| Title | : | Betting on You |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1665921234 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781665921237 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 432 |
| Publication | : | First published November 28, 2023 |
Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.
Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?
Betting on You Reviews
-
4.25 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!!
Should you read this? Is that even a question? Yes. The answer is yes. Sweet ole young adult romance written by Lynn painter is top tier book material and it will never not be! She writes the most fun scenes of all time. Def buy this and read it. -
— arc review: 4 stars ✰
lynn painter can do no wrong.
this was such a cute book. i was giggling on page nine already, kicking my feet in the air and laughing out loud. this was actually my second book by lynn painter and yet again, i loved it so much. her books are just so easy and quick to read, very light and entertaining. the perfect summer romcom.
this book is full of jokes, sarcasm and most importantly bets. charlie’s and bailey’s first impression of each other was.. not such a meet-cute but entertaining as hell, that i can tell you. over the span of three years, they saw each other once or twice until one day they end up working at the same waterpark. and as things happen, they are betting on something. charlie keeps teasing her, bailey keeps waving him off. the amount of times i was blushing-
forced proximity, fake dating, swoon-worthy moments. everything your heart desires, you will get in this book 💗💞💕🩷
charlie was the best. his humor and witt entertained me throughout the entire book & i fell for him way before bailey even did. i loved their banter & teasing, especially when they were fake dating. the things i’d do to be able to share quotes with you but i can promise you, the wait is worth it.
bailey might be a little stuck up, oops, but i love the way she doesn’t change in front of others. she’s always true to herself and isn’t embarrassed of what she likes, thinks or does. and the best part? charlie remembers every single tiny weeny bitty detail about her, how she likes her drinks, how she orders her food, just everything.
there are a lot of important messages in this book which i really enjoyed. i liked the plotline of the divorced children syndrome & the struggles both charlie and bailey have because of that. it was really realistic and relatable 🫠 -
once upon a time, i claimed that i would read any book that was written by lynn painter. i'd read not
one, but
two of her YA contemporaries — which i would call my guilty pleasure genre if i had feelings and/or had ever felt guilty about anything — and, in a crazy twist for a heartless soulless hater such as myself, i'd (gasp) enjoyed both.
for someone who is literally constantly looking for even one comfort read in this cold, cold world, and for someone who constantly hates all of them, this was huge.
so i read one of her adult romances.
and i'm sorry to say it was
one of my least favorite books of the year.
(except i'm not really sorry. i'm the one who went through something. if anything, the book should be apologizing to me.)
after i'd finished licking my wounds, which is a disgusting expression, i decided to get back out there. i updated my earlier mantra and shouted from the rooftops: i would probably read any book that was categorized as YA and written by lynn painter.
today, i officially take that back too.
this book was just as bad.
honestly, in many ways, you have to give this book points for realism. this didn't feel at all like it was written by lynn painter. it felt like it was written by a fourteen year old.
and before all of you former gifted kids jump down my throat, let me explain.
our characters, two children of divorce who each can think of no fate worse than their respective single parents finding happiness, have a combination enemies to lovers / fake dating / grumpy sunshine / friends to lovers / academic rivals thing going on. picture taking one of those trope booktok videos and dropping it into a PR blender and you have this book.
these two quirky teens are very funny and entertaining, and you can tell because they have nicknames for each other that they relentlessly use in their heads. these include such strokes of brilliance as "mister annoying" (genuinely spelled like that) or "glasses." what a zinger!
on top of this who's who of trending tropes, there is a taylor swift reference on every page (PLEASE MERCY ENOUGH I GIVE) and a bizarre on-page when harry met sally retelling of the kind where the characters continually reference the movie without seeming to have any inkling that they are trapped in a hellish parallel of it, dooming us all to being annoyed for hundreds of pages.
a curse worse than death.
there is just so much going on in this book. and none of it is fun, or good, or of comfort to me.
bottom line: back i go to my hater's hovel.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc) -
I didn’t think it could exist, but there is a thing as too many Taylor Swift references.
Overall the book was okay and I liked the idea but I also felt like I have read this before? I loved the beginning and the focus on divorced child syndrome and how kids feel in these situations as well as how it influences the mistrust kids have in the future.
Yet… I still think that there was too much going on. The bets, the faking, the friends, the drama etc. Oh and of course the fact that Taylor was mentioned on almost every page and it got repetitive. In the beginning I loved the hints but after a while I got annoyed AND THIS IS COMING FROM A SWIFTY!!!!
overall this book was entertaining to read but it’s not something new or mind blowing.
Would I recommend this to YA lovers? Yes.
Overall raising: 3.5-3.75 stars -
in a world of boys, men written by lynn painter are gentlemen.
-
apparently the fmc’s nickname is “bay” which sounds like “bae” and idk how to feel about that
-
4 stars 💐💌
➼ buddy read with the most beautiful and amazing
skye <3
“We were both grinning, and for some reason, I felt an invisible string pulling me closer to her as she smiled up to me.”
