I did find Lizzie pretty funny and I could see a big personality like hers being a magnet for some around her. Could see how an outgoing personality like hers can pull people to her. Charismatic is what I would call her. Rake, I would say is the ying to her yang. He is the person he wants to be around her…I almost feel like even though Lizzie’s name is in the title it’s just as much Rake’s story and we see some character development for him too. His growth as a man and a man in a relationship. A good romance read.

This book is so sweet and adorable with just the right amount of spice! The characters are super lovable and the chemistry between the main characters had me rooting for a happy ending as soon as they met. I typically try to avoid accidental pregnancy tropes, but I loved the author’s first book so much that I had to give this one a shot. And I have to say, this is my favorite pregnancy trope book that I have ever read. The story was so fast paced and intriguing that I got to the ending and still wanted a whole other book about them. Rake is probably one of the best book boyfriends out there because he always knew exactly the right thing to say to Lizzie. I look forward to reading anything else that Mazey Eddings comes out with!
Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

“I love you like a heart beats or a fish swims. It’s automatic and unavoidable, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. You’ve busted into my heart and carved your name into every chamber.”

Mazey Edding’s stole my heart with her debut novel when she managed to incorporate real life into her romance. She has done it again with Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake. I love her representation in her characters and how realistic her stories are.

“You’re a work of art. You’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

Lizzie and Rake have instant attraction/chemistry, especially after he protects her from a terrible human. Rake is from Australia and just visiting, so they decide to indulge in their attraction just once. Except it happens a few more times… and that “just once” idea happens to end in an accidental pregnancy.

“You’ll probably never fully grasp how wonderful it is to know a person like you exists.”

Lizzie has always been told that she is “too much.” Too loud, too spacey, too disorganized, etc. She has ADHD and it is a huge part of who she is, but it’s not all she is. I thought Mazey did great at giving a realistic point of view about having ADHD and how the person feels behind the scenes. Lizzie is a bright burst of energy, the sunshine personality to Rake’s grumpiness, and I loved her. Her humor and extroverted personality is something I quickly fell in love with.

“Because life was a shadow before, but you’re the sun. And I want the world to know that I’m an absolute fool for you and nothing makes me happier.”

Rake is the literal perfect human for Lizzie. Even though their relationship did not start off ideally for them, he embraced this new change and did whatever he could for Lizzie. Including moving to a whole new continent. He is one of the few people to truly accept and embrace Lizzie for all that she is, and it warms my heart every time he recognizes the privilege of knowing her. The more I learned about him, the more I loved him.

“You don’t understand how it changes a person to hear you laugh.”

As I said, Mazey’s writing and stories are so real. She will be an author I continue to read every new release. I am an absolute sucker for a pregnancy trope and was so thrilled to see she was writing one. Mazey as a person is an icon and I hope everyone falls in love with her stories.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 stars
🌶🌶🌶/spice level
🖤Tropes: accidental pregnancy, friends with benefits to lovers, forced proximity, only one bed, grump/sunshine, heroine with ADHD, Australian hero

Lizzie is struggling with her ADHD and holding down a job when she meets Rake at a bar. They both agree that this is a two-night stand; nothing more. Easier said than done. An unexpected pregnancy leaves them both reeling, but this mistake may end up being exactly what they both need.

After being in a reading slump for a while now, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake was exactly what I needed! This read is quirky, yet refreshing, and I fell in love with the characters from the start. I’m a huge fan of dual POVs and this text executes them well. I could understand Lizzie and her struggles and loved how open and endearing Rake came across through his actions.

I really enjoyed the representation of individuals with ADHD, especially adults with the diagnosis. Plus, I learned about RSD, or Rejection Sensitivity Disorder. This is a foreign term to me, but insightful and this book reinforces that individuals that have ADHD may operate differently or have struggles, but they are not lazy. I hate how Lizzie was treated and made to feel invaluable by those who best knew her, but that’s why I love Rake’s character. From the beginning, he’s caring and tries to build up Lizzie. I would say there was one encounter Lizzie completely bulldoze Rake and his feelings, and she should have apologized. However, in the long term, I think Rake is a wonderful influence and a solid partner.

