Betting on You

A New York Times Bestseller
From the New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies, this “entertaining” (Publishers Weekly) rom-com in the vein of She’s All That and 10 Things I Hate About You follows a teen girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of a bet while working at a waterpark.
When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip.
Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.
Charlie keeps close track of his coworkers’ romantic progress while working to deflect his own growing feelings for Bailey. It would be much easier if Bailey and Charlie hadn’t started fake dating as part of a scheme to help Bailey cope with her mom’s new boyfriend. Charlie would like Bailey to see him as something other than a friend, but he has a secret involving Bailey and another bet…
Can the two of them make a real go of things—or has Charlie doomed them before they could start?
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Community Reviews
This felt very YA When Harry Met Sally-ish.
was giggling and kicking my feet through the entire book
I didn’t realize it was a young adult book when I chose it. It did seem to capture teenage angst and displacement issues when the adults in life divorce. The relationship between Bailey and Charley was the right blend of sweet and snarkey. But I think I’ll leave this genre and author to the young to enjoy.
3.5 stars
In this high school romance, Lynn Painter captures the essence of teenage life without being overly dramatic or making her characters appear one dimensional. Although Bailey and Charlie admittedly go about solving their problems-and their feelings-in all the wrong ways sometimes, they have beautiful character growth with touching moments that gave me butterflies. Sometimes, you might get frustrated with their decisions, but I think Painter gives a more realistic portrayal (MOST of the time) of what it means to be a young adult with recently divorced parents navigating a situationship of their own.