The evening that Min is dumped by her jerk of a boyfriend, David, and mad at every male, he bets a “charmer” friend, Cal, that he can't get her to go out with him that night or get her into bed in a month. Cal takes the dinner bet and refuses the other. However, she hears them betting but not Cal's response. She agrees to dinner to thwart David and is a bitch to Cal. Both part assuming they will never meet again. But that is not what happens. Both Cal and Min have 2 close friends that keep bringing the group together and David keeps trying to sabotage the bet that isn't. Lots of great humor. Loved this book. ( )

3.5 stars

Min(erva) is a larger woman and is self-conscious about it. When she is dumped (because she hasn’t slept with him after 2 months), she heads out with a couple of girlfriends where she sees her ex. And overhears him betting the most good-looking of the men he is with (Cal) that Cal can’t get Min to dinner that night, then to bed within a month. Prickly Min goes with Cal, anyway. Turns out Cal is a pretty nice guy…

I enjoyed this. The larger woman self-consciousness hits home, but I’m happily single, anyway. I rarely read romances, anymore, and only occasionally chick lit, but I still enjoyed this. It’s nice to think the larger woman can get the good-looking guy. There were multiple perspectives in this book, including the ex-boyfriend. There were a number of secondary characters, mostly friends of both Min and Cal; I particularly enjoyed Emilio, the restaurant owner. ( )

Okay so a lot of the fat phobia - internalized and external - didn't age well BUT this really had some great writing and some really smart observations. Crusie amazes me. Also, in case you can't tell THIS IS A SEX BET BOOK. So fair warning because I Hate Bet Books. They hurt my heart and make me cry but I was already committed to this book prior to figuring that out (I know it's called Bet Me but I am not smart). So, for me, the bet-trope worked so fucking well in this book than in any other bet book I've read.

There was SO MUCH DIALOGUE and that was really difficult to get into at first. Like, so many people are talking to one another constantly - which was kind of genius - but was a big shift for my brain. There is a large cast of characters that I did have some problems remembering well. BUT I actually think this would have made an amazing movie (or audioplay). Like is Jennifer Crusie a secret-screenwriter? Because it felt like I was reading a film - in a good way! I loved the epilogue - a tie for favorite epilogues with Kristen Callihan's The Hot Shot.

ps. is that chair scene an homage to Judith Ivory's Untie My Heart? Because I know Crusie loves Ivory! Also, am I going to make Judith Ivory connections appear whenever convenient? Yes. I am. ( )

Light, funny romance book.

A re-read from a time when I wasn't tracking on Goodreads. I forgot how well written this book is, and I still don't know why it hasn't been made into a movie yet. ( )

totally adorable book. recommended for light romance read. ( )

Bet Me
5 Stars

After her boyfriend criticizes her weight and dumps her for not sleeping with him, Minerva Dodd swears off men. Likewise, Cal Morrisey is taking a hiatus from women after his former girlfriend gives him an ultimatum - marriage or nothing. Unfortunately for Min and Cal, fate has other plans and before they know it, all bets are off and they find themselves falling for one another despite their best-laid plans . . .

This book had me smiling from beginning to end.

Min and Cal's opposites attract romance is simply delightful. Their sizzling chemistry and witty banter light up the pages. Crusie also manages to avoid the irritating keeping secrets trope as Min is aware of the infamous bet from the start and it even becomes a running gag in the story.

The secondary characters are just as wonderful from Min's posse, Bonnie and Liza, to Cal's best buds, Roger and Tony. Each and everyone is fleshed out well and contributes to the overall charm of the story. Even the annoying Cynthy and obnoxious David have a role to play in this engaging tale.

Deanna Hurst's narration of the audiobook is first-rate although deeper voices for the male characters would not have been amiss.

All in all, this one is a definite re-read in the making.

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This fast-paced, hysterical romance has to be one of Crusie’s best books. I’ve always loved her banter, but here almost every line is perfect and funny. A story about a commitment phobe, a woman who has viewed herself through her mother’s eyes for too many years, and a shabby cat that loves Elvis Presley's music. This might be classed as a big beautiful woman book, though truly Min is a perfectly normal woman. After reading this, many women will want their own ‘donut pusher’. This doesn’t beat my favourite book of hers, but it’s close, winning on the laughs alone. ( )

It was definitely funny, though that made it feel slightly more unrealistic - everything every character ever said is clever and witty? Stretches my willingness to suspend disbelief. But made me chuckle. I liked the chubby heroine but she had more of a wry humor thing than an insecurity thing going on, so it nixed a lot of the potential angst. Basically, chick lit is not for me. Now I know. (2.5 stars) ( )

I really enjoyed this contemporary romance. These two met on a bet and didn't intend to keep going out but they just couldn't stay away from each other. The hero was totally adorable. ( )

Narrator of the audio book is excellent. ( )

I was entertained. ( )

Chubby heroine stops struggling to lose weight and gets it on with a hot dude who is into her curves and her sexy shoes.