This funny, lighthearted read was a breath of fresh air! It’s my first read by Mazey Eddings, but I’m looking forward to more of her books!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC! I highly recommend this book!

This was an easy and delightful read. Touching on the perils of toxic families and weaving that into complete and utter love. Remorse and reconciliation. I enjoyed all the emotional vulnerability of the characters. It also addressed mental illness which is very rarely done. This was a fantastic read. Perfect for summer.

this isnt necessarily a bad book, i just didnt believe it.

with romance novels where there really isnt much of a plot other than two people falling for each other, the connection between the characters really needs to shine and i just didnt see that with this one. i was never actually convinced that rake and lizzie had any sort of bond other than lust. which is a type of connection, its just not the deep connection i would expect for someone who flies halfway across the world, quits their job, and coparents with someone they know fewer than three days.

it just seems so unrealistic, so implausible, so over-the-top that i couldnt get into the story. i also realised while reading this that im actually not a fan of the ‘unexpected pregnancy’ trope. it just doesnt work for me at all, personally.

This charming read made me laugh & cry in the best possible way. In this follow-up to a Brush with Love, we follow the dual perspectives of Lizzie and Rake, who have a fling with unanticipated consequences. Their banter and relationship were so funny as well as cute. The portrayal of Lizzie's ADHD felt accurate and insightful. I highly recommend this read and anxiously await Mazey Eddings next release!

What happens when you grow up in a loveless home with a cold parents? What happens when a child has ADD/ADHD and parents don't understand the diagnosis? You get a women who treats sex like a sport and has trust issues. Lizzie demonstrates the importance of being there for your kids and supporting them especially when there is mental health issues. I have one major fault with this book, and thats the author didn't bring in therapy. Otherwise its a quick read with lots of humor.


*******************I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.**********************

Whoa! What a ride. It was very fast-paced. The writing style kept me hooked and I didn't find myself losing any interest. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and how real the story felt. The author did a great job painting the setting, so it was easy for me to visualize the scene played out before me. I recommend giving this one a chance!

I loved Mazey Edding's first book, "A Brush with Love" and was looking forward to this second installment featuring Lizzie as the main character.

Lizzi, a larger than life baker who is "too much" for most people, meets buttoned-up Australian Rake at a bar and a one night stand between them turns into more. First, the positives: I love love love that the author focuses on characters with mental illness or other types of neurodiversity. I learned a lot about living with ADHD, and specifically about rejection sensitive dysphoria, which I had never heard of. I love the relationship between Lizzie, Harper, Indira and Thu and the way they are each other's chosen family.

However... I didn't love this book. It felt over the top and forced, so many situations were contrived, all characters besides Lizzie and Rake felt like stereotypes. It just didn't pull me in.

This wasn’t necessarily a bad book, it was just not my cup of tea! I had a hard time connecting to the characters and found the romance/relationship not very convincing. I never truly felt the love between Lizzie and Rake, and even in the end I definitely felt it more on Rake's side than Lizzie's,

As someone who (normally) loves a good pregnancy trope, I just did not vibe with this one. It felt like the pregnancy was somewhat forgotten within the story. Yes, it was why Rake was there and kept them together, but there wasn't much else to it. The ending was kind of abrupt as well. It was odd how it jumped from 20-something weeks to 12 weeks post birth. What happened in between?

I can’t help but wonder how different the story would have been if Lizzie was the one to go to Australia. It would’ve made more sense to me- she didn’t have a job, lived with a roommate, and did not have a close family. I understand her connection to her friends, but I don’t think it was strong enough for her to HAVE to stay in the city. I also don’t think I like the friend group? They weren’t super supportive and sometimes just mean (a hug and apology doesn't solve anything if you don't talk about it!). The fact that Rake left his loving family, stable job, and good home to go be in Philadelphia (within such a short time span!) was way too unrealistic. They didn’t really even talk about it. Maybe the author wanted to make a point about women normally having to give up things when they have children, but it just did not seem like the logical choice here. I either wish the story was more developed or went in a different direction.

Thanks so much for the ARC and I will not let my disinterest in this book deter me from reading more Mazey Eddings in the future!

I loved the unconventional route to love in this book.

An unplanned pregnancy between two flawed characters with out of this world chemistry? YES PLEASE.

