What do you think?
Rate this book
Betting on You #1
Betting on you
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2024)From the New York Times bestselling author of Better than the Movies, this swoon-worthy rom-com in the vein of She’s All That and 10 Things I Hate About You follows a teen girl who unwittingly finds herself at the centre of a bet while working at a waterpark.
When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. They didn’t get off to the best start but this is a new beginning and whilst they are still polar opposites, 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.
Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong. So they make a bet on whether or not the cosy pair will actually get together.
Soon enough feelings between Bailey and Charlie begin to develop with the help of some “fake dating” 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?
Pre-order Nothing Like the Movies, the swoony sequel to Better than the Movies and don't miss out on The Do-Over from Lynn Painter!
When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. They didn’t get off to the best start but this is a new beginning and whilst they are still polar opposites, 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.
Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong. So they make a bet on whether or not the cosy pair will actually get together.
Soon enough feelings between Bailey and Charlie begin to develop with the help of some “fake dating” 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?
Pre-order Nothing Like the Movies, the swoony sequel to Better than the Movies and don't miss out on The Do-Over from Lynn Painter!
432 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2023
8469 people are currently reading
237129 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 26,641 reviews
January 9, 2024
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)
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)
August 10, 2023
— 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 🫠
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 🫠
March 24, 2025
So so so cute!!! Lynn Painter neverrrr misses. I love that her books make me giggle and swoon but also have depth! I lovedddd Bailey & Charlie together. And I love that they felt like such real complex characters. Both are dealing with their parents divorce. They don’t always deal with it perfectly but they’re trying their best to navigate new and complicated family dynamics as teens. Charlie was also very mischievous 🤭 I feel like he was different from Lynn Painters other MMCs which was fun to read about!
August 7, 2023
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.
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.
January 30, 2024
in a world of boys, men written by lynn painter are gentlemen.
May 12, 2023
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
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
September 19, 2024
i just love third act breakups 💗 (sarcastic)(disdainful)(completely untrue)(please stop with this nonsense)(i don’t have the patience for it)
May 17, 2024
➸ 5 stars
I need a Mr. Nothing to my Glasses 𝜗𝜚⋅˚₊‧
𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈:
𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 - 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒔
live laugh love lynn painter SHE NEVER MISSES! betting on you is my new favorite lynn painter book I loved it so so much!! I was constantly giggling, kicking my feet and smiling like an idiot every single page and I had so much fun reading it! it was cute, it was silly, I loved the taylor swift references, it made me laugh and overall had me so engaged I could not put it down!!! I can’t wait to buy a physical copy so I can reread, tab, and annotate it!! <33
“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝... 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.”
𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ bailey mitchell - as a hopeless romantic, I just LOVE hopeless romantics and I LOVED bailey!! she is me and I am her <3 she’s literally so cute, quirky and a fellow romance reader!! (lynn painter pass me her goodreads rn rn) she isn’t perfect and is going through a lot after her parents divorce and I loved reading about her journey and development of her feelings towards everything! anywaysss I loved her, flaws and all <33
“Nekesa was my second home, in a way—not her house but her—and things felt a lot closer to right with her beside me.”
oh em geeee I wish we could’ve had more scenes of bailey and nekesa! their friendship was so cute!!!
“𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥.”
𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ charlie sampson - EEEEEE I LOVED LOVED LOVED CHARLIE SO MUCH!! He had me giggling and kicking my feet!!! I loved his humor and personality ahhhhh I need my own charlie in my life! I wish his pov chapters were longer I LOVED knowing what he was thinking or feeling BUT baileys chapters made up for it because he was literally in almost every single one! anyways I loved him, he never failed to make me laugh!! <33
"You look cute in that black-and-white sweater that you always wear with jeans and the boots that squeeze your toes."
another thing, he always remembered every little tiny detail about bailey even years later ITS SO CUTE! I swear their first meeting in the airport is imprinted in his mind! also all of her halfsie orders, the pepsi/coke, the popcorn/butter and even her outfits!! I LOVE THIS MANNNNNN!!!
“𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧.”
“𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠?”
“𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲—𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡—𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ bailey & charlie - RAHHHHHH THEY ARE THE CUTEST EVERRRRR!! the banter was there from the very beginning and I loved how they ran into each other years later after first meeting and then working at the same place the year after!!! (the invisible string was stringing)
“I felt an invisible string pulling me closer to her as she smiled up at me.”
I also absolutely loved their friendship so so much it was everything to me. I loved their dynamic and the way they are so different from each other but they fit so well together to the point where they’re literally not that different at all if you think about it!! they both are going through similar things with their parents divorcing and how it affected them which created a bond between them that only they understood and OH MY GOSH they literally know each other so well sometimes not even words are needed to know how the other is feeling they just KNOW and SEE each other UGH GUYS I LOVE THEM SORRY I KNOW IM YAPPING LOL
“𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐞.”
“𝐇𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠-𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟. 𝐈 𝒍���𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐈𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝒈𝒐𝒐��� 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞.”
oh oh oh and their banter was absolutely TOP TEIRRRRRR I LOVED LOVED LOVED IT I seriously need a friendship like theirs ugh love love love!!! I was laughing my ass off and then at times giggling and kicking my feet when they decided to be a little flirty AND OH MY GOSH THE FAKE DATING?! bailey is stronger than me fr because I would’ve never been able to survive that and would immediately fall and I don’t blame her for falling for him because girl I 100% get it
“Can we be serious for two minutes?”
“Doubt it but I’m listening.”
okay now I will admit the whole betting drama at the end did annoy me a lot but at the same time I will look past it because I just loved this book and baileycharlie so much!! I will literally do anything for another book of them that is just pure fluff or extra chapters or a novella LYNN PAINTER JUST GIVE ME MORE!! I loved this book and I need another of just their romance and relationship LYNN PAINTER I AM ON MY KNEES BEGGING PLEASEEEE!!!
“𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬—𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞.”
PLEASEEEE WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO HAVE SOMEONE LIKE CHARLIE WHEN IS IT MY TURN I NEED A CHARLIE RAHHHH
“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—𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈—𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲.”
okay this review is getting too long (sorry!) I seriously could talk about this book forever with the biggest smile on my face and never shut up! if you read all of this until the end, ily mwah and thank you for listening to me yap about a new favorite book <333
𝜗𝜚⋅˚₊‧
“𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬,”
“𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐌𝐫. 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.”
