I absolutely ate this up! Mazey Eddings has really stepped up her game with her second novel, a sparkling and heartfelt romance full of silliness and sincerity. I found so much I could relate to in Lizzie, with her chaotic brain and her endless big feelings, and I instantly fell in love with Rake, dreamy Australian perfectionist with a heart of gold (and a name straight out of a harlequin romance). Their banter was fun and believable, and their journey from one-night stand to sweet adoration was a delight to read. I also loved seeing some fun scenes with Lizzie’s friends, first introduced in “A Brush with Love,” and I really appreciated all of the complicated family dynamics and conversations about self-worth and feeling enough. These serious topics were handled with tenderness and felt so genuine and touching, especially when Lizzie found the strength to rewrite her own story.

Overall, I loved reading this, and I have such a happy bubble of joy thinking about these characters and their love. If I had one criticism: I truly wish some of Lizzie’s culinary confections were real and immediately available to readers as soon as they appear on the page (please work on that technology for next time Mazey, thank you).

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The absolute joy this book brought me is too big for words, it's easily one of my top five reads of the year. The writing is absurdly excellent and vivid. I completely adore Lizzie and all her chaotic bits and have never related to a fictional character more. I lost it every time Rake was so compassionate and understanding, and every time he truly saw her made me ache. How beautiful to find someone who loves you and all of your chaos when your whole life you've been told you're too much in every possible way. I love them so much, that I want to scoop them up, tuck them away, and keep them safe forever and ever. I promise you do not want to miss this one, preorder it now, in every format available, and you'll have zero regrets.

Mazey Eddings has another sizzling release on the way!

From the author of a A Brush With Love, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake features a new quirky and klutzy lead. While Lizzie can’t help but make a mess of most of her life, she tries to not affect others by only having one night stands. But then she meets Rake, a total hunk visiting from Australia, and decides that it’s okay to bend the rules every now and then… until fate has other plans, and Lizzie finds out she’s pregnant! The two decide to raise the baby while living platonically, and as always with Edding’s witty writing, shenanigans ensue.

I truly enjoyed Lizzie as the main character. She is so fearless and true to herself, and it’s so rare to see women with ADHD getting the representation they deserve! I know many women who can relate to her struggles in life, and hope that Lizzie’s story will open the eyes of others.

I was hoping this segment of the novel would distract myself from the pregnancy trope, which is one of my least favorite subplots, but it was too hard to ignore. I struggled through the book for this reason, but it was worth staying for Lizzie and Rake; it’s obvious from the beginning how passionate they are for one another!

If you’re a fan of comedies like Knocked Up and love steamy novels with a deeper message underneath, I highly recommend this book! Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake will be available in your favorite bookstore on September 6th.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ St. Martin’s Griffin for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake is book two in the Brush with Love series, a set of companion novels by Mazey Eddings. This book focuses on Lizzie and Rake. They have a two night-stand and Lizzie ends up pregnant. Rake and Lizzie decide to parent the impending baby, while platonically living together. Nothing can go wrong with that… right?

This book is a romance at heart, but it is so much more. It focuses on worth and existing in a world that isn't necessarily built for the way your brain works. It is about finding a person that loves your brain, just the way it is, rather than trying to change it all the time. The neurodiversity rep in this book is so beautiful and I absolutely loved the portrayal of ADHD, it was so real and raw.

This book has the accidental pregnancy trope, which I don't often like, but I found that the author did a great job of working it into the story just the right amount. The banter between Lizzie and Rake is pretty spot-on and I love their back and forth throughout the book. Rake is a supportive partner in the book, and I absolutely loved how he went to bat for Lizzie when other people weren't treating her with respect. Yes, some of the times he wasn't perfect, but then again who is?

The author did such a good job writing these characters that I felt so connected to them. I felt that I was living with both Rake and Lizzie and getting to know them. Both main characters had flaws, which made this book even more real to me and ever more enjoyable.