꒰🌷plot:
bailey and charlie meet at an airport and end up being seated next to each other where they tease each other and argue only to reconnect with each other years later as co-workers. charlie believes girls and guys can never just be friends, but bailey wants to prove him otherwise so they strike a bet. however, as they both have exes and family issues, the two decide to make another deal and fake date. only they begin catching real feelings for each other, that is until bailey finds out charlie had another bet, but one involving her instead — there was so much more drama in this book then i expected but ugh lynn painter just has a way of making you feel like you're in a romcom when you read her books, this was so cute!! 💗
꒰🌷characters:
bailey - i don't think you guys understand how much i adore bailey!! actually wait, i think you will because she was made for us — she's a hopeless romantic, taylor swift fan, and she has a bookstagram!! she also overthinks a lot and has these cute quirks about her, like how she her go-to drink is a mix of half diet coke and half normal coke? i don't understand that but to each their own. needless to say, i loved her and related to her so much <3
charlie - i didn't think it was possible to have a better love interest than wes bennett, but this guy still came close! i'm just going to say it now, charlie = green flag, green flag = charlie. although he has a seemingly cocky and sarcastic personality, it's really just a shield for his insecurities which he opens up to bailey about later (my favorite thing ever 🥺). his music taste was also amazing, like this guy listens to conan gray and gracie abrams, and during karaoke night he picked "all too well 10 minute version" that was the moment i knew i was going to love him
꒰🌷the romance:
there were honestly SO many cute scenes in this one, it really had me giggling and blushing for my girl bailey!! first of all, he saw her reading a romance book and teasingly asked her to read it aloud to him and they ended up reading it with each other which was honestly really funny but also cute. she was also tired and he carried her down a mountain 🤭 and then my favorite part was when he cancelled his party plans because bailey needed him <3 i feel like charlie's actions always speak so much louder than his words because under all his teasing and sarcastic jokes, these romantic gestures showed how much he loved her!!
a few things i didn't love ~
unfortunately there were some parts of this book i just did not enjoy hence why i didn't give it 5 stars. the biggest complaint i have is that i didn't feel like this book was very balanced. the majority of the book was them fake dating, then suddenly a LOT of drama is introduced towards the last few chapters of the book. i feel like in so many YA romances the endings are always so rushed but we really want to see more of a happy ending ☹️
another thing that is talked about in the summary is how charlie made another bet involving bailey with his other friend, but if you were expecting a "she's all that" type of thing, this doesn't even happen until way into the book and it's not even an actual bet!!! he just says the words "i bet..." sarcastically and his friend randomly decides to bring it up towards the very end of the book. i seriously think that was SO unnecessary because so many other things were already going on and he. didn't. make. a. bet.
i also found some of the writing to be very... dare i say cringe? i know YA romcoms are supposed to be more silly and fluffy, but some things were just awkward.
➼ “I climbed onto his back and it felt good. Wrapping myself around Charlie’s big body felt comforting because it was like he literally — and emotionally — had me. He hauled me up the stairs, and I closed my eyes, resting my cheek on his strong back.”
➼ “She was wearing her 'I'm the problem T-shirt,' the one she'd bought the day after Midnights came out.”
i don't know why authors always emphasize the bigness or strongness of the love interest. luckily this didn't happen too often in this one. and i promise i love taylor swift, but sometimes you don't have to make everything a reference to her. i appreciate lynn painter for trying to make this enjoyable for us swifties tho but it was a bit too much. one last thing is i think the f word was used in almost every other sentence 😭 even if you do curse, it gets annoying when it's overused imo, and especially since this is a ya book, there's no need for that to happen so many times!
꒰🌷overall thoughts:
this was a very cute read! i loved bailey and charlie so much but there were a few things in the book i didn't really enjoy. still, lynn painter books always hold a special place in my heart and i always love a cute YA romcom! i think this is my second favorite from her below bttm! also i had the most fun br with skye, we finished this in two days so we literally ate it up <3
꒰🌷 pre-read: i adore bttm with all my heart so i have high hopes for charlie and bailey 🤭🫶 -
3 stars.
i just love third act breakups 💗 (sarcastic)(disdainful)(completely untrue)(please stop with this nonsense)(i don’t have the patience for it) -
“When you’re in the room, every single cell in my body—every nerve, every muscle, every breath—is lost in you.”
★★★☆☆ - 3.3 stars
₊˚ʚ₊˚✧ ﾟ.
this was really cute and there were a lot of parts i liked, but i didn’t love the characters.
while i love TS, the taylor references seemed kinda cringey and forced. it was a little too much for my liking.
overall, this was enjoyable, but be prepared for some cringe dialogue and a ton of taylor swift references.
₊˚ʚ₊˚✧ ﾟ.
❝ One second she was Bailey, crinkling her nose in irritation, and the next she was a girl with curly dark hair, long eyelashes, and freckles that begged to be counted. ❞
(the cover did not match that description of bailey)
₊˚ʚ₊˚✧ ﾟ.
❝ “ Bailey Glasses Mitchell, are you telling me you don’t know the meaning of the word charming?” ❞
❝ and even though he was cynical Mr Nothing, his cynicism existed not because he was unfeeling but because he felt things so deeply. ❞
₊˚ʚ₊˚✧ ﾟ.
𑁍 their taylor songs ➺
♬ paper rings ➺
❝ maybe karma was a girl in glasses ❞
♬ i can see you ➺
❝ you’ve been thinking of me for all these years? that’s nice, glasses. ❞
♬ delicate ➺
❝ god—how weird was that, that i actually wanted to talk to mr nothing? ❞
♬ style ➺
❝ oh glasses, you never hated me. ❞
♬ invisible string ➺
❝ we were both grinning, and for some reason, i felt an invisible string pulling me closer to her as she smiled up at me. ❞
♬ all of the girls you’ve loved before ➺
❝ dear god, friend is easier to say than coworker. ❞
♬ cardigan ➺
❝ “I love you, Glasses.”
