Bet Me

Bet Me

by
3.94 of 5 stars 3.94  ·  rating details  ·  34,519 ratings  ·  1,727 reviews
Minerva Dobbs knows all about risk management, which is why it's such a shock when David, her extremely logical choice for a boyfriend, dumps her three weeks before her perfect sister's wedding: David was not supposed to be a wild card. So when Min overhears David make a bet with his old nemesis--the gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey--that Cal can't get Min into bed...more
Kindle Edition, 432 pages
Published February 20th 2004 by St Martins Press (first published January 1st 2004)

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Lady Heather


WOW!
Great story!
Excellent writing!
Amazing Characters!

Min..

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Great decision!

Cal...

We KNOW you didn't make the bet

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so..

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.. in the end

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it made me want to eat LOTS, AND LOTS of Krispy Kreme donuts!.. *sigh*
Sangria
Such a Treat!

This is my first Jen Crusie book and I can’t believe how long I’ve deprived myself from reading this book that I’ve had in my possession for months.

I’m not going to give you a book summary of what the book is about – you can read it when you pull the book up in Goodreads. But let me tell you this, I don’t read a lot of chic-lit books because they tend to fail to keep me interested, but this book surprised me. Not only did it keep hold my attention, but it kept me smiling and laughi...more
Samantha
God bless Chick-lit. Especially Chick-lit that's happy and filled with sexual tension and innuendo!

Here's the story: Min Dobbs (yes, horrible name, but it illustrates how 'plain' she sees herself) gets dumped in the opening sentences by David, who then meets up with God's gift to women, Cal Morrisey and bets him that Cal can't bed Min in a month (because David couldn't in two). At the exact same moment, Min and her girlfriends are checking out Cal and daring Min to go over to him. She does and o...more
Mo
Until recently, this was not available on KINDLE in Europe and I really wanted to read it so what's a girl to do - had to order the paperback. Loved it. No sooner had I the paperback than it became available on KINDLE in Europe. What's a girl to do? Download it and read it again ... Great, great story.







D.G.
After reading this, I don’t think I’ll eat Chicken Marsala ever again.

The heroine of this book ate Chicken Marsala in two different restaurants, twice for takeout, at a wedding, at a dinner with her friends and cooked it 4 times with different levels of success. I don’t know if there’s anything more boring than a person who never tries anything new (if I’d been the hero, I’d have stopped dating her just because of this.)

I enjoyed the first part of the book – the humor was not over the top and...more
Lady Valee
It was a sweet story, but more chick lit than contemporary romance. While I admit there are some moments when it's nice to read a light funny read, I must say they are not my favorites. In this type of reads I just feel like something's missing. I had a nice time reading this book but it didn't make an impression on me, I could have go on with my life just fine without having read it.

Maybe my main problem was that I never connected with the heroine. I usually like them strong, with a bad ass at...more
Autumn
As i was reading this book i was trying to place a proper "feeling" to it,because even though it was a romantic comedy it deals with a lot of current issues woman struggle with in our society.

So, i will say what worked for me.

- I was very pleased with the premise of the book.that is to say i loved that it was based on typical characters that you can relate with. I liked the way Crusie developed Min with her self stem issues, and the way they fitted in the story. She didnt try to change her, or...more
Jennifer
I really liked this one. The story focuses on Minerva Dobbs - and 33 year old overweight woman who just got dumped. While at the bar with girlfriends she overhears her jerk ex-boyfriend bet one of his friends (Calvin Morrisey - hunk alert!) that he can't take her home and do the horizontal tango. Minerva decides to screw with them both by stringing Calvin along. Her evil ex dumped her just before her sisters wedding so she figures this will be perfect - she can bring the hunky lap dog with her a...more
Zeek
Fantastic Contemporary Romance!

I've been wanting to read Bet Me for some time now after seeing all the good reviews- despite the fact I tried one or two other Cruise books awhile ago and wasn't all that hip to them. I liked them well enough but nothing really demanded she become an "autobuy" author. Bet Me might change that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Min Dobbs has everything a girl could want, good, stable job, close friends, who cares if she has less than ideal weight? And okay, in the men d...more
Anyta Sunday
3.5 - 4

This was a fun, light, romantic read. It certainly managed to crack a smile from me on a couple of occasions--and that when I wasn't in the best of moods!

What I loved about the book, is that I didn't (practically)feel guilty about eating as I was reading it. In fact, it almost went hand-in-hand. :P

This was my first Jennifer Crusie book and not my last.