I love Jennifer Crusie's romance novels, and I've only read two of them. As a closer to 40-than-30-year-old mother of two, I appreciate a romance novel (or any work of fiction geared towards adults) with a female protagonist I can truly relate to. In Bet Me and Anyone But You, the leading ladies work wonderfully unglamorous jobs, have body/weight issues and have an unabashed powerful sex drive. Unlike their chick-lit counterparts, Jennifer Crusie's heroines are emotionally generous, educated, beautiful in their ordinary looks, don't obsess about the latest fashion trends, or are socially awkward neurotics.



They are normal women with normal quirks, and you can understand why the hunk du jour in Bet Me and [b:Anyone But You|33732|Anyone But You |Jennifer Crusie|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168462747s/33732.jpg|3409] fall for them and want them more than just for their looks. The ladies are witty, relevant, strong-willed without being the stereotypical bitch. The male characters are not as well drawn out as the women, but are presented as more than just two-dimensional and all-understanding eye candy that is featured in today’s more contemporary female-geared fiction.
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A slow burning romance just like I love them! ( )

I had heard a lot of good things about this book. And it was good, but maybe not in the all top for me. I guess I like more historical romances. But I did like the unconventional heroine. ( )

[Review written by my younger self]
A guy walks into a bar. He meets his friends there, one of whom picks an okay-looking girl and bets him $10,000 that he will sleep with her within a month. He instead bets his friend $10 that he will take her out to dinner. Two things are of note here: (1) The friend making the bet just finished breaking up with this girl, and (2) the girl happens to overhear most of it, and is now under the impression that her ex-boyfriend bet a guy $10 that he would sleep with her in a month.

The guy accepting the bet, the ever-popular serial dater Cal Morrissey, accepts the bet for dinner and $10 with the girl, Min Dobbs. Min's ex-boyfriend, David, is too drunk to realize that Cal accepted the $10 bet, and not the $10,000 bet. Min decides to go out with Cal in order to spite David.

Plot to one of the archived comic relief episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210? Not hardly, and I must sheepishly admit that 90210 was one of my favorites in its heyday. Instead, this is the catalyst event for Jennifer Crusie's book, Bet Me, a novel I picked up with cynical expectations in my exploration of the "chick lit" genre. I have to say that I was not surprised to see that the characters (aside from, to a certain extent, Min and Cal) are generally one-sided and the plot itself was quite predictable (what else would they do but end up in each other's arms, right?). Still, the writing was very funny, and at the least it was an entertaining read if you are able to dismiss these shortcomings.

Regarding these cookie cutter characters, it is almost easy enough to put the large majority of them into categories. Min has her girlfriends - one is the popular, svelte one who gets all the guys and is more than a little suspicious of men, and the other is the sweet, soft-spoken one who believes in fairy tales. Cal's friends are similar foils: One is the tough guy who appears to be monomaniacal when it comes to certain pick-up lines, and the other is a sort of shy and simple guy with old-fashioned values. Cal and Min at first present themselves too to fit right in. Cal is the popular hunk with a habit for dumping women, and Min is the angry woman who is upset over her breakup not
because David left her, but because he left her without a date for her sister's wedding.

A somewhat refreshing twist from this formula is the eventually over-emphasized subplot dealing with Min's weight, which is a subject of constant debate and complaint from her overbearing mother. (Yet another typical character... Heck, even the phrase "overbearing mother" is a cliche, yeah?) It was nice to take a break from the whole I-hate-you, I-love-you plotline to hear about Min's concerns about her weight and the tension it causes with the women of the Dobbs household.

Aside from this twist, the subplots in the story act mostly as a way of presenting the rest of this ensemble cast in its typical fashion: Naturally, Cal and Min's friends attempt to hook up accordingly. Naturally, Cal and Min's exes act as interlopers. At times it felt like the subplots were fillers to space out the Cal and Min story, which would have been very typical if it weren't for the supporting actors of chicken marsala and Krispy Kreme donuts. The stars of the subplots were, possibly because of their one-dimensional nature, only somewhat likable, and only at certain moments. To be honest, some of the subplots were annoying, others ridiculous.

Still, after all this, I have to say that the book did make me laugh out loud. The stories are set up for some entertaining, and even mildly believable comic moments. Once the main characters gain familiarity with the reader, it is easy to enjoy their expected reactions when faced with certain predicaments. I feel that more could have been done with this... More could have been done with EVERYTHING, but the comic potential is the only aspect that really made it through to near completion.

