Welcome to Litsy!

#MentalHealthMonday check in

1. Feeling a little out of sorts. The spring time change always throws me off balance. I'll be glad when my body adjusts.
2. Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter has characters with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD). I have both conditions and I think Slaughter does a great job depicting what it's like.

Today‘s read. One main character has generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), the other has complex PTSD (CPTSD). The story opens with Aja, the female lead, having a panic attack in the grocery store. I‘m intrigued to see where this story goes!

#CatsOfLitsy #MentalHealth

A spicy read that is, somehow, also gentle. Both characters have anxiety and struggle in crowds or new social situations. Their conversations were refreshingly honest.

December #doublespin @TheAromaofBooks
“Prank or bet” #gottacatchemall (only 1 prompt left now!)

I devoured this so quickly and now I want nothing more than to devour some peach cobbler just as quickly. That‘s a lie. I also want to go to bingo…but I cant find anyone to accompany me to the Drag Bingo & Easter Bonnet Competition later this month. So, I guess I also want cooler friends. 😅 Steamy and full of empathetic understanding for neurotypical folks (anxiety, PTSD rep). Could‘ve used more sassy elders and fewer pairs of soaked panties.

“Normally he hated cooked fruit. It was too soft and too mushy and no matter what it was put in, way too damn sweet. But Minnie‘s cobbler had a special place in his heart.”

Do I want Minnie‘s peach cobbler right now? Yes. But do I think Walker‘s dead wrong about cooked fruit, in general? Also yes. It‘s almost unforgivable, tbh. 🙈

This was cute. A bit overboard on the anxiety rep, and the understanding and honest therapy talk between the characters. Thuc ix hie I know I am not a true romance girly, I have to fight to stop rolling my eyes and thinking "people don't talk like that" and the whole bingo aspect, even though I ❤️ bingo felt corny
There are a couple of steamy NSFW scenes (I saw someone rate it low on GR for this?) So look out for that I guess if you are a prude.

Enjoying a lighter read for a change.

Camper Read for the weekend! Third book I‘ve read since Friday 😊

I really loved Aja and Walkers journey together❤️ I loved the honest open communication and emotional support these two characters had together. This book managed to be sweet and spicy❤️‍🔥 I‘m very excited to see this will be a series and can‘t wait for Miri story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved Aja and Walker having separate mental health issues, which led to them being supportive and respectful of each other and their boundaries. Not entirely light hearted with past trauma coming up, but their bingo nights and friend dates were so cute. I really liked this one.

This love story really packs a punch. Both characters are on challenging mental health journeys and are struggling to find their way. I love how open an vulnerable they are with each other and the small town setting is charming! And the Bingo meet cute was a high point. I wouldn‘t call this a light romance but it is an enjoyable one.

I just adored this book! I listened to it on audio while traveling to work and back and I just loved it. A big part of me really loved that the romance centered around playing bingo because I love bingo and I haven‘t read a book before with this concept. I just loved everything about it!

Cute romance that normalizes mental health issues. Like that Aja and Walker both have different mental health concerns but recognize and respect each other‘s needs. Their friend circles were great as well. Things got bumpy but liked the process they went through figuring things out. Also interesting how their individual therapy was included as part of their ongoing self care journeys. Their bingo nights were fun.

#romance

Romance? Check.
Honest conversations about mental health? Check. Close tribe of friends? Check.

Guess what? They worked it out!

I've got less than 100 pages left in this book, and I know it'll turn out because it's a romance novel, but this main conflict between these 2 leads... I have no idea how they're gonna navigate it! It's impressive.

Bet on It is a cute romance that also deals with mental health issues, specifically anxiety and PTSD. I though the mental health parts were well done and normalized.

Aja moves to Greenbelt, SC in hopes of better managing her own anxiety in a smaller, quiet town. Walker returns to the town he grew up hating to care for the grandmother who raised him. Dealing with trauma, mental health and coping mechanisms, this book balances that out with some funny scenes about bingo and some steamy sex. It‘s a little more graphic than some of the other books I‘ve read in the genre! I had a hard time connecting though…

4/5

Aja moved to the small town of Greenbelt to get a handle on her anxiety, but so far her only social interaction happens every Wednesday night at bingo. Walker couldn't get away from his childhood trauma in Greenbelt fast enough when he graduated from high school, but when his Gram breaks both her arms, he comes home to help her around the house and at to play bingo for her on Wednesday nights, where he meets her bingo friend, Aja.

1. Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter, The Sizzle Paradox by Lily Menon, and Ambitious Like a Mother by Lara Bazelon

2. For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten

3. I'm going to try to read 10 books

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

All things considered, the frozen dinner section of the Piggly Wiggly was one of better public places to have a panic attack

#FirstLineFridays #ShyBookOwl

A romance dealing with anxiety, PTSD, therapy sessions, and re-living trauma. This could get to be real heavy but there‘s still a bit of levity in Bet On It. Aja and Walker are falling in lust because they are unable to admit the other L word to each other but somehow they do feel comfortable sharing their experiences with anxiety and childhood trauma. The bedroom door is wide open in this romance. Cute and entertaining.

#arc #romance