Lizzie is a firecracker. She says what she thinks, and although she believe she's too much, I found her to be a breath of fresh air. I love heroines who actually talk like women do. Her sub-plot with managing her ADHD felt authentic and I enjoyed the connection to baking being a coping strategy to help manage it.

I wish I could see Rake in real life because his description is swoon-worthy. I typically don't need my heroes to drop everything to be with a woman but his choice to leave Australia to be a present father added a layer to his complexity.

My only qualm is that the relationship felt a little too dependent on physical attraction. The lust steamed off of the pages but I was hoping a deeper emotional connection would develop.

Vulnerable and endearing, Lizzie Blake brings a new level of comedic raw emotion that I couldn’t get enough of!

Lizzie has made a lot of mistakes, so when she is fired from yet another job, she breaks her own rules and has a “two-night stand” with a handsome man she meets in a bar. Rake, visiting the USA from Australia on a work assignment, has been recently hurt in the love department – but what harm can come out of sleeping with a vivacious red-head before returning home? When Lizzie finds out she is pregnant (um – did you know condoms can expire?) and decides to keep the baby, Rake is determined to be a part of his child’s life – no matter the cost.

Mazey Eddings combines a mix of laugh-out-loud comedy and tender emotions, while pushing some literary boundaries that some authors refuse to cross (toxic family relationships; adult ADHD).

This was like a love story in reverse: in most books the reader experiences a slow build romance where we are just waiting for “the act” to happen. Here, the novel starts out with a bang and then the parties tiptoe around each other wondering if a sexual relationship is now the best idea. This plot line was refreshing and brazen, making this a must read. However, with how sexually crazy the book started, I do think the attempts at only having a platonic relationship wore thin after a while and dragged on a tad.

I absolutely loved Eddings’s writing style, and her sensory word choices left me with colorful, vivid images (i.e. descriptions such as “sunshine” and “softness” pulled me right in to what each character looked like or what they were experiencing). The characters were believable and relatable, and you found yourself rooting for their happy ending. As a side FYI – I definitely was picturing Nadia Cakes (a Minnesota bakery) while reading . . . which brought on more giggles!

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake is well worth the read and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this charming ARC; all opinions are my own!

I truly enjoyed this book and I LOVE Mazey’s writing style. While I didn’t connect with Lizzie in terms of her ADHD in the same way I connected with Harper and her anxiety (From A Brush With Love), I really enjoyed the open and honest discussions of mental health within this novel. I loved being able to picture the streets of Philly, too! I can’t wait to read what Mazey writes next, she’s a must-read author for me!

I adored this book. Mazey Eddings knows how to pull at your heartstrings, I absolutely loved "a brush with love" so when I found out she was coming out with a new book, i new i had to get my hands on it and boy, it did not disappoint.
Was I a fan of the pregnancy trope, no, but I was absolutely hooked from the beginning. Rake, in all his Australian charm, was amazing. Everything about this book was entertaining and i hardly put it down.

Lizzie whirls through life with ADHD and has found herself without a job and pregnant from a two-night stand. Rake moves from Australia to the US to coparent and the two swear to keep things platonic as they move in together.

I loved reading from a character with ADHD's perspective. The author portrayed Lizzie's thoughts and feelings so honestly and real and the way that
Rake accepts her so completely from the start touches your heart. Her friends were written as they should be, both supportive and concerned. There was some family growth, but not all where I had hoped.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised!

5/5 Stars
3.5/5 Spice

TW/CW : Termination of a Pregnancy (Past), Pregnancy, Misogyny, Cheating (Past), Abusive Parents

Rep : ADHD (Own Voice)

I can’t put into words how much this book truly means to me. It made me feel seen and understood as someone who got an ADHD diagnosis out of the blue after having years of emotions being too much at some points, the impulse control problems, and everything else that comes with having ADHD. I haven’t read a book with such good ADHD rep like this and the explanations of how Lizzie sees and deals with the world was amazing. This is so far my favorite read of the year.

