Bet Me Hardcover – February 10, 2004

When her boyfriend David dumps her three weeks before her sister's wedding, Minerva Dobbs mostly feels annoyed. She knew there was a reason she never had sex with the man. In a quirky show of support, her two best friends convince her (goad, really) to take the gorgeous hunk that she sees talking to her ex by the...horns...to show the weasel up. The only problem is when she gets close, slipping in from behind them, she overhears David betting the handsome beast Calvin Morrisey that Cal can't get her into bed within a month!Min's not a thin, hot redhead like her best friend Liza and she's not a petite blonde cutie like her other best friend Bonnie. No, Min's under no illusions. She's chubby, she hates her body, and the only risk she takes with her statistics-minded self is on shoes that express far more personality than her boxy, conservative clothes. She's just been dumped and she's feeling a bit vindictive after hearing about that bet, so when Cal approaches her not five minutes later, she's intent on making him pay a little for being the shallow, callous jerk he is.Cal thinks Minerva Dobbs is the worst date he's ever had, but he doesn't lose bets he makes. He bet that idiot client of his back at the bar that he could take Min to dinner and by God, that's what he's going to do. Sure, he knows David was drunk, and there was no way he'd ever agree to any bet to get a woman into bed, not even for $10,000, but he didn't hold it against him. He'd maneuvered the man and the bet to take the caustic and snippy Min to dinner (woah, when she smiles at his friend Emilio she's like a whole other person...but she's still snippy) and then he'd walk her home (seriously, how come she's so nice to Emilio? Cal knows he's more charming than Emilio but she's not being nice to him), wish her a good life (oh, wow, she's got the sexiest shoes - and toes) and never see her again (despite the fact that the way she eats food is the most erotic thing he's ever seen).Cal and Min couldn't be more wrong for each other. Cal's a superficial hit-and-run player and Min is a practical actuary who spouts statistics about...everything...all the time, hates her body, and thinks happily ever after is a fantasy for suckers. But they keep running into each other. And despite the pummeling his ego takes from Min's caustic wit...and despite the headache from all the eye rolling that Min does to combat charm boy's superficial smarm, a spark is born...and then flames...and then an inferno. The romp is long and riddled with potential disasters, but it's the most fun either Cal and Min will ever have. Bet me.What a light, fun read this was! I'm not saying that just because chicken marsala is my favorite meal of all times, either, though that certainly didn't hurt. After a particularly dark reading experience just prior to this, I went looking for something that would make me smile and warm the chill from the last book. I found Bet Me and couldn't be happier that I did.Full of quirky, funny characters and zany, endearing situations, I quickly fell for Cal and Min, despite their peccadilloes - or maybe because of them. Cal, the darling, starts out like a superficial (but charming) guy who's tired of the dating scene and just wants some peace and quiet in his life after his last girlfriend tried to race him to the alter. Min is sharp as a tack and intelligent, but her body image sucks and she dresses to hide the curves her mother's been nagging about since her childhood. To say I know someone just like Min - and her mother - would be a gross understatement.Together they're an incendiary mix of humor, heat, and frustration and their evolving relationship is adorable, with deeper undertones that start to show themselves as the reasons for their initial character traits start to become apparent. Crusie does a fantastic job of keeping the message light, but there are a few good messages there for women who put too much emphasis on body image for their self esteem.The message stays light, and the book is firmly entrenched on the more humorous side of romance, and I, for one, am very grateful. For a long book, it read very quickly, as the narrative is butter smooth and the dialogue fast, intelligent, and wickedly sharp. There's not a lot to complain about here if you're looking for a nice bit of brain candy.There are one or two aspects that kept my appreciation for Bet Me in the four star range, like the blow up at the wedding that seemed a bit out of character for Cal and Min so it sort of felt like conflict for conflict's sake instead of organic story development. So, too, a big confrontation scene at the end including both sets of parents, which went way beyond ridiculous. Who acts like that? There were a few other issues similar to those, issues that didn't bother me too much as long as I kept my tongue firmly planted in my cheek, but they did prevent me from rating the book higher.That's okay, though. It didn't keep me from downloading a few other titles by Crusie and it won't prevent me from going back and rereading this one. I enjoyed Bet Me. Very much. And it was just the fun, light romance that I desperately needed when I needed it.Originally reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

One of my least favorite plot/device in a romance novel is "The Bet." (My other least favorite is the "pretend to be lovers until we fall in love." But that doesn't really apply here.) "The Bet" is just so annoying. It usually all plays out like  She's All That  where the hero yells "I made the bet before I knew you." It can rarely be pulled off well and believable. So, when I first stumbled upon this book in my Amazon Recommends list I automatically shunned it. Then, one of my favorite book blogs put together a list of favorite reads of 2010 and this book was listed. The blogger had nothing but good to say about BET ME, which intrigued me. How can a book with "The Bet" plot be that amazing? So, I cracked open the story with a huge prejudice that I was NOT going to like it. I was wrong.I won't go into a summary of the book. The blurb does it justice as well as several of the other reviews.What I enjoyed:1. Min--she's a 33 years-old actuary who calls it as it is. She's funny (without all the constant one-liners), snippy, flawed, and real. She's a real woman a few pounds more than thin, much to the chagrin of her mother. She's learning to standup for herself and to be her own woman instead of her mother's ideal. She cuts through the crap and gets down to what really matters.2. Cal--Handsome Cal's screwed up childhood and family life molded his known dating history of "love `em and leave `em." But, that's more to do with the women he dates than with what he truly wants in life.3. Min & Cal's friends--I loved the diversity of this group of people. They all were fully developed and complimented each other. They added so much humor, insight, and "romantic pushes."4. Min & Cal's family--I loved the dysfunctional family dynamics of both families and how that played into the storyline. It cracked me up to see Min's mom trying to butter up Cal's socially elite mother at such an inopportune moment. Hilarious.5. Showing, not Telling--the writing excellently SHOWED us the development of the characters, the development of Min & Cal's romance, the development of the secondary characters. Things weren't spelled out, instead we were given a full and beautiful picture. I loved the subtlety used.6. The Villains--the ex's played a huge role in this story. Even though they were the "villains", I understood their motivations. They weren't anybody I'd like to hang out with, but that's the point, isn't it? Both were demented in the head in a completely humanly possible way, which made them real and believable. When the villain is cartoony, it makes the story unreal.7. The Betting--what?! I liked the betting? What is the world coming to? Cal and his friends bet over everything. Min catches onto this early on (obviously) and totally turns the tables on them and plays on their bets! How does "The Bet" play out? Well, it wasn't "I made that bet before I knew you!" Ms. Crusie totally made it work.8. The Ending--I like my romances with a Happily Ever After. This one delivers with a big smile.What I didn't like:1. The Actuary--I'm not so sure an actual actuary will start spouting statistical information. It wasn't over board, and the information she spilled out pertained to the story.2. Chicken Marsala--it seems to be the only thing these two eat. I know this sounds petty, but really, they eat this EVERY time food is mentioned.I was highly entertained by this book and couldn't put it down. I didn't want to let go of the story and found myself re-reading it instead of stopping. I read it 2 times in 3 days.

