Binah the Bold review: Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

Softcover - 432 pages
Price: $7.99
ISBN-10: 0312987854
ISBN-13: 978-0312987855
Released: August 24, 2004

Jennifer's Website
Buy it via Amazon

Obtained: My secret-romance-novel-addiction buddy loaned it to me.
Genre: Straight-up Romantic Comedy
Series: None that I know of.
(Note: This book is awesome. I should be back to snarktastic reviews of terrible books shortly; consider this filler, like in a pie. Mmm, pie.)

Min Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man like Cal Morrisey, who asked her to dinner to win a bet. Cal Morrisey knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs. When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again.

But Fate has other plans, and it’s not long before Min and Cal are dealing with meddling friends, wedding cake, a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kremes, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a frantic bride, Chicken Marsala, a mutant cat, snow globes, two Mothers-from-Hell, great shoes, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of including the biggest gamble of all–unconditional love.

My Rating: A pair of fabulous heels, an ice cream sundae and a girls' night out. (Translation: Fuckin' AWESOME, ya'll. But you'll probably gain weight and wake up with a hangover.)

My Opinion: Have you ever had a day where everything seemed to go 100% wrong? Like, you woke up late and had nothing to wear and missed the bus and then it rained and you were wearing a white shirt and then OOPS you got your period but you're all out of tampons, so now you're mad and your outfit is ruined and the boss comes in and asks you to work on Saturday. (Don't deny it, it's some universal law that everyone has to have a day like that at least once.)

I was having a day like that recently. Without going into a lot of detail, it was the mental and emotional equivalent of having your hands and feet spontaneously fall off. And then I read this book.

The synopsis above does give a pretty clear idea of the plot, and pretty much tells you right up front, "SERIOUSLY, DO NOT WORRY. THEY GET TOGETHER IN THE END, I PROMISE." What it does not tell you is how absolutely adorable, witty, odd and altogether fun this book can be. Also, despite the blatant advertising of "happy ending," there were bits in the book where I was like, "Oh noes, they will forever be apart! How can this happen??" immediately followed by, "Oh, wait, they're going on another date. Never mind." (As a side note, am I the only one who does this? I am beginning to suspect that I may be a bit dense when it comes to romance novels.)

I enjoyed the characters to no end. Minerva is such a bitch, you have to love her. She's short and plump and sassy and she doesn't need a man! No way, no how! She's got her work and her fantastic shoes and she's forever trying to diet and failing. (I can sympathize.) Cal is slick and a little slimy at first, to be honest, but he definitely redeemed himself to me when he took her out to dinner and told her, essentially, "You aren't fat, you're sexy. Now eat something, dammit!" Is it silly that that scene made me swoon a little? (Yes, probably.)

There's a nice - if fairly formulaic - supporting cast, as well. Horrible mothers, decent dads, the cynical best friend and the romantic best friend for both Cal and Minerva. There are some nice little sub-plots that work to bring Cal and Minerva into constant contact with each other while they're desperately trying to never ever see each other again.

This is a delightful, fluffy, romantic, funny book to read if you need a pick-me-up and enjoy reading books where you basically already know what will happen. However, it is not in any way substantial and should not be considered a full meal. ;)