GJ's Review of Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter

 

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.