I blitzed through this book in a couple of days and absolutely loved it. Such a fun escapist read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

It’s only January and I already know this is going to be one of my favourites of the year ❤️ The banter, the chemistry, the sexual tension… just perfection. I found myself genuinely laughing along with the characters. Also that epilogue! Too. Good. I want to read this book again already.

When reading The Love Wager, I felt kind of indifferent to Jack so I wasn’t sure how I would get on with a book with him as a main character but I am so happy to say that any doubts I might have had were disproven. This was funny and sweet and such an absolute joy to read. This is my third Lynn Painter book and I was so pleased to see this was also full of text messages that were full of banter and helped to create the , generally, light-hearted relationship between Hallie and Jack. Hallie is so authentically herself and Jack just absolutely adores her, as did I, and the way their relationship grows from friends to lovers was so lovely to read. Highly recommend.
This had no effect on my opinion or rating, but I was surprised that this was in 3rd person POV after Mr Wrong Number was in 1st.
4.5*

Hallie and Jack officially meet at a wedding where she's working as a bartender, when Jack's girlfriend throws a drink in her face. Only, Jack realizes he's seen her at the jewelry store when he was buying said girlfriend an engagement ring. Fast forward to Jack breaking up with his girlfriend amd getting drunk with Hallie. They end up sleeping together and Hallie leaves the hotel room in an embarrassed rush. Their paths cross again on a dating app and they decide to bet on who will find love first.

Ahh, this book! I loved the banter in Mr. Wrong Number but I think this was even better. I was laughing out loud so many times at their antics and I would have loved to see more taco dates. It was one of my favourite things about this book! I enjoyed seeing Olivia and Colin again, too. My only gripe was the way Jack handled the whole Alex thing but other than that it was a top-notch rom-com and I highly recommend! Jack and Hallie's friendship was so sweet and the chemistry was so well written. I read this book in two days! Which is a huge thing for me considering I've been in a 6 month-long slump.

Another amazing book from Lynn Painter. Having read the previous connected book, I couldn’t wait for the Love Wager, especially after reading the excerpt. Hallie and Jack had so much chemistry and reading their banter was always so funny. It did get a bit morally sticky, but all was resolved nicely and I was left absolutely in love. I do wish the other guy had gotten a better ending than that though.
Would deffo recommend to all rom com lovers, it’s a really good read!

Hallie and Jack, best friends since one night stand. Both are looking of their perfect partner . Rom com at its best, laugh out loud moments, brilliant writing.

This book really wasn’t for me. The plot line wasn’t very linear and went all over the place, there were FAR too many tropes happening that everything got a little messy. I enjoyed that it was pro female empowerment, however the love story started too quickly.. There was no proper build up, it was Insta lust and then suddenly friends to lovers even though they weren’t really friends they were dating the whole time. I also didn’t enjoy that the characters were pretty naive and constantly in denial which I just found frustrating.

This was such a cute, warm and fuzzy read. It sparked joy. It was one of those books that I just could not put down.

After a one-night stand, Jack and Hallie reconnect on a dating app. They text and they call. They become friends - best friends, and make a bet as to who will find true love first. They go on dates with different people to exactly the same places and then hang out to eat tacos after these dates. It is only when they decide to fake date that their feelings for each other become pretty obvious.

I loved their banter and I loved their chemistry. I loved how cute they both were. This is a book that I would gladly re-read. Having not read Lynn Painter before, I will definitely be checking out her other books.

After a one night stand, Hallie and Jack find each other again on a dating app. They both agree that they are looking for the One - so are very much not interested in each other - but that doesn't mean they can't help each other out.

Great premise, but unfortunately I really struggled with the author's writing style and didn't like the characters one bit. Made it quite hard for me to enjoy the book, but I hope other people find it more to their taste!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

. This book had me hooked from start to end. The character were really likeable and the plot was really interesting. I cannot wait for lynn painters next book to come out. Her books have been something that I really enjoy. The banter between Hallie and Jack was really good and I love how they didn’t loose it even when there relationship started to change.

