This book has everything I want from a romance—it’s cute, sexy and emotional in the best way. I read the description and couldn’t imagine it could meet the expectations I set before reading but it did! Cassie and Erin’s story is beautiful and emotional, where the sexy scenes are actually sexy and the emotional scenes hit all the right notes. An excellent read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was not prepared for how steamy this book got, but it surely did not disappoint in that area! I really loved the character development, and how much this story made me laugh.

I have to admit that certain plot lines had me re-reading to fully understand the moment. It felt like the plot skipped ahead too far in some places, and drug on in others. For this reason, I'm giving this 4/5 stars.

I enjoyed this book. The spice was SPICY and well written - we love an age gap romance. The end of the conflict however felt a little blah... There was a lot of build up but the resolution came too quickly and too easily. Ending was rather trite, but overall an entertaining read.

Thank you St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions expressed are my own. This review does NOT contain any spoilers. :) Loooooong review ahead!

☆☆☆☆.75 Overall
(Spice: ☆☆☆☆☆)

After reading Wilsner’s debut SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT, I was immediately hooked by their writing style. I read a lot of books, and finding an author that not only keeps you interested throughout, but also that can grip your heart and turn you into putty in their hands emotionally, is an author that I will definitely fall in love with. Suffice to say, MISTAKES WERE MADE was highly anticipated for me, and it surpassed my expectations completely.

From the author’s own description, this book is an idiots to lovers, bisexual disasters, MILF book. And oh, that it is. But it’s also so much more.

Cassie and Erin are two women after my own heart. Random bar hook-up turned out to be your best friend's mom? Sure, it’s a recipe for disaster, but what if it could turn into a beautiful journey of discovery, self acceptance, and wholesome love? Wilsner delivers us not only our main characters, but also our beloved side characters, on a silver platter, and I completely ate them up. From the beginning of the book, the world that the author is able to create and pull us into is complex and wonderful, albeit anxiety-inducing at times.

One of the most important parts of a romance novel to me are characters that are fully developed, and even if I don’t agree with their decisions all of the time, those actions need to make sense for that character. There is nothing that turns me off from a book harder than an MC who meets a love interest or enters a tricky situation, and then they completely abandon the characteristics or motivations that we’ve seen up to that point. In MISTAKES WERE MADE, this doesn’t happen, hence idiots to lovers, and it makes sense, and it’s wonderful, because we are struggling right along with them. However, the growth that we see in Cassie and Erin speaks volumes because it’s not a harsh, uncharacteristic change, rather it’s organic growth that we see from both of their perspectives.

I have read some other reviewer’s comments about this book, and a lot of people have mentioned that they were left feeling like they needed more from the side characters, especially from Parker, in this book. And while I completely understand and agree with that (I am a Parker stan, I think she is an absolute queen and I love her), I don’t feel this way because I feel the book was lacking it - I want more of the side characters because I absolutely love the world that Wilsner has created, and I am greedy for more.

I don’t want to post any spoilers, but the spice? It is SPICY and delicious. 10/10, some of the best sapphic spicy content I have ever seen in a book. There is a considerable amount of it, so if that isn’t your jam (that’s totally okay!) this may not be completely up your alley. You can definitely skip it if you’d like, but in my opinion, I think there are parts of the book with spice that are important to the story, so that is something to think about as well.

Another note I’ve seen mentioned about this book is the age difference, and I think everyone’s opinions/perspectives on this are completely valid, but I personally don’t think that in this book there is anything wrong or predatory about this age gap. I don’t feel like there was any manipulation, coercion, gaslighting, or a massive power dynamic between Erin and Cassie, which would immediately make me DNF. If the age difference isn’t something you can get past, that is 100% okay, and it’s okay to choose not to consume media that you aren’t comfortable with! I just think we should all keep in mind that that age difference is integral to the story, and if you feel that way, this book may not be the book for you.

