Earlier this year I listed to A Brush With Love, the first book in this series, and really enjoyed it. I'm happy to report that the sequel did not disappoint! Mazey Eddings packed just as much humor, relatability, and cute romance moments into this book as she did with her debut.

Lizzie was a really cool main character. I loved how tough and stubborn she was when she set her mind to something but also liked when she let the reader in on her more vulnerable thoughts. I loved how she represented ADHD through her story and couldn't help but smile when she got into some hilarious predicaments. Rake was a good complementing character; where Lizzie was all energy Rake was more reserved. The both brought out the best in each other and I loved how much they supported each other.

I honestly didn't really read the summary too closely for this book because the pregnancy took me by total surprise. I normally stay away from pregnancy tropes in books because I just find them too unrelatable and usually too dramatic, so I'm glad I didn't see that and let it stop me from reading this book. Although the pregnancy definitely plays a role in the story it doesn't feel like the central point. I liked that the plot still focused on their relationship, Lizzie's self-acceptance, and Rake's getting out of his comfort zone. I loved the focus on character development and how many times the characters faced their fears and roadblocks head on with the support of the other.

I also want to give a shout-out to the erotic baked goods because those were absolutely hilarious. Lizzie's boss was absolutely amazing and that aspect of the book made me think of the show Sex Education. It was just a funny thing to incorporate and I love how it played into Lizzie standing up for herself later in the book.

Lizzie's strained relationship with her family was frustrating to read- not because of the writing but because I wanted to reach through the book and smack her parents. There's almost a found family aspect to this book with how Lizzie gets support from her friend group and Rake. I loved the "unconventional" support network/family and enjoyed the pieces about her parents and brother.

Honestly, this book was great. There were a few times that I wished they would "get together already!!" (I might have said that aloud a few times), but I really liked how the plot and characters developed. I laughed out loud quite a few times and am excited to read the next installment in this series.

Mazey Eddings’s debut novel was so wonderful, so I was definitely looking forward to reading Lizzie's story... it did not let me down!

Lizzie is an all-too-relatable character whom I absolutely adored. Dealing with ADHD in the best way she knows how (running away from any possible attachments), she encounters a situation following a two-night stand that isn't so... escapable.

Rake is your typical swoony male lead; a charmer with an accent who is determined to avoid emotional connections due to past mishaps.

I usually am not a fan of the *spoiler!* unplanned pregnancy trope, but when it's done well, I can really get into the story. Lizzie and Rake's love story was messy and unconventional and emotional, but it was so worth the read. Lizzie is such a strong character and Rake is ridiculously charming, and you can't help but root for the two hot messes to get together.

The depiction of mental illness was handled superbly: enough humor to make it lighter but enough sensitivity to know that it's being taken seriously.

I absolutely recommend this book!

Special thanks to NetGalley for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own!

10/10 would read again, multiple times. Would continue to recommend. Won’t stop continuing to recommend. This was SO GOOD! Mazey does it again. She is surely becoming one of my favorite rom-com writers and I can not wait for her next book!

This was a cute, light, breezy read. Surprise pregnancy is not my trope so that's my fault, but Mazey's writing is good, and it was an adorable story. I appreciate the author's dedication to including mental health into their writing. She does a great job showing what living with ADHD is like, and it's really nice to see the representation.

Thank you SMP for the gifted copy.

I just adored Lizzie and related to some of her struggles with adult ADHD. The scene where she was supposed to be packing but procrastinated and then got so overwhelmed she decided to bake instead was me 100%. It’s like I’m aware of a big task, put it off because it’s so overwhelming, and then either get hyper focused or freak out completely. I don’t struggle nearly as much as Lizzie, but there were so many bits and pieces that had me nodding along thinking ‘YES!’

The 🔥🌶️ scenes were great, and I loved Rake (for the most part). Bernadette was fabulous and I’d totally visit her bakery in real life.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m personally not a fan of the pregnancy trope, and 100% requested this book before realizing that that’s what it is. Despite that, I read this book in two days and really enjoyed it!!

Eddings comes back for the second installment of this series ready to delve into Lizzie, the crass best friend who loves baking and helps Harper decide she’s ready to see a psychiatrist.

Lizzie comes across bubbly and outgoing, but inside she’s constantly juggling feelings of inadequacy and self-flagellation due to how ADHD and Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD) impact people’s perception of her.