Edit:

It is NOT my first Crusie book, LOL. I just realized I read another of hers a year or so back. But this one was better.
Wealhtheow
I heard about Jenny Crusie through fandom_wank, and thence found myself at Arrgh Ink, her amusingly written blog about writing. Her blog was so funny that I randomly chose one of her novels and read it. Bet Me is not as funny as her blog, but it does have its moments. The plot is thin, the characters are cardboard cutouts, and the ending is as preordained as it gets. Nevertheless, Julian and I both finished it, so it can’t be that bad.
Jen
Oh, Christ, I gave her a feral cat

I adore this book and I'm currently on my 58th reread, approximately. Any book that can rouse my hunger for both chicken marsala and serious shoe shopping at the same time is a winner.
Tori
Jul 02, 2011 Tori rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who loves an honest to goodness romance.
Probably one of my favorite Jennifer Crusie books. This book is a romance for romance sake and I love the little references like the shoes (cinderella).
JG (The Introverted Reader)
Minerva Dobbs is a sensible girl. She's an actuary, the man she's dating is a sensible choice, and her clothes are sensible and "slimming." But then there are her shoes. Her shoes hint at the real Min. Her shoes are fun, frivolous concoctions.

One night, Min meets Calvin Morrissey in a bar. As she's heading over to introduce herself to him, she hears her just-minutes-ago-turned-ex-boyfriend make a bet with him that Cal can't get her into bed within a month. Ouch. >_< That one stings a littl...more
Mary
It's my first Crusie's book I read, and I'm glad it's a good choice to start.

I adored chicklit genre couple years ago before my current YA favourit choice of readings.
Reading this book reminds me what I missed from a book that mainly YA genre fail to fulfilled. The maturity, the uncertainty, the freedom, the fear and the power of being a single and happy female. I love and very much enjoy reading Bet Me, I don't want this book to be finished when I achieved The End on the last page of the book....more
Cheryl
This was my first book that I have read by Jennifer Crusie. It was entertaining and I laughed out loud several times, but it also drove me nuts at the same time! So, I give it 3 1/2 stars!

I typically love a book where the hero and heroine have a love/hate relationship. You know, where their bodies love one another, coming alive and sizzling at the touch of the other, and yet their minds hate one another, telling themselves that they do not want to be in a relationship with this person and making...more
Jill Dunlop
Minerva Dobb's boyfriend David has just broken up with her in a trendy local bar. The thing is Min is not really upset about it other than the fact that now she won't have a date to her sister's wedding. Min's two best friends Bonnie and Liza insist that Min needs a real man and scope out the bar for a potential candidate. Liza zeroes in on Cal Morrisey, a handsome man who exudes testosterone. Min usually avoids these type of men, but with Liza's insistence she heads over to him. When she gets c...more
Carrie
I read this 2 years ago and loved it. I read it again over the weekend and still love it. The dialog is wonderful. Even the internal monologing is wonderful. I did find I was much less tolerant of Liza and Min's mother, Nanette. I've gotten to where I hate mean family members and interfering friends in romance novels. It's just not funny to me any more. Liza redeems herself when she decides to stop treating Min like a clueless adolescent, but I never liked the mother.

4/10/12
Listened to the audi...more
Bookgirl89
i got ill reading this book, i like chick-lit but this was way toooooo much. the "i love you but you're the devil" and the "she got so dizzy looking in to his dark eyes" thing got on my nerves!!!!!!!!!

the word dizzy is used more than 90 times in this book.

its not bad but its not good, this is the kind of book to read when you have nothing else to do. nothing at all, nothing on TV, no good books, no one to call, its raining outside and you can go out, you also can't fall asleep or feel like eat...more
Sarah
OK, just gonna say it - I LOVE Bet me. This is probably my third or fourth time reading it.

Min Dobbs and Cal Morrisey meet as a result of a bet - her jerk of an ex-boyfriend bets him that he can't get Min to go to dinner with him. Cal always wins the bets he makes and sure enough they go to dinner. But dinner doesn't quite go as planned - Min doesn't respond to Cal's normal charming lines, and Cal accidentally elbows her in the face. After dinner they tell each other to have a nice life and go t...more
Barbara M.
5 Stars...

What a fabulously outstanding hilarious read. The dialogue has to be just right for me to enjoy a book like this. There were more than one romance in the works, and a lot of characters interacting...but let me tell you...It was perfect!

This quirky and out of the Historical/Otherworldly genre box novel will have you laughing and pulling for this not so perfect girl.

Min is by today's standards chubby, therefore not like other ladies that grace the pages of our books. I'll be honest and a...more
Allison (The Allure of Books)
If I had to chose a book to be my best friend, I'd choose this one. I have read it many times. If something horrible is going on in my life, you can bet that it won't be long before I pick up my (rather worn) copy of this. If I have a few unexpected days off (like say, during the recent snow storm)...this is the comfort read I'll be sinking into.