“I love you too, Mr Nothing.” ❞
♬ dress ➺
❝ but he didn’t just say it. his voice was deep and hot. and he spoke my name as if it was a curse or an exaltation, something that moved him, for better or for worse. ❞
₊˚ʚ₊˚✧ ﾟ. -
“sarcastic boobishness”
that's it. that's the review. and in true lynn painter fashion, g'nightfine i lied
if you want to see what will happen if you never tell a child “no”, if you want to constantly read the word “gawwwwwwd” every time a minor inconvenience arises, if you would like to know how much our wonderful “bae” will be “tucking my hair behind her ears” at every possible moment, if you can't breathe without taylor swift being referenced every twenty seconds, if the use of g'night doesn't make you want to claw out your eyes with a tablespoon, if not having a plot doesn't bother you in the slightest, if you want to read about the fmc being called a “whackjob” by our wonderful mmc, if you're okay with the characters , if you want to laugh about how being a child of divorce can now be compared to fighting through a war and comparing battle scars, if continuity errors about whether or not a character eats breakfast don't make you want to pull your brains out through your ears with an alan key, if the cover not matching up with a character's book description is your thing and you are prepared to hate each and every single character then yeah, absolutely read this book!
that's it. that's the review. bye bye <3
( i mean no hate to anyone who loved this: reading is subjective)
also this is me officially giving up on lynn painter 😭not even her ya are good anymore -
![skye (cardan’s ver.) ꩜ .ᐟ [semi-hiatus]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1713729454i/159007189._UY200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
— ⌗ ”maybe karma was a girl in glasses.” ᝰ.ᐟ
⋆˚✿˖° betting on you by lynn painter
➜ ┊: (4 stars) ᵎ ✰
— ⌗ ”you’re not getting a halfsy coke?” ᝰ.ᐟ
⌗ !! ꒰ 💸 ꒱ playlist…
⊹ ࣪ you’re on your own kid — taylor swift
⊹ ࣪ best friend — conan gray
⊹ ࣪ atw tmv tv ftv — taylor swift
⊹ ࣪ change my mind — one direction
⊹ ࣪ invisible string — taylor swift
⊹ ࣪ adore you — harry styles
⊹ ࣪ …ready for it? — taylor swift
⊹ ࣪ fool for you — zayn
⌗ !! ꒰ 🪽 ꒱ tropes…
╰ strangers to coworkers to friends to lovers
╰ fake dating
╰ forced proximity (kind of?)
╰ opposites attract
╰ calm gf x hyper bf
╰ dual pov
╰ they rescue a stray cat and make it their pet, and yes, this is a trope
— ⌗ ”glitter’s the devil’s calling card.” ᝰ.ᐟ
𖦹ׂ SMALLEST EVER MINOR SPOILERS BELOW! (that won’t rlly affect your reading bc it’s a contemporary romance bro, come on 💀)
— ⌗ ”did you just compliment me?” / “weird, right?” ᝰ.ᐟ
₊˚꒰🏕️꒱‧ plot…
‘betting on you’ follows an always organised and scheduled bailey mitchell and the day her paths crossed w chaotically sarcastic and adorable charlie sampson. bailey’s parents get divorced, and she’s struggling to adjust to her mum’s new boyfriend, whereas charlie’s parents have been divorced for a long time now. this book contains all kinds of themes like dealing with mild germophobia, fake dating, divorced parents obviously, and friendship. plus, there’s (technically) a dual pov.
₊˚꒰🫂꒱‧ thoughts…
this was. so. cute!! i’m not an exclamation girlie except when responding to my moots ofc, but this got me exclamate-ing so muchhhh <3 when she said ‘please’, he said ‘you’re begging. I like it.’ like BRO. how could a girl w a praise kink (guilty? oops.) not fall in love with this? THE BANTER WAS ON TOP. I do wish we got more friendship pagetime and scenes, of nekesa and bailey, but it was still good, I guess? and is it bad I disliked theo since the beginning LIKE PLEASE- also. the taylor swift references >>>>>>>>> even tho a few were a little forced and unnecessary (‘:
— ⌗ ”atta girl.” ᝰ.ᐟ
₊˚꒰🐱꒱‧ favourite scenes…
the coffee. and reading. date. and him asking her to read her book aloud + acting out the mmc’s dialogues himself. FIND YOURSELF A MAN (or woman 🤭) WHO TREATS YOU LIKE THIS. and then he carries her down the mountain they climb. and gives her piggyback rides. could this get more cute? yes, it can, actually: the EPILGOUE. BC OH MY GOD. (also, there’s a guy named aaron mentioned in this, so it’s a sign for my shatter me girlies to read it even tho this guy is only mentioned twice in passing)
spoilers below?
₊˚꒰🍻꒱‧ what I sort of disliked…
why did theo make it look like charlie agreed to the mf bet, when he didn’t even say anything other than ‘drop it’ or whatever?? and I def agree w what hanna was saying to me: so many conflicts arose in the last few chapters and were resolved just as fast SO SOON. it felt unreal, tbh. and the slow burn was a little.. too slow burn-ey? I wish there were more real non-fake-dating fluffy scenes between them ): AND PLEASE, WHY WAS THE CHARLIE POV SO SHORT HELP ;-; and, more fluff w less making out during their fake dating would’ve been nicer to read, imo. (and there were def some scenes where both hanna and I visibly cringed 💀)
— ⌗ ”bets were only bets if everyone was held accountable.” ᝰ.ᐟ
₊˚꒰👓꒱‧ bailey mitchell…
is it weird I don’t really feel anything about her ;-;? like, I don’t LOVE her but I don’t not-like her either. she’s sweet in so many ways I could never be, and i’m so so disorganised and reckless haha. it’s okay though, because not every reader can relate to ever character they read and it’s all good (: I did love parts of her characters more, including how she acted towards her mum’s bf LMAO~
₊˚꒰💐꒱‧ charlie sampson…
the green flag that you are, sampson >>>>>> a swiftie? a green flag? remembers the little things? is a sweetheart to bailey’s mother and a jerk (on command ofc) to her step-father bc she asked him to be? fake dates bailey? MARRY ME, RN. RIGHT. NOW.