𝜗𝜚⋅˚₊‧
𓍢ִ໋˖ 💐 pre-read ⊹𖧧 ࣪ - I’m in need of something cute & fluffy and lynn painter never disappoints! heheh I’m so excited!!
I need a Mr. Nothing to my Glasses 𝜗𝜚⋅˚₊‧
⋅˚₊‧ “She was an open book.”
𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈:
𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 - 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒔
live laugh love lynn painter SHE NEVER MISSES! betting on you is my new favorite lynn painter book I loved it so so much!! I was constantly giggling, kicking my feet and smiling like an idiot every single page and I had so much fun reading it! it was cute, it was silly, I loved the taylor swift references, it made me laugh and overall had me so engaged I could not put it down!!! I can’t wait to buy a physical copy so I can reread, tab, and annotate it!! <33
“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝... 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.”
𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ bailey mitchell - as a hopeless romantic, I just LOVE hopeless romantics and I LOVED bailey!! she is me and I am her <3 she’s literally so cute, quirky and a fellow romance reader!! (lynn painter pass me her goodreads rn rn) she isn’t perfect and is going through a lot after her parents divorce and I loved reading about her journey and development of her feelings towards everything! anywaysss I loved her, flaws and all <33
“Nekesa was my second home, in a way—not her house but her—and things felt a lot closer to right with her beside me.”
oh em geeee I wish we could’ve had more scenes of bailey and nekesa! their friendship was so cute!!!
“𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥.”
𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ charlie sampson - EEEEEE I LOVED LOVED LOVED CHARLIE SO MUCH!! He had me giggling and kicking my feet!!! I loved his humor and personality ahhhhh I need my own charlie in my life! I wish his pov chapters were longer I LOVED knowing what he was thinking or feeling BUT baileys chapters made up for it because he was literally in almost every single one! anyways I loved him, he never failed to make me laugh!! <33
"You look cute in that black-and-white sweater that you always wear with jeans and the boots that squeeze your toes."
another thing, he always remembered every little tiny detail about bailey even years later ITS SO CUTE! I swear their first meeting in the airport is imprinted in his mind! also all of her halfsie orders, the pepsi/coke, the popcorn/butter and even her outfits!! I LOVE THIS MANNNNNN!!!
“𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧.”
“𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠?”
“𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲—𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡—𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”
𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ bailey & charlie - RAHHHHHH THEY ARE THE CUTEST EVERRRRR!! the banter was there from the very beginning and I loved how they ran into each other years later after first meeting and then working at the same place the year after!!! (the invisible string was stringing)
“I felt an invisible string pulling me closer to her as she smiled up at me.”
I also absolutely loved their friendship so so much it was everything to me. I loved their dynamic and the way they are so different from each other but they fit so well together to the point where they’re literally not that different at all if you think about it!! they both are going through similar things with their parents divorcing and how it affected them which created a bond between them that only they understood and OH MY GOSH they literally know each other so well sometimes not even words are needed to know how the other is feeling they just KNOW and SEE each other UGH GUYS I LOVE THEM SORRY I KNOW IM YAPPING LOL
“𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞’𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐦𝐞.”
“𝐇𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠-𝐮𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟. 𝐈 𝒍���𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨𝐨. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐈𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝒈𝒐𝒐��� 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞.”
oh oh oh and their banter was absolutely TOP TEIRRRRRR I LOVED LOVED LOVED IT I seriously need a friendship like theirs ugh love love love!!! I was laughing my ass off and then at times giggling and kicking my feet when they decided to be a little flirty AND OH MY GOSH THE FAKE DATING?! bailey is stronger than me fr because I would’ve never been able to survive that and would immediately fall and I don’t blame her for falling for him because girl I 100% get it
“Can we be serious for two minutes?”
“Doubt it but I’m listening.”
okay now I will admit the whole betting drama at the end did annoy me a lot but at the same time I will look past it because I just loved this book and baileycharlie so much!! I will literally do anything for another book of them that is just pure fluff or extra chapters or a novella LYNN PAINTER JUST GIVE ME MORE!! I loved this book and I need another of just their romance and relationship LYNN PAINTER I AM ON MY KNEES BEGGING PLEASEEEE!!!
“𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬—𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞.”
PLEASEEEE WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO HAVE SOMEONE LIKE CHARLIE WHEN IS IT MY TURN I NEED A CHARLIE RAHHHH
“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—𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈—𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲.”
okay this review is getting too long (sorry!) I seriously could talk about this book forever with the biggest smile on my face and never shut up! if you read all of this until the end, ily mwah and thank you for listening to me yap about a new favorite book <333
𝜗𝜚⋅˚₊‧
“𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬,”
“𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐌𝐫. 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.”
𝜗𝜚⋅˚₊‧
𓍢ִ໋˖ 💐 pre-read ⊹𖧧 ࣪ - I’m in need of something cute & fluffy and lynn painter never disappoints! heheh I’m so excited!!
July 11, 2024
♡︎.ᐟજ⁀➴ 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 💐𓂃 𓈒𓏸
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 🧸𓂃 𓈒𓏸
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 🩷𓂃 𓈒𓏸
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, 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
⤿ 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 💐𓂃 𓈒𓏸
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 🧸𓂃 𓈒𓏸
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 🩷𓂃 𓈒𓏸
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, 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
August 18, 2024
“sarcastic boobishness”
that's it. that's the review. and in true lynn painter fashion, g'night
fine 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 her 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 a character's , 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 (seriously, did a ten year old write this??), 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
that's it. that's the review. and in true lynn painter fashion, g'night
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 her 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 a character's , 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 (seriously, did a ten year old write this??), 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
November 12, 2025
˚⋅ 4 stars – a whole year later and i still think about charlie sampson. ୨୧
August 23, 2024
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
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
February 24, 2024
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 😃
------------------------------------
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”
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 😃
------------------------------------
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”
July 15, 2024
2.75 stars ⭐️
⤷ spoiler-free review!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
the first few chapters were insufferable, the characters were pretty annoying, and the ending was kinda chaotic and rushed. that’s it. that’s the review.
pre-read:
it’s timeee for another lynn painter book!! 🩷
⤷ spoiler-free review!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
the first few chapters were insufferable, the characters were pretty annoying, and the ending was kinda chaotic and rushed. that’s it. that’s the review.
pre-read:
it’s timeee for another lynn painter book!! 🩷
May 2, 2024
“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.
★★★☆☆ - 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.
