Woo, what a hot mess express.

We’ve got a klutzy columnist who lost her job, found her live-in boyfriend cheating on her with her work colleague, and then accidentally burned down her apartment building the same week. Olivia is now crashing at her brother’s apartment which happens to also be home to his best friend and her arch nemesis.

She receives a wrong number text and strikes up a friendship with Mr. Wrong Number, and I think we can all figure out who he is based on the info given.

Misunderstandings, revealed secrets, and pretty much anything you can throw at a plot ensue. It might be too much, but my brain is in chaos mode right now, so I loved it.

MORE PLEASE.

Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter is everything that I was hoping it would be: funny, relatable, quirky, and steamy. Both Colin and Olivia were extremely strong characters who were caught off-guard by their attraction to each other and a misdial incident that has them communicating with each other accidentally. I would have loved to have more Colin chapters in this book, because his character would have been a bit more fleshed out and well-rounded if we had seen things from his POV more often and gotten deeper information about his family life and childhood. I want to know how Colin and Jack became friends, had more time with him and his sister, and more backstory on why him and his dad are so antagonistic during the scene that occurs in the parking lot.
I absolutely loved the tension and character arcs where we see both Liv and Colin learning more about themselves while messing up with each other. Lynn Painter’s writing is wonderful as per usual, having the perfect mix of humour, seriousness, and emotional intelligence; I couldn’t stop reading because she created such a lovely plot and her characters had so much life. This book gave me so much joy, and I am looking forward to being able to read Painter’s next book!

I requested this book on a whim without reading the synopsis and I absolutely adored it! This book was full of angst. Forbidden lovers might be my new favorite trope. I loved the anonymous texting plot and the humor that was in this book. Lynn Painter did such an amazing job with this one! It was my first time reading a book by this author and most certainly won't be my last.

This book was so cute. That typical miscommunication/hiding who you are trope that we see a lot in RomComs but I just loved the characters in this one. Their story was cute, especially Olivia. She was a little sassy and a lot witty and even though she had “terrible” luck and was quite klutzy, she didn’t have that shy girl doesn’t know she’s cute thing going on, which was refreshing. Collin’s confuse over the whole thing and how to feel was adorable and he was well put together and just the right amount of cocky without being a total jerk. This was a great read. I loved it.

Mr. Wrong Number is a contemporary romantic comedy. It touches on a couple rom-com tropes with mistaken identity, friends (or enemies) to lovers, and falling for a sibling. I did enjoy a couple chuckles and I could relate with Olivia's big feelings and zest for life. There was a language in book that was a turn off for me. There were also open door romance scenes. You can read this on it's own, but Painter shared a short preview for her next title at the end of the book. Spoiler ... it's about Olivia's brother.

Thanks for the review copy, NetGalley!

𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙸𝙵 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴:
💖 Rom-Coms with 🌶
💖 Best Friends Sister
💖 Enemies-to-Lovers
💖 Opposites Attract
💖 Forced Proximity
💖 All the LOLs 😂

𝙼𝚈 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃𝚂: I freaking LOVED this book! If you are reading this, go and add to your TBR now. I totally related to Olivia in this book as I am myself a hot-mess express who seems to always have strange weird things happen to me where I am like WTF?!

This book is a slow burn that is oh so worth the wait. The chemistry and banter between Olivia and Colin is so hot, and I think Colin may be one of my book boyfriends now. As you can see, there are so many tropes tied into this book, and I am all about it. 🙌🏼

I seriously have never laughed so much while reading a rom-com. It is such a hilarious book that is spicy in all the right ways.

I know this is going to be one of my favorite reads of 2022, and I’ll def be rereading it. Thank you so much @berkleyromance for the #gifted finished copy! #berkleypartner

Now this is a rom com I would definitely like to see brought to the screen!
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Things are not going great for Olivia. When she gets a random text from a number she doesn’t know things became a lot more interesting.She’s having way more fun with Mr. Wrong Dial than anything in her real life. She can tell him things she doesn’t feel comfortable telling anyone she knows, especially about her current run of bad luck and moving in with her brother and his best friend, who she hates.
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She may hate Colin, and the feeling is mutual, but things are starting to thaw. Colin is thrown threw a complete loop when he realizes Miss Misdial that he’s been texting is none other than Olivia. Things just got interesting!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub for an advanced copy. This one is so much fun and made me laugh out loud! I love the way @lynnpainterkirkle writer. Her characters’ witty banter is exactly what makes me connect to a character in a book. I can’t wait for whatever she writes next!
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This book was exactly what I needed. After reading numerous heavy books, this one took a heavy topic and gave me some fantastic light-hearted banter with a sprouting relationship where the characters basically crash into each other with the electrifying chemistry between them.

Olivia Marshall manages to collide into every form of bad luck – especially when she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her and then accidentally sets her apartment building on fire and has to move to her hometown and stay with her brother and his roommate. And then the cherry on top is to find out that the roommate is none other than Colin Beck, the very guy who has taunted and made fun of Olivia her entire life for being a colossal mess. Grrrreat.

