Jennifer Crusie

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.… (plus d'informations)

I don't know how to say this without saying it in this way . . . there are no books like Jennifer Crusie books. There's a rhythm, a beat, a tempo and it's easy to find yourself out of sync with her if you're not paying attention. I mean this as a compliment: like, there is a precision to the timing of her dialogue and it feels like a well-crafted screenplay. A bit of a, "stay in your seats so you don't miss out on the action."


some cw's: death of spouse (MMC's wife dies, historical), death of parent (MMC's father dies, mother of MMC's daughter dies both historical), cheating (FMC is in a relationship with someone when she begins a sexual relationship with the MMC, so technically cheating however it was clear the FMC was trying to break up with this person for a while - and even on page tried to break up with them over the phone but they were trying to manipulate her - long story long, cheating in books isn't an issue for me and the cheating in this book didn't bother me since imo it was a gray area), drugging (FMC's brother drugged someone in high school), on-page sex, difficult family dynamics… (plus d'informations)