![Profile Image for skye (cardan’s ver.) ꩜ .ᐟ [hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1722233310i%2F159007189._UY200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
February 24, 2024
— ⌗
”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
⋆˚✿˖° 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
October 9, 2024
“he laughs at her eyes, at her smile, at the glasses on her face”
5/5 ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 (could be spoilers)
⇨ 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬
⇨ 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
⇨ 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭
⇨ 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲
⇨𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭
for being 421 pages I flew through this book, the banter was soooo good and their chemistry oh my goshhh i’m obsessed. charlie is actually perfect and I refuse to believe he isn’t real. he is so sarcastic and adorable and my new top book bf🫶🏻 his flaws made me love him even more and the way he remembered every. little. detail about bailey was sooo sweet
now I’m going to go watch more edits of them and cry<3
୨ৎfavorite quotes୨ৎ
“when you’re in the room, every single cell in my body - every nerve, every muscle, every breath - is lost in you.”
“getting under her skin was my new favorite hobby.”
“maybe karma was a girl in glasses.”
“I love you glasses.”
“I love you mr. nothing.”
“charlie would think of my cat’s feelings.”
“oh, glasses, you never hated me.”
“I’m not clumsy. why would you say that?”
“you just have that I could fall over anything look about you”
“lovely, thank you”
“well, for starters, I’m just afraid you’re saying yes to be nice”
“do I ever do that?”
“we were both grinning, and for some reason, I felt an invisible string pulling me closer to her as she smiled up at me”
“and by prefer lighter reading she meant that she read five or six romance novels. a week”
“has anyone ever told you you’re insufferable when you’re winning?”
“then I must be insufferable all the time”
“I had huge feelings for charlie sampson”
“we should kiss”
“what?”
“I mean, if you’re scared you’ll fall for me, I get it”
“nothing else mattered”
“it took losing her for me to realize that loving her wasn’t even a risk. at all”
5/5 ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 (could be spoilers)
⇨ 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬
⇨ 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠
⇨ 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭
⇨ 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲
⇨𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭
for being 421 pages I flew through this book, the banter was soooo good and their chemistry oh my goshhh i’m obsessed. charlie is actually perfect and I refuse to believe he isn’t real. he is so sarcastic and adorable and my new top book bf🫶🏻 his flaws made me love him even more and the way he remembered every. little. detail about bailey was sooo sweet
now I’m going to go watch more edits of them and cry<3
୨ৎfavorite quotes୨ৎ
“when you’re in the room, every single cell in my body - every nerve, every muscle, every breath - is lost in you.”
“getting under her skin was my new favorite hobby.”
“maybe karma was a girl in glasses.”
“I love you glasses.”
“I love you mr. nothing.”
“charlie would think of my cat’s feelings.”
“oh, glasses, you never hated me.”
“I’m not clumsy. why would you say that?”
“you just have that I could fall over anything look about you”
“lovely, thank you”
“well, for starters, I’m just afraid you’re saying yes to be nice”
“do I ever do that?”
“we were both grinning, and for some reason, I felt an invisible string pulling me closer to her as she smiled up at me”
“and by prefer lighter reading she meant that she read five or six romance novels. a week”
“has anyone ever told you you’re insufferable when you’re winning?”
“then I must be insufferable all the time”
“I had huge feelings for charlie sampson”
“we should kiss”
“what?”
“I mean, if you’re scared you’ll fall for me, I get it”
“nothing else mattered”
“it took losing her for me to realize that loving her wasn’t even a risk. at all”
March 16, 2025
5★
꒰ ° “𝚆𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗, 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎.” ꒱
hey siri, play invisible string by taylor swift
↳˳;; ❝ and isn’t it pretty just to think, all along there was some invisible string, tying you to me ᵕ̈೫˚∗
0:49 ─〇───── 4:12
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ❝ When you’re in the room, every single cell in my body – every nerve, every muscle, every breath – is lost in you. ¡! ❞
guys. guys. GUYS.
for a short second (and by short second, i mean several months) I forgot that romance books can be so.. utterly fantastic. I forgot how much I could love a simple cute little love story, and Lynn Painter has once again reminded me of this. first it was better than the movies, and now it’s this. THE CHARACTERS, THE STORIES, THE TROPES, THEY LITERALLY HAVE AN INVISIBLE STRING TYING THEM TO EACH OTHER. well okay, not LITERALLY but close enough. they first met at an airport, and then again at the movies, and then at the same job?! I mean what are the chances, at that point it’s obviously meant to be!! from page ONE I was rooting for them, I was completely into the story and engaged with the book.
Bailey and Charlie first meet at an airport, like I said, but their relationship doesn’t begin to grow until a while after their first meeting. You see, what really gets their bond to blossom is a bet they make. Charlie is betting on their two coworkers (Theo and Nekesa) eventually hooking up because according to him, guys and girls can’t be friends. Meanwhile, Bailey is betting on them remaining friends because she believes that Nekesa will stay loyal to her boyfriend!! But also because god forbid she let Charlie be right about something. After this one tiny little bet, we spend the rest of the book reading about these two absolute fools falling in love with each other, WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT. We’ve got
➳ can’t stand each other, to friends, to lovers
➳ fake dating (eventually)
➳ charlie is a cat guy
➳ bets
➳ only one bed (except charlie is actually respectful)
➳ a goose break in
➳ conan gray, gracie abrams, taylor swift, the office, and new girl references (I know at least ONE of these had to of caught your attention)
➳ invisible string theory really pops off in this
what I seriously appreciate about the first couple of chapters is that we get to know our characters VERY well. Bailey is a little high maintenance, a big rule follower, and is very into reading. But not the Rory Gilmore style of reading, more like the Goodreads girl style of reading aka: several romance books per week. Now Charlie on the other hand, is a sarcastic, cynical, bundle of.. not quite joy, not quite sorrow! He’s not a gloomy stoic guy, he’s actually quite cheerful and fun, but he’s a realist and he enjoys annoying Bailey as if it’s his favorite thing in the world.
another thing I loved was the book touching on divorce from a teenagers perspective, well, two teenagers perspectives. Baileys mom has a boyfriend, Scott!! and Scott isn’t a bad guy, but a teenagers entire family splitting up is already a sucky enough feeling, a new boyfriend who’s practically living in your home?? any teenager is bound to be annoyed. what I interpreted Baileys annoyance as though, was also the fact that Scott had been more active in her life than her own father has, and that has to sting. meanwhile for Charlie, despite his happy go lucky vibe, he does not really believe so much in love. not in the “love is bull” way but more like the “well it’s bound to end eventually” way. which is a pretty reasonable and realistic mindset for a child of divorce. I just feel as though this book could feel really validating for kids with divorced parents (hi mom, hi dad, who’s got me next Halloween?) and I know that there were certain moments where I would sit up and say “THIS!! THIS RIGHT THERE!! EXACTLY.”