But add into this the fact that Olivia gets a misdial from some stranger who seems to have the perfect sense of humor and the ability to give as well as he takes in the banter department. It’s the one highlight in her life. Until Mr. Wrong Number starts ghosting her.

The dramatic irony in this book is phenomenal and I loved watching to see just what kind of mess each character would find themselves in. If you need a sweet and amusing read, this is definitely the one for you. Talk about proximity romance, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, catfishing… you name it, it has it. Definitely one worth reading -- I couldn't put it down.

This book is bananas, but in a good way! If you love hot-mess heroines and love interests modeled after Ryan Gosling (plus lots of sexually changed banter) then this one is definitely for you!

OMG!! THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST HYSTERICAL BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ! Gah!!! I am obsessed with Olivia and Colin and their antics. A mistext and cue alll the sexy convo and hilarity. I loved this brother"s bestfriend story so much!

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. 4 stars!

This book is a freaking masterpiece! I’m talking about grumpy x sunshine, brothers best friend, enemies to lovers, funny as shît type of thing.

Olivia was an energetic character, strong willed, confident, freaking HILARIOUS! Her character was so unique, she was an absolute mess and I loved it!

Colin’s could run me over ANY DAY. I swear to god at first I kind of has mixed emotions regarding his character BUT everything changed when he and Olivia started having ACTUAL conversations.

I really wanted to like this book and it started off pretty funny, but I just could not get into the story at all. The premise is super cute, but I couldn't connect with the characters and had trouble caring about their story.

PAINTER HAS DONE IT AGAIN! After reading Better Than The Movies last year, Lynn Painter automatically became one of my favourite authors, and I was not surprised when I fell in love with this book too. Olivia Marshall is the queen of bad luck. After her boyfriend cheats on her, and she sets her apartment on fire, she's forced to move in with her brother and his best friend. However, one night, Olivia gets a somewhat dirty text from a random number, and instead of blocking this person, Olivia ends up having some of the most entertaining conversations with them. Could there be possible love with this person? MEANWHILE, Colin Beck, the iconic brother's best friend who is currently living with Olivia and her brother, realizes how much Olivia has grown from being just the annoying little sister. All he sees now is a grown woman who is easy on the eyes. However, he knows to keep his distance. BUT, Colin finds out that his dirty text went to Olivia, and all this time he's been chatting her up. Now Colin doesn't know whether to ghost her before she finds out that the wrong number is really him, or to continue talking to one of the most charming women he's ever met. CUE THE CHAOS PEOPLE. LOVED THIS BOOK!

Thank you Berkley for my gifted review copy of Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter.

Oh my goodness, Lynn Painter is hilarious and wonderful - that is all. This is my second book by Lynn and I've loved them both equally. I fell in love with Lynn's writing while reading Better Than The Movies. Mr. Wrong Number was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022! And it did not disappoint.

Olivia is a hot mess in the best way. She's lovable, fun, authentic, and always finds a way to land on her feet. Colin is very Gosling -Esque from Crazy, Stupid, Love. The banter is where its at for me. The back and forth, the hilarious pop culture references, and the fact that a hot mess is leading lady material - GIVE IT TO ME!

Such a cute book! Excellent text banter that doesn't end even when they get together! It's a brother's best friend, steamy read!

An enjoyable story.

Olivia Marshall is a bit of a hot mess. It never occurred to Olivia when she introduced her boyfriend to her attractive co-worker because they would be perfect to work on a project together that they would thank her by falling madly in love with each other. Nor did it occur to her while she was burning all his love letters that something might go wrong and burn down her whole apartment building. That's how she ends up sleeping on an air mattress in her brother's shared apartment back in her home town of Omaha. Everything crazy seems to always happen to Olivia.

While she is wallowing in the misery of all these combined mishaps, Olivia gets a random text from a wrong number asking her what she is wearing. This is the beginning of a random but intriguing friendship between Mr. Wrong Number and Misdial. When Olivia had moved in with her boyfriend, she lost touch with most of her high school and college friends so Mr. Wrong Number became someone she could talk to and anonymously confide in to help her get through this hard time. What she doesn't know is that Mr. Wrong Number turns out to be her brother's best friend and roommate, Mr. Perfect -- Colin Beck.

Colin is trying to brake free from the legacy of the law firm of Beck, Beck and Beck and live his own life without the country club and the private school and legacy college. He got his mother to agree to let him go to public school where he met Olivia's brother, Jack, and endless scholarship offers allowed Colin to pick his own future. Back in High School, Colin and Jack would laugh at Olivia's antics and tease her mercilessly, which crushed young Olivia's teenaged crush on Colin.