A fan of no strings attached one night stands, Lizzie spends two nights with a random Australian man, Rake, which leads to an unexpected surprise. And so the story continues, the two of them tumbling into a coparenting plan with lots of forced proximity, tension, sweet moments, and grand emotional breakthroughs.

It’s a quick, easy read, with a lot of depth surrounding exploration of mental health and tough familial relationships, which I applaud Eddings for. The romance itself is nothing special, and while we know a lot about Lizzie, we barely learn anything about Rake. And also I hate the trope of why Rake is closed off the way he is, which I could’ve guessed at the very beginning, and while it’s reveal and explanation is fine, it still irked me.

Similar to A Brush With Love, I found some of the dialogue, especially at the beginning, to be just a touch too cringey and over the top. I guess it’s just a function of the romance genre, but still. Also, now having read two books about women in this friend group, I also wish Eddings spent a little more time showing them having positive and loving interactions together. For both Lizzie and Harper, interactions and situations their friends put them in seem to cause a lot of stress and trigger their mental health problems, to the point where I don’t think it’s made quite clear enough why we as readers should consider these healthy and encouraging relationships. Instead, the takeaway seems to be that while working on themselves, the only person who actually gets them and is willing to accommodate them is their love interest. So yeah.

3.5/5

“If yellow was a sound, he thought, it would be her laugh”

What a delightful surprise Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake was!!

After losing another job due to her ADHD struggles, Lizzie goes looking for a one night stand with an app date, only to end up crossing paths with Australian hottie, Rake. Two nights stands later and Lizzie learns that condoms do indeed expire and now there’s a baby on the way! Rake moves from Sydney to Philadelphia to co-parent with Lizzie in a totally platonic way and the rest is history😉

Lizzie and Rake were just fantastic together! Their chemistry was amazing and even though they have very different personalities, I loved how they seemed to understand each other. I also really enjoyed reading Lizzie's experience with ADHD. I think that added an extra layer to this book that really intrigued me and there were times I just wanted to reach through the book and hug her!!🥺

I usually don’t read and enjoy many books with the pregnancy trope but the way that this book focused so much more on the relationship between Lizzie and Rake rather than just on le bebe, made this story much more enjoyable👏🏼
I also didn’t realize this was the second book of a series so I can safely say it can be read as a stand-alone for sure😅 but I’m definitely adding the first book in the series, A Brush With Love, to my TBR!!📚😜

Sweet, charming, steamy, fun, filled with witty banter and a double POV, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake was a great easy read that I very much recommend!!🥰

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC💛

The book was full of laughter and steamy scenes. I loved how Lizzie was VERY outgoing and just cause of that I LOVED it. And also Rake HOLY SMOKES…Loved him. MOVE OVER HEMSWORTH, RAKE IS THE NEW AUSTRALIAN BAE. Haha just kidding they are tied.

(Spoiler Warning)
I love how many of the characters from A Brush with Love were in it. And how they reacted to the whole pregnancy. Even if the reaction wasn’t the best at the start they still cared and loved her no matter what and gave her space. Okay now I will stop with the spoilers and will resume my review.

I love the way Mazey Eddings writes after I have read A Brush with Love, I’ve been wanting to read another book of hers so I’m super happy to have been able to read this before it’s officially put out in the world. Will be buying it in paperback when it comes out.

This was just okay. It took awhile for me to like Lizzie, and it wasn’t very believable to me how convenient it was for things to work out between Lizzie and Rake.

Also not a huge fan of a surprise pregnancy trope, so maybe I’m just not the target audience for this book!

By the time I finished this, I liked it a lot. I will say I had a hard time at the beginning as Lizzie was constantly frustrating me. As someone neurodivergent, it PAINED me to see Lizzie flop repeatedly. Ultimately, though, I found her charming and honest. I liked Rake too; he was pretty fleshed out as far as love interests go. I haven't read the first book in this series, but I might now. Romance fans will absolutely find something to love here.

I LOVED the ADHD representation. It was well done. Several parts made me laugh out loud. Even though the romance was very instant—the writing kept me reading. I will be reading others in this series!

I’ve been looking forward to reading Lizzie since my virtual book club read and loved ABWL and chatted with Mazey, and it was such a delightful read!

Lizzie (like all of us!) has a lot of baggage… and omg the cover is clicking for me so much more now… She’s been fired from her job, she’s struggling to manage parts of her ADHD, and just looking to find someone to help unleash some… energy with.

Rake steps in when Lizzie gets stood up, and they hit it off… v quickly… Fast forward a few more hookups, a missed period, and a 36-hour panic flight from Australia—>Philly, and Lizzie and Rake decide to figure out how to move forward together. Well not together, together (yet!)...

