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The Bet Between Us
Donald Cerlino only cares about three things: money, getting girls, and gambling. His friends are so impressed with his abilities with women, they start calling him Don Juan. When senior year starts, he’s got a list of girls he wants to add to the growing number of notches on his headboard. So when his best friend, Thomas, bets Donald that his skills aren’t enough to nab the school valedictorian, Alaina Pizzo, Donald is up for the challenge. What Thomas doesn’t know is that Donald has had a crush on Alaina since kindergarten. Problem is, Alaina hates his guts.
When Donald’s feelings for Alaina start to show, Thomas begins to turn against him. Thomas wanted Donald to see the error of his ways when it comes to women, not abandon their friendship for yet another girl. The deeper Donald gets, the more he wants a future with Alaina, but that means revealing why he started talking to her in the first place. When Thomas starts threatening to tell Alaina the truth, Donald has to decide if he wants to lose the love of his life or his best friend.
Donald realizes he took a bet he can’t win. The great Don Juan may lose everything.
When Donald’s feelings for Alaina start to show, Thomas begins to turn against him. Thomas wanted Donald to see the error of his ways when it comes to women, not abandon their friendship for yet another girl. The deeper Donald gets, the more he wants a future with Alaina, but that means revealing why he started talking to her in the first place. When Thomas starts threatening to tell Alaina the truth, Donald has to decide if he wants to lose the love of his life or his best friend.
Donald realizes he took a bet he can’t win. The great Don Juan may lose everything.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2019
1 person is currently reading
619 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
March 22, 2019
3.5 Stars!!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First off - its not everyday I read a debut YA romance book by a male author told from a male POV. I think for that alone-Moore gets major props. As a reader- I feel we need to see more of this!!
This book is what you would expect from a teen/young adult realistic romance book. Secondly- can we talk about the cover??? Its Gorgeous!!
In The Bet Between Us, we follow Donald - AKA Don Juan. He gets the nickname by basically being a player and going from one girl to the next. He is very competitive and likes to make wagers for fun and of course, for the money. His friends convince him to take a bet to get the girl- Alaina, who despises him- to fall in love with him. What he is not expecting, is the feelings he's always secretly had for her, to show.
For a debut, I thought this was great. It was fun, and entertaining. I liked the authors writing style and the dialogue. I absolutely did not like DJ in the beginning of this book! He was basically a manwhore and all about himself. BUT- I am a huge fan of redeemable characters, those that start off so horrible that totally make you feel like you are reading a totally different character when they begin to change. We see a lot of character growth from him over the course of the book - that in turn-makes him redeemable.
The only issues I had with it was the chemistry between the two main characters, while I liked Alaina, I didn't feel like I got to know her very well, so the connection between her and DJ fell a little short for me. It also was a little predictable but it did not take away from my overall feelings of the book as a whole. I would love to see Moore continue to write more stories like this in this genre! I thought it was a fantastic debut- and I look forward to more books by this author!!
March 5, 2019
This was an adorable little love story. The history of DJ and Alaina was interesting and really helped to understand where these characters stood for and came from. The bet they did was really fun and a unique take on getting to know someone. I recommend this to young readers who really love a cute love story. There are some grammatical errors, but nothing that would take away from the story. B.L. Moore wrote a great debut novel and I can't wait to see what else he has in store.
April 29, 2019
A fun coming-of-age YA romance centered around a playboy who has a lot to learn about himself and the scores of girls he dates. Perfect for fans of She’s All That and 10 Things I Hate About You!
April 27, 2019
I received this book from net gallery for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.
Donald has been in love with Alaina practically his whole life. But she refuses to give him the attention he seeks because of his reputation as Don Juan. Enter the bet, Donald must make Alaina fall in love with him by Christmas break. What will happen when Alaina finds out?
There were bits and pieces of this book that I liked, but the bad out weighed the good.
There were a lot of toxic relationships portrayed in this book. Especially the relationship between Donald and TeePee, if you ask me neither one of them will win best friend of the year. Both of them are self-centered and don't understand how their actions effect others. Not only are they self-centered but their behavior is highly self-destructive.
There was also quite a bit of body shaming. Two of the nicknames that stood out to me were flab-boy and pencil-man. Donald grew up overweight till he lost all the weight too fast which led to the nickname flab-boy. Years later Alaina starts calling Donald flab-boy like it's some kind of pet name and it just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Some of the good things:
Alaina's relationship with her mom.
Donald's family restaurant on the beach.
Rell and Judy, enough said.
All opinions are my own.