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ❝ And by "prefer lighter reading," she meant that she read five or six romance novels. A week. ¡! ❞
Bailey
╰┈➤ I think what I like most about Bailey is that she’s not perfect. She’s consistently irrational and can be kind of selfish when it comes to her mother’s relationship, and that is singlehandedly the most realistic and relatable aspect of her character. She knows when she’s wrong and she doesn’t necessarily try to defend herself, but she also knows her reasons for feeling the way she does. And those reasons are valid. Aside from this, she’s so peculiar. I love that her character could be written in a way that makes her stand out without it feeling like she’s written to “not be like other girls” because she.. she is. There are plenty of girls out there that are just like Bailey. Peculiar, high maintenance, funny, and absolutely hung up on her ex. All of which are perfectly lovely, minus the last one, stand up girl.. BUT ALSO, Bailey will go above and beyond for her friends and loved ones, cause what do you MEAN she stuck her hand in a urinal for this man?! If that ain’t love then I don’t know what love is.
˚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—anything—just to make sure she was happy. ¡! ❞
ladies and gentlemen, him.
Charlie
╰┈➤ I’d like to announce that Charlie is singlehandedly the best part of this book! Did his denial annoy me? Yes it did! But, it was also hilarious. He was so caught up in convincing Bailey AND himself that they were just “coworkers” that he accidentally fell head over heels in love with her. Every single time it switched to his point of view, he was in the middle of freaking out about his feelings and what he was going to do about them. And uh.. well let’s just say he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He desperately wanted to stay just friends with Bailey so that he’d never have to lose her (peep how earlier I said that he believes that all love is doomed to fail). But from that time they are pizza together, the only thing doomed was Charlie’s ideology because this man was whipped. It was only a matter of time for him to realize that himself!!
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ❝ I love you, Glasses.
I love you, too Mr. Nothing ¡! ❞
overall, I loved this book! but of course I did, it’s Lynn Painter and she will never steer me in the wrong direction.
꒰ ° 𝚙𝚛𝚎-𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 ꒱
OHHH MYYY GODD.
maybe its the immediate post read bliss that is making this five stars right now, but this book was ADORABLE. lynn painter you did it again. this is a new favorite silly little romcom. dare i say.. bailey and charlie nearly, ALMOST, outdid liz and wes?
꒰ ° 𝚙𝚛𝚎-𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 ꒱
lynn painter you have never done me wrong 🤞 this better be good (it will be)
꒰ ° “𝚆𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗, 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎.” ꒱
hey siri, play invisible string by taylor swift
↳˳;; ❝ and isn’t it pretty just to think, all along there was some invisible string, tying you to me ᵕ̈೫˚∗
0:49 ─〇───── 4:12
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ❝ When you’re in the room, every single cell in my body – every nerve, every muscle, every breath – is lost in you. ¡! ❞
guys. guys. GUYS.
for a short second (and by short second, i mean several months) I forgot that romance books can be so.. utterly fantastic. I forgot how much I could love a simple cute little love story, and Lynn Painter has once again reminded me of this. first it was better than the movies, and now it’s this. THE CHARACTERS, THE STORIES, THE TROPES, THEY LITERALLY HAVE AN INVISIBLE STRING TYING THEM TO EACH OTHER. well okay, not LITERALLY but close enough. they first met at an airport, and then again at the movies, and then at the same job?! I mean what are the chances, at that point it’s obviously meant to be!! from page ONE I was rooting for them, I was completely into the story and engaged with the book.
Bailey and Charlie first meet at an airport, like I said, but their relationship doesn’t begin to grow until a while after their first meeting. You see, what really gets their bond to blossom is a bet they make. Charlie is betting on their two coworkers (Theo and Nekesa) eventually hooking up because according to him, guys and girls can’t be friends. Meanwhile, Bailey is betting on them remaining friends because she believes that Nekesa will stay loyal to her boyfriend!! But also because god forbid she let Charlie be right about something. After this one tiny little bet, we spend the rest of the book reading about these two absolute fools falling in love with each other, WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT. We’ve got
➳ can’t stand each other, to friends, to lovers
➳ fake dating (eventually)
➳ charlie is a cat guy
➳ bets
➳ only one bed (except charlie is actually respectful)
➳ a goose break in
➳ conan gray, gracie abrams, taylor swift, the office, and new girl references (I know at least ONE of these had to of caught your attention)
➳ invisible string theory really pops off in this
what I seriously appreciate about the first couple of chapters is that we get to know our characters VERY well. Bailey is a little high maintenance, a big rule follower, and is very into reading. But not the Rory Gilmore style of reading, more like the Goodreads girl style of reading aka: several romance books per week. Now Charlie on the other hand, is a sarcastic, cynical, bundle of.. not quite joy, not quite sorrow! He’s not a gloomy stoic guy, he’s actually quite cheerful and fun, but he’s a realist and he enjoys annoying Bailey as if it’s his favorite thing in the world.
another thing I loved was the book touching on divorce from a teenagers perspective, well, two teenagers perspectives. Baileys mom has a boyfriend, Scott!! and Scott isn’t a bad guy, but a teenagers entire family splitting up is already a sucky enough feeling, a new boyfriend who’s practically living in your home?? any teenager is bound to be annoyed. what I interpreted Baileys annoyance as though, was also the fact that Scott had been more active in her life than her own father has, and that has to sting. meanwhile for Charlie, despite his happy go lucky vibe, he does not really believe so much in love. not in the “love is bull” way but more like the “well it’s bound to end eventually” way. which is a pretty reasonable and realistic mindset for a child of divorce. I just feel as though this book could feel really validating for kids with divorced parents (hi mom, hi dad, who’s got me next Halloween?) and I know that there were certain moments where I would sit up and say “THIS!! THIS RIGHT THERE!! EXACTLY.”