This book made me laugh and cry. This story brought out so many emotions in me. Mazey Eddings is a treasure and I recommend you check out this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

One thing about romance is that when a book is bad, I feel like I can see the mechanics of it. I know what beats it's attempting to hit when, I know the boxes that certain aspects tick. You can see what it's trying to do, and maybe it works and maybe it doesn't but I don't really feel a lot of joy from the reading experience itself.

But then when it's a really, really good romance novel, I lose all sense of the mechanics of it and just giddily let it wash over me. Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake was the really good giddy kind.

Lizzie Blake is a baker who has ADHD and only does casual relationships. She meets Rake, an Australian in town for a business trip. They have a really intense few days together, but expects to never see each other again. When they find out a few weeks later that their 2-night stand has more long-term impacts, they have to try to figure out what their new (platonic) relationship will be, while trying not to stray too far from their relationship comfort zones.

This is absolutely a favorite of the year so far. I appreciated the ADHD representation. Lizzie was a fully realized character that worked. Rake also worked, but my one nitpick-y feedback is that Rake's backstory of past relationship history didn't really feel fully fleshed out. It was alluded to, but I would have liked to understand it more fully.

It is definitely open-door, and for me was very spicy and sweet at the same time. There was some praise kink, if you're into it. For Mazey Eddings fans, I'll say that I really liked A Brush with Love, but this absolutely topped it for me, which doesn't always happen for authors who have really strong debuts.

This will be released in a little bit over a month, so I'd be pre-ordering if I were you.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

This was such a sweet and funny book.

I really loved Lizzie. I loved the way she saw the world, her weird way of talking and more. The depiction of her ADHD felt so honest and real. I could only imagine the challenge of living and thriving with a neurodiverse brain when the world likes to keep things status quo. And add on the childhood trauma, ooph.

I loved Lizzie and Rake’s meet cute and the development of their relationship. I loved how they helped each other out of their respective shells.

This was such a cute and heartwarming book. Definitely recommend.

I appreciated how this felt like a more fresh spin on the romance genre (overdone in movies but not as much in books). I enjoyed Rake as the male lead, but wow did I dislike Lizzie. Putting her issues aside, she is immature and childish and she gets a pass on it because she has ADHD? She is not someone I’d want to be friends with, and I’m shocked how she fits in her friend group. I appreciated how she stood up to her mother and liked the relationship with her brother and his wife, but otherwise, she grated on me. I also felt the story seemed rushed, we could’ve used one less sex scene to see them navigating the lead up to the baby and I was surprised we didn’t get a chaotic labor scene. I didn’t need one, but I think there was more we could’ve enjoyed.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone with AHDH myself, it was really nice to see my struggles reflected in a protagonist. There were parts of this book that made me feel very seen. I really enjoyed all of the characters, especially Lizzie’s supportive group of friends.

What a truly phenomenal romcom. From page one, Lizzie is such a vibrant, fearless, and relatable character. Her initial interactions with Rake are pure fire, and I was rooting for them from the start. I laughed constantly throughout Lizzie and Rake's story, and found myself in tears by the end. The emotional development of all characters is very well done, especially Lizzie's acceptance of her neurodiversity. The care with which these characters were created is apparent on every page, and story is one that many can relate to. I hope many other people find a home in these pages, just as I did.

Unfortunately I did not know this book involved an accidental/unplanned pregnancy when I downloaded it and, as soon that plot point became evident, I knew this book was not for me. As someone with uterine cancer, this was distressing to me as was the attempted assault. Thank you for the opportunity but I did not finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review.

✨ Review ✨ Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings; Narrated by Summer Morton; Will Peters

CW: lots of talk around pregnancy, abortion, and decisions about women's bodies

Lizzie, a whirlwind of ADHD energy, swirls through the pages of these books with loads of jokes, mishaps, and all-around chaos. After her two-night stand with Rake, a visiting Aussie, results in a pregnancy, she's left to try to assess her life and try to get things in order before she becomes a parent.