Despite the heavier content, this is just a fun story. Lizzie keeps us laughing out loud and just cheering so hard for her throughout her journey to motherhood. She and Rake learn how to set boundaries not only with each other, but with everyone in their lives. I enjoy Mazey’s writing so much. It feels like she pours her heart and soul into her stories.

All the stars for Mazey for writing inclusive, neurodivergent characters, and sharing their messy, beautiful brains with us! Thanks to SMP Romance and NetGalley for an earc!

First of all, I love the cover artwork. It's right on schedule with current trends within this genre - it's bright, colorful and illustrative. The characters are well throughout, the comedy elements are fun as well and there was some fun quick comments. I felt really connected to the characters actually throughout the end and I hope there will be another or a spin off.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I’d love a romance with a pregnancy plot, but I loved being proved wrong, so I decided to read it!

And I’m happy to report- I was, in fact, wrong! This was so cute!

I loved Rake and Lizzie and their openness with one another and their ability to listen. This was just wonderful!

“If yellow was a sound, he thought, it would be her laugh. Bright and booming, warming and joyful.”

4.5/5 stars

TW: Unexpected pregnancy, discussions of abortion and ADHD, and cheating

Lizzie Blake is no stranger to making mistakes. But after losing her job due to an incident caused by her ADHD, she feels like she has hit rock bottom. Then one night at the bar and meets Rake, the painfully handsome Australian in town on business. Lizzie is one to not get too close to anyone and assumes she will never see Rake again, that is until her pregnancy test comes back positive. Rake determined to be the best father he can, is determined to do everything he can to be supportive, including moving to Philadelphia. As the two agree on a non-romantic partnership to raise their child, challenges arise as the sexual tension between them is non avoidable especially in the room less apartment they now share together. As the two navigate this big change in their lives, they discover strength in themselves and one another that they never knew they had.

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I absolutely adored this one! I loved the author’s writing style and there were some sentences in here that had me laughing out loud. I was in love with our female MC Lizzie, her humor and kindness warmed my heart as she navigates life with her ADHD and forces that work against her like her unsupportive parents. Lizzie and Rake together was simply magic, they both brought out the best in each other and complimented each other so well despite their differences. It was heartwarming to watch these two navigate their lives together, I also loved how Rake supported Lizzie and the tension in this one was HAWWT! I loved how the author incorporated ADHD representation in her story, it highlighted so many struggles and challenges that those who have ADHD face every single day. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This title is available to purchase now!

Read if you like:
✔️ Neurodiverse characters
✔️ Surprise pregnancy trope
✔️ Forced proximity
✔️ A Brush With Love
✔️ Spice
✔️ Messy family dynamics & found/chosen families

In Mazey Eddings' second book, we follow Lizzie Blake, one of Harper's friends from A Brush With Love. Lizzie was Harper's fun, kooky friend, but in this book, we get a deep dive into her personality and, in particular, her ADHD. Based on the experiences of friends and things I've read about ADHD, Eddings' portrayal was pretty spot-on and I think she did a great job of diving into Lizzie's neurodiverse brain. She painted the picture of how Lizzie thinks and why she acts the way she does. Lizzie often voices frustration for being called lazy or thoughtless, and I really felt for her because it was easy to see and empathize with why she behaved the way she did.

This is a romance so of course, I must discuss that aspect! I really liked Rake and thought he and Lizzie had great chemistry. Their relationship begins with a two-night stand, so we get a couple of steamy scenes right away, which I enjoyed. After Lizzie discovers she is pregnant, their story is more of a slow burn. Without giving too much away, I enjoyed the way their romance unfolded. It felt realistic and not forced. Their love was unconditional, which Eddings did a great job writing. Rake loved Lizzie because of her ADHD and quirky personality, not in spite of it. He showed her that she could still be herself and inspired her to be the best version of herself. I also liked her career storyline and how all that wrapped up.

If you enjoyed A Brush With Love, this is definitely worth picking up. Even if you didn't or haven't read it, I would recommend this! I liked it better than Eddings' debut and it isn't necessary to have read the first before reading this one. I hope you try it and like it as much as I did!

This book follows Lizzie who has never let anyone get close to her, but after one too many mistakes and one too many lost jobs she starts to second think her life and decides to give someone a second chance. That someone is Rake, and he has been burned by so many other girls that he is also so closed off. However, neither of them get a chance to back out, when Lizzie finds out she's pregnant. These two start to figure each other out and bring down walls that they put up! This romance is cute, realistic, sexy, and so fun! Pregnancy trope is not usually my favorite, but I think this one is done so well!

