Blog Tour: You Bet Your Heart ARC Review

You Bet Your Heart

Author: Danielle Parker

Pages: 320 pages

Genre: YA Contemporary

Published: 30th May 2023

Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis:

A riveting, swoon-worthy teen romance centered on two high achievers fighting for the title of high school valedictorian and falling in love along the way, from debut author Danielle Parker.

Sasha Johnson-Sun might not know everything–like how to fully heal after her dad’s passing or how many more Saturdays her mom can spend cleaning houses. But the one thing Sasha is certain of? She will graduate this year as Skyline High’s class valedictorian.

At least, she was sure before the principal calls Sasha and her cute, effortlessly gifted ex-best friend, Ezra Davis-Goldberg, into his office to deliver earth-shattering news: they’re tied for valedictorian and the scholarship attached…

This outcome can’t be left to chance. So, Sasha and Ezra agree on a best-of-three, winner-take-all academic bet. As they go head-to-head, they are forced not only to reexamine why they drifted apart but also to figure out who they’ve become since. With her future hanging in the balance, Sasha must choose: honor her family’s sacrifices by winning (at all costs) or give her heart a shot at finding happiness?

Content Warning: grief, loss of a parent

Book Links: Goodreads Amazon Barnes and Noble IndieBound

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Author Bio

Danielle Parker has over ten years of experience as a high school English teacher, during which her greatest pleasure was helping reluctant readers find a novel they absolutely loved. Danielle now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. You Bet Your Heart is her debut novel. When she’s not writing, Danielle can be found looking for a pool to splash in, thinking about dessert, or taking a quick nap.

Author Links: Website Twitter Instagram Goodreads

My Review of You Bet Your Heart by Danielle Parker

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, NetGalley and Joy Revolution for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Check out the rest of the posts and the tour schedule here.

You Bet Your Heart was such a cute book and gave me everything I need in a YA contemporary romance!

Sasha is a very determined and focused character and hopes to be the high school valedictorian, but her plans are put on hold when she discovers she is tied with her ex-best friend, Ezra. Ezra moved away years ago not long after Ezra and Sasha had an argument and didn’t reconcile. Since he’s been back, they haven’t spoke and act as though they don’t know each other. Learning about the tie kick starts sasha and Ezra into spending more time together, whether Sasha likes it or not.

‘I haven’t stopped smiling since you came back into my life.’

Determined to win, Sasha and Ezra agree to a bet, and whoever loses has to flop their last assignment so the other has a clear shot at valedictorian. I love academic rivals and it’s even better when they both have shared history that is eventually brought up but leaves you guessing about what happened. Sasha and Ezra work through a lot of things in this book and grow a lot closer whilst doing so.

‘Same thing goes for love – give it to me, let me have it, drown me in it, rip my heart out if you must, but let me experience it whilst I can.’

Sasha feels like she must go to uni and win the valedictorian position and the scholarship money as her mother’s dreams were put on hold when her father died and she could no longer afford the time or money to go to university. Therefore, Sasha’s priority was always school and education, and Ezra comes in and kinda shakes that up a bit. There were definitely some moments where I would have kicked off more at Ezra for potentially disrupting her chances, but Sasha remained a lot calmer than me!

I really enjoyed this one and definitely need to read more books off the Joy Revolution imprint because they never disappoint!

Keep reading,
Georgia x