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ❝ And by "prefer lighter reading," she meant that she read five or six romance novels. A week. ¡! ❞
Bailey
╰┈➤ I think what I like most about Bailey is that she’s not perfect. She’s consistently irrational and can be kind of selfish when it comes to her mother’s relationship, and that is singlehandedly the most realistic and relatable aspect of her character. She knows when she’s wrong and she doesn’t necessarily try to defend herself, but she also knows her reasons for feeling the way she does. And those reasons are valid. Aside from this, she’s so peculiar. I love that her character could be written in a way that makes her stand out without it feeling like she’s written to “not be like other girls” because she.. she is. There are plenty of girls out there that are just like Bailey. Peculiar, high maintenance, funny, and absolutely hung up on her ex. All of which are perfectly lovely, minus the last one, stand up girl.. BUT ALSO, Bailey will go above and beyond for her friends and loved ones, cause what do you MEAN she stuck her hand in a urinal for this man?! If that ain’t love then I don’t know what love is.
˚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—anything—just to make sure she was happy. ¡! ❞
ladies and gentlemen, him.
Charlie
╰┈➤ I’d like to announce that Charlie is singlehandedly the best part of this book! Did his denial annoy me? Yes it did! But, it was also hilarious. He was so caught up in convincing Bailey AND himself that they were just “coworkers” that he accidentally fell head over heels in love with her. Every single time it switched to his point of view, he was in the middle of freaking out about his feelings and what he was going to do about them. And uh.. well let’s just say he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He desperately wanted to stay just friends with Bailey so that he’d never have to lose her (peep how earlier I said that he believes that all love is doomed to fail). But from that time they are pizza together, the only thing doomed was Charlie’s ideology because this man was whipped. It was only a matter of time for him to realize that himself!!
˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ❝ I love you, Glasses.
I love you, too Mr. Nothing ¡! ❞
overall, I loved this book! but of course I did, it’s Lynn Painter and she will never steer me in the wrong direction.
꒰ ° 𝚙𝚛𝚎-𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 ꒱
OHHH MYYY GODD.
maybe its the immediate post read bliss that is making this five stars right now, but this book was ADORABLE. lynn painter you did it again. this is a new favorite silly little romcom. dare i say.. bailey and charlie nearly, ALMOST, outdid liz and wes?
꒰ ° 𝚙𝚛𝚎-𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 ꒱
lynn painter you have never done me wrong 🤞 this better be good (it will be)
March 6, 2024
she kept mentioning TS every 2 sec
December 9, 2023
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 🤞🏼
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 🤞🏼
no-spark-just-pages
April 25, 2025dnf at 34%
ally told me to dnf… so i did. i love lynn painter, but this one was not giving at all. the vibes felt off, the characters weren’t pulling me in, and i just couldn’t stay interested.
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ pre-read ♡⋆°｡⋆𐙚
⤷ the cover’s cute and it’s a ya rom-com, so obviously i had to pick it up. hoping it’s exactly what i need right now!!
ally told me to dnf… so i did. i love lynn painter, but this one was not giving at all. the vibes felt off, the characters weren’t pulling me in, and i just couldn’t stay interested.
₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊
𐙚⋆°｡⋆♡ pre-read ♡⋆°｡⋆𐙚
⤷ the cover’s cute and it’s a ya rom-com, so obviously i had to pick it up. hoping it’s exactly what i need right now!!
June 4, 2025
🌊💗 BETTING ON YOU by Lynn Painter 💗🌊
4.5 stars : ★★★★½
Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky & Zachary Webber
this book felt like drinking pink lemonade under a summer sky, bare feet in pool water, the softest playlist humming in the background.
i went into this expecting just another cute YA romcom, but lynn painter never just gives you cute—she gives you comfort, spark, and a little chaos wrapped in sarcasm.
this was warm, nostalgic, funny, and at times so real it hit where it hurt.
✧ the vibes? pure serotonin.
a hotel waterpark. coworker enemies. bets, gossip, emotional damage, fake dating. YESSS.
it’s basically “10 things i hate about you” meets “she’s all that,” but softer, sweeter, and way more Gen Z.
charlie and bailey meet once—on a plane—and their first interaction? ✧ electric ✧ fast-forward a year and BAM: they're coworkers. forced proximity, shared banter, and an ongoing bet about whether two coworkers will fall in love. plot twist? they’re slowly falling for each other instead.
💬 what made this work?
charlie.
he's sarcasm in human form, sharp, cocky, lowkey broken—and a walking green flag.
there's something about his quiet acts of care:
he remembers her favorite soda combo. he notices her quirks. he reads romance with her. he carries her down a mountain.
when he canceled his party plans because she needed him?? that scene owns me.
bailey.
she’s soft-spoken but bold in her own way.
a hopeless romantic, taylor swift girlie, bookstagram nerd—basically every girl who’s ever dreamt up her own love story. she’s figuring out who she is without needing to change for anyone, and that felt so authentic.
it’s not all sunshine & pool floaties though.
towards the end, the book kinda spiraled into drama overload.
like—the pacing went from cute fake dating to emotional chaos in 0.2 seconds.
plus, that “bet” in the blurb? super misleading. it’s not even a real bet, just a random sarcastic comment that someone else decides to blow up... for no reason??
it didn’t add to the plot—just confused it. and yeah, some of the writing got a bit too YA cheese™️, but hey, it’s all part of the charm.
the realness underneath all the fluff?
they’re both dealing with divorced parents.
there’s this quiet ache beneath all the laughs, the way they don’t always know how to cope or what to feel. and the way that connects them? it’s what makes the romance hit deeper.
this isn’t just a swoony summer read—it’s a soft reflection on how messy, imperfect, and magical love can feel when you’re 17.
TROPES:
🌸 fake dating
🌊 forced proximity
🌸 enemies-ish to lovers
🌊 coworkers
🌸 meet-cute
🌊 opposites attract
🌸 slow burn
🌊 he falls first
🌸 emotional baggage
🌊 ya coming-of-age romance
🩷 final thoughts?
i was giggling, swooning, emotionally spiraling, and smiling all within 300 pages.
lynn painter gives us books that feel like cozy movie nights with your favorite hoodie and too much popcorn.
this one isn’t perfect, but it feels so right.
young love, messy feelings, and soft boys who make you laugh until you cry. what more could you want?
read this if you:
✨ still believe in love at the waterpark
✨ think bets are a dangerous game
✨ want to fall for the guy who already fell for you
4.5 stars and 13 giggles out of 10.
and charlie? yeah, he’s my new comfort character.
