“She wanted to run and run until she outpaces the feelings. She always felt too much. Too sharp.”

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings is her second book, and set in the same world as her debut A Brush with Love, but can easily be read as a standalone. Lizzie Blake has always felt like she was too much. Struggling to control or manage her ADHD, life is hard for Lizzie, she makes mistakes, messes and a couple bad decisions. But she definitely doesn’t regret her two night stand with the unbelievably hot Australian Rake. Well that is until she finds out she’s pregnant and the two have to navigate co-parenting while also definitely not falling for each other.


You might like this book if you’re interesting in:
* m/f insta attraction
* we can only do this once, we can’t fall in love
* accidental pregnancy trope
* opposites attract
* oh no there’s only one bed
dual POV
neurodivergent rep
spice
HEA epilogues


When I started reading Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake the only things I knew to expect were an accidental pregnancy trope and a good amount of spice, but ultimately it was much deeper and more impactful on me than I expected it to be.

“Your brain was built different and that’s beautiful, never a burden.”

Lizzie is a bright, witty character who jumps off the page, but her struggle with her ADHD feels so raw and real. As an adult looking to get treated for her own ADHD I undervalued just how much it would mean to see my own struggles represented. Eddings’ descriptions of Lizzie’s struggles and pain were realistic and emotional, making me tear up multiple times.

Lizzie feels like she is consistently too much, feeling too much, doing too much, and it was really endearing to see a love interest who embraced her struggles and never saw her in the judgmental ways she saw herself. Rake’s push to love Lizzie isn’t a “I love you despite of xyz” type of love, but rather a “I love you for who you are completely” type of love and god was that good to see. Lizzie and Rake’s banter was really fun to read and even though this was definitely instant attraction their relationship was realistically built throughout the novel.

Overall Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake was an incredibly fun romantic read that had me laughing out loud one moment and tearing up the next. I’ll definitely be recommending it to others, as well as picking up Eddings other books in the future.

This book was so fun! We only got a glimpse of Lizzie in Brush With Love and so this new installment was very exciting. Lizzie and Rake’s story was sexy, sweet, and vulnerable. It was the absolute best.

This isn't necessarily a bad story, I just didn't believe it.

With romance novels where there really isn't much of a plot other than two people falling for each other, the connection between the characters really needs to shine and I just didn't 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, it's 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 couldn't get into the story. I also realised while reading this that I'm actually not a fan of the ‘unexpected pregnancy’ trope. It just doesn't work for me, personally.

So obviously not the target audience for this one. But if you enjoy whirlwind romance with characters taking all of the risks and chances, then this is something to look forward to!

Thank you to SMP and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: cheating (past relationship), accidental pregnancy, brief discussion of abortion

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f insta attraction
-this is just a hookup
-accidental pregnancy
-close-proximity/roommance
-an appreciation for smexy food
-opposites attract
-face sitting
-roommance (but there are no walls)
-food porn

This book has lived rent free in my mind since I read it. Lizzie is chaotic, has ADHD, and is just her authentic self. She speaks her mind, but also has such real self-doubt. Enter Rafe the Australian man of all of our dreams. Type A, trying to keep emotion at arms lengths.

Both Rafe and Lizzie have past hurts that make them hard to trust love especially when you add in an accidental pregnancy. These two bumble around each other, an apartment with no walls, just pining for the other. Both Rafe and Lizzie are stubborn and trying to do the best they can, live their dreams. In some ways so similar and I loved how they began to lean on the other.

Full of the wonderful female friendships from Book 1 and some wonderful pop ins, this was just a steamy, feel good, horny time. All about being your authentic self, learning to accept love, accept yourself and that you are enough. Mazey just continues to be one of my favorite authors and I'll read anything she writes

Disclosure: I'm social media mutuals with the author

Stea,: 3.5

Thank you so so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

I unfortunately was not able to finish this book, and I DNFed it halfway through. I don't think that this was necessarily a bad book, I just think that I was not the target audience and it was not the right book for me.

I did like a few things, and that was Lizzie. I thought she was very much adorable, and I liked reading about her. I liked reading about her ADHD and how she got through her struggles, and she was overall a very likeable character. However, what I felt was that her ADHD was more of her whole personality, which was disappointing, since she lacked much complexity. There were also quite a few funny moments that I did laugh at, and I enjoyed the writing style of the author as it wasn't too hard to follow along with.

However, when it came to other characters, they felt dull to read about, and I felt very disconnected from them. While Rake had the potential to be a very interesting character, I hardly knew anything about him. It was hard to root for him to get over his fear of emotional vulnerability when I couldn't exactly understand them how I wanted to.