This book was absolutely captivating, and I devoured it in one sitting, sans a dinner/screaming break. I was giddy, laying on my stomach, feet swinging in the air, laughing with these characters, crying with them, rooting for them, and trying to problem-solve for them. This book is so close to my heart now, and I truly hope it gets the chance it deserves.

Queer stories by queer authors are so vital, especially in romance. We deserve happy endings, and we deserve to see ourselves represented in accurate, beautiful ways. Meryl Wilsner does an amazing job of this, and I wholeheartedly applaud them for giving us these stories.

3 stars

I was so so excited to read this book, I mean that blurb!! I love an age gap romance already and to add a forbidden to it?? Yes!! All the yeses!! That's why I'm so sad that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought 😭

It's all personal preference and how much you vibe with the characters, just like any other book, so please, don't base your reading this book from my review only because another person is bound to love it, I'm positive on that!

For me personally, I just didn't love the characters and their chemistry, there always felt like a disconnect between them. The best chemistry between the characters was right at the beginning, and the first few chapters were my favourites of the book! When it got more into the story, it just lost my interest.

Again, totally personal preference!! I do love the cover though and I'm sure many if you will enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the earc in return for an honest review.

When I read Meryl Wilsner's debut, Something to Talk About a few years ago it totally charmed me and definitely made me look forward to Wilsner's next book. So I was very happy when I got an ARC for Mistakes Were Made. And Mistakes were Made totally lived up to my expectations, it was a really enjoyable book!

Mistakes Were Made follows Cassie Klein and Erin Bennett. Cassie needs to blow off some steam one day and what better way than picking up an older woman at the bar? But what happens when that older woman turns out to be the mother of your close friend in town visiting her daughter? And for Erin, she wasn't planning on hooking up with anyone on family weekend let alone her daughter's friend, but Cassie's energy just drew her in. But since her daughter is friends with Cassie they keep running into each other and that chemistry is too hard to deny.

And that chemistry was soooo there I was so into the characters. Cassie and Erin were a force to behold. Reading about them was so fun. The "they shouldn't but can't not" is so palpable and fun to read. And this book was hot too! There were a number of sex scenes, to this point where I wondered if this was bordering on erotic fiction.

But it's way more than chemistry and sex, this novel has real heart too. Cassie and Erin both have trauma and demons in their lives and watching them work to overcome them and grow as people was lovely and touching. I also really loved the friendships in this book. Cassie's friends Parker (Erin's daughter) and Acacia was really nice to read too.

My main complaint about the book would be it occasionally had trouble pacing. I was really into the first third and last third of the book but the middle did slow down for me a bit.

This book was lovely. It had so much heart and also a fair bit of steam. I really enjoyed it. 4.5/5

I adored the premise of the book from the description, so I knew I had to request the book from NetGalley. When I picked it up, I loved the meet cute. Of course the two of them know that there's an age difference, but it doesn't stop the chemistry between the two of them. They really hop right to it.

But the awkward meeting when they realize that she's Parker's mom was CLASSIC. The book really hooks you in. I received a review copy from NetGalley and have left my opinion.

Where to begin? This book is an absolute delight. Wilsner is so talented, smart, funny, and created some really charming and relatable characters in this novel. I really appreciate the sex, and the care Wilsner takes in making these scenes both titillating and significant to the plot. I also appreciate that we have several openly bi main characters, including in a same-sex relationship, which is oddly uncommon in media. This book is an easy, addictive read, as it rotates between the POV of the two main characters and the pacing of the plot is pretty steady. I really, really recommend this book if you're LGBTQ+ but also to anyone, if you want a fun, unique take on the romcom genre.

I enjoyed the book, but the conflict resolution fell flat for me. I really expected there to be more there — there was so much build-up with the tension and then it all resolved so easily, it didn’t feel satisfying.

what a fun, spicy romance! Mistakes Were Made definitely delivered on its blurb & it left me on the edge of my seat multiple times! i truly couldn't fathom how this story would end. it was quick and easy to read, and i felt like the world built around Nashua & the college setting felt realistic. i also enjoyed the way that Erin & Cassie treated each other as equals despite their obvious differences in age and place in life.

