Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter: Book Review

Bet On It

BY Jodie Slaughter

Rating: 4.5/5 
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Steam: Explicit!
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Thank you for my advanced copy of the book, all opinions are my own.
Pub Date: July 12, 2022
Available: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop

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Bet On It Synopsis:

The first time Aja Owens encounters the man of her dreams, she’s having a panic attack in the frozen foods section of the Piggly Wiggly. The second time, he’s being introduced to her as her favorite bingo buddy’s semi-estranged grandson. From there, all it takes is one game for her to realize that he’s definitely going to be a problem. And if there’s anything she already has a surplus of, it’s problems.

In Walker Abbott’s mind, there are only two worthwhile things in Greenbelt, South Carolina. The peach cobbler at his old favorite diner and his ailing grandmother. Dragging himself back after more than a decade away, he’s counting down the days until Gram heals and he can get back to his real life. Far away from the trauma inside of those city limits. Just when he thinks his plan is solid, enter Aja to shake everything up.

A hastily made bingo-based sex pact is supposed to keep this…thing between them from getting out of hand. Especially when submitting to their feelings means disrupting their carefully balanced lives. But emotions are just like bingo callers―they refuse to be ignored.

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CW: drug addiction, child neglect, PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic attacks. 

Bet On It Review

My little heart cannot take the fullness of this book. It is so flipping cute and sweet and ah! Seriously, get yourself a peach cobbler and dig in because this is a perfect summer evening read. 

Bet On It has so much going for it. Like a fat FMC where it isn’t a deal at all and she loves herself and her size isn’t brought up besides small remarks that are just about accessibility. 

And there’s depth to both characters with impressive character arcs. Discussions around mental health, boundaries, and therapy that were just so real. The premise of the book–BINGO! The steam–yes please! Ms. May!

While I’m not the biggest fan of small town romances, I did really enjoy this book. There were a lot of the realities of living in a small town brought up by Walker and his dislike of being in them, but also Aja’s love of them did highlight some of the good parts. Plus there is always that one place that everyone goes to, like the diner🍑🍑.

Also the insta-lust thing I’m typically not the biggest fan of either, but it worked. I found the characters to be perfect for this setup. Plus it took a bit of time before the first steamy part of the book, which helped balance things out.

I completely recommend this book because I loved it so much. Aja and Walker are now a power couple for me. I cannot sing praises for this book beyond please read it. 

Please enjoy this wonderful romance novel. It hits all the notes of a cute, funny romance with some serious heaviness to it.

If You Liked This One…

If you like Trish Doller’s Float Plan or The Suite Spot or anything by Roni Loren (Yes & I Love You, What If You & Me, The Ones That Got Away)I think you’ll love this book! It sits right between those two in steam levels and brings some really good discussions around mental health to the front as in those books. Highly recommend picking this one up!

I am 110% going back and reading through Jodie Slaughter’s backlog!!