Jennifer Crusie's brand of humor is all her own. Every single character is infused with something that makes them feel so real - maybe that is why I lov...more
Kate
This is my ultimate guilty pleasure, beach book piece of fluff, and consequently I read it in its entirety while I was at the beach this weekend. Whenever I'm in the dumps, there are 2 books I pick up, and this piece of hardcover romantic comedy is one of them. When I broke my leg, I probably read it 5 times in those 3 months.

Bet Me is the story of Min Dobbs, insurance actuarial at large. She is "chubby" by her mother's standards, has a fetish for fun shoes, has lousy luck picking men, adores h...more
Nicole P
I loved this book. This is the 4th book that I have read by this author and she really has a way with showing real life relationships, with all the flaws, perfections, and everything in between. The books that she writes are not your average romance novels, they are weird, and quirky, true to life kind of situations, no fluff!!
The main famale character, Minerva Dobbs (dumb name) who was a plus sized woman with a petite (overbearing, scutinizing) mother and sister. She worked as an actuary, had t...more
Brandy Painter
This is a light romantic chick lit book, which is not a genre I read much of. However, I was looking for some brain candy one night and remembered how many people have recommended Jennifer Cruise and so I picked it up and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It is predictable and follows the plot line of most romances but there was more depth to the characters than I have found in books of this genre I have tried out before.
Hannah
What a charming novel! I enjoyed this entertaining novel immensely. I particularly loved the fact that Jennifer Crusie was willing to have a plump heroine and didn't try to qualify it by trying to define "plump" as, say, a size 6. Kudos to Crusie for writing about a normal-sized woman and making her sound sexy.

The development of Min's relationship with Cal is well-paced and extremely satisfying, in spite of the fact that there is very little sexual content. Some of the secondary characters are...more
Kate
I was told this was the best gateway book to the romance genre. However, I am a ruiner.

The book was good, possibly even better than good.

I found it distracting to read a romance novel with a hot guy that shares a name (first and last) with my dad. Thank goodness he opted for a nickname!

I found it distracting that a food lover eats the same food every single day. I have nothing against chicken masala, hot dogs, and doughnuts - but come on! Sex things up with some rice pudding or puttanesca (whi...more
Nadioz
This is my 3rd chick-lit this month, that's because I keep reading good ones, so I can't help but try to find more and I was in need of a fast, funny and romantic read, and "Bet me" was perfect for that.
I didn't like the tone of the story at the beginning but after the 1st chapter I couldn't put it down, I can't read this type of books without likable leads and I loved Min and Cal right away, they're both smart, funny and complicated just like the story. Loved it.
Stephanie Sun
I cringed while reading this so many times, not because I could relate to the characters, but because of the writing.

Crusie seems to think that falling in love, for a guy, means looking at the girl's boobs a lot.

That was the general level of subtlety throughout the book.

I can kind of see why it's so loved--there are flashes of wit and irony here and there, and even poetry, but this is no Annie Hall.
April
It all starts with a bet. Actually, back that up, Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise starts with Minerva Dobbs getting dumped by a douchbag named David. Minerva believes fairy tales are not for her, and at this point believes there are no good men left in the world. After overhearing a bet between her ex David and Calvin Morrisey, who is a ladykiller, Minerva agrees to a dinner date with Calvin if only to get back at David, figuring why not have a bit of fun with this pants melting male specimen.

Read the...more
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topics  posts  views  last activity   
Who would your Min be IRL? 4 35 May 16, 2013 02:27am  
Large / rubenesque heroines 8 100 Apr 15, 2013 02:14pm  
Who would Cal be IRL? 26 140 Apr 05, 2013 10:12pm  
Are books like Bet Me ruining my future love life 23 197 Nov 29, 2012 07:09am  
Great book! 9 68 Jul 08, 2012 03:00pm  
What do you think about it? 60 198 Apr 27, 2012 01:12pm  
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Jenny Crusie is the NYT bestselling author of twenty some novels and lots of other stuff. Her latest novel, Maybe This Time, hit shelves in August, 2010.

Jenny lives on the Ohio River where she often stares at the ceiling and counts her blessings.
More about Jennifer Crusie...
Welcome to Temptation (Dempseys, #1) Anyone But You Agnes and the Hitman Faking It (Dempseys #2) Crazy For You

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“Nobody in my life has ever known me the way you do. Nobody in my life has ever made me feel as good as you do. You know me, you know everything about me, and when you leave me, you're going to be leaving the real me, the me nobody else has ever seen, that's who you're going to be rejecting.” 177 people liked it
“I'm Min's fairy godmother, Charm Boy,' Liza said, frowning down at him. 'And if you don't give her a happily ever after, I'm going to come back and beat you to death with a snow globe.'

What happened to "bibbity bobbity boo"?' Cal asked Min.

That was Disney, honey,' Min said. 'It wasn't a documentary.”
149 people liked it
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