Donald has been in love with Alaina practically his whole life. But she refuses to give him the attention he seeks because of his reputation as Don Juan. Enter the bet, Donald must make Alaina fall in love with him by Christmas break. What will happen when Alaina finds out?
There were bits and pieces of this book that I liked, but the bad out weighed the good.
There were a lot of toxic relationships portrayed in this book. Especially the relationship between Donald and TeePee, if you ask me neither one of them will win best friend of the year. Both of them are self-centered and don't understand how their actions effect others. Not only are they self-centered but their behavior is highly self-destructive.
There was also quite a bit of body shaming. Two of the nicknames that stood out to me were flab-boy and pencil-man. Donald grew up overweight till he lost all the weight too fast which led to the nickname flab-boy. Years later Alaina starts calling Donald flab-boy like it's some kind of pet name and it just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Some of the good things:
Alaina's relationship with her mom.
Donald's family restaurant on the beach.
Rell and Judy, enough said.
February 28, 2019
Nope.
I wanted to love this so badly, I really did. Alas, we were clearly not meant to be.
There were just too many things that got in the way of my enjoyment of this book. The trivial stuff being, I’m not interested in books where characters play football, especially when there are play-by-plays of it.
The stuff that’s not so trivial were the slut-shaming, the fat-shaming (flab-boy? How is this affectionate?), blatant bullying from pretty much every single character and underage gambling (which isn’t properly dealt with by parents who know this is occurring).
The friendships were toxic and made me feel ill reading about (bc y’all know that’s a big thing for me!) and I was genuinely uncomfortable with the romantic relationship of the book.
Also can we talk about Donald’s dad being supportive of him being a player and not respecting women?
All the adults in this book all turn around to love the protagonist and fuss over his relationship dramas, plus he is the centre of all of their concerns (and literally everyone else at the school too, apparently).
All I’m saying is I was expecting a cute, somewhat-realistic contemporary, but I just felt very uneasy.
I wanted to love this so badly, I really did. Alas, we were clearly not meant to be.
There were just too many things that got in the way of my enjoyment of this book. The trivial stuff being, I’m not interested in books where characters play football, especially when there are play-by-plays of it.
The stuff that’s not so trivial were the slut-shaming, the fat-shaming (flab-boy? How is this affectionate?), blatant bullying from pretty much every single character and underage gambling (which isn’t properly dealt with by parents who know this is occurring).
The friendships were toxic and made me feel ill reading about (bc y’all know that’s a big thing for me!) and I was genuinely uncomfortable with the romantic relationship of the book.
Also can we talk about Donald’s dad being supportive of him being a player and not respecting women?
All the adults in this book all turn around to love the protagonist and fuss over his relationship dramas, plus he is the centre of all of their concerns (and literally everyone else at the school too, apparently).
All I’m saying is I was expecting a cute, somewhat-realistic contemporary, but I just felt very uneasy.
April 13, 2019
Donald a.k.a Don Juan. Basically, he got that nickname because he is a player. Anyway, I was at first annoyed with him - his attitude, his brag about how he can get any girls he wants, however, throughout the story, my perspective on him has changed. He became someone better and that's when I'm seriously rooting him for Alaina - the girl who he has been crush since forever but his not realize it until the bet from his friend comes.
The story is adorable, funny with the annoying character (at first) makes my reading fun although, during the middle part of the story, it's kind to be a bit draggy and kinda bored me a bit. On another note, DJ and Alaina have a good friendship and an adorable couple.
Overall, reading from male POV is something different from me and I kind of enjoy it and it is a cute and sweet story.
Rating: 3.5 stars
The story is adorable, funny with the annoying character (at first) makes my reading fun although, during the middle part of the story, it's kind to be a bit draggy and kinda bored me a bit. On another note, DJ and Alaina have a good friendship and an adorable couple.
Overall, reading from male POV is something different from me and I kind of enjoy it and it is a cute and sweet story.
Rating: 3.5 stars
February 11, 2019
This coming-of-age novel was such a fun read. With compelling characters that pull you into the story quickly, I couldn't put it down. At first Donald Cerlino comes across as your typically cocky teenage boy, but you quickly realize there is more to him. First, by how he helps take care of and is worshiped and adored by, his little brother then later as he starts to open up. Watching his character develop, learn and grow was refreshing.
There was a moment during his last football game that I'm not going to get into to avoid spoilers but it really did get me emotional.
What a great read, and fantastic debut novel from Moore!
There was a moment during his last football game that I'm not going to get into to avoid spoilers but it really did get me emotional.
What a great read, and fantastic debut novel from Moore!