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake is the second book in A Brush with Love series, but it can be read as a standalone story. Lizzie has serious ADHD and her parents have never understood her. They are disappointed with everything she has done and don't hesitate to let her know it. Lizzie is not into a serious relationship, but she has not problems finding male companionship. She meets Rake, a sexy Australian, in a bar and they have a one night stand, okay, two nights, but then he heads home. Unfortunately, he leaves behind a pregnant Lizzie. Lizzie wants him to know she is pregnant and intends on having the child, so he picks up his life, transfers to a job in the US and plans to co-parent the child. They end up living together in an apartment, and the heat and sizzle pick up even more.

This book had my emotions all over the place. I was not always happy with Lizzie's decisions, but she didn't deserve to be treated the way her parents treated her. She was very down on herself at times, although she also loved her life, her job and her decision to have her child. There were several poignant moments between Lizzie and Rake when they shared secrets and situations in their life that they had not shared with others. I loved seeing Lizzie's brother finally come to terms with his own relationship with Lizzie. Along with those moments there are also a lot of laughs, some great banter and a lot of talk of and action that were very explicit. It definitely had my face turning red and I skimmed those. Being a retired educator, I saw people with varying degrees of ADHD and I felt that Lizzie was portrayed in a realistic way. Those with ADHD have it for life, so seeing her portrayed as an adult is something that is not common in my reading. I also liked that she was successful in her life, she had a job she loved and was good at it, also something very important and relatable. Overall, this is a fun, contemporary romance that deals with mental health, family relationships, parental expectations, unplanned pregnancy, taking responsibility, romance and a lot of steam.

Although I really enjoyed Miazey Eddings' debut, this book did not work well for me. Rake's character was so underbaked that by the time we got to his backstory involving an evil ex who gave him issues by getting an abortion, I was pretty mad. Trying to have the characters position themselves as pro-life and working out of such an old playbook does not jive for me. I'm glad for readers with ADHD who can see themselves represented in Lizzie, but I'm sad how this one turned out for me.

I adored Mazey Eddings debut novel A Brush with Love so when I heard that Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake was coming out, I couldn’t resist requesting it for review. Lizzie was a fun secondary character in A Brush with Love so I was excited to learn more about her.

When we first meet Lizzie, her life comes across as a chaotic mess. She’s chronically late for her job at a local bakery and once she finally gets there, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether she’ll make it through the day without setting the kitchen on fire. What she lacks in organization, however, she makes up for with her big heart. Lizzie has this bubbly personality and you can’t help but fall in love with her. I adored her from the moment we meet her and I also felt tremendous sympathy for her when she is fired from her job, because it’s clear that her daily struggles are due to ADHD and that she is working to try to control it. The ADHD representation, particularly those day-to-day struggles Lizzie experiences, also felt very realistic and I appreciated how well written it was. My sympathy and love for Lizzie only continued to grow as we learn that her family has never given her the support she needs and that this has led to her feeling that no one will ever love her because she’s just too chaotic and over the top.

Along comes Rake, the sexy Australian businessman Lizzie meets one night at a bar. Lizzie is only looking for a one-night stand but can’t deny that she’s attracted to Rake. Rake, who has also been burned in the love department, is only looking for a good time as well before he heads back to Australia, although he freely admits that he is captivated by Lizzie’s bubbly personality and everything about the way she sees the world around her. Their one night stand turns into two nights, and then thanks to an expired condom, soon after Rake leaves the country, Lizzie realizes she is pregnant. Rake is an easy character to love anyway, but my heart fully melted when Lizzie tells him about the pregnancy and he uproots his entire life to move to America and be a part of this baby’s life and help Lizzie in any way he can. Neither of them wants a relationship but they agree to live together so that they can co-parent.

I just loved everything about Lizzie and Rake together. Their attempts to keep things platonic were amusing, particularly when a popped air mattress awkwardly leads to them having to share a bed. The more they interact with one another and the more they work together to get things ready for the baby, the more it becomes clear how perfect they are for one another, whether they want to be in a relationship or not. And for those who like their romances steamy, Eddings definitely knows how to bring the heat so there are some steamy scenes as well.

I highly recommend Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake to anyone who enjoys romance novels that are filled with humor, heart and heat, and that feature lovable characters who will tug at your heartstrings.