At the beginning of the story, we have Colin tolerating Jack letting his chaotic little sister crash for one month only in his home office space and hoping Olivia's bad luck doesn't burn down their condo too. Colin enjoys his unconventional friendship with Misdial until the night he sees his responding texts popping up on Olivia's phone and then he knows he needs to shut down any further flirting with his best friend's little sister. But while Colin ghosts Olivia, Olivia continues texting Mr. Wrong Number first as a continued outlet for her thoughts but also hoping that one day he will respond to her again. Eventually, Colin gives up trying to ignore Olivia's texts and starts up their conversations again because Olivia has stopped being Jack's annoying little sister and started becoming an intriguing woman who has captured his attention.

One kiss crosses that line of friendship into something more. Suddenly things are looking up for Olivia. She lands a dream job. Romance with Colin might be blooming into something more. Then Olivia catches on to the fact that Colin is her Mr. Wrong Number. The worse part is that now she know he was aware that she was Ms. Misdial and allowed her to continue to share her private anonymous thoughts with him. The betrayal is crushing. Can Olivia and Colin move past their past and create their own future?

I enjoyed the light-hearted fun between Misdial and Mr. Wrong number. I like that Colin didn't have creepy, sexy thoughts about young Olivia. She was just his friend's annoying little sister until he realized she is his Misdial and he started to see her in a new light of an interesting, grown up woman. I also like that Colin realizes that he has been wrong all this time thinking of Olivia as being a hot mess. He realizes that Olivia throws her whole self into everything she does and sometimes it works out and sometimes it fails but she always put her heart into it.

What I was disappointed in was the fact that Colin considers Olivia a great writer and when Olivia gets an offer to be a writer at the times, we are told she is making news herself and everyone is discussing her articles, but we don't get to see any of those articles ourselves. I would have like to see some examples of Olivia's clever humor. We also have both Olivia and Colin being bullied by a parent. Olivia's mother is constantly disappointed in all of Olivia's failings and Colin is bullied by his father because he is too old for a roommate and because he wants Colin to be part of the law firm even though he doesn't have a law degree but anything other than owning your own business is beneath a Beck. Even Colin's relationship with Olivia is grabbing at "low hanging fruit" as she is living in Colin's apartment. Neither Olivia nor Colin slapped down these parental attacks before the end of the story and I was disappointed that we were left with these horrible bullying parents with neither standing up for themselves.

Mr Wrong Number was an enjoyable story and it's only failing was leaving me wanting a little more character building to fill out the story a little more.

I was really excited for this book because of both the premise and the newer version of the cover, which reminded me of '60s comedies like Pillow Talk. This book didn't have those vibes at all, but I still really enjoyed a MR. WRONG NUMBER.

Olivia is a hot mess who is crashing at her brother's place after she accidentally set her apartment in Chicago on fire while burning her ex's poems. Her first night there, she gets a text from a wrong number that turns into a flirty bantery anonymous relationship. What Olivia doesn't know is that Mr. Wrong Number is Colin, her brother's roommate and best friend, with whom she's had an antagonistic relationship for most of her life.

I loved Olivia's voice and was laughing aloud frequently in her POV. At one point, I felt like things started leaning more in the chaos direction and the anxiety of Olivia's choices had me biting my nails. But overall it was a fun and easy read, slightly steamy, and had some really hilarious moments.

4⭐️

Brothers best friend , banter , roommates , grovelling , texting , jealousy.... all my favs. I consumed this book, absolutely adored it and will recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good romcom

In this opposites-attract rom com we meet a down-but-not-out journalist heroine who finds herself living in the apartment of her brother and his long-time best friend. He's from an affluent family and is *polished.* She is the hot mess that burned her apartment building down. They have always antagonized each other and really are opposites in their appearance and demeanor, but as they live together they step into new territory. Add in a plot line that she's unknowingly got a text chain going with him after he accidentally misdials her in the first scene (he figures it out later) and you've got that opening for anonymous vulnerability and the conflict of whether or not to reveal yourself IRL.
This book was unexpectedly good. The antics and situations were creative, the characters were endearing. My only (nitpicky) complaint is that I had hoped that Livvie (Olivia) would have grown in her view of Colin as much as Colin grew in his vision of her. He has this beautiful revelation about what makes Livvie tick and the underlying reason for her chaotic energy and even at the end she's not as revelatory in her understanding of him as it relates to his wealthy family and his lifestyle choices. I just wanted to see her come into that maturity a little bit for the sake of their relationship.
Solid offering in the contemporary romantic comedy scene right now.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

Mr. Wrong Number is an adorable retelling of You’ve Got Mail and I absolutely loved it. It is the story of Olivia, post break-up and a hot mess, moves in with her brother and his pompous but hunky best friend, Colin, when she mistakenly gets a text intended for someone else. Witty and flirty texting banter continues and you can do the math and figure out where this is going… This book had me giggling, smiling and swooning. I always love an enemy to lovers trope but this also had such snarky texting dialogue and laugh out loud moments and quirky characters galore. And Colin gave me all the Mr. Darcy vibes. All the love for this book - the quintessential romcom. Thank you partner, @berkleyromance for my gifted copy.