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doll816's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my goodness! Rachel has far surpassed my expectations with The Bet! [[An assistant to the author was kind enough to provide me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest (and unbiased) review.]] It took me a little time to dive into the novel, because I have issues at times with books that change characters each chapter. (I blame it on my love to read, so I want to read as fast as I can, and sometimes my brain takes a moment to catch up.) I instantly fell in love with Kacey (and wanted to see more of Char, bring on The Wager!). I kept saying to myself "How CUTE are Travis and Kacey?!" throughout the entire book. They are the epitome of TRUE LOVE. The restaurant scene brought tears to my eyes (happy tears, of course). Their banter is one for the record books. Jake starts out with the persona of exactly what you'd expect from someone with the privileged life he has had (But I'm still interested in more of his story in The Wager). But, my favorite character is Grandma! She is a hoot. I love her for her sarcastic, silly, loving, straight-to-the-point behavior and personality. (She also reminds me of my grandmother and her antics rival that of the grandmother in the Stephanie Plum novels. Though, to me, Grandma Nadine is even funnier!)
I can't wait to read more books of Ms. Rachel Van Dyken's! (And they're already lined up on my e-shelf! NOW I JUST NEED AN ACTUAL PRINT COPY OF ONE FOR MY BOOK SHELVES!)
I can't wait to read more books of Ms. Rachel Van Dyken's! (And they're already lined up on my e-shelf! NOW I JUST NEED AN ACTUAL PRINT COPY OF ONE FOR MY BOOK SHELVES!)
carladelgado's review against another edition
1.0
I can't believe I stayed up until 2:30 AM to finish this. I needed to wake up early and I sacrificed my time just to read this. Ugh. Worst decision ever. I was reading reading reading then I reached the point where it gets kinda boring so I just skim the rest of the pages but read it enough to still understand the story.
I just didn't like the book that much. I don't know. Everything. I just didn't like everything. The only thing I liked was the Prologue, and after that I didn't like the book at all.
Gosh I spent hours on this! In the middle of the book i was thinking of stopping and just sleep already, but I thought "The story might get better. I'll finish this book tonight."
Ugh. Why did I even finish it?! Time = wasted. :|
It's still good enough for 1 star, though. Good effort. :/
I just didn't like the book that much. I don't know. Everything. I just didn't like everything. The only thing I liked was the Prologue, and after that I didn't like the book at all.
Gosh I spent hours on this! In the middle of the book i was thinking of stopping and just sleep already, but I thought "The story might get better. I'll finish this book tonight."
Ugh. Why did I even finish it?! Time = wasted. :|
It's still good enough for 1 star, though. Good effort. :/
devansbooklife's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book!! Couldn't put it down once I started! My favorite part was reading from each character's point of view.
I loathed Jake. Therefore, I'm not sure I will read book two. He is vile, selfish, and repulsive. Kacey deserved so much more. Enter Travis, sexy, hunky, sweet, perfect Travis. He made the book! He sweetened the pot. He fixed everything!
Well that and my personal favorite character Grandma Nadine. I can only hope to have her spunk, style, and ability to live at her age.
I loathed Jake. Therefore, I'm not sure I will read book two. He is vile, selfish, and repulsive. Kacey deserved so much more. Enter Travis, sexy, hunky, sweet, perfect Travis. He made the book! He sweetened the pot. He fixed everything!
Well that and my personal favorite character Grandma Nadine. I can only hope to have her spunk, style, and ability to live at her age.
shawniebooks's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't feeling the characters. Just not my cup of tea.
caseroo7's review against another edition
3.0
The Bet is the first book I have read by Rachel Van Dyken, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect. I thought that this one sounded interesting, and I knew that I really wanted to give this one a shot. For the most part I found this book to be enjoyable. I liked most of the characters, and thought that they were interesting and entertaining. I did have a few issues with this book, but not so many that it kept me from liking the story.
Kacey hasn't spoken to her childhood best friend in years. After they spent a night together, Jake walked out on her and has barely spoken to her. But when he calls her up asking for her to pretend to be his fiance, she agrees to his terms in order for him to help her with her student loans and also for the sake of his Grandma. Kacey has always felt a connection to his family, and his Grandma took care of her after her parents passed away. Kacey doesn't realize that in helping him out though that she will come face to face with her nemesis, his older brother Travis. Travis spent their childhood torturing her, and she has always hated him. But Travis was only trying to torture her in order to be her rescuer, even if it never ended up working out that way. As Kacey spends the weekend trying to pretend to be in love with Jake, she quickly realizes just how much both Jake and Travis have changed. Before long, she is spending more time with Travis and thinking of Jake less and less. Things quickly get confusing for her as she tries to figure out who she belongs with and if she possibly has a future with either of them.
