The Bet (The Bet Series Book 1)

I love Rachel van Dyken and all the books I've read from her but this book is bad. It is incredibly immature and really repetitive. It had no real problems unless you consider every character acting like they're 8. I wanted to like it, I really did but about halfway through I knew that it wasn't going to get any better and I had to force myself to finish because I can't just not finish a book (especially when I've spent money on it). Don't waste your time. Read something from her that's newer, they're better.

I'm beginning to think there isn't a Rachel Van Dyken book that I won't enjoy! I have heard so many great things about this book and finally picked it up, and it was amazing!We meet Kasey as she's making a deal with the devil (aka Jake, aka her childhood best friend). It sounds so easy, go home with him, pretend to be his fiance, he pays off some debts and all is well and they go their separate ways. No need to dredge up the past and the night that changed everything with them.Immediately I wasn't a fan of Jake's but throughout the book, he started to grow on me a little. I'm still not a huge fan, but I at least don't want to punch him in the face anymore, so that's good right? Now with that being said, I am a HUGE fan of Travis's, Jake's older brother. I fell hard for him and that never waivered throughout this whole book.As the reader, we know that Travis has always liked Kasey, but his way of showing that to her was a little twisted, even though in the prologue it will have you laughing out loud with his logic. Kasey has no clue how Travis feels about her and for many good reasons calls him "Satan". She wasn't expecting Travis to be there when she came home, and she definitely wasn't expecting Travis to be so hot and cold, and definitely not as hot as he was.I loved watching Kasey and Travis tip toe around each other, and their bickering was hilarious. I was laughing out loud with the egg incident, and how they would always bring up the things they did to torture each other growing up. Kasey did it as payback for the hell that Travis put her through, and Travis did it because he was in love with the girl next door.Watching the chemistry and these two finally finding each other was a beautiful story. Granted they had to deal with Jake and everything that was Jake, but in the end Jake did redeem himself and I can't wait to read his book.One character that I absolutely loved in this book was Jake and Travis's grandma. OMG she is a hoot, a very smart woman, and a meddler. The things she would say and do, and how she had her hand in everything going on with Jake, Travis, and Kasey was amazing. I LOVED her character and what she does for all the people in the family. Plus her "fling" with the the next door neighbor, wow!As we got deeper into the story, and seeing the things that Travis did for Kasey, without her knowing, really warmed my heart. I loved what he did for her, and how he treated her (most of the time). He did make some pretty bone-headed mistakes throughout his life, and a huge one when they got together, but needless to say, you will fall in love with Travis.If you're looking for a sweet romance that will have you laughing out loud and falling in love, this book is definitely the one to get! I can't wait to One-Click the Wager and read Jake's story now!

** spoiler alert ** This story was really cute! I kind of hated Jake because he was such a selfish ahole but I loved Travis! I wanted to shake Kacey and say um hello he loves you!! And their grandma was hilarious! I believe she was my favorite character in this whole book!!! I loved that we were able to see Travis's POV as well. I wanted to hug him because he loved Kacey for so long and his brother didn’t even care. What kind of a brother does that! And when Kacey found out about the gift that Travis gave her but Jake said was from him I almost cried!!! I was yelling at the book saying "hello right there is your freaking proof!!!" And then Travis not knowing the mistake he was making walks away from Kacey after she tells him she loves him. My heart broke for her even though I knew the reason behind it. I was ecstatic when they got together. I was a little confused on some parts because Jakes feelings were everywhere for Kacey. I don’t think he knew how to separate his love for her as a friend and feeling like he had to love as more. I didn’t feel bad for what happened with him and Kacey; It was a jerk move to have Kacey fake an engagement and then make them lie to their whole family when she was hurting because not only was he a jerk face, but that was her family too. I was happy they resolved their issues and were able to continue to be friends. Overall I really can’t wait to read the next one because I want to see Travis and Kacey get married and see Jake get taken down a couple notches. Plus I want to see what grandma has in store for him!!

I enjoyed this book. It was cute & light for the most part. The dialogue was witty but sometimes I found it tedious due to the personality clashes between most characters. Although it lends to the story well it moved around alot and I had to really think about who was talking. I guess the flow was choppy. The book was really good so maybe it was just me and my frame of mind.The book was pretty funny too. I think Grandma was hilarious. Kacey and Travis, once they finally got together, the book flowed better for me at least.Jake is an ass. I liked him, then I didn't, then I felt sorry for him and I am not sure why. Man Whore that he is.Travis was painted as a royal pain in the butt from the start and then he really grew on you. Like I said, I loved him once the truth came out but getting to the truth was heartbreaking.Kacey was a real fighter with some spunk. It was a good transition from the crush that Travis had on her as a kid to the relationship they have as an adult & the hard times they went through misunderstanding each other and not realizing what their actions meant.Overall it was a great book.