The plot fell short for me, however. There wasn't much conflict involved, and I felt as if everything wrapped up way too neatly without any struggle for the characters. It caused the story to drag on for a long time and it was hard to be interested in it when nothing was happening most of the time. There wasn't really much I could anticipate either, and I wish that the narrative was a little more complex.

Just as a personal preference, I wasn't the biggest fan of the insta-love. I felt the characters had a shortage of chemistry, and both didn't connect nearly as much as I wanted to. There were quite a few time jumps, but not enough time for me to be fully invested in Lizzie and Rake's relationship.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to give this a 2/5 stars. Again, thank you so much for the opportunity to review this, and all opinions are mine.

YAII. THIS BOOK. I literally teared up at the
dedication, and then basically the entire last 20%. And don't even get me started on the acknowledgments. As a fellow ADHDer, this book honestly meant more than I think I can ever express. I am very different from Lizzie in a lot of ways. But the way she felt about her brain. The way she felt like she was too much, unlovable. A lot of her quirks and habits. These were all things that felt like a reflection of my own life. I ended up highlighting like half of the book. Not only is this story sexy, and sweet, and HILARIOUS. It's a love letter to every ADHD person who has felt like they were too much and yet not enough at the same time. Who have felt like they're a failure and don't deserve love. And
even more generally, just any neurodiverse person who has felt this way (even if it wasn't ADHD). This book is my newest hyper fixation/obsession and I won't be getting over it anytime soon

4.5

i stalled for a couple of days about 25% of the way in; there was less of rake’s pov as lizzie reels and realizes she’s pregnant. i am here to tell you to KEEP ON GOING. the switching between lizzie and rake works to the story’s advantage; while i think lizzie is a rich and exciting character, she is kind of draining and at times frustrating to read about (at least at first), so throwing things to rake and his thoughts helps balance the energy out … and there IS a strong sense of balance as things progress. great spice, and i did like lizzie and rake’s relationship more than harper and dan’s!

#netgalley

This one is a little hard to review, so I will get the good stuff out of the way!

I love the cover, and I love the ADHD rep (I too cannot take meds without the side effects). I also loved Lizzie’s promiscuous personality.

Both characters were wonderful in their own way but Lizzie took the cake with her fun and spunky self. I really enjoyed the storyline and wow my heart melted so many times near the end when she was being taken care of by Rafe with her pregnancy. So adorable.

Now, the so-so stuff.

I KNOW the main thing about this whole book was that they both gain insta lust for each other and have the best sex of their lives for two nights in order for the whole surprise pregnancy ball to get rolling, but ughh I feel like it was just so. Insta lovey. So boring. So corny. So sappy. Maybe I’m just not personally fond of these tropes, so whatever! I think many people will love this book!

Mazey Eddings does such a beautiful job curating these endearing and wonderful characters with ADHD and Anxiety. I absolutely busted out laughing so many times! This book was so fun, witty and honest! We'll be hand selling her books like crazy!

Main character Lizzie has ADHD and Eddings portrays her and her diagnosis in a genuine and loving way. I really appreciate that Lizzie's ADHD is recognized as part makes her a wonderful person instead of a quirky character trait.

Lizzie and Rake's one night-turned two night stand leads to unexpected circumstances that set the stage for a delightful story of friendship, love, and acceptance. I adore this book.

MAZEY EDDINGS!!!!! WOW. What can I say other than after finishing A Brush with Love, I had to get my hands on this novel. This book was the perfect follow-up to Harper and Dan's story. I'm a sucker for series that involve interconnected friend groups. Lizzie Blake was such a fun character and getting to showcase the good, bad, and ugly of adult ADHD, especially in a woman was amazing. Rake was SO lovable and easy to root for; he was literally a golden retriever character and I loved him so much. This book felt like pure SUNSHINE and the pregnancy trope was adorable and well-executed and it was overall such a blast to read. Quick, easy, amazing neurodiverse representation, and made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I am so glad I didn't have to wait all the way until September for this so thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!!

Read this if you:
•have ever doubted yourself
•feel like social norms try to dim your light
•have ADHD or want to know more about it

Two-night stand turned her life upside down and now Lizzie finds herself living with her baby daddy platonically who moved across the ocean to help co-parent. This book was great. It shed a lot of light on ADHD and how the brain works. It discussed touchy family relationships. Great rom-com that touches on deep subject matters in a good way.

Thank you NetGalley & St Martins Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: Sept 6

thank you to netgalley and st martins press for an ARC of this book!

3.5 stars

this book was adorable. i loved Lizzie and how confident she was in herself. Rake was super nice- he didn't have much personality, but he was likable nonetheless. this was centered around a trope i don't really love (accidental pregnancy) which contributed to the lower rating. this book was a great way to pass time, but overall pretty average.