This is a cute and charming book..I the storyline more than the characters. There is cat name Elvis that will warm the readers heart. It is a try romance novel with a happy ending

I have a lot of thoughts on this so the info/good stuff first. She’s 33. Multi POV and some were very annoying (I’ll be honest, i skipped David’s and Cynthie’s because i just couldn’t). The banter and romance aspect was great and it had the “goes to the parents and the other one stands up for them against the parents and no one’s ever done that” thing for both of them which I always enjoy. Cal is absolutely wonderful though. And there was growth throughout and I’m sure there are plenty of women who will relate with her but for a rom com type book, I did not enjoy the following aspects of the story.The bad: The internalized fat phobia was a lot. As was just the fat phobia from other characters. Personal body shaming is rampant and some from side characters too (now I know this was written around major diet culture time but it’s still annoying. Give me body neutrality at least please). A few times where they said she wasn’t pretty but the only indication they gave about her looks when discussing that was that she was chubby. And yes, she does start to feel better about herself because of him so there’s that too. Also some very misogynistic and patriarchal views from some characters though that wasn’t as much. And to keep complaining, the snow globe plot point annoyed me because of course you couldn’t find it if you didn’t even unpack all your boxes?!I cant give more than 3 stars due to all this stuff which was just not good. If this story had been without it then definitely a 4 or maybe even a 5 star read.

This book is exciting and fun to read. I have read it several times and it never gets boring. I love this book

This book starts out with great promise. I was hooked for the first half - couldn't put it down. Then it started to dwindle a bit and the ending was disappointing purely because it was quite cringey for me.However. I loved the writing style. The characters are great - particularly the heroine Min, she's my hero. The lead male Cal was also brilliant. And the back up characters, friends and family, were also fantastic. There is a part where Liza drags Min away from Cal and makes a comment to the effect of "Min was swapping tongues with a donut pusher" and I honestly burst out laughing.The chemistry between Min and Cal at the beginning of the book was fantastic. It was that alone that had me hooked. But then it all got a bit unrealistic and daft. I felt like the fate-factor was overplayed a bit too much. I was willing to overlook that but honestly the ending was just... missing that intensity. I felt like the whole book was building to something and then it didn't deliver. It felt rushed to me.I'll give it a 3 star, purely because the second half and the ending weren't what I expected judging by how good the first half was. However, I loved the writing style and characters so much I have purchased another of this lady's books.

To begin with, the plot of this book is so unusual but is based in reality so it has that "kooky" edge that only the great jennifer crusie can pull off. you immediately relate to Minn Dobbs who isn't, (like so many other heroines), super skinny and gorgeous and has problems with her mother and gorgeous sister. you also immediately love Cal because he is so typical of men but he is also funny and just *sighs*. but after the first hurdle they agree never to see each other again. However, the universe has other plans... this book is just un-put-down-able and so fantastic that i just love to re-read it whenever i can. This was the second book i read by jennifer crusie and it didn't fail to delight me. for anyone who loves witty romantic comedies BUY THIS BOOK. you should also look up 'Faking it' and 'Getting rid of Bradley' as well. hundred stars and going up....

I liked this book and have since recently bought another. I liked the characters and they all had brilliant names as well as having interesting or nice personalities. I liked the cover and title which first brought my attention to the novel and the book was also very flexible and comfortable to hold. The story is quite good and can be entertaining. The ending was wrapped up nicely and the only thing that I didn't like so much was the obsession over food and eating. If you love food, it might be for you but it didn't progress the plot and some of the characters' thoughts and worries were repeated too much throughout.

This is a romance/chicklit cross and not my 'thing' usually, but it was a book group book and I was persuaded to read it. It was quite enjoyable even for me (who hasnt a romance bone in her body) With romance you get formula, you have to have formula, the readers are disappointed if they dont get what they pay for, if the book doesn follow the formula. This is fair enough and it does exactly what it says on the tin. There is romance, it follows the formula, it has the romancy stuff, the language, the cliches, the chiselled and sculpted bits but it also has Elvis Costello, donuts, a large female lead, a sense of humour, and fun.

This book is my happy place. I've read it countless times, and also have it on audiobook. It never gets old. Jennifer Crusie is the master of snappy dialogue, and this book has it in spades. Shamelessly romantic, Cal and Min are my favourite fictional couple, but the supporting cast are equally wonderful and hilarious. A truly classic romantic comedy.