Okay, wow. I don’t even know how to review Mistakes Were Made because it makes me feel ten ways at once. To start, I want to say this is a cute read, perfect for the beach (or, tbh, ignoring your family during the holidays since it comes out this fall). But that almost feels like a mistake to call Mistakes Were Made a cute book because it’s so steamy? Several scenes had me falling back on that nonchalant face perfected by years of reading smutty fanfics because the scenes rivaled the Texas heat for hot. But then, while I mostly enjoyed Mistakes Were Made, there were also just so many choices character and world wise that just gave me mild to severe ick. This review is going to have spoilers below because I don’t see how I can discuss why this I gave it 4 stars and not 5 without specifics. So, if you want to remain unspoiled, avoid everything after the emojis.

Mistakes Were Made follows Cassandra “Cassie” Klein, a 21-year-old senior college student, who hooks up with a hot woman at a local bar during her college’s family weekend only to find out the next morning that her one night stand is Dr. Erin Bennett, the 38-year-old mother of her best friend. As the school year progresses, Cassie and Erin try to deny their chemistry only to fail as they find themselves thrown back together by fate. As their feelings deepen and the relationship strengthens, they must figure out how to tell Parker, Erin’s 18 year old daughter and Cassie’s freshman best friend.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶.5/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶 (Several explicit sex scenes, including one in the first chapter; dirty talk; frequent references/mentions to sex)

(FINAL SPOILER WARNING)

Right off the bat, I feel like I should address the age gap between Cassie and Erin. I read Meryl Wilsner’s other sapphic age-gap romance Something to Talk About (2020) and loved it. Yet, what worked in Something To Talk About just feels like it didn’t click for me in Mistakes Were Made? A big factor in that has to do with the characters’ ages, which are importnat. Jo (42) and Emma (27) from Something also have a similar age gap of 14 years but it didn’t seem as strange for them as it did for Cassie and Erin. After all, Emma might be in the early stages of her career, but she had her adult life well established before the start of the book. A medium plot arc for Cassie is that she doesn’t know which grad school she wants to attend or even what type of engineering she wants to specialize in, aeronautics or astronautics. Plus, the scenes where she goes to parties with Parker and Acacia or hangs out with Parker’s hometown friends just reinforces how young she is. Erin, meanwhile, is played as the cool mom, but a mom nonetheless. Even when she’s not trying, she’ll say or do something that shows just how much more adult-ier she seems than Cassie. Plus, add in the fact that Cassie and Erin are constantly worried about how their relationship would appear to the world and the age gap does seem a bit much. Honestly, if I could change one thing about this book, it would be making Cassie just a bit older and a grad student. I won’t deny she has chemistry with Erin and their dynamic is cute— she’s just so young and green that I find it hard to believe no-nonsense Erin would put up with her long enough to get engaged in the epilogue.

Beyond that, the thing that I liked/disliked the most about Mistakes Were Made was its dialogue, especially concerning what Cassie would say. At times, she’s so pithy and clever and FUNNY and I am eagerly looking forward to see what she’ll say next. Then, there’s moments where Cassie will do something like use the phrase “clam jamming” earnestly and I just get such a strong ick. (Do I get that it’s the feminine version of “cockblock”? Yes. Does it still gross me out worse than moist? Yes.) I must give credit where credit is due and Wilsner nailed her 21-year-old voice. Cassie would say such wise things and then follow it up with the stupidest shit you’ve ever heard, like a true college student. There was no overuse of slang and attempts to prove her character’s youth. Wilsner wrote what felt authentic to Cassie and she nailed it. No other character came even close to Cassie in terms of quotability.

That said, the pacing was a close second to the dialogue in terms of things I disliked about the book. I figured that Cassie and Erin would in some way be impacted by the academic year calendar, but this timeframe was used a little too hard? Like, the timeline consisted of several chapters focusing on a specific time range and then the weeks-to-months in between would be squished down to one chapter. I get that the monotony of classes wouldn’t be interesting to read, but I would have appreciated the time devoted to establishing Cassie’s friendships (because those few in-between chapters were always her POV). So much of her ties to Acacia but especially Parker were told to the reader but not shown. Parker herself is such an important character, to both the main couple and to the plot. Her (lack of) knowledge of Cassie and Erin drives like 90% of the will-they-won’t-they plot that drives Mistakes Were Made. And yet, when she does finally find out, it happens off page and her confrontation with Cassie and Erin is rushed. Like, I understand that she was supposed to have had time to work through her feelings but she says maybe 5 sentences to both women when she does admit she knows. It just felt like such a let down and so abrupt, but that seems to be how Mistakes Were Made goes.