I loved both of the characters and truly related to Lizzie a lot on how her ADHD presents itself. Lizzie Blake has always been seen as the problem child, acting out as a child and not fitting into the perfect child mold that her parents always wanted, but she is still going out into the world and trying to prove herself to both her parents and partially herself. Rake is an Australian business man that is just trying to work hard and doesn’t have much of a life outside of his work. Everything for both of them when Lizzie realizes that she got pregnant after her two night stand with Rake. They both have to work through past experiences while figuring out how to “platonically” co-parent their future child.

The ADHD representation in this book is some of the best I’ve ever read, it felt very realistic from the standpoint of someone who has ADHD. When Lizzie explains some of her reactions to Rake for different events throughout the book it felt so well done and explained in a way I’ve never fully thought of. Lizzie explains at one point why she reacts to rejection so differently than most due to Rejection sensitivity dysphoria, which for Lizzie makes it feel like she has done something horribly wrong when she is rejected for any reason even if it makes sense to most people. I also loved the inclusion of physical contact to calm Lizzie down as it’s something that can be very helpful to some to help deal with the overwhelming emotions and sensory.

I thought the storyline was amazing and I loved getting to see Lizzie and Rake both grow as people and try to figure out how they will manage having a child together while trying to stay just friends, when they both have growing feelings. The relationship between Lizzie and Rake felt well paced and I really loved how much you could really feel the amount of love between them.
As the description said there is an erotic baking scheme that is very intresting. I wish we got to see a bit more of Lizzie fully taking control over her life and helping to massively expand a business she got a job at as a baker. Lizzie after losing her job at a different bakery, gets an interview at Bernadette’s Bakery which has been running a small underground erotic baking business but with Lizzie’s help that gets taken to a whole new level. It was really refreshing to see that people with ADHD can take control of their lives and still be successful and love their jobs even though they might struggle with other things.

If you are looking for a romance novel with spice, ADHD representation, lovers to friends to lovers, and some very funny moments this is for you. One of the best scenes is the whipped cream scene, if you know you know.

I was so excited to have an opportunity to read Lizzie Blake's story after I read and loved A Brush With Love. Now I know I'll read anything Mazey Eddings writes! Both her books have exuded so much joy and fun, while also giving me new perspective on the specific challenges of her wonderfully neorudiverse characters. Also, I'm ready for a Rake to pop into my life. :)

I honestly don’t know where to start with this review other than to say this is more than a five star read for me.

What I love about Mazey Eddings’s writing is the way she can be super versatile. She can give us spicy, romantic, and heart wrenching within the course of a few hundred pages. That paired with the neurodiverse representation she gives us is just incredible.

When it came to this book I enjoyed every moment of it. I fell in love with Lizzie in A Brush With Love and after reading her story I realized it was probably because I felt connected to her character. A lot of struggles she faces are what I have been dealing with my entire life, and this book and character made me realize I’m not alone in those struggles. But Lizzie is also a character who just brings me joy. She’s sassy, spunky, and confident in her sexuality (a favorite quality in my female MCs). She also faced her challenges and all I wanted to do was protect her, but she protected herself when needed.

Also Rake is an amazing love interest overall, even if he had some learning to do. I’m telling you, you will fall in love with him, get angry with him, and fall all over again.

Oh and I loved Eddings infusing the story with nods to romance books. And as a romance reader I fangirled every time one of these popped up. Plus she chose some of my favorite tropes;forced proximity, one bed, pregnancy. So I was just smitten with this story almost immediately.

I just loved this book more than I can accurately express with words. I finally found a character who I connected with on so many levels. In fact this book made me feel seen and I can not stop tearing up every time I think about it. So thank you Mazey and ST. Martins press for bringing this book into my life.

So unpopular opinion, I love an accidental pregnancy trope. Always have. I know it can be problematic, but what can you do?

I read A Brush With Love earlier this year and was excited to learn more about Lizzie. I related to her because she also had ADHD so I was super invested in her getting a HEA.

Lizzie could come off as a little "much." I understood why she seemed so insecure. And Rake was an interesting partner for her. It was definitely an opposites attract. He was strict and put together.

The steam was on point. And the mutual pining was SO GOOD. I needed some dual narration in my life and this was just perfect.

I realized towards the end I had to make this a five star book. Their relationship was too special and how they stood up for each other just really hit me.

Check this one out in September! You don't want to miss it.