₊˚꒰❤️🩹꒱‧ bailey x charlie…
he called her drink a ‘halfsy’. he gave it a goddamn name, and now i’m unwell. he remembers all the silly little things about her. and get this, even tho it’s all I can talk about: HE MADE HER SING ATW. THE TEN MINUTE VERSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this book desetves more recognition ASAP.
— ⌗ ”I was a jerk and don’t deserve another chance, but this is me, officially begging.” ᝰ.ᐟ
₊˚꒰✈️꒱‧ pre-read…
my second lynn painter book (after bttm), and I have high hopes! hoping this doesn’t disappoint bc it’s been on my tbr for too long lmao (it’s been marinating on the tbr list for MONTHS) 🫶
— br with the gorgeous hanna 💗
₊˚꒰🍿꒱‧ pre-review…
lynn painter, you are such a blessing~ charlie and bailey are SO SO cute, and the emotional rollercoaster I was on while reading this?! I couldn’t have finished this without entirely crying if it weren’t for hanna fangirling w me 3
— ⌗ ”mic drop, bitches.” ᝰ.ᐟ -
THIS WAS SO GOOD!! I need a Mr. Nothing to my Glasses, rtcccc! 💕
𓍢ִ໋˖ 💐 pre-read ⊹𖧧 ࣪ - I’m in need of something cute & fluffy and lynn painter never disappoints! heheh I’m so excited!! -
i was torn between three and four stars but i’m weak, emotional and soft so here we are 😭😭 it’s not that i didn’t enjoyed the book (cause i did!!) but some things were just missing idk 😫😫
adding to the pile of my rtc
𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒ ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧ pre-review 𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒ ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧
as you can see i’m still in my cottage fairy core era - and i’m also a simple girlie so the math is preeeetty easy: she wrote wes bennett once 😌🤚🏼 so she can do her magic twice with another character - here’s to hoping 🤞🏼 -
3 Stars.
So. I'm a huge fan of Lynn Painter, almost all of the time her stories lift my spirts, make me crack up and get all giddy and kick my feet. This wasn't the case with this one for me though. 😩
The writing is wonderful as usual...albeit a little cringe at times. I just didn't really connect with the characters.
Our two main characters meet on a flight and years later run into each other and end up working together at a water park. Much of the story is about both of their issues with recent break ups and on top of that both of them having issues with each of their parents' divorces.
I think for me why it didn't really work is; I didn't buy the whole 'meet cute' here. Like, years go by and they bump into each other at their new jobs in the same place and remember all these random quirks about each other? Nauuur.
There was way to much conflict and miscommunication for me and it was missing the usual LP banter that I have grown to depend on.
😺YA romance
😺 Divorce
😺 Single parents/parents dating
😺 Enemies to friends to Lovers
😺 Introvert meets extrovert
😺 Cats
😺 Bets
😺 Fake Dating
Good morning! It's feeling like a Lynn Painter Rom Com kinda day! 💞💞
————— ୨୧ —————
Shocked that I haven't seen this in my feed more? My library just dropped this in my inbox and no slump in the world could keep me from reading and loving a Lynn Painter novel. So excited to start this soon! 🩵
————— ୨୧ —————
I'm so hyped for this- fr.
Lynn Painter gives me life. 💝💝💞💞 -
"Wholly." His eyes burned into mine and he said, "When you're in the room, every single cell in my body—every nerve, every muscle, every breath—is lost in you."
i’m in love with charliebailey!! they are literally so cute, from the prequel i knew i was going to enjoy the book, but wow i did not expect to love it the way i did!
this might be very bold of me to say but i might’ve liked it more than bttm *gasp* i cannot pick if i like wes or charlie more, but they’re cousins so the charm must obviously run in the family.
bailey met charlie a year ago on a flight after her parents’ divorce. the big question comes up:
”can guys and girls be just friends?”
it’s a year later and now they’re coworkers! i wonder how that’s going to go..
there’s a bit of a mix btwn fake-dating & bonding over a bet created. now i had said i heard somewhere that this gave 10 things about you vibes and it turns out this came from the publisher themselves!! so as for that here’s my answer:
now that doesn’t mean i didn’t like it, i mean i did give it four stars and ifor the most partfind myself to be a picky rater, but i loved this! like it didn’t give katpatrick but theyre perfection i don’t think anything could compare. this gave more she’s all that imo! the rom com vibes were def there and i ate it up.There was a vibe to the way she dressed, the whole I-don't-think-that-cardigan-even-fits-her-but-damn-she-looks-perfect kind of thing.
charlie was such a cutie!! he listens to conan gray for gods sake! and although his chapters were literally 2-5 pages only SADLY, i couldn’t get enough. his inner monologue was everything, the way he canceled a party at his house because SHE NEEDED HIM?!?! big fucking sigh.