*side note, I’d like a book about acacia next please!

however, i understand that this is an age-gap taboo romance story, but i did have a hard time with the dismissal of Parker as a whole throughout the story. the mcs mentioned being worried about her here and there, but never stopped long enough to figure out if there could be a resolution, until it all inevitably came to a head late in the third act.

*thank you to netgalley & st. martin’s press for the eARC!

Mistakes Were Made promises a fun MILFy romance story and it definitely delivered, though I was left feeling a tad underwhelmed. I enjoyed the writing quality, and the depth/development the author payed to each character. I thought the world was well written, and provided a great escape. However, I did have some issues with the pacing and the characters weren't.... the most endearing to me at times.

Starting with the positives, both Cassie and Erin are really well thought out: their motivations always make sense, their choices (even when I didn't agree with them) were consistent, and I felt both their characters were very 3 dimensional. The relationships depicted between not only Cassie and Erin, but also between Cassie and her friends and Erin and Rachel felt vey real, and I loved how there were literally no prominent male characters lmao.

The storyline was generally. lots of fun to read; it was very entertaining, the writing was of good quality, and I flew through the book. This book is one of those books that was os much fun to read, but after I finished it I started thinking about the more noticeable problems that existed.

I didn't think the pacing of this story was amazing--the second act of the story really dragged on, leaving little room for the ending which I found to be underwhelming. This book has a lotttttt of spice (I'm estimating like 6-8 scenes in my head, I'm too lazy to go back and count though lol) what was awesome because I feel there are so few sapphic books that have so much,, porn lol but it was also kinda feeling like too much! At times I felt expanding upon the side characters's plot lines would be more beneficial to moving the story along than another scene of Cassie and Erin fucking without furtherment of their relationship.

This is also, obviously, a taboo forbidden romance and I knew that coming into the novel, which is why I'm not letting this gripe affect my star rating. THAT SAID, I really wasn't a fan of Cassie and Erin at times; I felt they were being a really bad friend/mother to Parker with all their sneaking around. Again, not counting this against the book because obviously thats gonna be A Thing That Happens in taboo romance, but lol I wasn't always a fan.

If you know aaaaanything about me you know this book was my most anticipated book of 2021, and I'm overall satisfied with the book (hence the 4 star rating) though it had its weaknesses mostly pacing related. I had a lot of fun reading this, and would definitely recommend to everyone who enjoys sapphic stories and/or taboo romance lovers. Thanks to the publisher for an ARC!

College senior Cassie hooks up with a stranger she meets in a bar as a way to distance herself from her school’s family weekend, but ends up doing the opposite and discovers the stranger is her friend’s mom! They tell themselves never again, but then Cassie comes to stay for 2 weeks at winter break and I’m sure you can figure out the rest!
God, this was incredible! Such a crazy unique take on the forbidden love/secret relationship trope! I’ve never read anything by Meryl Wilsner before, but this book has convinced me I must read more! I absolutely LOVED these characters, and the changes they go through and the realizations they came to made them all the more relatable-it was perfect! Through the course of the book we see these two MCs go from a purely physical relationship, to denying the relationship is anything but, to admitting it to themselves and finally allowing themselves to have what they want-each other. While I loved the changes the MCs went through, I honestly think I loved Parker’s growth the most. I loved the way the author wrote her and how she finally saw and prioritized her mom’s happiness-so amazing. This book was a gooey RomCom but it was also steamy AF-absolute perfection!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What happens when you take a hot woman home from a bar but then that woman ends up being your best friend's mom?