**I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I am completely obsessed with MISTAKES WERE MADE! I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book since I read it. I was completely obsessed with the premise, and it absolutely delivered. The romance was incredible and the spice was probably the best I ever read. I can't wait to reread this once it comes out and I can get a physical copy. I think this book is going to be huge on booktok!

4.5/5

YES. ALLLL THE YES TO THIS BOOK. Mistakes Were Made is Meryl Wilsner's second outing and second novel following a w/w romance, this time between two women named Cassie and Erin. Cassie is a college student and Erin is a Doctor who unbeknownst to them is the mother of Cassie's best friend, Parker. This book made me laugh and squeal and everything in between, it was so wonderful! I liked it even more than Wilsner's first novel, Something To Talk About, which is an impressive feat.

I always struggle with dual POV novels thinking that I may prefer one perspective over the other, but with this book I found myself looking forward to every chapter no matter if it were Cassie or Erin we were focusing on. Cassie was spunky and relatable, while Erin was well-spoken...and also really relatable! If I could even muster up the smallest of complaints, I guess I had a bit of a fatigue towards the halfway point, just after the Christmas break - even so, the plot with Parker was enough to keep me intrigued.

Wonderful romance, great characters, incredibly well done. Love it!

𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

I received this copy as an ARCfrom @netgalley, and was excited when I was approved to read it this month, because it fit in so nicely with the rest of my books with queer representation.

I know I said that most romance books have the same few tropes, and I usually get pretty bored, pretty fast with them (With the exception of the fake dating troop… I don’t know what it is about it, but it can be done so many different kinds of ways, and it never gets old), however, this one was a bit different. It was the MILF trope 😂 and I personally, haven’t seen that one done very often. I especially haven’t seen it done in an LGBTQ + story.

This is another one I think would make a really good movie. College girl meets older woman at a bar, they have a one night stand, the next day she finds out this older woman is her roommate‘s mom, hilarities ensue. Overall this was a fun book and I would definitely recommend it.

𝗤𝗢𝗧𝗗: What is your favorite romance book trope?

Meryl girl, you're a goddess!
And I will read anything you freaking write!
Because you are an amazing writer!
You blew my expectations out of the water. 

A college senior who has a secret relationship with her best friends mom.....
Pure brilliant! And I loved everything about it!

This sassy, sexy rom-com is phenomenal!
The chemistry is delicious, the characters are remarkable, the writing is outta this world!
It was seamlessly and so very beautifully written. The characters felt so real, that I’m still convinced that they have to be real people, walking the streets of New York while you read this review. And the romance? Lord, this was the sweetest, but most funniest, romance I’ve read in years.
This book is one of my favorites now and is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. It was so enjoyable and the whole time, 

I can't wait for The Hopeless and the Romantic.... Can 2023 hurry already?!

Rating: ❤

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

St. Martin's Press, 
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this book! It is a fun, romantic read.

Let me start this by saying I was really looking forward to reading this and unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. I did enjoy the beginning and thought it had a good set up that was funny and showed potential chemistry between Cassie and Erin. But after that first weekend the story and relationship did seem to go anywhere. There didn’t really seem to be anything to their relationship besides sex which made the ending seem out of place. I feel like I didn’t see them having an emotional connection. Also a lot of their relationship was centered around the guilt they each have towards Parker, which took away from my enjoyment of the story, so much so that some moments seemed cringey and awkward, especially in scenes during winter break. I just didn’t enjoy their relationship.

Overall, this book starts out with potential but unfortunately I did not enjoy it as I’d hoped.