i did have a few issues however, i hate how, as a child of divorce, authors make the main characters extremely dramatic over divorce like yes i understand bc ive never had a “normal childhood” but to say that children of divorce are like soldiers and are comparing scars is a bit dramatic…
plus these book are so incredibly unrealistic and it annoys me bc shit like this never happens but it’s YA so i need to stop being such a scrooge.
overall: i loved this, it was so cute & romcom. bailey might be my fav fmc from these books, but they’re all so incredibly similar atp it’s hard to tell who is who. but would def recommend for a cute short read <3
——
saw somewhere that this gave 10 things i hate about you vibeswhich just happens to be my fav movie, so now i must confirm if it’s true or not!! -
updated 1 star rating because i actually hated this book. but if you loved it, i’m happy for you! i wish i loved this one like you did.
not so sadly, i've decided that lynn's books aren't for me. don't worry, this was a decision based on many factors. (i.e. my ratings for her other books) but i always expressed my dislike for them through horrible fear-inducing quotes from her books about sex, though i have a theory that they're actually interpretations of edvard munch's “the scream”.
spoilers
“betting on you” starts with two people meeting in an airport. let me just state that i miss the old meet-cutes: childhood best friends, you spill coffee on me and then 20 years later we're force-feeding that same coffee to our 10 year old, that shit. you know? this meet-cute was horrific. NO GOOD ROMANCE starts off with the fmc watching the mmc literally suction the shit out of a random girl's face, and then complain about commitment issues 5 minutes later. after reading said scene, i could immediately tell that i would hate charlie.
anyways, the first few chapters are flashbacks before bailey and charlie truly meet. then they talk? bond? a whole ton of crap happens in this book with no connection: charlie and bailey fake date for no apparent reason while they both try to sabotage bailey's mom's boyfriend, also place a bet about their friends' relationship, all while deal with possible feelings/traumas.
whew, that was a pain to type out, let alone read. as you can see, the plot consists of...nothing. that's right. nothing important happens in this book.
there were, however, 5 chapters of banter, 3 entire pages describing an incredibly passionate make-out session, and so many pop culture references, but no actual story.
you can take a look at the summary, which basically reveals the whole book by the way. NO PLOT. they fall in love, sure. but there's no driving force behind that love: what activities did they do together that made bailey dream of a “fifty shades of gray”-esque nighttime routine with him? and why did bailey's parents divorce in the first place?
and of course, the third-act conflict was very poorly done. charlie's secret bet came out of nowhere, and felt a little too "she's all that" inspired. now onto charlie, the world's worst bouncer!
charlie. poor little charles. charlie-kins. charl-charl. or as bay (horrible nickname for bailey in my opinion, sounds too much like bae and it was weird for her stepdad to repeatedly call her that. i'd like to propose the wonderful alternative of baby b, lmk your thoughts) likes to call him, mr. nothing.
no, i won't tell you why she calls him that.
his judgmental ass was one of the worst parts of this book. he couldn't say a word other than "fuck the patriarchy, bae-bae" or "we're coworkers, bae. oh and by the way all your mannerisms suck. fuck off. but wait i love you why are you leaving, pookie?" i'm already so tired of him so i'll direct you to the quotes below that capture his essence, which will inevitably make you think "when can i score with this snazzy catch of a human?"
"i mean, i've already pictured every relatively attractive human female on this flight naked two or three times, and we aren't even close to landing." YES LYNN! THIS EVERYONE. this is what makes a good first impression in a reader's mind. and the fact that he listens to conan gray or gracie abrams doesn’t make him any less of a creep.
bailey, our fmc, was just ok. i know, gasp. i didn't like her, but she was a realistic character (that didn't burn down her apartment at 30.) bailey wasn't a work of art, and yes, also incredibly gullible. she did fall for charlie, and also tried to sabotage her mom's relationship with a seemingly wonderful guy: but i'm not a child of divorce, so i don't know how hard it could be to adjust to a new "dad". especially if he is suddenly introduced into your life without any warning. so that was annoying, but alright.
what i legitimately disliked about bailey was how she valued a relationship with a random guy over her best friend's feelings. it was so out of touch for bailey to just place a bet that her best friend would get with a guy, and not let nekesa know so she could avoid a big conflict with her boyfriend.
from the nickname prince charles gave her to how every character self-sabotaged their own relationships (and then acted like victims), “betting on you” was a miss for me. i think it could've been more enjoyable if painter developed a plot that filled in the 'blank spaces' (haha i'm hilarious laugh or die) with sentences instead of these:
"i still couldn't listen to the taylor album that came out when they divorced."
"then charlie said, 'all too well'. the ten-minute version." NO. NO HE DIDN'T! i did NOT see that coming, nuh uh.
"her nose was all scrunched up as she sang 'fuck the patriarchy / key chain on the ground'. i said she was so uptight and a little nerdy." bailey. so different from other girls. other girls don't like taylor swift!
"she sang the wrong word-never lovely jewel-loud as fuck into the microphone." fun fact: there were more than 11 'fucks' in this very chapter! chill the fuck out, really fucking cute, loud as fuck, for fuck's sake, fucking chump, fuck me, and more! lynn, not all fucking people under the age of fucking 18 use fuck in every fucking sentence. you're so fucking wrong about that, do your fucking research.
"my mom wore her 'i'm the problem t-shirt' she got the day of the midnights album release." not gonna lie, i have that t-shirt.