I enjoyed reading this book but it also stressed me out a bit too as Lizzie flies through the pages. I appreciated how the book provided representation for ADHD and the struggles women face with stigmatization and receiving care. This book made me laugh while it made me grapple with my feelings!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: contemporary romance f/m
Pub Date: September 6, 2022

Read this if you like:
⭕️ friends or lovers -- they can't decide
⭕️ silly body parts baked goods
⭕️ ADHD representation

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin, Macmillan Audio, and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy and audio copy of this book!

4.25 stars! I loved this one and Mazey Eddings truly just writes a story I can never get enough of!

Following her first book, I was so ecstatic to read this one without knowing any plot but after finding out, it had all of my favorite tropes! Strangers to lovers, forced proximity, accidental pregnancy, “there was only one bed”… oh my god all of it was just soooo good!

Eddings characters are always so real and friendly. It feels like I personally know them and I always find them so loveable! Lizzie was such a sweet, bright character with so much kindness and for her to be paired with Rake, whose life just brightens up after Lizzie, was so good! Rake was such a great love interest and with dial POV’s, I was able to yearn both sides of these emotionally constipated characters.

The timeline moved the tiniest bit slow for me but the characters made up for it! I just adored being able to read about them and look forward to Eddings’ future books! Thank you netgalley and the publisher for sending this book my way in return for an honest review!

3.25 stars

There’s a lot to like about this book. It’s very well written, as I would expect from this author, and the ADHD representation seemed very legit (disclaimer: I don’t have ADHD, but I believe the author does). And of course there’s fun sexy times 😊.
But I just didn’t see any compatibility between the couple. Sure, I could understand them being sexually attracted to each other for the purposes of the one night stand. But an actual relationship? No. They are just so different and I can’t believe that Lizzie wouldn’t drive Rake completely bonkers. But you might see it differently.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

3.5 stars! This is my first book I've read from Mazey Eddings, and I am definitely looking forward to reading her other works.

What I loved about this book: It has some great troupes including forced proximity and accidental pregnancy. Both Lizzie and Rake are characters you really felt were so loveable and as a reader I really was rooting for them to work it out! I got so emotional when reading about Lizzie's past and neglect she experienced from her own family. Both Rake and Lizzie's characters are well fleshed out and complex. You definitely will want to keep reading to know what happens to them in the end.

What could have been better about this book: The dual 3rd person POV. This really threw me off and I had a hard to getting immersed into the story. However, once you get over this, you really will enjoy the story and characters.

Thank you Mazey Eddings, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a big fan of Mazey Eddings' writing style. She definitely made me feel Lizzie's ADHD/anxiety issues, so much so that I felt anxious for the entirety of reading this book. But I will say that I found it difficult to connect with Lizzie and Rake throughout this book because of all of the miscommunication related to her issues. There were some very sweet (and super sexy) moments. Overall, I wasn't blown away by this as I had hoped I would be after reading Harper and Dan's story.

My quick thoughts after I finished the book:

1. You know a book is good when the author can make you love a book with your least favorite trope.
2. Mazey writes some of the best book boyfriends. Rafe is 🥹fire.
3. I don’t have ADHD, but really felt a kinship with Lizzie. I just loved her to pieces.
4. I loved seeing an FMC who is secure in her sexuality and knows what she wants

Even though I tend to avoid the accidental pregnancy or surprise baby tropes in romance, I loved a Brush with Love and knew Mazey would bring the humor, the story, and I had faith she could write something I would enjoy. She's also one of the only authors I've seen be completely transparent about having an accidental pregnancy in her book, in the blurb, which I was grateful for. She gets points for that.

I LOVED these characters! They're so good for each other, even though they're opposites.

Lizzie is such a strong character. Her ADHD has made her feel like a burden to people, that seed having been planted by her horrible mother (I just wanted to hit her, at times). There were times I just wanted to reach through the book and hug her. Lizzie knows what she's capable of. She just has to find a way to get there. By the end, we see so much growth from her character.