February 11, 2019
IThe book had everything that needs to be in a Young adult romance . It has romance , drama , and so much more . It shows the bond between close friends and family . The book was hard to put down . Absolutely enjoyed the sweet love ❤️ story of DJ and Alaina. I would love to see the book turned into an audible book . 🎧📖 I would like to read more books from the author . Great Job ! Five stars ⭐️
April 29, 2024
This book kept me burning the late night oil 2 nights in a row! It was the most fun I’ve had with a book in a while. If you like YA Romance with relatable characters, high school rep, soccer & football rep, & a great plot, pick this book up. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face while reading. It gave me all the young love vibes 😍🥰💕 I hope this author writes more books because this girl will be first in line to purchase them!
January 2, 2022
I received a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I made it through five chapters of this misogynistic, insipid trash before I deleted it from my Kindle and moved on. The main character is absolutely insufferable, the premise is insulting to women and the writing itself is immature and clunky at best. Don't waste your time.
I made it through five chapters of this misogynistic, insipid trash before I deleted it from my Kindle and moved on. The main character is absolutely insufferable, the premise is insulting to women and the writing itself is immature and clunky at best. Don't waste your time.
February 13, 2019
I won the kindle edition of this book in a Goodreads giveaway and cannot wait to read it!
March 3, 2019
(I received a free Review Copy from Netgalley for a voluntary and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own)
Book review: The Bet between us by Brandon Moore (1 star)
The Bet between us by Brandon Moore
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 1/5 stars
(Review)
(DISCLAIMER: All thoughts and opinions are my own)
Donald only cares about money, getting girls and gambling. When his friends make a bet for him to get together with the school valedictorian, Alaina, he is up for a challenge. What his friends don’t know is that Donald has had a crush on Alaina ever since he first met her in kindergarten, but she hates him and his guts.
The whole synopsis gave the idea that this was kinda going to be a cute YA contemporary told in the perspective of the guy, but I was sorely disappointed.
By 30% of the book I was bored out of my mind as it was pretty predictable so ended up speed reading the rest of the book. I found all the characters unlikeable.
For a Young Adult novel, I was uncomfortable that this book was going into so much detail and teaching underage teenagers how to gamble and bet. Also, there were many instances that Donald’s dad knew he was gambling and up to no good, but he didn’t do anything to stop his son.
The writing was simple but I didn’t feel much emotions through the writing.
Book review: The Bet between us by Brandon Moore (1 star)
The Bet between us by Brandon Moore
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 1/5 stars
(Review)
(DISCLAIMER: All thoughts and opinions are my own)
Donald only cares about money, getting girls and gambling. When his friends make a bet for him to get together with the school valedictorian, Alaina, he is up for a challenge. What his friends don’t know is that Donald has had a crush on Alaina ever since he first met her in kindergarten, but she hates him and his guts.
The whole synopsis gave the idea that this was kinda going to be a cute YA contemporary told in the perspective of the guy, but I was sorely disappointed.
By 30% of the book I was bored out of my mind as it was pretty predictable so ended up speed reading the rest of the book. I found all the characters unlikeable.
For a Young Adult novel, I was uncomfortable that this book was going into so much detail and teaching underage teenagers how to gamble and bet. Also, there were many instances that Donald’s dad knew he was gambling and up to no good, but he didn’t do anything to stop his son.
The writing was simple but I didn’t feel much emotions through the writing.
March 16, 2019
I received this book from net gallery for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.
Donald has been in love with Alaina practically his whole life. But she refuses to give him the attention he seeks because of his reputation as Don Juan. Enter the bet, Donald must make Alaina fall in love with him by Christmas break. What will happen when Alaina finds out?
There were bits and pieces of this book that I liked, but the bad out weighed the good.
There were a lot of toxic relationships portrayed in this book. Especially the relationship between Donald and TeePee, if you ask me neither one of them will win best friend of the year. Both of them are self-centered and don't understand how thier action effect others. Not only are they self-centered but their behavior is highly self-destructive.
There was also quite a bit of body shaming. Two of the nicknames that stood out to me were flab-boy and pencil-man. Donald grew up overweight till he lost all the weight too fast which led to the nickname flab-boy. Years later Alaina starts calling Donald flab-boy like it's some kind of pet name and it just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Some of the good things:
Donald's creativity.
Alaina's relationship with her mom.
Donald's family restaurant on the beach.
Rell and Judy, enough said.
All opinions are my own.
Donald has been in love with Alaina practically his whole life. But she refuses to give him the attention he seeks because of his reputation as Don Juan. Enter the bet, Donald must make Alaina fall in love with him by Christmas break. What will happen when Alaina finds out?
There were bits and pieces of this book that I liked, but the bad out weighed the good.
