Aja and Walker meet in the frozen food aisle of the Piggly Wiggly as Aja is having a panic attack. From the beginning, I immediately loved Aja's personality. She is a very warm, sweet person who is constantly working on anxiety and avoidant behavior. For her mental health, she finds herself in the small town of Greenbelt. Meanwhile, Walker feels stuck in the town he swore he’d never return to, so he can help care for his grandma when she breaks both arms. He has many bad memories about the town relating to his complex PTSD, childhood trauma, and anger. When they meet again in a bingo hall, a friendship is struck. Bet On It follows Aja and Walker as they forge a connection and later attempt to see a future for their relationship. 

This is a great debut from Jodie Slaughter, showcasing positive plus-size rep and incredible mental health rep. At times, this made the material pretty heavy to read and I would advise anyone who is concerned to check out the trigger warnings. With that said, Slaughter handles it very well and it always felt realistic. Bet On It shows the positives and negatives of small town life, living in the South, and the importance of both found and biological family. It would be a mistake to think this is a lighthearted romance, since Slaughter goes deep into Aja and Walker’s respective mental health journeys. I would recommend Bet On It if you are looking for a nuanced, reflective romance with lots of steamy scenes and important mental health discussion. 

Thank you to Jodie Slaughter, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.