Borrow it from the library if you're in the mood for a laugh on the beach.
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The main character, Min, is considered chubby by today's standards but still willing to speak her mind. Loved the humorous interactions with boy toy, Cal, that were accepted by both because of a bet. Enjoyed the relationships among the various friends: Min and her feisty friends especially Liza, Cal with his coworker friends. Liked how the ex girlfriend had theories about love relationships. Above average for chick lit. ( )

Firstly, not work appropriate: it may not have been until the very end, but the descriptive - shall we say - foreplay scene was not the best thing to listen to at work. Sure, no one could hear it on my headphones but the last thing I want while collating is getting all hot and bothered and start having flashbacks of dragging the cute boy into the locking photocopy room... when I can't do that anymore, that is.

I was having so much trouble deciding if I liked the book or not. There were times I thought it was really lame and not well thought out, then there were other times I let out a little giggle at my desk listening to the audiobook. Overall, I think if you are looking for that not-serious typical girl relationship read, the one whit the guy who is so wrong for you yet somehow turns out to be so right, yeah this one's worth a shot. I'm not about to go running to my girlfriends to say "you gotta read this" but it was enjoyable. If you can get it in cheap paperbook, used or at the library, it might be worth it for a quick and easy smile, even if the relationship was anything but... ( )

Firstly, not work appropriate: it may not have been until the very end, but the descriptive - shall we say - foreplay scene was not the best thing to listen to at work. Sure, no one could hear it on my headphones but the last thing I want while collating is getting all hot and bothered and start having flashbacks of dragging the cute boy into the locking photocopy room... when I can't do that anymore, that is.

I was having so much trouble deciding if I liked the book or not. There were times I thought it was really lame and not well thought out, then there were other times I let out a little giggle at my desk listening to the audiobook. Overall, I think if you are looking for that not-serious typical girl relationship read, the one whit the guy who is so wrong for you yet somehow turns out to be so right, yeah this one's worth a shot. I'm not about to go running to my girlfriends to say "you gotta read this" but it was enjoyable. If you can get it in cheap paperbook, used or at the library, it might be worth it for a quick and easy smile, even if the relationship was anything but... ( )

'Wallbanger' mixed with 90-s atmosphere (even though I'm sure book isn't set in the 90s). Same set of characters, little bit different outcome.

Too much:
- chicken marsala and doughnuts eating (and make it sexy)
- talking about dieting and how carbs are evil (made me want to shove as much bread in me as I can)
- horrible moms (who hurt them?)

Overall enjoyable read with HEA for everybody (insert Oprah gif here) ( )

I read this funny, clever romance anytime I feel my confidence slipping. The family scenes and friendships displayed draw me in. ( )

I had heard about this author before and was even convinced that I had read one of her books. But it turned out to be my first book by Jennifer Crusie. And I really enjoyed it. I think I was in the mood for something like that.

I am very picky about humor in my books. Few things make me laugh, and many more things irritate me. In this book, humor is really good, light and not exaggerated. I laughed a few times. And I was very rarely annoyed with it.

The characters are also well constructed. In some of the funny books, characters are a little silly. But not here. Of course, not all actions taken by Min and Cal are fully rational but, apart from one scene of a great quarrel at the end, their actions are quite rational. In general, Min and Cal are very nice characters. Supporting characters also deserve praise - especially Min and Cal's friends. It's nice to read about a group of friends who really support each other. The families add a whole deeper dimension to the story.

I also liked the plot. It's a bit of a satire on all those theories about relationships and love. And of course the idea of star-crossed lovers who are destined to each other and the whole universe helps them to be together. Min and Cal trying to beat all those annoying coincidences are really funny. The plot is quite interesting.

There are a lot of dialogues in the book, which is why you read it really quickly and easily. There are basically no long boring scenes. And even the bad characters that plot against the main characters are well developed and act on other reasons than just being malevolent.

I definitely recommend this book and I will probably read other books by this author myself. I was thinking about the rating and if I could I would give it a strong 3.5 stars. ( )

A nice romance that gave me everything I asked for from it. ( )

Cute story, it kind of reminds me of the movie How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Min gets dumped by her boyfriend David while at a bar with friends. Cal is also there that night with his friends. David is a jerk who happens to know Cal and he makes a bet about picking Min up. Cal agrees to a more innocent version of the bet, he agrees to bet $10 on getting Min to go to dinner with him.

Min is three weeks away from her little sister's wedding. She has no date and she could definitely use this situation to her advantage if she wanted to.

As different as they are, and as much as they try to fight their attraction to each other, they can't resist falling for each other. But there is the secret of the bet and the devious exes trying to pull them apart.

I thought Cal and Min were both very likable characters who you root for. And Cal has some pretty awesome lines about how Min should love herself just the way she is (no matter what her mother has to say about it!).

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Enjoyed the witty dialogue and comedy in Bet Me, the main characters were refreshing and the peripheral characters were varied and entertaining. Overall, Bet Me was a satisfying read though as the book progressed I found some scenarios/interactions a bit repetitive which is why I rated it 3.5 stars instead of 4 stars. ( )