Romance Breakdown: Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter

I chose to read Bet On It because it had been sitting on my NetGalley dashboard for literal years, waiting for a review. I’ve been working on raising my NetGalley ratio, and this one felt like a good place to start.

This book has a really fun and unique premise: a plus-size woman with anxiety (Aja) and a man with complex PTSD (Walker) strike up a bingo hall friendship that turns into a friends-with-benefits situation. On paper, it sounded like something I’d really enjoy. And there were definitely things I did like!

I genuinely enjoyed the side characters—especially Ms. May and Miriam (who is the lead in the author's next book). I also loved the bingo hall setting, and honestly wish there had been more of it throughout the book. Given Aja and Walker's friends with benefits "deal" there could have been fun scenes there.

The mental health representation was also handled with care. Aja lives with generalized anxiety, and Walker has PTSD. While I don’t personally relate to either experience, I appreciated seeing those aspects represented and thought they were written thoughtfully.

That said, I struggled a lot with the main romance. For one, it felt very insta-love, which is not a trope I enjoy. Given the characters’ emotional histories—and especially the slow-build nature of the bingo-based “deal” they make—I think a slower burn would have worked so much better.

My biggest issue, though, was Walker. I had a really hard time liking him. He came off as cold, closed-off, and unwilling to give people a fair chance. And while I understand that’s part of his trauma response, it made it difficult to feel any real connection to him. Aja, on the other hand, was thoughtful, open, and engaging—I found myself enjoying her moments with her friends more than anything else.

The ending also left me feeling pretty unsatisfied. (Mild spoiler warning!) When Walker left Aja, he was gone for two months—after they’d only really known each other for a few weeks. That kind of ghosting felt extreme, and I struggled to believe she would so easily take him back. It just didn’t feel earned.

And finally, I’ll be honest: some of the spicy scenes just weren’t for me. A couple took place in public spaces, which felt more awkward than steamy—and I ended up skipping at least one entirely.

All that said, I would still try another book by Jodie Slaughter, especially since the next one features Miriam, who I really liked. While this book didn’t fully work for me, I can absolutely see others enjoying it—especially readers looking for mental health rep, bingo hall energy, and strong female friendships.

I’d love to know what you thought if you’ve read this one! Let me know in a comment below. You can also download my breakdown template to keep track of your own romance reads.

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