3 / 5 star rating⭐
1 / 5 spice rating🌶️
2 / 5 tension rating🔥

Firstly, I would like to thank Net galley, Penguin Random House and LynnPainter; I got this book as an ARC read from Net Galley.

'The Love Wager' was one of my most anticipated books of 2023. It is a classic rom-com with strangers-to-best-friends-to-lovers! Jack and Hallie had banter, chemistry and humour. Oh, and did I mention fake dating...one of my favourite tropes.

I like the dynamic between the two main characters. Lynn is a brilliant author at creating tension and banter. I want to note that, like her other books, there is minimal spice. So, if that's something you're looking for, this is a cute, funny and lighthearted recommendation.

I absolutely loved the concept of this, and it was executed beautifully! Sleeping together and THEN becoming best friends? We all know there's only one way that's going to turn out don't we...

I'm so glad Lynn Painter is venturing more into adult romance, her style is so light and funny, and she truly knows her audience (Loved the Taylor references!)

Instant favourite and very excited to see what she does next, definitely earned a place on the auto-buy 💕

I absolutely loved The Love Wager. The main characters were brilliant and I really became engrossed in their story. It was so well written I didn’t want it to end. It was very romantic and i recommended it to everyone.

3.5⭐️ This was a really fun, sweet romance. Unfortunately it didn’t hit the same level as Mr Wrong Number for me. Even though I liked the story of a one night stand to friends to eventually lovers, I found the slow burn just a little too slow. I also didn’t love the whole wager aspect, it didn’t add anything to the story - I personally don’t feel it was necessary. Pretty much all romance books have miscommunication trope in them but this one was wrapped up way too quickly - within what felt like ten pages - and I think Hallie should’ve been madder than she was and Jack should’ve actually explained the reasoning for the situation with Alex. So all in all, a classic romcom and there’s a smidge of fake dating in there too. If you like that kind of thing then definitely try it, but i won’t be rushing out on release day to buy the paperback. Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Great summer read, perfect for sitting in the beach with a good book.

Nice easy read would recommend the author for her writing style.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I was shipping Hallie and Jack right from the start - their banter was so funny and their chemistry was obviously there. I read the entire book in two sittings as it was so addictive and I couldn't put it down!

Seeing the relationship develop from a one night stand to best friends to fake dating to lovers was so cute and the progression of Hallie and Jack's feelings felt very realistic.

I've now loved every book that I've read by Lynn Painter and I can't wait to read what she writes in the future!

Oooh my *Insert happy squeals here* I LOVED this book!

Lynn Painter has such a way of writhing fun, fast-paced, sexy banter.

Hallie and Jack meet at his sisters wedding, have a rather steamy night together, then “bump” into each other on a dating app. There, they make a wager on who can find love first.

After each date, they meet up to compare notes but low and behold, end up having more fun together…

Read this if you love:
Fake dating.
Bookish/Jane Austen inspired banter.
Hero’s who fall first.
Flirty texts.
Dual POV.

Rating: 4.5

I was obsessed with Hallie and Ryan right from the start. I cannot wait until The Love Wager is released (March 30th) and you're all able to see how funny, light hearted and cute it is!

I definitely need to read more by Lynn Painter, please let me know which books you'd recommend next!

Pre-order your copy now!

Tropes: Friends to lovers, slow burn, one night stand

I laughed.....a lot and I caught myself smirking a whole lot more! I was totalling shipping Hallie and Jack they are the best couple! starting as a one night stand and evolving into friendship and then so much more I honestly couldn't stop reading this book it was so much fun, the banter between these two and the situational comedy was just so enjoyable the real world was lost to me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC of 'The Love Wager' by Lynn Painter.

'The Love Wager' was one of those books that feels hard to explain in a review. The concept and characters seemed cute, the beginning was hyping me up and that all felt exciting but for some reason the book wasn't all that great for me personally. I don't know whether it's the fact that the writing style was not for me or something else but the book felt like it dragged on even though it was such a short read. I don't know, it just wasn't a book for me.