Book Review: Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter
Love in a bingo hall in this small town romance
Cute books are never set in my home state of South Carolina! I think this excited me most about Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter. That, and the frank conversation it has about managing mental health and trauma in relationships.
Who would have thought a meet-cute could happen while Aja was having a panic attack in the frozen food section of the Piggly Wiggly?? And then for Aja and Walker to meet again during bingo night? I swear this story is about people in their 20s.
Aja and Walker both have their mental health struggles: Aja with anxiety and Walker with PTSD from a difficult childhood. Aja ran to Greenbelt, a small town, to get away from the noise. Walker escaped Greenbelt to run from the ghosts of his past. Together, they learn how to better handle their triggers and face their fears head-on.
Racism doesn’t exist?
Greenbelt, SC is not a real place, but I recognize it. It is a quintessential small town, SC where the lingering effects of segregation will make you forget Black people or white people live there, depending on what background you come from. The two worlds coexist with little interaction; you see the other world from the outside.
This is the vibe of Greenbelt. You see the two worlds bridged together through Aja and Walker, and people just accept that they are together. No racial tension mentioned whatsoever.
This was the part of the book that I found unrealistic. I know it is 2022, but a small town in the south would not be such smooth sailing. And I know that the interracial dynamic of the relationship didn’t have to be the focus (but I find with interracial romances it’s hardly EVER the focus), but the fact that everyone was ok, weirded me out. There were no subtle, sideways glances or a slip of a microaggression. There was one reference to being one of a few Black folks in town, and it’s as if racism just doesn’t exist.
An honest conversation about mental health
The main source of tension and growth comes from the mental health aspect. This book felt like a good conversation starter about relationships and mental health. You have two people individually working on themselves and managing their mental health coming together to learn how to take care of each other in times of need.
This story felt more honest than the way struggles typically come up in romance novels. There are always mommy or daddy issues, lack of boundaries/people pleasing, or some other external relational issue that comes to affect the protagonist and their relationship, but no one talks about how those things tie to deeper mental health concerns.
I thought it was so important to have the space for Walker to show the effects of childhood trauma and PTSD in men. We never connect PTSD to men outside of the combat perspective. And I thought it was equally important to have the space to show the vulnerable, anxious side of Aja to contradict the strong Black woman stereotype. She got the space to break down, even if she manages to keep her life together.
Overall, I would recommend this book. It was a really fun read, and the spicy scenes get four out of five chili peppers from me!