4.5 stars : ★★★★½
Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky & Zachary Webber
this book felt like drinking pink lemonade under a summer sky, bare feet in pool water, the softest playlist humming in the background.
i went into this expecting just another cute YA romcom, but lynn painter never just gives you cute—she gives you comfort, spark, and a little chaos wrapped in sarcasm.
this was warm, nostalgic, funny, and at times so real it hit where it hurt.
✧ the vibes? pure serotonin.
a hotel waterpark. coworker enemies. bets, gossip, emotional damage, fake dating. YESSS.
it’s basically “10 things i hate about you” meets “she’s all that,” but softer, sweeter, and way more Gen Z.
charlie and bailey meet once—on a plane—and their first interaction? ✧ electric ✧ fast-forward a year and BAM: they're coworkers. forced proximity, shared banter, and an ongoing bet about whether two coworkers will fall in love. plot twist? they’re slowly falling for each other instead.
💬 what made this work?
charlie.
he's sarcasm in human form, sharp, cocky, lowkey broken—and a walking green flag.
there's something about his quiet acts of care:
he remembers her favorite soda combo. he notices her quirks. he reads romance with her. he carries her down a mountain.
when he canceled his party plans because she needed him?? that scene owns me.
bailey.
she’s soft-spoken but bold in her own way.
a hopeless romantic, taylor swift girlie, bookstagram nerd—basically every girl who’s ever dreamt up her own love story. she’s figuring out who she is without needing to change for anyone, and that felt so authentic.
it’s not all sunshine & pool floaties though.
towards the end, the book kinda spiraled into drama overload.
like—the pacing went from cute fake dating to emotional chaos in 0.2 seconds.
plus, that “bet” in the blurb? super misleading. it’s not even a real bet, just a random sarcastic comment that someone else decides to blow up... for no reason??
it didn’t add to the plot—just confused it. and yeah, some of the writing got a bit too YA cheese™️, but hey, it’s all part of the charm.
the realness underneath all the fluff?
they’re both dealing with divorced parents.
there’s this quiet ache beneath all the laughs, the way they don’t always know how to cope or what to feel. and the way that connects them? it’s what makes the romance hit deeper.
this isn’t just a swoony summer read—it’s a soft reflection on how messy, imperfect, and magical love can feel when you’re 17.
TROPES:
🌸 fake dating
🌊 forced proximity
🌸 enemies-ish to lovers
🌊 coworkers
🌸 meet-cute
🌊 opposites attract
🌸 slow burn
🌊 he falls first
🌸 emotional baggage
🌊 ya coming-of-age romance
🩷 final thoughts?
i was giggling, swooning, emotionally spiraling, and smiling all within 300 pages.
lynn painter gives us books that feel like cozy movie nights with your favorite hoodie and too much popcorn.
this one isn’t perfect, but it feels so right.
young love, messy feelings, and soft boys who make you laugh until you cry. what more could you want?
read this if you:
✨ still believe in love at the waterpark
✨ think bets are a dangerous game
✨ want to fall for the guy who already fell for you
4.5 stars and 13 giggles out of 10.
and charlie? yeah, he’s my new comfort character.
September 1, 2025
‼️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.
------
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🥹💝🦋😭🩵✨
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.
------
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🥹💝🦋😭🩵✨
![Profile Image for mia ౨ৎ [semi ia].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1761283334i%2F175076399._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
May 12, 2025
5 ⭐️
this book is so criminally underrated. it was so lighthearted and sweet and i ate up every second of it 💕
tropes:
🎀 strangers to coworkers to friends to lovers
🎀 fake dating
🎀 duel povs
🎀 witty banter
🎀 he falls first
🎀 forced proximity
💗minor spoilers ahead💗
ahhhh this book was soooo cute!! i literally loveeee charlie. he’s perfect in so many ways 💕🥹 the dynamic between him and bailey was so adorable and i was kicking my feet so hard during the ski trip and the formal scene + the fact he stalked her bookstagram 🤭first lynn painter read and i enjoyed it smmm!! the pacing was nice and so was the plot 😚 yes, it was cheesy, but who doesn’t love a little lighthearted romcom? and don’t even get me started on the BANTERRRR
characters:
bailey: i honestly felt so bad for her the majority of the book bc like why would scott propose to her mom at a pizza place while she was there?? i loved bailey so much tho as the fmc 💕 but WHY THE HECK do u need half and half coke and popcorn girl?!! that was the only thing that genuinely pissed me off 😫
charlie: omg i love him so freaking much!! he is sooo cute and such a softie. and his grand gesture was to give her his most loved cat was so sweet 🥹 he was also really nice and caring and just overall so amazing. and his banter and teasing?!!! 🤭 i have never changed my mind abt someone so fast 💗
nekesa: i loved her so much! she’s such an amazing best friend to have
❝ i love you, glasses ❞
❝ i love you too, mr. nothing ❞
this book is so criminally underrated. it was so lighthearted and sweet and i ate up every second of it 💕
tropes:
🎀 strangers to coworkers to friends to lovers
🎀 fake dating
🎀 duel povs
🎀 witty banter
🎀 he falls first
🎀 forced proximity
💗minor spoilers ahead💗
ahhhh this book was soooo cute!! i literally loveeee charlie. he’s perfect in so many ways 💕🥹 the dynamic between him and bailey was so adorable and i was kicking my feet so hard during the ski trip and the formal scene + the fact he stalked her bookstagram 🤭first lynn painter read and i enjoyed it smmm!! the pacing was nice and so was the plot 😚 yes, it was cheesy, but who doesn’t love a little lighthearted romcom? and don’t even get me started on the BANTERRRR
characters:
bailey: i honestly felt so bad for her the majority of the book bc like why would scott propose to her mom at a pizza place while she was there?? i loved bailey so much tho as the fmc 💕 but WHY THE HECK do u need half and half coke and popcorn girl?!! that was the only thing that genuinely pissed me off 😫
charlie: omg i love him so freaking much!! he is sooo cute and such a softie. and his grand gesture was to give her his most loved cat was so sweet 🥹 he was also really nice and caring and just overall so amazing. and his banter and teasing?!!! 🤭 i have never changed my mind abt someone so fast 💗
nekesa: i loved her so much! she’s such an amazing best friend to have
❝ i love you, glasses ❞
❝ i love you too, mr. nothing ❞
March 16, 2025
4✧!!
