Column | ‘The Love Wager’ shares charming love story
April 25, 2023
New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter released a romantic comedy novel, “The Love Wager,” last month. The novel is rated 4.05 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.
Several of Painter’s books, such as “Better than the Movies,” have been popular on “BookTok,” a popular TikTok community that shares reading recommendations and serves as a platform to discuss books.
“The Love Wager” draws the reader in straight from the beginning as it submerses them into the story with its dialogue and detailed storytelling.
The novel has two lovable main characters who entice the reader to keep reading.
The book’s main characters are Hallie Piper, a woman in her 20s working as an accountant looking to fix her life, and Jack Marshall, a man in his 20s who works as a landscape designer and wants to feel less lonely.
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The two initially meet and see each other multiple times in one day, ending the night with a one-night stand.
The chemistry between the two main characters is natural and gradually increases with time, though the characters continue to date others while developing feelings for each other. The pair become best friends.
When an opportunity arises when they are both single, Jack decides to make a move on Hallie and be her date to a wedding.
Though things initially progress well, the two have an argument regarding Jack’s involvement in the ending of one of Piper’s past relationships.
While the book uses various popular tropes like “friends to lovers” and “fake dating,” it does so in a way that does not seem like every other book that follows those tropes.
“Friends to lovers” is a fictional trope where two people start out as friends but develop romantic feelings for each other, and “fake dating” is when two individuals fake being in a relationship, mostly to get someone else jealous or to fool people around them for their benefit.
Though some drama ensues, the couple’s story wraps up well. “The Love Wager” is a unique and charming romantic comedy book that leaves many readers wanting more of Marshall’s and Piper’s life.