"i drew my eyeliner, sharp enough to kill a man, of course." of course. but that was implied, silly goose!
i'm lazy and don't want to type out the rest of the references, so just imagine a crap-ton more along the lines of "we have bad blood but hopefully we're going to shake it off" + "i would've could've should've told bailey how i felt”
this book was nice, in the sense that they didn't have sex and i don't have to burn my eyes, but i think the lesson to take from this are that cute little moments, banter, or sex won't make up for plot-holes and character issues. even just simple compatibility? bailey + charlie didn't work together, and i honestly think that that is my main reason for not liking them together as a couple.
for now, i'm swearing off of lynn's books. the truly sad part is, i really do like lynn's dedications. so maybe someone can come out with a book just comprised of her dedications. please 😃
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2 stars. charlie’s a creep and bailey reminds me of one of those kids that says her experience with ‘just dance’ deserves some kind of therapy. stay safe out there y’all!
pre-review: luckily for this book, i have abandoned all works of lynn’s that contain the phrases “so wonderfully right inside me” and “get inside, get out” -
‼️READ THIS BOOK IF YOU’RE WANTING TO FIND THE CONEHEAD TO YOUR SWIFTIE‼️
This is for us bookstagram girlies, children of divorce, lovers of When Harry Met Sally, Red Taylor's Version stans. The ones who “need to jump wholeheartedly into fictional romances, simply because escaping into the joy of what I didn’t have was somehow comforting and hopeful.” Those who maybe order their food differently, dislike germs, fear change, or need to take Tums due to stress-induced acid reflux (yes we’re getting ultra-specific too). And if you like falling for the funny, sarcastic asshole. Who then turns out to be a tall drink of half regular, half diet coke (iykyk), funny, sarcastic CINNAMON BUN WITH CREAMY CHEESE ICIING. Please read this book🫶🫶🫶
*spoiler* For real though, if someone was going to give me their pet that they loved more than almost anything, just to prove to me that they would never leave me. And the sole reason for the word “almost” was ME. I would literally get down on one knee and propose on the spot. I would do ANYTHING to be honest. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
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You know what the cover and back of the book didn’t prepare me for? Weeping uncontrollably🥰. ♾️ stars
———
SIMON AND SCHUSTER HAVING MY ADDRESS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS TO EVER HAPPEN TO ME. Thank you for sending me an arc, it looks ADORABLE🥹💝🦋😭🩵✨ -
new young adult lynn painter?? reporting for duty 🫡
update: lynn painter please don’t fail me now i just read the shittiest book on the planet i need a palate cleanser or i’m giving up reading forever
__________
…. so i didn’t HATE it. but i can confidently say that every relationship in this book could end in cheating and i wouldn’t be surprised. -
she kept mentioning TS every 2 sec
-
3.75 ⭐️
This was super cute!! 🥰🥰 There were definitely things i didn't love, but it was a fun little romcom overall 🥹🥹💗💗
Betting on You follows Charlie and Bailey, who meet on a flight, where they instantly get off on the wrong foot and there is mutual dislike between them. It's now several years later and they discover that they are working at the same waterpark. Bailey is less than thrilled about this but as she strikes up a friendship than Charlie, she discovers he's maybe not as bad as she thought.
This is my third Lynn Painter book and while i enjoyed the others i read by her more (Better than the Movies will always be my fav), this was still a lot of fun! 🫶🫶
There was definitely a lot about this that i enjoyed!! ✨️ The characters were all pretty good. Charlie really annoyed me at the beginning, but he grew on me a lot & his sarcasm was really entertaining 🤭🤭 Bailey was also a decent mc- her struggles all felt realistic and while she made some bad decisions, i really sympathized with her. i also loved how Charlie and Bailey developed a friendship before things turned romantic- their friendship was so sweet and heartwarming 🥹🥹
Plus the romance was also really cute!! 🫶🫶 the tension was really well done and i liked how the progression of their relationship felt realistic. they were a great couple 💗💗
This book was also super easy and enjoyable to read- it's a great bingeable read to get you out a reading slump 🥰 There was also divorce rep that was a big part of the book, which i really appreciated. And the taylor swift references?? 🤭🤭🤭 actually gave me life.
However, the main reason i didn't give this a higher rating was bc of the stupid third act conflict 🙈🙈 I swear, the unnecessary drama gave me a headache. and if they had just COMMUNICATED- 😃🔫 ugh it was so annoying. I also wish the fake dating and bets were a bigger part of the book bc that was how it was sold to me, but they didn't last very long.
Overall, tho, a very fun romcom!! 🥹🥹💗💗 I would recommend if you want:
✔ Fake dating
✔ Ya romcom
✔ Easy to read
✔ Sarcastic boy x sensible girl
Lynn Painter never misses 😌💅
《 2023 Challenge: Book 145 of 110!! 》
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was pretty cute!! 🥰🥰 nowhere near as good as Better than the Movies, but it was still a fun little romcom 🥹🥹💗💗
RTC! -
3.25 stars
the romance was so very cute but there’s too many taylor swift references and could be 100 pages less lollll -
꒱࿐♡ ˚.*ೃ
"When you're in the room, every single cell in my body - every nerve, every muscle, every breath - is lost in you."
CUTEST BOOK EVER
God i love
Lynn Painter ya so much 😭
Her stories are so addicting to me, it’s not like they’re the most original stories ever , because they’re not, BUT there’s something in her writing and the way that she create her characters that makes me fall in love with all of her books.