↳ spoiler free! lynn painter truly is the queen of ya romcoms and i am SO here for it!!🤭💌
🎧 ~ how you get the girl
“i want you for worse or for better
i would wait forever and ever
broke your heart, i’ll put it back together
i would wait forever and ever”
my thoughts🌷┆wow. just wow. lynn painter, you’ve done it again, this book was such a fun read and there were so many parts that brought the biggest smile to my face! i absolutely ADORED this, it was SO WORTH the 5 month wait! i adored the plot and the characters, and there were times where i was full on giggling and blushing!🤭the transition from enemies to friends to lovers was so well done(literal chefs kiss)! i can 100% see myself rereading this someday!!<3
characters💐!!
➼ bailey mitchell(glasses)
╰ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ she’s one of us, a hopeless romantic book girlie!🥺🌷 i loved how she’s was not afraid to be herself and has the courage to stick up for and defend her values and opinions! and how she had her own cute little quirks, they were so adorable!!<3
➼ charlie sampson (mr. nothing)
╰ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ omigosh charlie was such a sweet and adorable mmc<3 the affection he shows towards bailey was so CUTEEEE!!! and ofc his whole ‘tough boy act’ had me giggling hehe🤭💌 he had his flaws, but overall i really did like him!💐 the only part that annoyed me was the whole ‘betting’ drama at the end, like girl be fr😭😭 but other than that, charlie was literally PERFECT!!
➼ nekeska and emily(bailey’s mom)
╰ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ we love girls supporting girls!🙌🏻🫂
quotes!!💌
⤷i love ts, but the amount of references in this book was actually a lil too much
“karma was supposed to be a cat, dammit, not this.”
“and by "prefer lighter reading," she meant that she read five or six romance novels. a week”
⤷ goals fr omg?! like ahem, i want to do that!!
“bailey, you are hands down, the most engaging person i’ve ever known.”
“you almost ran the red ‘cause you were looking over at me.”
⤷ THE ATW MENTION EEE!!!
“reading is subjective. just because you didn’t like it doesn’t mean it isn’t good.”
⤷THIS
“a compliment from charlie was like the equivalent of three from another human being.”
🎧 ~ mini playlist!
all too well (10 min version)
invisible string
✧risk
✧mess it up
✧ false god
✧ lover
bottom line🫶🏻┆this was actually so cute and such a lighthearted read!! the amount of times this made me giggle…🤭 charlie and bailey were so adorable, and there were a few tiny things here and there that weren’t my fave but thats okayyy. lynn DEFINITELY ate with this book and i cant wait to read more of her work soon!! i’d def recommend this if u love enemies-to-friends-to-lovers!! i hope ur doing well and that ur cr is amazing!! xoxo💌
love,
saisha 💐
--------------------------
that was SO good omg mr nothing and glasses will have my heart forever and ever🥺💐🧸 xx review and rating to come soon!💗😙
eee my hold finally arrived after like 5 months!! im SO excited to start this, its only my second lynn painter book, but i recently read 'the do-over' and i loved it so i cant wait to see what happens in this one!🤭💐🧸 xx i hope ur doing well and that ur crs are delivering!! here goes!💌🤭💋
↳ spoiler free! lynn painter truly is the queen of ya romcoms and i am SO here for it!!🤭💌
“this is the room where charlie met bailey.”
🎧 ~ how you get the girl
“i want you for worse or for better
i would wait forever and ever
broke your heart, i’ll put it back together
i would wait forever and ever”
my thoughts🌷┆wow. just wow. lynn painter, you’ve done it again, this book was such a fun read and there were so many parts that brought the biggest smile to my face! i absolutely ADORED this, it was SO WORTH the 5 month wait! i adored the plot and the characters, and there were times where i was full on giggling and blushing!🤭the transition from enemies to friends to lovers was so well done(literal chefs kiss)! i can 100% see myself rereading this someday!!<3
characters💐!!
➼ bailey mitchell(glasses)
╰ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ she’s one of us, a hopeless romantic book girlie!🥺🌷 i loved how she’s was not afraid to be herself and has the courage to stick up for and defend her values and opinions! and how she had her own cute little quirks, they were so adorable!!<3
➼ charlie sampson (mr. nothing)
╰ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ omigosh charlie was such a sweet and adorable mmc<3 the affection he shows towards bailey was so CUTEEEE!!! and ofc his whole ‘tough boy act’ had me giggling hehe🤭💌 he had his flaws, but overall i really did like him!💐 the only part that annoyed me was the whole ‘betting’ drama at the end, like girl be fr😭😭 but other than that, charlie was literally PERFECT!!
➼ nekeska and emily(bailey’s mom)
╰ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ we love girls supporting girls!🙌🏻🫂
quotes!!💌
⤷i love ts, but the amount of references in this book was actually a lil too much
“karma was supposed to be a cat, dammit, not this.”
“and by "prefer lighter reading," she meant that she read five or six romance novels. a week”
⤷ goals fr omg?! like ahem, i want to do that!!
“bailey, you are hands down, the most engaging person i’ve ever known.”
“you almost ran the red ‘cause you were looking over at me.”
⤷ THE ATW MENTION EEE!!!
“reading is subjective. just because you didn’t like it doesn’t mean it isn’t good.”
⤷THIS
“a compliment from charlie was like the equivalent of three from another human being.”
🎧 ~ mini playlist!
all too well (10 min version)
oh, your sweet disposition
and my wide-eyed gaze
we're singing in the car, getting lost upstate
autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place
and i can picture it after all these days
invisible string
and isn’t it just so pretty to think
all along there was some invisible string
tying you to me
✧risk
✧mess it up
✧ false god
✧ lover
bottom line🫶🏻┆this was actually so cute and such a lighthearted read!! the amount of times this made me giggle…🤭 charlie and bailey were so adorable, and there were a few tiny things here and there that weren’t my fave but thats okayyy. lynn DEFINITELY ate with this book and i cant wait to read more of her work soon!! i’d def recommend this if u love enemies-to-friends-to-lovers!! i hope ur doing well and that ur cr is amazing!! xoxo💌
love,
saisha 💐
--------------------------
𓆩♡𓆪𓍢ִ໋🌷࿔ post-read 3/4/25!
that was SO good omg mr nothing and glasses will have my heart forever and ever🥺💐🧸 xx review and rating to come soon!💗😙
𓆩♡𓆪𓍢ִ໋🌷࿔ pre-read 2/28/25!
eee my hold finally arrived after like 5 months!! im SO excited to start this, its only my second lynn painter book, but i recently read 'the do-over' and i loved it so i cant wait to see what happens in this one!🤭💐🧸 xx i hope ur doing well and that ur crs are delivering!! here goes!💌🤭💋
Read
September 27, 2025pre-read:
my first br with ellie 🩷! ever since i’ve read fake skating by lynn painter, i’ve been wanting to read more of her books because it was so good! that’s why i’m hoping real bad for this book to not be disappointing 🥹🤞🏼 wish us luck y’all <33
my first br with ellie 🩷! ever since i’ve read fake skating by lynn painter, i’ve been wanting to read more of her books because it was so good! that’s why i’m hoping real bad for this book to not be disappointing 🥹🤞🏼 wish us luck y’all <33
April 14, 2024
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.