Rafe is swoony. Something in his past has made him want to upend his life to be there for Lizzie and the baby. He's very accepting of Lizzie, right from the beginning. He finds her a bit weird, but it's intriguing to him and he likes it. He doesn't want anyone to dim her shine. Also, hello Australian accent!

I loved this book! So many accidental pregnancy romances focus on the baby aspect and not the relationship between the two MCs and this one did not. The pregnancy gets them together, but it really wasn't the main focus of the book.

I will read the crap outta anything Mazey writes. She's easily become a one-click for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

5 Stars

This is a hard book to review. On the one hand, I found the author’s style engaging and thought the book was well written. The ADHD rep was also great, and the sex scenes are top-tier.

But around the 72% mark, we learn that Rake, the male main character, had an ex who got an abortion without telling him...and then finds out she also cheated on him. The narrative makes it clear he would have supported her if he knew she wanted to terminate the pregnancy. But the framing of this backstory contrasted with Lizzie, the female main character of this book, who decides to keep her pregnancy and considers an abortion for maybe five seconds, left a bad taste in my mouth, especially after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Also, this type of storyline — with the ex who had an abortion, and that becomes the male main character’s wound — has a troubling history in romance. I really thought we were done doing that.

The book would have still worked without this piece of backstory. It doesn’t add much to Rake’s character. He could’ve just had a cheating ex, and that would have been a sufficient reason for why he was hesitant to get involved with someone else.

Otherwise, I did enjoy the book. As I said at the beginning of my review, I like this author’s writing and would read more from her. But this backstory with Rake’s ex took it from a 4-star read to a 3-star.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Lizzie’s Best Mistake is everything I love about the ever-evolving rom-com, featuring one character who is neurodivergent and another who has built a wall around his heart. Lizzie and Rake combine to give us a story that is funny, sexy complicated, heart-stirring and endearing. Lizzie leaps off every page! She is loud and brash and messy and hilarious and bold and damaged, and living in her world made me see everything in a different light. I applaud the author for giving us this spectacular woman with ADHD, and for really letting us in to experience and understand it with her. With all that going on, Lizzie brings with her an effervescence and sparkle that brings life and light to Rake! Rake might be the antithesis of Lizzie, but he lugs around a weight in his heart that keeps his emotions locked away—and Lizzie might be the only one with the key to letting Rake love truly and deeply. Rake was quieter, but he was charming, warm, kind, and, even though he didn’t always understand it, he was swept up in Lizzie’s orbit, absorbing it all and relishing in it. This book was funny and bright, but the quiet, tear-filled, sincere moments were the ones that melted my heart.

Oh this was soooo sweet. I was smiling so much in the end. There was so much I loved about this. I loved the progression of Rake and Lizzie’s relationship and their own personal growth. I also liked the humor throughout mostly brought on by Lizzie.

I did have a couple issues in terms of pacing. The beginning did feel a little rushed but I think that’s to be expected with main trope in this book. Also I do think it righted itself in how it slowed the development Lizzie’s and Rake’s relationship after he learns of Lizzie’s pregnancy.

Something I appreciated was the ADHD rep, as it was something I have never read before in a book.

This books definitely feels memorable. And I can see my self doing a re-read in the future. I also can’t wait for Indira’s book next.

This was really cute and funny. Everything a romcom is supposed to be! Lizzie is a hot mess but I didn’t find her quirks to be that annoying (as a reader but in real life she sounds like a nightmare roommate). But once she finds out she’s pregnant she becomes determined to her shit together and does some true growth by the end. Rake has an Australian accent going for him, which makes up a little for his strange name. He also has some emotional baggage from a previous relationship but that doesn’t stop him from stepping up when he finds out he’s going to be a father. Im a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope so if that’s your thing I think you’ll enjoy it too! Took off a star because, like real pregnancy, Lizzie’s draaagggged on for what felt like forever and left me wanting more time of them figuring out their relationship while being new parents.