Read if you’re looking for…
•Bi MC
•wlw relationship
•🌶🌶🌶🌶

Cassie Klein is not good with relationships, she's totally lost when it comes to all of that emotion and vulnerability. As a senior at Keckley College, Cassie is preparing for graduate school at CalTech and leaving her best friends in Virginia behind. One lonely night, Cassie picks up a one-night-stand at a bar, Erin: a gorgeous, confident, and alluring older woman who Cassie can't keep her hands off of. After a night of the best sex ever, the couple parts ways for good... until Cassie meets her best friend's mom on family weekend: ERIN! How will the couple navigate this relationship that is very wrong... but feels so right, especially when they keep finding themselves together again and again?

Mistakes Were Made is such a STUNNING, sexy novel with amazing representation, lovable and 3-dimensional characters, and undeniable sexual tension! Most notably, this novel is a wonderful piece of LGBTQ+ representation, with Cassie, Erin, and their relationship being a very realistic picture of sexuality in a person's life and experiences. There's also strong representation of a variety of racial, cultural, and social backgrounds that other novels often lack.

All of the characters throughout this novel are fully fleshed-out, lovable, and REAL! The motivations behind different characters' actions were always clear, justified, and sensible (even when I didn't really agree with the choices made). Despite their questionable decisions, each character had redeeming qualities that kept me rooting for them all the time. Cassie is strong and independent, yet struggles emotionally. Erin is successful and hardworking, but worries too much about what she SHOULD do. The one character I didn't enjoy was Parker, Erin's daughter and Cassie's best friend. She often acts spoiled and immature, pouting when things don't go her way and ghosting instead of talking about her problems. But overall, the characters are well-rounded and authentic in a way that let me really connect and empathize with them.

This is one HOT book, probably the sexiest one I've personally read. I love a spice in my reading, but at times it felt a little excessive, repetitive, and unrealistic at times. Like the whole plot stops for a sex scene, which could really take me out of the story. But the spicy scenes were extremely well-written and engaging, I thoroughly enjoyed them.

My biggest issue with Mistakes Were Made is the pacing. Through the first half of the book, I could NOT put it down! I absolutely raced through, reading whenever possible to follow the story. But, the middle of the book really slowed down and it got very difficult to engage with. It almost felt like I was trudging through the pages, struggling to continue reading.

TLDR: Mistakes Were Made is a very SPICY book with well-rounded, relatable characters with clear motivations. There is amazing representation for LGBTQ+ and other communities. But the pacing is inconsistent and can get very slow near the middle.

This story has a great premise; the forbidden romance is always intriguing. There’s just something erotic about a taboo relationship. However, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea. If the idea of a relationship between a mother and her daughter’s college age friend is unsettling to you, then I’d suggest avoiding this one. But if it sounds like it might poke at the edges of a guilty pleasure for you, then you won’t be disappointed. There’s much to enjoy inside these pages.

This is Wilsner’s second book. Her debut Something to Talk About was a runaway hit. With this second book, she’s again included the age-gap trope. The writing is solid and flows seamlessly on the page. The dialogue is sharp, fresh and witty and moves the scenes along nicely. The real treat, however, is the steamy sex. It’s well-written and deliciously entertaining. For a newly-minted writer, she has proven herself to be very comfortable with writing sex scenes. They are believable, add to the story tension and push the pacing in lovely ways.

Though efficiently constructed, this book leans heavily on the plot to carry it to the finish line. While I did enjoy the leading ladies, I felt there needed to be a bit more character and relationship development for readers to truly understand them and believe in their relationship. They are a likable pair and have chemistry; that’s not an issue. The real concern is understanding the choices they make. Having a clearer grasp of who these women are would have built a better foundation for the romance.

Final remarks…

This is a fantastic, quick, vacation read. It’s entertaining, sexy and fun—perfect for those that like steamy, age-gap romances. Mistakes Were Made is evidence that Wilsner is steadily toeing her way into the women loving women genre and providing readers with some solid reading choices. She’s certainly one to watch.