There were a lot of toxic relationships portrayed in this book. Especially the relationship between Donald and TeePee, if you ask me neither one of them will win best friend of the year. Both of them are self-centered and don't understand how thier action effect others. Not only are they self-centered but their behavior is highly self-destructive.
There was also quite a bit of body shaming. Two of the nicknames that stood out to me were flab-boy and pencil-man. Donald grew up overweight till he lost all the weight too fast which led to the nickname flab-boy. Years later Alaina starts calling Donald flab-boy like it's some kind of pet name and it just left a bad taste in my mouth.
Some of the good things:
Donald's creativity.
Alaina's relationship with her mom.
Donald's family restaurant on the beach.
Rell and Judy, enough said.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2019
Just how is this labeled as a YA contemporary book?? I received an e-galley of this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review and after seeing the cover, I immediately thought I would fall in love with it.
From the initial first meeting of Donald the main character.. I could not believe how absolutely self-centered and narcissistic this character was. All he cares about is gambling (underage gambling that no adult around him does anything about btw— THAT in itself makes it super unrealistic) and sleeping around yet somehow does a complete 180 when he “falls in love” with a girl who supposedly hated his guts.
The summary of this book made me believe that this would be a cute romantic contemporary but the fact of the matter was that this was a depiction of overtly sexualized high school students behaving and talking like they’re years beyond their actual age which just made me more than a bit uncomfortable.
From the initial first meeting of Donald the main character.. I could not believe how absolutely self-centered and narcissistic this character was. All he cares about is gambling (underage gambling that no adult around him does anything about btw— THAT in itself makes it super unrealistic) and sleeping around yet somehow does a complete 180 when he “falls in love” with a girl who supposedly hated his guts.
The summary of this book made me believe that this would be a cute romantic contemporary but the fact of the matter was that this was a depiction of overtly sexualized high school students behaving and talking like they’re years beyond their actual age which just made me more than a bit uncomfortable.
September 1, 2020
This is a teenage romance with a difference. The story is told from the male characters view on his life and what happens around him. He is Donald Cerlino, a senior at high school, who is also known by many at school as DJ, his initials, but mainly as nickname for Don Juan, as he is being called for his ability to have all the girls after him and has been working his way through many of them. Going out with them to have his way with them and then dropping them. He doesn’t consider how he is treating them and to his male friends, he is classed as a legend! Even more girls try to get his attention despite his reputation around school, always thinking they will be the one! He quit playing football after his junior year, after an injury and a personal heartbreak. Both of which have changed how he has behaved in the past two years.
His other problem, is that he will bet about just about everything and the first day back at school, he is waiting to collect on a bet with one of his best friends. This time one of them has a new bet for him, to get a girl and make her fall in love with him and for him to have sex with her before the Christmas break! They get to choose who his victim will be and when they mention Alaina, he is secretly pleased, as she is the one girl he has always liked and has measured himself against since they were in kindergarten together. She is smart, great at lots of sports and he competes with her for top grades all the time. He secretly follows her soccer games and has fallen out of being friends these last two years and believes she hates him, but he can’t stop with the teasing he has done since kindergarten.
The bet with his two friends, is one hundred dollars from each of them, so he will Alaina before the deadline, but one of his friends is a bit of a mess and almost blows the details out in front of her, as his feelings towards her start to be made more obvious. Whether it is through jealousy or his normal drunken failures, he could hurt what Donald is starting to realise could be his perfect relationship. Maybe he has finally grown-up and seen the error of his ways, but others may not want him to have his happiness! He has taken a bet that in all reality he can’t win, but if he reveals the truth, he may well lose the one girl he truly loves and is now his best friend.
A great love story with a main character you start to hate due to his treatment of females that finally begins to grow up and realise the error of his ways, when he starts to fall for the girl of his dreams. He has met his match in Alaina however, as she won’t let him try his usual tricks with girls on her. He will face problems in this new relationship, as others in school give him the cold shoulder and try to make Alaina she what they all consider him to be! Problems at home have also compounded his behaviour, these past couple of years, but Alaina has also faced her own problems at home. Lots to test them along the way, from many different sides, just to keep it interesting! I bought this book a while ago and hadn’t gotten round to reading it, but will definitely look out for their next book. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
His other problem, is that he will bet about just about everything and the first day back at school, he is waiting to collect on a bet with one of his best friends. This time one of them has a new bet for him, to get a girl and make her fall in love with him and for him to have sex with her before the Christmas break! They get to choose who his victim will be and when they mention Alaina, he is secretly pleased, as she is the one girl he has always liked and has measured himself against since they were in kindergarten together. She is smart, great at lots of sports and he competes with her for top grades all the time. He secretly follows her soccer games and has fallen out of being friends these last two years and believes she hates him, but he can’t stop with the teasing he has done since kindergarten.