I really didn't like Jake. I wanted to so badly, but every time that I thought that he was on the right track he would just say or do something completely awful and ruin it. I wasn't a fan of his from the start. To me, he just seemed extremely selfish and shallow. He was a complete womanizer, and didn't seem to care for Kacey at all. He would say that he was doing the things because he was looking out for her, but it always just seemed like he didn't truly have any feelings for her. He was also pretty awful to his brother and family. I just didn't get the appeal at all. Travis on the other hand I loved from the start. He was older, but yet more insecure and vulnerable. I felt so bad for him always being in the background and loving Kacey from afar. He wanted her to like him so badly, but he just went about it the absolute worst way possible. He was always thinking about her though and you could tell just how much he really cared about her. Kacey was one of those characters that I both liked and didn't like. She had her moments where I thought that she was great and then others where I just wanted to shake her. I felt like she acted a lot younger than her age several times, and that was frustrating. But I did think that she had great chemistry with Travis. They were hot together and there was a ton of tension and steam.
Overall, this was a good read. I thought that it was funny and entertaining. I laughed a lot at the witty banter and the interactions between Kacey and the Titus family. I absolutely loved Grandma and thought that she really made the story. I also really liked that we got multiple POVs and could really tell what the main characters were thinking. It really made the connection and HEA that much more real to me. I found it to be believable and in the end I was satisfied with how everything ended up. I will read more in this series, as I'm really looking forward to more of these great characters and seeing where Van Dyken takes them. I hope that Jake is able to redeem himself and turns out to be different than the way he was in this book. Also I can't wait to get more about Grandma! I would recommend giving this book a shot if you are looking for a bit of humor with your romance. This one kept me laughing and was a quick enjoyable read.
**ARC Provided By NetGalley**
Kacey hasn't spoken to her childhood best friend in years. After they spent a night together, Jake walked out on her and has barely spoken to her. But when he calls her up asking for her to pretend to be his fiance, she agrees to his terms in order for him to help her with her student loans and also for the sake of his Grandma. Kacey has always felt a connection to his family, and his Grandma took care of her after her parents passed away. Kacey doesn't realize that in helping him out though that she will come face to face with her nemesis, his older brother Travis. Travis spent their childhood torturing her, and she has always hated him. But Travis was only trying to torture her in order to be her rescuer, even if it never ended up working out that way. As Kacey spends the weekend trying to pretend to be in love with Jake, she quickly realizes just how much both Jake and Travis have changed. Before long, she is spending more time with Travis and thinking of Jake less and less. Things quickly get confusing for her as she tries to figure out who she belongs with and if she possibly has a future with either of them.
I really didn't like Jake. I wanted to so badly, but every time that I thought that he was on the right track he would just say or do something completely awful and ruin it. I wasn't a fan of his from the start. To me, he just seemed extremely selfish and shallow. He was a complete womanizer, and didn't seem to care for Kacey at all. He would say that he was doing the things because he was looking out for her, but it always just seemed like he didn't truly have any feelings for her. He was also pretty awful to his brother and family. I just didn't get the appeal at all. Travis on the other hand I loved from the start. He was older, but yet more insecure and vulnerable. I felt so bad for him always being in the background and loving Kacey from afar. He wanted her to like him so badly, but he just went about it the absolute worst way possible. He was always thinking about her though and you could tell just how much he really cared about her. Kacey was one of those characters that I both liked and didn't like. She had her moments where I thought that she was great and then others where I just wanted to shake her. I felt like she acted a lot younger than her age several times, and that was frustrating. But I did think that she had great chemistry with Travis. They were hot together and there was a ton of tension and steam.
Overall, this was a good read. I thought that it was funny and entertaining. I laughed a lot at the witty banter and the interactions between Kacey and the Titus family. I absolutely loved Grandma and thought that she really made the story. I also really liked that we got multiple POVs and could really tell what the main characters were thinking. It really made the connection and HEA that much more real to me. I found it to be believable and in the end I was satisfied with how everything ended up. I will read more in this series, as I'm really looking forward to more of these great characters and seeing where Van Dyken takes them. I hope that Jake is able to redeem himself and turns out to be different than the way he was in this book. Also I can't wait to get more about Grandma! I would recommend giving this book a shot if you are looking for a bit of humor with your romance. This one kept me laughing and was a quick enjoyable read.
**ARC Provided By NetGalley**
cierra_mccauley_cierrascorner's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this!
What an amazing story! It was so heartfelt and laugh out loud funny I literally spit all over myself laughing like a hyaena. I love this author can't wait to read more!
What an amazing story! It was so heartfelt and laugh out loud funny I literally spit all over myself laughing like a hyaena. I love this author can't wait to read more!
literarylover37's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this but the MC's ages didn't fit, nor did specific details regarding their times and ages. Like people who were 6 in '97 would not be into the Backstreet Boys. A couple of other things like that threw me off and took me out of the story. Other than that, I enjoyed this departure from my usual reading tastes.