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.
January 14, 2025
“𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 – 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒄𝒍𝒆, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 – 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”
This was a bit too YA for my taste, but I adored the little moments between Charlie and Bailey they had me smiling so much 🥰 they started off rocky as strangers who disliked each other but Bailey started to notice little by little she actually likes him. ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE FAKE DATING!!!! Best. Trope. EVER.
“𝑮𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒚.”
The little touches, tension and moments that both of them were tiptoeing from the "friends but not really" zone is the reason why I freaking love fake dating. Even though Charlie definitely needed a few slaps throughout the book 🤦♀️ his growth by the end made up for it. A cute, lighthearted read!
𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓘 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓭
- 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓻 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓼𝓸 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭
- 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰
- 𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻
-𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓽
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ my libby hold this month is all about Lynn Painter and tbh i'm not mad about it. I'm ready!
This was a bit too YA for my taste, but I adored the little moments between Charlie and Bailey they had me smiling so much 🥰 they started off rocky as strangers who disliked each other but Bailey started to notice little by little she actually likes him. ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE FAKE DATING!!!! Best. Trope. EVER.
“𝑮𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒚.”
The little touches, tension and moments that both of them were tiptoeing from the "friends but not really" zone is the reason why I freaking love fake dating. Even though Charlie definitely needed a few slaps throughout the book 🤦♀️ his growth by the end made up for it. A cute, lighthearted read!
𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼 𝓘 𝓵𝓲𝓴𝓮𝓭
- 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓻 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓼𝓸 𝓰𝓸𝓸𝓭
- 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓸𝓵𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰
- 𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓱𝓮𝓻
-𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓽
⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ my libby hold this month is all about Lynn Painter and tbh i'm not mad about it. I'm ready!
March 23, 2024
"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 i
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 vibes
April 8, 2025
5💫
i did not expect this to be a 5 star read🥹💓 i love them so much!!! going into this, i just wanted something cute and cheesy to distract me from the terror that is junior year of college, and i absolutely fell in love with bailey and charlie!!!
maybe some minor spoilers in the review! :)
charlie and baileys relationship was so much fun. i was giggling the whole time, and i may or may not have shed a few tears towards the end of the book. (actually, thats a big deal for me because I am not an emotion person and so it takes a lot for me to cry. why was this book the sweetest thing ever!!!!) charlie was so funny and i loved his personality so much, but what i liked most about him and his part in this book was that every single one of his chapters was focused on bailey. it was either worrying about her, caring for her, freaking out over the feelings he was getting towards her, etc. it was SO sweet. my favorite chapters in the book were the chapters that included the cats. i dont want to spoil them because they were so sweet and everyone deserves the chance to read those scenes, but let me just say that last chapter or whatever with charlie and his cat is the chapter that made me cry... UGH so sweet. he is just so much more than what meets the eye and i loved how bailey was slowly able to break down those walls. those two could reach each other so well. their plans to break scott up always made me laugh so hard because i cannot believe the nerve they had to be so forthcoming with their actions. the whole storyline was just incredibly entertaining and i loved every second of it.
i think what i loved most about this book was the reminiscent feeling it brought out of me. my boyfriend and i started dating in high school, and so their flirty banter with one another and their internal battles of whether to want something more than a friendship or not just brought me back!! i felt like a teenager falling in love again.
i did not know that this was inspired by when marry met sally, and it was so fun to see the connection lynn painter made with this book. harry and sally didnt meet at the airport, but it was the second time they ran into each other in the movie, and they were sitting together on the plane, like bailey and charlie. the whole "men and women cant be friends" argument came from harry and was adopted by charlie, and the double date where the two friends fall for each other instead of who they were supposed to be set up with. it was so much fun seeing these connections and reading how lynn painter took this inspiration and made it into her own story.
if you made it this far in my review, take it as a sign to read this book!!
i did not expect this to be a 5 star read🥹💓 i love them so much!!! going into this, i just wanted something cute and cheesy to distract me from the terror that is junior year of college, and i absolutely fell in love with bailey and charlie!!!
maybe some minor spoilers in the review! :)
charlie and baileys relationship was so much fun. i was giggling the whole time, and i may or may not have shed a few tears towards the end of the book. (actually, thats a big deal for me because I am not an emotion person and so it takes a lot for me to cry. why was this book the sweetest thing ever!!!!) charlie was so funny and i loved his personality so much, but what i liked most about him and his part in this book was that every single one of his chapters was focused on bailey. it was either worrying about her, caring for her, freaking out over the feelings he was getting towards her, etc. it was SO sweet. my favorite chapters in the book were the chapters that included the cats. i dont want to spoil them because they were so sweet and everyone deserves the chance to read those scenes, but let me just say that last chapter or whatever with charlie and his cat is the chapter that made me cry... UGH so sweet. he is just so much more than what meets the eye and i loved how bailey was slowly able to break down those walls. those two could reach each other so well. their plans to break scott up always made me laugh so hard because i cannot believe the nerve they had to be so forthcoming with their actions. the whole storyline was just incredibly entertaining and i loved every second of it.
i think what i loved most about this book was the reminiscent feeling it brought out of me. my boyfriend and i started dating in high school, and so their flirty banter with one another and their internal battles of whether to want something more than a friendship or not just brought me back!! i felt like a teenager falling in love again.
i did not know that this was inspired by when marry met sally, and it was so fun to see the connection lynn painter made with this book. harry and sally didnt meet at the airport, but it was the second time they ran into each other in the movie, and they were sitting together on the plane, like bailey and charlie. the whole "men and women cant be friends" argument came from harry and was adopted by charlie, and the double date where the two friends fall for each other instead of who they were supposed to be set up with. it was so much fun seeing these connections and reading how lynn painter took this inspiration and made it into her own story.
if you made it this far in my review, take it as a sign to read this book!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 26,641 reviews