“Betting on you” was my third book by her and i don’t know if i loved this or
Better than the Movies more, but i simply can’t choose , it’s like choosing between mum and dad (and by mum and dad i mean taylor swift and harry styles ), they’re both perfect.
The storyline of this one it’s very simple but the chemistry between the two main character gave me literally butterflies. It’s impossible not to smile while reading this book, it really felt like watching a romcom of the 2000’ (which i, absolutely, am a sucker for) . The dual pov was such a yes to me , i always love reading things from the male main character too.
Also i really appreciate the divorce aspect that was presented, and how it was handled , but sometimes i couldn’t quite understand why Bailey couldn’t accept Scott (her stepfather) , he was so nice to her and i felt kinda bad for him :/ .
Bailey , SHE’S SO ME. I think her character is a really relatable one, and i see myself in her, an hopeless romantic , pathological people pleaser, romance reader, …daddy issues LOL, jokes aside i really loved her, i think she might be my favorite Lynn Painter girl🙌🏻.
Charlie oh man, WHAT A MAN. I physically need him . He’s perfection , my soulmate i must say?
But seriously i couldn’t stop giggling at him, the things he did for Bailey, the little things he remembered about her, the way he was looking for every excuse to kiss her AAA🦋🦋🦋
Also he listen to Gracie Abrams , Conan Gray, and Taylor swift , what more could i ask for ?
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚Glasses & Mr.Nothing ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
“Somewhere between Omaha and Colorado I'd fallen truly, madly, fucking ridiculously hard for Bailey Mitchell. She was all I could think about, all the time, and sometimes it felt like I'd do anything just to make sure she was happy.”
“i forgot everything -breathing, pretending, thinking -as he kissed me like it was the break of dawn and he'd dreamed about me all night long.”
One of my favorite couple. I loved how before becoming lovers they first became best friends , and even if i usually don’t love third acts break up🙄 this one wasn’t that bad as everyone was saying and maybe even justified? Anyway i’ll be forever thinking about them, my new roman empire bye.
If you liked
Better than the Movies and still not have read this, WHAT ARE DOING?!? READ IT!! No but fr if you like sweet ( sometimes even too sweet, but whatever im just a girl) romcoms , this is perfect 🫶🏻
✩｡:*•.───── ❁ ❁ ─────.•*:｡
pre-review:
i already know i’m gonna eat this up😋
lynn painter books are just something else -
➳ 3.5 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
╰┈➤ ”and by ‘prefer lighter reading,’ she meant that she read five or six romance novels. a week”
↑ oh charlie, you’d be surprised 😌
anyways, where do i start with this? i enjoyed it but it definitely wasn’t my favorite lynn painter book and it had its cringey moments
now, first off, i usually hate contemporary books that name specific brands and social media apps and stuff like that because i prefer to get away from our world. but for some reason lynn’s books are usually the exception because she makes it so cute talking about spotify and pinterest and taylor swift 🤭🎀🩰
BUTT for some reason this book it felt kind of…excessive and forced? like don’t get me wrong i loved the all too well scene lol but i felt like she was trying a little too hard to be gen z sometimes? also the amount of cussing in this book is insane and i didn’t love that
i enjoyed the romance and there were definitely some cute giggling and kicking my feet moments obviously because it’s lynn painter and she’s a queen. i liked bailey’s character and i had fun with the banter
the first half was better in my opinion (because i like the back and forth and the lead-up to the actual romance more than the actual romance sue me) but i still enjoyed the second half of the story. 💌
there were definitely some cringey and ‘wow that’s so convenient!’ moments. here, you know what, let’s just get my icks out of the way before we finish this review and i can gush over lynn painter in peace:
• him saying ‘atta girl’
• the cussing
• that keys scene
• and the kitten scene for some reason 🫢
• also take a shot every time the author uses ‘human’ instead of ‘person’ 😃🔫 (please tell me this bothers someone else is it just me???)
• glasses and mr. nothing are mid nicknames (these things matter ok)
• wow a school dance scene just happens to fall right in between the climax and resolution never seen that before ever in the history of— *cough* wes and liz *cough*
okay i think i got it all out of my system.
i’m not 100% sure how to feel about charlie. i really liked his character sometimes and other times i feel like he kind of paled in comparison to wes and nick. which like, the bar is high so no stress lol but he is was kinda 🤭🙂↕️ sometimes asfjdjshk
i also enjoyed the focus on bailey + charlie’s respective home lives too and not just the romance because i can definitely relate to some of what they went though and i feel like it added to the story
anyways, this was a fun book overall and im glad i read it. it definitely had its issues but i had a good, cute time!! i can’t wait to read the novella that brings this + bttm together 🤭🎀🍒
୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆ -
★ 4.25
➺ minor spoilers!
“𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊’𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓈𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓁𝑒 𝒸𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝑜𝒹𝓎—𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓃𝑒𝓇𝓋𝑒, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝒸𝓁𝑒, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝒷𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒽—𝒾𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊.”
✿ ok so i liked this book A LOT more than i’d care to admit. it was kind of giving “netflix series” and i’m all here for it.
this is a MAJOR unpopular opinion (please don’t hate me)…but this exceeds “better than the movies” 🫢
i don’t know, i related to the divorce trope more than the dead-mom trope, even though i have neither. i also generally connected to bailey’s character more than i connected to liz’s, and i liked charlie’s character arc (because he annoyed me at the beginning, but he grew on me) I STILL LIKE WES THOUGH I HAVEN’T JUMPED SHIP, HE IS STILL PERFECT!!
