Bet on It

This is a cute and spicy romance that has a little extra. Aja and Walker meet at a Bingo hall in fictional small town Greenbelt, SC. Aja moved there in search of a quieter life, and Walker is in town from Charleston for a few months helping his grandmother recover from a fall. Sparks fly and the two get to know each other, all the while dealing with their own anxieties and past traumas. I appreciate how the author incorporates characters who are real people with real issues, dealing with them in ways that are sometimes messy. Themes of family, trauma, healing, love, friendships, anxiety and more round out the story.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
#netgalley #stmartinspress

Gen Z Mental Health Dang Near Erotica... Romantic Comedy? Up front, there was nothing technically wrong about this story - hence the five stars here. There is nothing for me to hang a star deduction on as objectively wrong here, and indeed there are several things to actively like. Such as the interracial romance in the South, where neither character tries to bring in bygone eras that were dead long before either of them were alive. As a Xennial / elder Millenial Southerner, this was genuinely refreshing to see in novel form, since so many try to depict the South as some racial tension hotbed that isn't actually present in reality. Or at least that's not what the entire South is, nor any that I've ever experienced in a lifetime of living here. So for fellow Southerners tired of so many novels looking down on us and trying to force depictions of us that aren't always accurate... give this one a try, I think you'll like it. :)

Now, onto the stuff that those same fellow Southerners might actually have more of an issue with.

For one, if you don't like hot and heavy, dang near erotica level sex in a book... this one isn't for you, no matter where you're from. If you prefer “sweet” / “clean” romances where the couple barely kisses or where anything beyond maybe heavy kissing is “behind closed doors”... this book isn't going to be something you enjoy. There are two sex acts performed essentially in public - one in a car in a parking lot, the other inside the Mayor's Mansion during a town festival (and on a couch in a room, rather than in some closet!). Along these lines, there was much talk of condoms and STI testing (at least at first), and again, these are some issues that I know some will LOVE being included but others will wish had not been, so either way you now know to expect them and can proceed according to your own attitudes on the subject. :)

For another, and this is absolutely one where your mileage may vary depending on any number of factors, there is a LOT of talk about mental health here, to the level of being fairly preachy at times - particularly in espousing a more Gen Z view of the field. Both of our leads suffer from anxiety, and at times it feels the focus of the book is on these issues rather than anything remotely romantic or even comedic. While it is absolutely refreshing to see these issues discussed so openly, and I absolutely love that a book featuring this is on the market, I also realize that it won't be everyone's cup of tea. So hey, better to skip the book because I warned you than to read it and leave a 1 star review complaining about all the “pansy ass whiny bullcrap” or some such that I know several people personally would absolutely complain about. :)

In the end though, this was a mostly fun, relatively light (particularly given its subject matter) romantic comedy, and it does work within that genre, just far from your typical entry there. As someone who constantly seeks new wrinkles I hadn't seen before, I enjoyed it from that side in particular. Very much recommended.

DNF at 55%
the sex scenes are so cringey and i'm sorry but i literally do not care abt these ppl & what they're struggling with

This wasn't an easy read for me. It took me weeks to get through. But overall, I appreciated it for all the representation. I thought that the author did an especially great job with the mental health related storylines in the book. Read if you're looking for very lust-forward spicy books that also cover heavier topics.

Very cute, had good steamy moments. I appreciate the storyline on mental health, and how normalized it was.

I rate this 3.5. It doesn't have anything to do with the subject matter. It had too much spice for my liking. 

This book deals with mental illness, which is pointed out at the beginning of the book. The two main characters are each working through their own mental illness throughout the story and it's what connects them. The author writes it in a way to help the reader better understand what the character is going through past and present. 

Throughout the story we see how the characters have come to terms with their mental illness and how they are working through that with therapy or techniques. We read how the characters would normally act in settings such as big crowds and how they have learned to deal with these situations. 

To me the author also displayed a sense of progression when it comes to how society see mental illness past and present. Walker's former classmates realize now that they were not there for him or didn't realize what he needed, but now they understand. The character's friends in this story recognize and check in with them making sure they are ok. Having this positive support in a story and mainly real life is crucial. 

The narrator was good choice for Aja, but I didn't care for her as much for the Walker. The voice didn't fit what I thought he would sound like. Personal preference. Overall I did like the narrator though. 

Bet on It is a great story. While it deals with heavy topics, it also shows how we can be there for our loved ones. I did like the author's writing style and would read another book written by this author. 

I listened to this as an audiobook at 1x to 1.75x speed. 

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Sings I will never be satisfiiiiied! One of my biggest irritants with romance novels (and you know, people in general) is lack of communication, but when the romance in question has no communication problems and everything gets hashed out constantly ... I'm still not happy!

This was fine. The rep is great: fat black FMC with anxiety, white MMC with PTSD and anxiety due to his father's drug addiction problems when he was a child. Both are in therapy, so they have learned that it's better to talk about things. Yes!

It was also VERY steamy! There's a sex pact! They do it in public places! They are both ahem SATISFIIIIIIED.

I don't know why I can't muster up more enthusiasm for this!

(Listened to the audio, which was fine but it seemed better suited to Aja's voice. I did not like the tone/cadence the reader selected for Walker.)