The bet with his two friends, is one hundred dollars from each of them, so he will Alaina before the deadline, but one of his friends is a bit of a mess and almost blows the details out in front of her, as his feelings towards her start to be made more obvious. Whether it is through jealousy or his normal drunken failures, he could hurt what Donald is starting to realise could be his perfect relationship. Maybe he has finally grown-up and seen the error of his ways, but others may not want him to have his happiness! He has taken a bet that in all reality he can’t win, but if he reveals the truth, he may well lose the one girl he truly loves and is now his best friend.
A great love story with a main character you start to hate due to his treatment of females that finally begins to grow up and realise the error of his ways, when he starts to fall for the girl of his dreams. He has met his match in Alaina however, as she won’t let him try his usual tricks with girls on her. He will face problems in this new relationship, as others in school give him the cold shoulder and try to make Alaina she what they all consider him to be! Problems at home have also compounded his behaviour, these past couple of years, but Alaina has also faced her own problems at home. Lots to test them along the way, from many different sides, just to keep it interesting! I bought this book a while ago and hadn’t gotten round to reading it, but will definitely look out for their next book. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
March 18, 2019
MY OPINION: ****
I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking this book. I read it via the Kindle app on my phone (that's a first for me!) and found that it went by much faster than I thought it would.
For a little book, I was slightly confused by what was going on in the book but once I sat down and concentrated on it, I understood the basic premises.
Donald "DJ" Cerlino is known for his Don Juan-playboy-manwhore ways. He's had a crush on the same girl since kindergarten, Alaina Pizzo. They started a friendship in freshman and sophomore year but he reverted to his bad boy ways and Alaina didn't like who he was becoming. DJ's friends make a bet with him that he can't sleep with Alaina before December. They make it worth 200 bucks, which slightly angered me because girls are not worth money. THEY ARE PRICELESS.
Tee Pee, DJ's best friend, was the most annoying and awful character I have ever had to deal with. He made everything into such a big deal, ruined his best friend's relationship and life, and claimed it was because he was jealous of DJ's life. Rell (I think his name was Rell), DJ's other best friend, was a lot nicer and definitely the decent guy that Tee Pee should have been.
Donald and Alaina form a sort of tacit friendship through their anatomy class and the sneaky teacher who pairs them up together because he knows that there's definitely something going on there. (I need a teacher like that lol). After a lot of confusion and longing and awkward conversations, they start to date. Alaina admits that she's liked him since kindergarten and it's unsatisfying to realize how much sooner they could have gotten together.
I ended up loving this book. The characters were hilarious and had honest dialogue that I could imagine being real. I didn't like the slut-shaming/fat-shaming that was going on in here but it wasn't made as prominent as it could be and nobody got hurt. The writing was simple and easy to understand, making it quicker and a lot more interesting.
I didn't see the amount of chemistry between Alaina and Donald that I was hoping for, but Donald's speeches about how much he loves her (especially at the end) made my heart break and my stomach ache for them.
Something I liked about this book was the fact that it was told from Donald's point of view. I don't know if it's just me but I feel as if the protagonists in straight romance novels are never told from the guy's perspective so that was interesting for me.
This felt vaguely like a cliche Wattpad story but that's fine with me because I eat those up every day. I loved how it felt so easy and almost cheesy because I was looking for one of those light easy reads. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a quick and interesting romance novel about two similar but different characters and an unlikely relationship.
Main Character: Donald
Sidekick(s): Alaina, Rell, etc
Villain(s): Tee Pee (let's be real, he was not a sidekick), etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was very real to life.
I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up liking this book. I read it via the Kindle app on my phone (that's a first for me!) and found that it went by much faster than I thought it would.
For a little book, I was slightly confused by what was going on in the book but once I sat down and concentrated on it, I understood the basic premises.
Donald "DJ" Cerlino is known for his Don Juan-playboy-manwhore ways. He's had a crush on the same girl since kindergarten, Alaina Pizzo. They started a friendship in freshman and sophomore year but he reverted to his bad boy ways and Alaina didn't like who he was becoming. DJ's friends make a bet with him that he can't sleep with Alaina before December. They make it worth 200 bucks, which slightly angered me because girls are not worth money. THEY ARE PRICELESS.
Tee Pee, DJ's best friend, was the most annoying and awful character I have ever had to deal with. He made everything into such a big deal, ruined his best friend's relationship and life, and claimed it was because he was jealous of DJ's life. Rell (I think his name was Rell), DJ's other best friend, was a lot nicer and definitely the decent guy that Tee Pee should have been.
Donald and Alaina form a sort of tacit friendship through their anatomy class and the sneaky teacher who pairs them up together because he knows that there's definitely something going on there. (I need a teacher like that lol). After a lot of confusion and longing and awkward conversations, they start to date. Alaina admits that she's liked him since kindergarten and it's unsatisfying to realize how much sooner they could have gotten together.
I ended up loving this book. The characters were hilarious and had honest dialogue that I could imagine being real. I didn't like the slut-shaming/fat-shaming that was going on in here but it wasn't made as prominent as it could be and nobody got hurt. The writing was simple and easy to understand, making it quicker and a lot more interesting.
I didn't see the amount of chemistry between Alaina and Donald that I was hoping for, but Donald's speeches about how much he loves her (especially at the end) made my heart break and my stomach ache for them.
Something I liked about this book was the fact that it was told from Donald's point of view. I don't know if it's just me but I feel as if the protagonists in straight romance novels are never told from the guy's perspective so that was interesting for me.
This felt vaguely like a cliche Wattpad story but that's fine with me because I eat those up every day. I loved how it felt so easy and almost cheesy because I was looking for one of those light easy reads. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a quick and interesting romance novel about two similar but different characters and an unlikely relationship.
Main Character: Donald
Sidekick(s): Alaina, Rell, etc
Villain(s): Tee Pee (let's be real, he was not a sidekick), etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book was very real to life.
March 11, 2019
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, I loved the premise of the book, I don't know why but for some reason the whole aspect of a guy initially using a girl to then actually fall in love with her appeals to me. I also liked that the book was solely from DJ's perspective, I don't read many romances from the guys POV so this was a nice change.
I found the book quite fast paced, it was very early on where the concept of the bet was introduced so much so that initially I was concerned I'd been given a sample rather than a full book. However, despite the fast pace a lot of the story seemed to lack any description, rather the author simply wrote what was necessary without bulking it up. In some cases, I think it's good, not everything needs a description, but in this case, I felt it was needed.
On the other hand there seemed to be the opposite whenever the characters were in a sports game, then it felt like we got a play by play commentary, which for sports fans would be great but for me personally it was a bit much, during the last game in the book I will admit I skim through some of the descriptions.
I really liked the characters, DJ wasn't what I was anticipating and neither was Alaina. I liked that they had interests, I liked that they both weren't your typical sporty students who aren't that great in academics.
Overall I enjoyed the book, I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would have liked it to be longer and maybe a little fewer details on the sports.
First of all, I loved the premise of the book, I don't know why but for some reason the whole aspect of a guy initially using a girl to then actually fall in love with her appeals to me. I also liked that the book was solely from DJ's perspective, I don't read many romances from the guys POV so this was a nice change.
I found the book quite fast paced, it was very early on where the concept of the bet was introduced so much so that initially I was concerned I'd been given a sample rather than a full book. However, despite the fast pace a lot of the story seemed to lack any description, rather the author simply wrote what was necessary without bulking it up. In some cases, I think it's good, not everything needs a description, but in this case, I felt it was needed.
On the other hand there seemed to be the opposite whenever the characters were in a sports game, then it felt like we got a play by play commentary, which for sports fans would be great but for me personally it was a bit much, during the last game in the book I will admit I skim through some of the descriptions.
I really liked the characters, DJ wasn't what I was anticipating and neither was Alaina. I liked that they had interests, I liked that they both weren't your typical sporty students who aren't that great in academics.
Overall I enjoyed the book, I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would have liked it to be longer and maybe a little fewer details on the sports.
February 18, 2019
This was a cute story about a high school senior, Donny, who has quite a reputation with his classmates as a player and is known as DJ which is short for Don Juan. He hangs with his two best friends, is a really good student, ex-football player and just out to have fun. He has been in love with a fellow classmate Alaina since he was in Kindergarten and after brief friendship early on in high school, she has stopped talking to him which has made him sad. They get paired as lab partners and she has to talk to him but it is obvious that she hates him for the most part. One of his friends bets him $200 that he can't get Alaina to like him again, be his girlfriend and sleep with him by Christmas. Donald doesn't want to take the bet but can't help himself. As school progresses, he and Alaina spend more time together and start to get closer. DJ even starts playing football again, inspired by Alaina and her confidence in him and her friendship. She seems to forgive him for his past transgressions and they become really good friends eventually moving towards romance. It is very sweet. The rest of the story is kind of predictable but it is a very sweet, nice happy ending. Interesting characters that seem a little more unique than the average YA romance but the plot is easy to predict. Cute, romantic read! DJ is a sweetheart. Many thanks to NG for the ARC!
October 2, 2019
I must confess that I was lured by the delightful front cover when I chose to read The Bet Between Us by Brandon Moore and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading it.
The characters were hilarious and I liked the honest dialogue between them that gave them reality. The writing was simple and easy to understand, making it quick read. What didn't work for me was that I didn't see the amount of chemistry between the main characters, Alaina and Donald, that I had been hoping for.
I really liked that the story was told from Donald's point of view, as the protagonists in romance novels are not usually the guys, so that was an interesting take for me.
The Bet Between Us is a good choice if you are looking for a light, easy, quick and romantic read about two teenagers who have both their similarities and their differences and form an unlikely relationship.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from the publisher via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
The characters were hilarious and I liked the honest dialogue between them that gave them reality. The writing was simple and easy to understand, making it quick read. What didn't work for me was that I didn't see the amount of chemistry between the main characters, Alaina and Donald, that I had been hoping for.
I really liked that the story was told from Donald's point of view, as the protagonists in romance novels are not usually the guys, so that was an interesting take for me.
The Bet Between Us is a good choice if you are looking for a light, easy, quick and romantic read about two teenagers who have both their similarities and their differences and form an unlikely relationship.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from the publisher via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.
July 20, 2019
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Bet Between Us is about relationship that got mixed up in bet between a few a friends and quickly got out of hand. This is a favorite trope of mine and I thought it was funny that the author mentioned She's All That which us probably the biggest pop culture reference for the bet/dating story.
Although I enjoyed the premise I felt like the book was bogged down by a style of writing that came off overly simplistic ("first I did this", "then I went here", "next this happened") and dialogue issues. For example, the conversations between Donald and his friends felt natural and realistic but between Donald and adults were overly sweet and over the top. And Alaina/Donald dialogue was just corny.
I wished there was a spin on the bet or that new territory was covered. In the end, the story unfolds exactly like you would think.
The Bet Between Us is about relationship that got mixed up in bet between a few a friends and quickly got out of hand. This is a favorite trope of mine and I thought it was funny that the author mentioned She's All That which us probably the biggest pop culture reference for the bet/dating story.
Although I enjoyed the premise I felt like the book was bogged down by a style of writing that came off overly simplistic ("first I did this", "then I went here", "next this happened") and dialogue issues. For example, the conversations between Donald and his friends felt natural and realistic but between Donald and adults were overly sweet and over the top. And Alaina/Donald dialogue was just corny.
I wished there was a spin on the bet or that new territory was covered. In the end, the story unfolds exactly like you would think.
November 3, 2019
The Male Perspective
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway & was asked in return for an honest review.
I enjoyed reading this book, I especially enjoyed the fact that it was from a male perspective. You don't really read something like this that often, unless of course the author decides to give both perspectives of the male & female view. It's nice to see what the guy goes through with his friends & family, with school life & home life. What he goes through during a breakup. The book as a whole was really good.
The writing was good as well but there were some areas that needed editing. Sometimes there were words added that didn't need to be there & other times there were words missing. Also sometimes things were repeated or changed like as if the author forgot what he had written a couple paragraphs before.
But like I said the book itself and what it was about was very good.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway & was asked in return for an honest review.
I enjoyed reading this book, I especially enjoyed the fact that it was from a male perspective. You don't really read something like this that often, unless of course the author decides to give both perspectives of the male & female view. It's nice to see what the guy goes through with his friends & family, with school life & home life. What he goes through during a breakup. The book as a whole was really good.
The writing was good as well but there were some areas that needed editing. Sometimes there were words added that didn't need to be there & other times there were words missing. Also sometimes things were repeated or changed like as if the author forgot what he had written a couple paragraphs before.
But like I said the book itself and what it was about was very good.
May 23, 2019
Donald has had a crush on Alaina for a long time. They have history as both friends and enemies. Now he has more urgent matter to attend to. He has a bet to fulfill.
Alaina is afraid to give Donald another chance to be her friend. He totally blew it the first time. She cannot help responding to him, she always does. Now her friends are noticing the difference, and she is not sure she can resist.
Very cute and sweet story. Has more dark and oddly twisted moments. Good overall pace, actions, heat and plot. I enjoyed the banter and wanted to slap some of the background characters. Felt a lot like I had revisited high school.
***This copy was given by Netgalley and its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Alaina is afraid to give Donald another chance to be her friend. He totally blew it the first time. She cannot help responding to him, she always does. Now her friends are noticing the difference, and she is not sure she can resist.
Very cute and sweet story. Has more dark and oddly twisted moments. Good overall pace, actions, heat and plot. I enjoyed the banter and wanted to slap some of the background characters. Felt a lot like I had revisited high school.
***This copy was given by Netgalley and its publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 14, 2019
***I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review***
The synopsis of this book instantly made me think of She's All That, so I thought it would be good one to read.
I wanted to like this book, but just couldn't. It felt all over the place to me. Too much going on with this person, then that person, etc. The characters are high school seniors, but acted like little 8th graders sometimes. I know high school has a lot of immature moments, but some of these were ridiculous. Maybe I'm getting too old for YA high school novels, I don't know.
On a positive note, I really like the book cover!!!
The synopsis of this book instantly made me think of She's All That, so I thought it would be good one to read.
I wanted to like this book, but just couldn't. It felt all over the place to me. Too much going on with this person, then that person, etc. The characters are high school seniors, but acted like little 8th graders sometimes. I know high school has a lot of immature moments, but some of these were ridiculous. Maybe I'm getting too old for YA high school novels, I don't know.
On a positive note, I really like the book cover!!!
February 26, 2019
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title. I love the cover of this title and I really wanted to like this book, but I simply could not get past the horrible writing and the predictability. Weird conversations that I could never see teens having, inconsistencies, and jumping into and out of slang did nothing but leave me aggravated. All the elements of a great story were present, it was the execution that was lacking. I can even get past the first person narrative, but I hated it when the writer directly addressed the reader.
March 4, 2019
I read this book because it is written by an alumni of a school I work at. I'm glad to report that it was a nice read and a great break from mysteries and thrillers, as are my desired genre. To begin with, I'd like to remind future readers that this is a high school setting. Though the language and social situations may seem a bit ghastly and mundane, it truly is similar to that of situations within the school setting. My one peeve with this book was the grammar and certain sentence structures and punctuation, otherwise it is what I would consider a perfect debut piece.
March 5, 2019
He can get every girl into bed and then leave her. Except one. But he still makes a bet that he can get her. Silly boy. Girls know what guys are up to, we just act sometimes like we don't. Poor Donald. Even some of his friends are against him. Girls especially are. The book is written like a true to life story. The characters act real that you might think they're people you know. Donald sure does seem like a guy I know. I found out facts about card games that I didn't know. And more about football. Such a cute story!
May 26, 2020
It was a good read and would recommend to anyone that enjoys this genre of books.
Donnie is the "bad boy" he sleeps around, a love 'em and leave 'em type of guy that enjoys gambling. He's having fun but it's his senior year and his last chance to get to know Alaina, who happens to hate his guts and he doesn't know why. What's a guy to do? Chance and become a better version of himself; for himself, his parents and for Alaina. But Donald is going to hit some road blocks along the way and even a friend or two that want to see him fail.
Donnie is the "bad boy" he sleeps around, a love 'em and leave 'em type of guy that enjoys gambling. He's having fun but it's his senior year and his last chance to get to know Alaina, who happens to hate his guts and he doesn't know why. What's a guy to do? Chance and become a better version of himself; for himself, his parents and for Alaina. But Donald is going to hit some road blocks along the way and even a friend or two that want to see him fail.
February 21, 2021
Cute read
Some might say some characters were too stereotypical but honestly that's still high school. It was a realistic fun read. The only part that threw me off was the Stephanie character. If he was so into Alaina, how was he so into Stephanie. Also, if he was so into Alaina and they were friends why would he start sleeping around. I guess the back story was needed to explain his actions but that part didn't make sense to me as according to him, it's always been Alaina.
I received a free copy of this book and I voluntarily reviewed it.
Some might say some characters were too stereotypical but honestly that's still high school. It was a realistic fun read. The only part that threw me off was the Stephanie character. If he was so into Alaina, how was he so into Stephanie. Also, if he was so into Alaina and they were friends why would he start sleeping around. I guess the back story was needed to explain his actions but that part didn't make sense to me as according to him, it's always been Alaina.
I received a free copy of this book and I voluntarily reviewed it.
February 28, 2019
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this copy of The Bet Between Us! I really enjoyed this book! I got strong "She's All That" vibes which I really liked cause I love that movie! I really like Alaina's character cause she didn't let a boy take over her life, and I liked Donald (by the end of the book) because he actually changed because of her! I thought the book was faced and enjoyable! It was a really fun read!
March 8, 2019
This book is what you would expect from a teen/young adult realistic romance book, and it is very worth the read. I would say it is a little on the cheesy side, but I think overall the story was good and the characters had enough depth that you could connect with them.
I voluntarily read and received a free ARC copy of this title through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and received a free ARC copy of this title through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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