✿ betting on you automatically gets bonus points for making me cry, which it pretty rare with romcoms ESPECIALLY since i’m one of those people that don’t too often when reading.
✿ some parts kind of felt stupid though, like theo and charlie’s bet. it was pointless, far-fetched, and mentioned like one time even though it was a major part of the plot. 🤷♀️
butttt it was enjoyable! i know there are mixed reviews, so this is me telling you to give it a chance. xx -
lynn painter does. not. miss. and i am simply head over heels for everything she writes. she writes the most mature and realistic and RELATABLE young adult romance I've ever read and I'm just kicking my feet in the air and giggling and forcing everyone around me to read every word LP writes. this one is fun and flirty and funny and has incredible side characters and great banter and SQUEAL worthy kissing and mental health rep and oh my god charlie has acid reflux from anxiety and ME TOO. anyways read this.
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betting on me rereading this five times before the year is over
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charlie. fucking. sampson.
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This would make suuuuuuch a good movie!
I LOVED the dual POV, the banter (it was perfect for the characters) and the length of this book!
I definitely recommend to anyone who is a fan of Better Than the Movies 🥰.
Thank you so much to Simon Teen for my arc of this book 💙.
5/5⭐️ -
|5 Stars|Ages 15+| 421 Pages|YA/Contemporary|
If this book was a song it would be... "Not Like I'm In Love With You" by Lauren Weintraub
"The first time I met Charlie was at the airport in Fairbanks."
I'm betting that if you picked up a copy of this yourself you'd fall in love with it just like me.
Before you ask any questions, yes, I'm finally getting around to writing all the reviews I put 'rtc' on...months ago, hahaha. And I can't believe that I haven't written this review! I loved this book so much and how the lack of review got by me is such a mystery! Buttttt, we're righting that wrong today, and here is the review! (And, yes, it is written like I just finished it and wrote this review in November like I should've)
Better On You was exactly what I've been needing. It was cute, it was fluffy, it was wholesome, and it was
Lynn Painter. I've been in a slump for months now and this was the perfect thing I needed to make me fall back in love with reading again. These characters just left me with the biggest smile on my face, and I love them so freaking much. The setting was awesome, the plot was so freaking cute (we love a good fake dating trope), and the romance was. amazing. Like, kicking my feet and giggling, amazing.
“We were both grinning, and for some reason, I felt an invisible string pulling me closer to her as she smiled up to me.”
--
Bailey thought that boarding a plane that was taking her away from everything she knew and loved would be the worst part of her day, and it wasn't- not by a long shot. Because, boarding that plane is where she meets Charlie, the boy who just can't seem to leave her alone or let her continue to believe that her parents will get back together after their divorce. After a plane ride that seems to last forever, Bailey and Charlie part ways, much to Bailey's relief, never to see each other again.
But, fate can only be fate if we decide that we want it to be, and three years later, Bailey and Charlie cross paths again, and they don't get separated this time-because they are now coworkers. Bailey can't stand Charlie, but for the sake of their jobs, offers to be friends and, Charlie declines because he believes that guys and girls can't be friends without any romantic feelings getting in the mix.
As they slowly fall for each other, Charlie offers to help Bailey get rid of her mom's boyfriend whom she can't stand. So, as the fake dating scheme sets into motion, they have no choice to be around each other at work and at home....and everywhere in between. But one secret bet lays hidden on the horizon and there's no telling if Bailey and Charlie will sink or float when it makes its appearance.
--
“He teased relentlessly and was the funniest person I’d ever met, yet I knew for a fact that he listened to Conan Gray and Gracie Abrams on repeat all the time (I had his Spotify password).”
Book Content:
Language- damn, sh!t, d!ck, a$s, a$sh0le, wh0r3, b!+ch, hell, f-bombs frequently.
Violence- Punching someone in the face
“He spoke my name as if it were a curse or an exaltation, something that moved him, for better or worse.”
Sexual Content- Sex is discussed frequently, mentions of parent's bf/gf staying the night, thoughts of sex, sex jokes, hook-up references, passionate kissing, MCs talk about having sex, and innuendos.
Other Things To Note:
~Both MCs parents are divorced
~FMC struggles with mom falling in love with a new guy
~Moving away from home due to divorce
“I wasn’t sure how she knew me so well, how she’d somehow always seen me.”
Rereading all these quotes makes me want to read this whole book over again, it was so freaking cute! Since it has been so long since I've read this, I can't remember any of the issues I had with this!
Actually, I remember one. LET'S KEEP SEX OUT OF YA! I get it, teenagers will talk about sex. We make sex jokes, doesn't mean we need to be reading about it constantly! And as often as it is discussed in YA now, it's honestly just annoying. In the real world, we know how to function without referencing or mentioning sex every 5 seconds, thank you very much.
“I was never going to get another text from Bay. I was never going to make her forehead crinkle with my words, or hear her laugh in that surprised way she had when she tried and failed to suppress it, never going to hear her quiet intake of breath when she realized we were about to kiss, and never going to hear her sleepily say ‘G’night, Charlie’ on the other end of the phone.
A thousand tiny nothing moments that were collectively every f^ck!ng thing I’d ever wanted.”
Guys, they are so cute *sobs*. These are the kinda books that make you believe in love...and simultaneously make you feel as single as a pringle. Actually, that's not even a good comparison. At least a Pringle has other Pringles. Anyway, it just fills your soul and makes you both more and less lonely at the same exact time.
"I love you too, Mr. Nothing."