Mistake Were Made follows Cassie and Erin as they engage in a one night stand gone wrong (or right? Depends on who you ask). After discovering that the woman she hooked up with in her car behind a bar is her friend's mom in town visiting for Family Weekend, Cassie Klein can't get Dr. Erin Bennett out of her mind. And then Parker invites her to spend the holidays with her and her mom. They make a pact that their relationship, however it's defined, is casual and will end when Cassie returns to school. Except that it doesn't.

Meryl Wilsner really took the last 20 pages of their debut novel and said 'you know what? What if I took that energy and made it the entire book?' Truthfully, the steam and spice starts in chapter 1 and that is in no way a bad thing. It starts the tension just right and sets up Cassie and Erin's relationship from the get go. The reader knows that what they have is a fast, hot connection, and over the course of the book the reader gets to see that relationship grow into something neither of the main characters' expected in the best way possible.

I was wary at the beginning of how a happy ending would work for these two, and was dreading a third act break up. But Meryl found a way to keep me rooting for these two even when it seemed like all was lost and love would not prevail. It is a romance after all.

This book is for lovers of rom-coms, people who read a little too much swan queen fan fiction in their formative years, and those looking for a spicy sapphic romance like they've never read before.

it pains me to write this review, because i wanted to love this book. i so badly wanted to love this book. i boasted about receiving an ARC of this book to my friends and family, because that's just how excited i was to be able to read it early. with all of this being said, i am left feeling disappointed, which is exactly the opposite of how i wish i felt. and yet no matter what way i spin it in my head, the title mistakes were made is ultimately quite fitting. because there were numerous mistakes made throughout the course of this book, above and beyond the characters.

mistakes were made follows cassie, a college student who decides to blow off some steam and head to an off campus bar; the last thing on her mind is searching for a hook-up. however, she meets erin (who she later finds out is the mom of one of her friends) at the bar, and they decide to tango (wink wink). what starts off as fast and flirty turns into something more, leaving cassie and erin with no choice but to deal with what has blossomed between them.

there were pretty much only things that i disliked about this book. the premise seemed perfect, but the delivery fell flat. i found most of the writing to be cringe, which was very disappointing. it read like fanfiction, but bad fanfiction. the way this age gap relationship was handled seemed off to me; it wasn't written well, and i felt very unsettled as the story progressed. the relationship that developed just didn't seem believable, especially given the different points of life these two characters were at. the plot was inconsistent and disjointed, which made it difficult for me to finish.

all in all, i really wish i had loved this book. it just ultimately was not the book for me, but i'm sure other people will enjoy it more than i did. 2/5 stars.

thank you to netgalley and st. martin's press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own.

*FANS SELF FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME*

I don't know what I did to deserve a book fairy who placed one of my most anticipated reads straight into my hands, but I thank them and the sapphic Gods for aligning to make my dreams come true. I knew I had to read it immediately.

"Mistakes Were Made" takes a cringe-worthy concept and turns it into an irresistible read. IT IS STEAMY AF!!! Meryl Wilsner is truly giving the gays everything with this one. If you enjoy forbidden relationships, f/f romances, idiots-to-lovers, smut, found family, fast burns and minimal drama, go preorder this immediately. You don't want to miss out on this sharp and sexy MILF romcom.

Cassie Klein, a college senior, wants to get as far away as she can from her school's Family Weekend, opting to an off-campus bar across town. There, she spots an incredibly hot older woman and decides to go after what she wants. The two instantly connect, engaging in an unforgettable and uncomplicated one-night stand—or at least that's what it should've been. But, the next morning when tagging along for breakfast with her best friend Parker to meet her mom, she is shocked to see Erin, the gorgeous stranger she slept with. Worst of all, their chemistry is impossible to ignore and secretly, they want to hook up again and again. Soon, Cassie and Erin are sneaking around behind Parker's back, needing to decide if what they share together is worth the possible costs of being found out.