Strengths…

Entertaining and steamy
Fresh, sharp dialogue
Good flow
Diverse characters

Super cute LGBTQ+ read about two women who fall for each other when everything and everyone else is against them. Great romance scenes!

this is the first time i’ve stumbled upon a romance novel like this. there’s a whole generation of people who grew up with your mom jokes. this book is literally the embodiment of that, but better. this book has everything: good bisexual representation, forbidden romance, LOTS of smut. i really enjoyed this. cassie and erin had a lot of chemistry and i’m a sucker for a secret relationship. the development of the relationship wasn’t rushed at all, but also wasn’t a slow burn (which is a trope i kinda hate). this was a very fun and spicy fast paced read.

find my goodreads review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4450091713?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

find my instagram review here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CfT4L2yr9bE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

**Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for providing an early copy. All opinions are my own**
I will forever say it takes me forever to read ebooks oops. But this was SO GOOD. The angst, the romance, the friendships. I haven't read Meryl's other book, but rest assured it is high on my TBR. Also seriously this is such a swoony romance. We needed a MILF romance and this one SERVES. Will be recommending it to everyone.

This book has all the delicious tropes you could ask for.
Age gap? ✅️
Sapphic? ✅️
Taboo/forbidden romance? ✅️
It all started at a bar. It was just supposed to be a one night stand, no big deal right? That's what Cassie and Erin kept telling themselves, but one night just wasn't enough. At the end of the night Erin found out Cassie was a college senior and the real kicker? She was her daughters best friend! Could the two really keep their distance? Or will everything blow up in their faces? Read the book and find out 🥰

I received an ARC of Mistakes Were Made from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I usually don’t go for these kinds of romance books but I thoroughly enjoyed this one! It was a little bit loose on the plot but the Cassie and Erin were fairly interesting characters and had a lot of chemistry. The spicy scenes were well done and very compelling, if a bit too often. The character of Parker, Erin’s daughter, was probably my favorite and for all the fear of her finding out about the relationship, she was barely in it. I enjoyed the ending and felt satisfied with how everything worked out.

Overall, I felt like this was a solid lighthearted story that could have been significantly shorter.

I didn't realize I would be so turned off by the whole "dating/sleeping with a friend's parent" but I had a really hard time with it. The ending was really good but I don't know how my brain reconciles how I felt the majority of the book. it was well written and the end was good.

3.5.
I thought the concept of this sounded really good when I read the description! An F/F romance and best friends mom romance, yes! However, sadly it didn’t really hit for me, but I did like it!

I liked the romance a lot and their chemistry, especially when they were alone and their texts. I feel like the characters are really thought out and their choices etc make sense for who they are. I really liked the ending and absolutely loved the epilogue! The spice was amazing but that was probably the thing I liked the most about this book!

I didn’t really like how Parker was treated. Going in I knew it was a forbidden romance but I didn’t like how Erin and Cassie were sneaking around and how they treated Parker at times, I felt like they weren’t being the best friend/mother to her. Since Parker was supposed to be the main foil between their relationship I felt like she wasn’t super prominent

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

I really enjoyed the author's other book, Something to Talk About,
so I was super excited to read the arc of this one! I didn't know too
much going in, but I quickly got really into it. I felt like the pacing
started off quick, which I appreciated bc I didn't feel like the
beginning was dragging. However, the middle portion was a little
slow at times. Despite the pacing, I really liked the writing and
characters. I also felt like the story was going a certain way (and
was dreading it), but I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out
differently. Overall it was a fun read!

Very charming characters. I was invested in their journey and found myself tearing up a few times. Loved the examples of healthy communication.

Alright. I had a lot of hope for this one, I mean the premise is perfect... accidentally sleeps with their best friend's mom. My issue is that while there definitely was good sexual chemistry, I had no hope to see them together in a relationship...the romantic chemistry was lacking to me. also cassie was so annoying to me

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for letting me read this before it comes out.

It's a fun, exciting, somewhat spicy book that mix relationships, found family, love, and so much more. It's a good read if you enjoy secret relationships like I do. Fun summer read and I recommend everyone to read it on a vacation or near a beach.

Personally, I would've liked a little more drama between Erin and Cassie, and Parker too. But it tends to go superficially. It was the enough drama to enjoy it and the perfect ratio of sexy scenes.

PS If you don't like age gaps don't read it!!!