Lizzie and Rafe were just a pure joy to read about. I am obsessed with Mazey Eddings and everything she writes and this one was pure gold!

Lizzie has ADHD and is a whirlwind of things which makes it hard to keep a job for long. She craves human touch and connection and finds that satisfaction by going on dates and having sex without the commitment of a relationship. Then she meets Rafe this sexy Australian who makes her feel all the things. He is in town for a business trip and Rafe and Lizzie enjoy their time together. However, Lizzie soon realizes that their time together will bond them for longer than she ever expected.

Mazey Eddings has an amazing knack for writing beautiful, complex neuro diverse characters and the most amazing men who love them just the way they are. This book tackled so many hard topics and issues such as ADHD and ableism and the self doubt that is created when living a life full of people telling you that you are too much. I am not sure I have ever teared up so much throughout as a book as I did this one at the pure pain I felt in reading about how Lizzie saw herself. It honestly fractured my heart. But then there was Rafe who loved her wholly and completely. I loved how Lizzie and Rafe helped each other find what they needed most in a partner to help them find parts of themselves.

And Dan...oh Dan. I am Dental Dan's number 1 fan after ABWL and he and Harper make some guest appearances in this book that just melted every last part of my heart. Dan and Lizzie's friendship is truly perfection and it made me fall in love with him all over again.

This book is beautiful and wonderful and a must read for anyone who has ever been told they are "too much" . This one will have you tearing up from the dedication page but man, what a great read. This book is also hilarious and steamy and all the things that make you just love Mazey and her writing. I would highly recommend checking this one out!

HUGE thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this one in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

I wanted to live in Rake and Lizzie’s world for so many more chapters. They were hysterical and also so so endearing. This was the perfect follow up to A Brush With Love, and I will read any book Mazey writes!!!,

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake follows Lizzie as she seeks to live her best life while navigating the pitfalls of adult ADHD. There is some beautiful writing in this book; with great imagery and word usage that paints a picture of the characters and the sights and sounds and smells in a very appealing and readable way.
I'll admit, that for at least the first third of this book, I found Lizzie to be fairly irritating. I felt like she used her ADHD to justify decisions that she consciously made even when she knew they were bad decisions when she made them, and she refused to use any of the "tools" suggested to her to help her steer clear of her common "mistakes". Still, I was rooting for her the entire time. Once she started using those tools, taking more responsibility for her own actions, and the story delves a little more deeply into her life, I did come to like her more, although I still found her quite selfish at times.
Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars. I liked it, but did not love it. I would read more by this author as I liked her writing style.
I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Wow. This was another amazing book from Mazey Eddings. I initially was interested in this book just because I loved A Brush with Love so much. But then I realized it had an accidental pregnancy and my interest dipped a little - it’s just not a trope I typically enjoy very much. I also struggled at the beginning of the book with the descriptions of Lizzie’s “mistakes” and “messiness.” My anxious type-A rule-following people-pleasing self was so uncomfortable imagining a person being late for work and getting fired for mistakes and doing embarrassing things in public. But on the flip side, I was also enamored with Lizzie’s ability to make quick connections with people. I just couldn’t help but love her and could practically hear all of her giggling as I was reading! Rake was a great hero. He was so dazzled with Lizzie and so driven by his desire to care for her, even when he couldn’t understand his own emotions. I loved all of the silly, funny and awkward moments just as much as I loved the vulnerable ones where Rake and Lizzie took a step in trusting one another. Thank you, Mazey Eddings, for writing this beautiful love story with a neurodiverse heroine (Lizzie has ADHD). I appreciate any opportunity I have to learn about people who are different from me and I’m enjoying the chance to reflect on the ways I interact with all of the wonderfully unique people I have in my own life. If you love funny yet thought-provoking romance novels, and if you enjoyed A Brush with Love, definitely check this one out when it comes out this fall!

Fair warning, this book is incredibly sexual. Not your typical romcom with a sex scene... like a ton of sex straight from the beginning, barely knowing the characters. I almost dnfed because that is not my kind of book, but the book had fantastic reviews so I kept reading. While it did calm down further into the book, this one wasn't for me.

I requested this as soon as I finished Eddings' debut, A Brush with Love, and WOW, this book did not disappoint. I loved learning more about Lizzie, but that our re-appearing characters were not a huge part of the story. This book felt different from the first in a really good way--if felt like it embodied Lizzie and Rake's story instead of just being an extension of the same voice/story, which you sometimes see in second books. I highly recommend this book. I loved it!!

I loved “Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake”! Mazey Eddings has crafted the sweetest summer beach read and I am excited to get this on my shelves.