Bet Me

by Jennifer Crusie

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Fiction. Romance. HTML: The beloved New York Times bestselling novel, now with an exclusive letter from Jennifer Crusie in celebration of its tenth anniversary This is New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Crusie's novel about long shots, risk management, true love, and great shoes. . . . Minerva Dobbs knows how to work the odds. Calvin Morrisey always plays to win. But when they face off, neither one is prepared. Because when real life meets true love, all bets are off. . . . Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet, even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs, even if she does wear great shoes and keep him on his toes. When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again. But fate has other plans, and it's not long before Min and Cal meet again. Soon they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all�-true love. Bet Me is the winner of a 2005 RITA Award. .… (more)

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The evening that Min is dumped by her jerk of a boyfriend, David, and mad at every male, he bets a “charmer” friend, Cal, that he can't get her to go out with him that night or get her into bed in a month. Cal takes the dinner bet and refuses the other. However, she hears them betting but not Cal's response. She agrees to dinner to thwart David and is a bitch to Cal. Both part assuming they will never meet again. But that is not what happens. Both Cal and Min have 2 close friends that keep bringing the group together and David keeps trying to sabotage the bet that isn't. Lots of great humor. Loved this book. (

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Linda-C1 | Sep 26, 2024 |

3.5 stars

Min(erva) is a larger woman and is self-conscious about it. When she is dumped (because she hasn’t slept with him after 2 months), she heads out with a couple of girlfriends where she sees her ex. And overhears him betting the most good-looking of the men he is with (Cal) that Cal can’t get Min to dinner that night, then to bed within a month. Prickly Min goes with Cal, anyway. Turns out Cal is a pretty nice guy…

I enjoyed this. The larger woman self-consciousness hits home, but I’m happily single, anyway. I rarely read romances, anymore, and only occasionally chick lit, but I still enjoyed this. It’s nice to think the larger woman can get the good-looking guy. There were multiple perspectives in this book, including the ex-boyfriend. There were a number of secondary characters, mostly friends of both Min and Cal; I particularly enjoyed Emilio, the restaurant owner. (

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LibraryCin | Jul 23, 2024 |

Okay so a lot of the fat phobia - internalized and external - didn't age well BUT this really had some great writing and some really smart observations. Crusie amazes me. Also, in case you can't tell THIS IS A SEX BET BOOK. So fair warning because I Hate Bet Books. They hurt my heart and make me cry but I was already committed to this book prior to figuring that out (I know it's called Bet Me but I am not smart). So, for me, the bet-trope worked so fucking well in this book than in any other bet book I've read.

There was SO MUCH DIALOGUE and that was really difficult to get into at first. Like, so many people are talking to one another constantly - which was kind of genius - but was a big shift for my brain. There is a large cast of characters that I did have some problems remembering well. BUT I actually think this would have made an amazing movie (or audioplay). Like is Jennifer Crusie a secret-screenwriter? Because it felt like I was reading a film - in a good way! I loved the epilogue - a tie for favorite epilogues with Kristen Callihan's The Hot Shot.

ps. is that chair scene an homage to Judith Ivory's Untie My Heart? Because I know Crusie loves Ivory! Also, am I going to make Judith Ivory connections appear whenever convenient? Yes. I am. (

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s_carr | Feb 25, 2024 |

Light, funny romance book.

bentstoker | Jan 26, 2024 |

A re-read from a time when I wasn't tracking on Goodreads. I forgot how well written this book is, and I still don't know why it hasn't been made into a movie yet. (

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Greenfrog342 | Jan 22, 2024 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Crusie, Jennifer	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Alda Delgado, Enrique	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Bampi-Hautmann, Doris	Herausgeber	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Holst, Lisbet	—	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Hurst, Deanna	Reader	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Kornbichler, Eva	—	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Perković, Mihaela	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Post Uiterweer, Ellis	Author	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Publisher Series

Brilliance Audio [titles A-F]

Is contained in

Crazy for You | Tell Me Lies | Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

Welcome to Temptation [and] Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

The Jennifer Crusie Collection by Jennifer Crusie

Bet Me | Tell Me Lies | Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie

Bet Me | Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

RITA Award (Winner – Contemporary Single Title – 2005)

Distinctions

AAR Annual Reader Poll (Best Romance, Best Chick Lit/Women's Fiction, Best Contemporary, Best Couple, Best Heroine, Favorite Funny, [HM] Best Hero [Tie] – 2005)

New York Times bestseller (Fiction – 2004)

Notable Lists

AAR Top 100 Romances ([Previously 2004-#5] Most Recent Rank - 2007)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Bet Me

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

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Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Women's total instinct for gambling is satisfied by marriage.
- Gloria Steinem

Dedication

For Monica Pradhan McLean
Because her price is above rubies
Which she knows how to invest,
And because every book she writes
is a diamond

First words

Once upon a time, Minerva Dobbs thought as she stood in the middle of a loud yuppie bar, the world was full of good men.

Quotations

"Good. Oral I'm good at." The silence stretched out until he said, "I didn't mean that the way it came out."

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Enderlin, Jennifer

Blurbers

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (2)

Bet Me

Jennifer Crusie

▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Romance. HTML:

The beloved New York Times bestselling novel, now with an exclusive letter from Jennifer Crusie in celebration of its tenth anniversary
This is New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Crusie's novel about long shots, risk management, true love, and great shoes. . . .
Minerva Dobbs knows how to work the odds.
Calvin Morrisey always plays to win.
But when they face off, neither one is prepared.
Because when real life meets true love, all bets are off. . . .
Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet, even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs, even if she does wear great shoes and keep him on his toes. When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again.
But fate has other plans, and it's not long before Min and Cal meet again. Soon they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all�-true love.
Bet Me is the winner of a 2005 RITA Award.

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▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Minerva Dobbs knows how to work the odds.
Calvin Morrisey always plays to win.

But when they face off, neither one is prepared.
Because when real life meets true love, all bets are off. . . .

Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet, even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs, even if she does wear great shoes and keep him on his toes. When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again.

But fate has other plans, and it's not long before Min and Cal meet again. Soon they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all---true love.

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