affirming. And ultimately, it’s not about being “fixed,” whether through finding love or otherwise.
That said, I had a complicated relationship with…other aspects…of the way the romance proceeded. Despite the deeper bond at play, I struggled to feel really invested as things turned sexual, and found them rather awkward to read, when I’m sure that wasn’t the intent. When it came down to it, and the question of whether they would be together or go back to their old lives, I wasn’t sure what stakes were really at play on the romantic front. I know it works well for other people, but my graysexual self rarely gets the “friends-with-benefits banging to get it out of our system” trope.
This one overall was a mixed bag for me. I can see why it would work for other readers, especially if you enjoy stories that have a balance of lust driving the dynamic with deeper issues below the surface.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Mental illness
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
sophieissapphhic's review against another edition
🔥 Bingo Sex Pact
🏠 Small Town
❤️ Anxiety & PTSD Portrayal
I loved the portrayal of mental health (anxiety and PTSD) in this book! I have anxiety, so I really appreciated the exploration and prioritizing of the character’s emotional health being at the forefront of the book.
I’m not a big fan of public sex scenes, so that did affect my rating (as there are two? public sex scenes). Overall, I did enjoy Aja and Walker bonding over bingo and forming an emotional, as well as physical, connection to each other.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-ARC!
Content Warnings: child neglect, panic attacks, PTSD, drugs and drug abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
novellybritt's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
aiyam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
I am so so glad that I listened to this romance novel as an audiobook. The narrator's southern accent just adds so much to the story, it would not have been the same without it. The story itself is absolutely gorgeous, Jodie Slaughter is an absolutely amazing writer.
This book has absolutely everything. Charming southern culture, bingo, funny characters, and real life issues like anxiety that exist without overtaking the plot. Slaughter balances all of the intricacies of life in this sweet rom com. Aja and Walker are my absolute favorite couple at the moment, I don't think I have ever fallen harder for a relationship than I did while reading this book. I walked around with headphones in listening because I couldn't pause the story for a second while I did everything I had to do.
If you like steamy romance novels with a side of emotional angst, this is absolutely the book for you. This is one of the best romances I have read all year.
This book has absolutely everything. Charming southern culture, bingo, funny characters, and real life issues like anxiety that exist without overtaking the plot. Slaughter balances all of the intricacies of life in this sweet rom com. Aja and Walker are my absolute favorite couple at the moment, I don't think I have ever fallen harder for a relationship than I did while reading this book. I walked around with headphones in listening because I couldn't pause the story for a second while I did everything I had to do.
If you like steamy romance novels with a side of emotional angst, this is absolutely the book for you. This is one of the best romances I have read all year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Abandonment
lovelynovellas's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
decklededgess's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
trigger warnings: ptsd, anxiety and panic attacks, drug addiction mention, alcohol addiction mention, estranged parent, physical injury, sexual content
This was so unexpectedly wholesome! It's a meet cute turned friendship where they're struggling to keep their hands off each other. Aja and Walker bond over their shared social anxieties and mental disorders that lead them to being more empathetic towards themselves and learn to love each other through the pain.
The horny scenes were divine, Aja's journey to becoming more social and learning to open up her circle of close friends was really heart warming, and Walker's journey to healing from his childhood trauma was encouraging and healing.
The southern charm simply OOZES out of this book. LOVE
This was so unexpectedly wholesome! It's a meet cute turned friendship where they're struggling to keep their hands off each other. Aja and Walker bond over their shared social anxieties and mental disorders that lead them to being more empathetic towards themselves and learn to love each other through the pain.
The horny scenes were divine, Aja's journey to becoming more social and learning to open up her circle of close friends was really heart warming, and Walker's journey to healing from his childhood trauma was encouraging and healing.
The southern charm simply OOZES out of this book. LOVE
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse