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pageaddict's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
0.5
This is one of my favorite books! I don't typically re read books but I can't even count how many times I've read this one. Min and her group of friends are funny and inspiration. Liza is probably my favorite. She is the friend we all wish we had fierce and loyal. I just love the characters in this book so much so I wish they were real people! Jennifer Cruise books are always a delight!
diabianca's review against another edition
4.0
This is definitely Chick-lit. The story can be predictable. However, the characters are all interesting & well-developed leading to amusing banters and interesting interactions between them, which I enjoyed.
dmwmtgal's review against another edition
5.0
http://imaromancereader.blogspot.com/2008/06/bet-me-by-jennifer-crusie.html
bikes_books_yarn's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one. The story focuses on Minerva Dobbs - and 33 year old overweight woman who just got dumped. While at the bar with girlfriends she overhears her jerk ex-boyfriend bet one of his friends (Calvin Morrisey - hunk alert!) that he can't take her home and do the horizontal tango. Minerva decides to screw with them both by stringing Calvin along. Her evil ex dumped her just before her sisters wedding so she figures this will be perfect - she can bring the hunky lap dog with her and dump him when it's over.
Of course we all know where it goes from here.
On a side note - This book prompted a discussion on why is there sexy shoes on so many chicklit books? Right around the time I read this (2005) there were just a ton of books that had sexy shoes or feet on the covers. What is up with that? Was it because of Sex and the City? Or was it a reaction to pedicures and open toed shoes being big? It's sort of weird.
Of course we all know where it goes from here.
On a side note - This book prompted a discussion on why is there sexy shoes on so many chicklit books? Right around the time I read this (2005) there were just a ton of books that had sexy shoes or feet on the covers. What is up with that? Was it because of Sex and the City? Or was it a reaction to pedicures and open toed shoes being big? It's sort of weird.
leeshell's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 Stars
Well, I mean, I kinda saw this coming, I knew going into this that the whole bet plot is usually a miss for me, and granted this book didn't really play into that super hard, it DID however have miscommunication and as we all know that is just not something I have time for. The banter was pretty good however and that's really the only think that kept me reading.
I just want to add a small(is) complaints section down here where I exclusively complain about the Mother, because GOOD LORD this woman was TEST-ING my patience.
Not only does this woman learn absolutely nothing and really doesn't develop in any meaningful way, she continually calls her daughter fat and never, not once apologizes or realizes that her comments and actions are damaging in any way, I really just don't understand what the point is of adding that to the plot if the Mother never realizes the error of her ways. It was quite possibly the most annoying thing about this book.
Okay, vent over
Well, I mean, I kinda saw this coming, I knew going into this that the whole bet plot is usually a miss for me, and granted this book didn't really play into that super hard, it DID however have miscommunication and as we all know that is just not something I have time for. The banter was pretty good however and that's really the only think that kept me reading.
I just want to add a small(is) complaints section down here where I exclusively complain about the Mother, because GOOD LORD this woman was TEST-ING my patience.
Not only does this woman learn absolutely nothing and really doesn't develop in any meaningful way, she continually calls her daughter fat and never, not once apologizes or realizes that her comments and actions are damaging in any way, I really just don't understand what the point is of adding that to the plot if the Mother never realizes the error of her ways. It was quite possibly the most annoying thing about this book.
Okay, vent over
nikkieliz13's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.5 Stars
This book included story elements that I’m usually not a fan of, such as: 1) antagonist pov, and 2) main characters keeping secrets from each other. Both usually make me feel as if the author handed me a ticking time bomb instead of letting me remain blissfully ignorant of the impending explosion—I can’t deal with all of that anticipatory anxiety. Fortunately, despite the story containing said elements, they never instilled that same level of stress. Everything was relatively low-angst, and as such, I was able to enjoy the story as I read it.
❤︎︎
❤︎︎
“Here, darling,” Nanette said and handed her five different colored lace bras. “Go in there and put one of these on and bring me that cotton thing. I’m going to burn it.”
“What cotton thing?” Diana said.
“I’m wearing a plain white bra,” Min told her as she stepped off the platform, her hands full of lace.
Diana widened her eyes and looked prim. “Well, you’re going to hell.”
“Diana,” Nanette said.
“I know,” Min said as she headed for the dressing room. “That’s where all the best men are.”
“Minerva,” Nanette said.
I was pleasantly surprised by the dynamic between the FMC and her sister. I was expecting Min and Diana’s sisterly relationship to be filled with simmering resentment—as that’s often the case when the curvy FMC has a “skinny” sister, and they were raised by a mother who defined beauty by weight. However, Min and Diana had a loving and supportive relationship, and instead of their mother’s lectures putting them at odds, they actually bonded over them—which I loved.
Title:[b: Bet Me
by Jennifer Crusie]
POV(s): Multiple—Third Person
Interconnected Series: No
Standalone: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
HEA:
Spoiler
YesRelationship: M/F
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Triggers:
Tags/Tropes:
❖ Conniving-Exs
❖ Curvy-FMC
❖ FMC/MMC-Defends-MMC/FMC-From-His/Her-Parents
❖ Friend-Groups
❖ Opposites-Attract
❖ Playboy-MMC
❖ Slow-Burn
❖ Started-with-a-Bet
❖ Strangers-to-Friends-to-Lovers
❖ Unlikely-Couple
❖ Wrong-First-Impressions
ameretet's review against another edition
4.0
totally adorable book. recommended for light romance read.
anasatticbookblog's review against another edition
5.0
Read more of my book reviews and ramblings at Ana's Attic Book Blog.Read some fun stuff about being curvy at Starting On Monday
This is my first audiobook review for the blog. I do listen to audiobooks as an attempt to get myself up and walking, yet still reading. Well, honestly, I just ended up listening in the car. That's why Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie really hit home for me. Also, when I was putting together my list of Top Funny Happy Romance books, my research put this at the top of so many lists, so I had to check it out.
The main character had some weight struggles, especially with a mother that doesn't stop reminding her! (I TOTALLY relate to this). Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie was a total hit for me. It combined a fun chick-lit romance, contemporary romance, and body image stuff in one great book.
Min (Minerva Dobbs) has a plain name to go with her plain appearance. Dowdy and self-conscious, Min dresses to hide herself, except for her cute shoes. Her mother is all over her about her weight, and despite the fact that she hasn't eaten carbs or fat in forever, she still can't fit into the Maid of Honor dress for her perfect sister's wedding. On top of that, her asshole boyfriend, David (and date to the wedding), just ended things because she didn't sleep with him yet...and yeah, because of her weight.
Min has some great friends though. And they all go to a bar to hang out.
“Rum and Coke, please," she told the bartender.
Maybe that was why Liza and Bonnie never had guy trouble: great hair. She looked at Liza, racehorse-thin in purple zippered leather...Okay it wasn't just the hair. If she jammed herself into Liza's dress, she'd look like Barney's slut cousin.
"Diet Coke," she told the bartender.”
Cal Morrissey is a handsome womanizer who is known to break women's hearts after getting them to fall in love with him. His relationships all seem to end at the two month point. He is out with his friends at the same bar, when David (Min's ex, and a business acquaintance of Cal's) bets Cal that he can't get the plain and dowdy Min to bed in a month.
Min knows (or thinks she knows) about the bet, but decides, why not? She needs a date for the wedding, so she might as well go for it. After a fairly disastrous first date, Cal and Min decide not to see each other again. But they keep running into one another. And Min's friends and Cal's friends start coupling off. Time after time they are thrown together, and as much as they try to fight it and just remain friends, the spark between them is strong. Despite them feeling "mine" in their head, they remained platonic friends.
But the flirtation between them is strong, plus, Cal can't stop himself from looking down her shirt every chance he could get.
"You wanna be sexy, be sexy...You have assets that skinny women will never have and you should be enjoying them and dressing like you enjoy them...or at least dressing so that others can enjoy them."
"You dress like you hate your body, sexy is in your head, and you don't feel sexy, so you don't look it."
Well as a girl who spent her life with a mother who constantly harps on her weight (I can TOTALLY relate) how can she ever feel good about herself? But as the friendship continues, and the flirtation grows, so does Min's confidence.
"The truth is, most guys would rather go to bed with you than with a clothes hangar, you're a lot more fun to touch. But most women don't believe that, you keep trying to lose weight for each other."
But despite others' trying to break them up, this almost-couple had a pretty strong connection.
“The rush became a whisper – THIS one – and he breathed deeper, and before she could open her eyes, he leaned in and kissed her, tasting the chocolate and the heat of her mouth, and she froze for a moment and then kissed him back, sweet and insistent, blanking out all coherent thought."
Likes:
-The characters were so much fun and so relatable. I loved them all, I even loved hating the ones I'm supposed to hate!
-I TOTALLY get the whole perfect mom and sister thing (only I have two!).
-I totally fell for Cal too.
-Harry was an awesome kid character.
-I laughed many times throughout the story.
-It had a totally awesome epilogue.
Dislikes:
-Not enough sex. It was a bit of a tease.
-How much Chicken Marsala can people eat? Was there any other food besides Chicken Marsala, Krispy Kreme (yum) or Brats?
-I'm a visual person. There was so much talk about Min's weight, I would have liked to know...is she a size 12? An 18? How big is big?
Audio feedback:
-This was nice and long. There was over 12 hours of listening.
-I loved the acting and voices. It was clear who was speaking at all times, you can even tell when it was over the phone.
-Because it was audio, I really noticed how many times the author used "said". "Min said, Cal said...." it was overkill in an audio book.
Rating: 4.75 Stars, 2.5 Heat (Would have been 5 if there was more sex)
I know using quarter stars feels silly. But I have changed this rating back and forth from 4.5-5, so I settled.
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie was a fun, relatable story. It was very refreshing to have a heroine that wasn't the most beautiful person the hero has ever known. I don't think you have to be overweight to love this story, but I do think that if you do suffer from some weight related, or any self esteem issues, you would totally love this story, and the message that beauty comes from the inside.
“She slid out from under his arm, and picked up his shirt from the floor. When she put it on, it failed to meet in the middle over her chest. that always worked in the movies, she thought, disgusted, and dropped it on the floor.”
This is my first audiobook review for the blog. I do listen to audiobooks as an attempt to get myself up and walking, yet still reading. Well, honestly, I just ended up listening in the car. That's why Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie really hit home for me. Also, when I was putting together my list of Top Funny Happy Romance books, my research put this at the top of so many lists, so I had to check it out.
The main character had some weight struggles, especially with a mother that doesn't stop reminding her! (I TOTALLY relate to this). Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie was a total hit for me. It combined a fun chick-lit romance, contemporary romance, and body image stuff in one great book.
Min (Minerva Dobbs) has a plain name to go with her plain appearance. Dowdy and self-conscious, Min dresses to hide herself, except for her cute shoes. Her mother is all over her about her weight, and despite the fact that she hasn't eaten carbs or fat in forever, she still can't fit into the Maid of Honor dress for her perfect sister's wedding. On top of that, her asshole boyfriend, David (and date to the wedding), just ended things because she didn't sleep with him yet...and yeah, because of her weight.
Min has some great friends though. And they all go to a bar to hang out.
“Rum and Coke, please," she told the bartender.
Maybe that was why Liza and Bonnie never had guy trouble: great hair. She looked at Liza, racehorse-thin in purple zippered leather...Okay it wasn't just the hair. If she jammed herself into Liza's dress, she'd look like Barney's slut cousin.
"Diet Coke," she told the bartender.”
Cal Morrissey is a handsome womanizer who is known to break women's hearts after getting them to fall in love with him. His relationships all seem to end at the two month point. He is out with his friends at the same bar, when David (Min's ex, and a business acquaintance of Cal's) bets Cal that he can't get the plain and dowdy Min to bed in a month.
Min knows (or thinks she knows) about the bet, but decides, why not? She needs a date for the wedding, so she might as well go for it. After a fairly disastrous first date, Cal and Min decide not to see each other again. But they keep running into one another. And Min's friends and Cal's friends start coupling off. Time after time they are thrown together, and as much as they try to fight it and just remain friends, the spark between them is strong. Despite them feeling "mine" in their head, they remained platonic friends.
But the flirtation between them is strong, plus, Cal can't stop himself from looking down her shirt every chance he could get.
"You wanna be sexy, be sexy...You have assets that skinny women will never have and you should be enjoying them and dressing like you enjoy them...or at least dressing so that others can enjoy them."
"You dress like you hate your body, sexy is in your head, and you don't feel sexy, so you don't look it."
Well as a girl who spent her life with a mother who constantly harps on her weight (I can TOTALLY relate) how can she ever feel good about herself? But as the friendship continues, and the flirtation grows, so does Min's confidence.
"The truth is, most guys would rather go to bed with you than with a clothes hangar, you're a lot more fun to touch. But most women don't believe that, you keep trying to lose weight for each other."
But despite others' trying to break them up, this almost-couple had a pretty strong connection.
“The rush became a whisper – THIS one – and he breathed deeper, and before she could open her eyes, he leaned in and kissed her, tasting the chocolate and the heat of her mouth, and she froze for a moment and then kissed him back, sweet and insistent, blanking out all coherent thought."
Likes:
-The characters were so much fun and so relatable. I loved them all, I even loved hating the ones I'm supposed to hate!
-I TOTALLY get the whole perfect mom and sister thing (only I have two!).
-I totally fell for Cal too.
-Harry was an awesome kid character.
-I laughed many times throughout the story.
-It had a totally awesome epilogue.
Dislikes:
-Not enough sex. It was a bit of a tease.
-How much Chicken Marsala can people eat? Was there any other food besides Chicken Marsala, Krispy Kreme (yum) or Brats?
-I'm a visual person. There was so much talk about Min's weight, I would have liked to know...is she a size 12? An 18? How big is big?
Audio feedback:
-This was nice and long. There was over 12 hours of listening.
-I loved the acting and voices. It was clear who was speaking at all times, you can even tell when it was over the phone.
-Because it was audio, I really noticed how many times the author used "said". "Min said, Cal said...." it was overkill in an audio book.
Rating: 4.75 Stars, 2.5 Heat (Would have been 5 if there was more sex)
I know using quarter stars feels silly. But I have changed this rating back and forth from 4.5-5, so I settled.
Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie was a fun, relatable story. It was very refreshing to have a heroine that wasn't the most beautiful person the hero has ever known. I don't think you have to be overweight to love this story, but I do think that if you do suffer from some weight related, or any self esteem issues, you would totally love this story, and the message that beauty comes from the inside.
“She slid out from under his arm, and picked up his shirt from the floor. When she put it on, it failed to meet in the middle over her chest. that always worked in the movies, she thought, disgusted, and dropped it on the floor.”
brighteyes0812's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this book...it was a great funny read!