This story is a quick and easy read that is equally horny as it is angsty. I LOVED the tension especially because the age gap is a shared power balance so it feels comfortable. The secondary characters, Parker, Acacia and Rachel are all well-rounded and loveable; no one felt unnecessary to the plot. The only thing I would change is the insta-love (and by association exaggerated pining) shared between Cassie and Erin, simply because the trope overshadows character development too often. That said, both protagonists are strong, independent women seeking their own happiness and it's hard to fault them for doing so.

There is something incredibly addictive about "Mistakes Were Made" and it did NOT disappoint. The softness of it all is just so beautiful I could cry. THE COVER IS PERFECT TOO (I'm ashamed I almost forget to mention it!)!!!

I also really appreciated the overall lesson of doing the things you want for yourself simply because you want to. You deserve good things too.

When I read the description for this book I instantly knew I needed to read it, and let me tell you I was not at all disappointed.

Before I get to deep into how much I adored this book I want to take a minute and appreciate how incredibly well written all of the characters are. Not only is the book compromised of a majority of bad ass bisexual women but there is so much depth to not only both the main characters but the supporting characters as well.
Cassie is this bad ass women in stem who knows exactly what she wants in her life, except for the feelings she's so quick to hid (which truthfully is 100% relatable with how well Cassie is written). Erin is a doctor, who after spending her life being a people pleasure is finally learning to takes steps and seek her own happiness.

I've read my share of sapphic contemporary romances this year ( and albeit I understand its only march but I've read a lot!) and this one is by far the standout so far. This book had me hooked from the first chapter and I was so invested in the entire story, I flew through the book and 2/3s of the way through I found myself riddled with anxiety so stressed about how there was absolutely any way this book would have a happy ending that I would appreciate. Instead Wilsner found a way to throw me for a look and ended up having me sobbing during the epilogue. I actually had to go back and re read the last 100 pages because I needed to take my time and appreciate them without the accompanied anxiety.

This book was super spicy but also so deep and heavy, the entire thing was flawless.

Huge thank you to St. Martin Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

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

CW: alcoholic parent/parental neglect (past), cheating partner (past), family tensions,

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

-f/f insta attraction
-this is just a hookup
-forbidden relationship
-age gap
-best friend's mother
-a lot of denial
-found family

The angsty and horny answer to what happens when you accidentally have a one night stand with your best friend's mom. I will keep calling this the MILF book. Equal parts horny and angsty and all about living for yourself rather than for other people. The opposite of a slow burn this book brings the heat, and then weaves the intimacy in as Erin and Cassie accidentally fall in love with each other without even realizing it. What is this? Are these FEELINGS?

I adored their cooking dates and that they were both in denial but equal parts gone on the other pretty much from the beginning. I really appreciated that the age gap and their age difference was never the issue between them. They treated each other as equals and with respect. So much text flirting and softness. Their lives bumping in accidental ways until it's entirely intentional. The steam, the feelings, the new adult vibes of being back on a college campus, the MILF books delivers.

Steam: 4

Mistakes Were Made brings the heat and chemistry right away. There are sparks flying from the first time Erin and Cassie meet, and nothing can get in their way. Not even the fact that Cassie's best friend is Erin's daughter. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. The sex--and there is a LOT of it--is steamy, interesting, and new every time. What's more, it's skillfully written: both hot and able to show the way that Erin and Cassie shift over time. Both the main characters and secondary characters are rounded and intriguing, and so much growth happens over the course of the novel. 20/10, no notes.

When I heard the premise for this book, I thought "I must read this immediately." So as soon as I received the ARC, even though it does not publish until October, I just had to pick it up. And I was not disappointed! I loved Something to Talk About, but this book is even better (and significantly steamier). It really shows Wilsner in their stride, and is reminiscent of favorites like Delilah Green Doesn't Care and Written in the Stars.

When Cassie and Erin meet in a bar, neither of them think it'll be anything more than a one-time hook-up. But when Cassie tags along with her best friend to brunch with her mom who is in town for Family Weekend, Cassie is shocked to see Erin across the table--but not more shocked than Erin. This age-gap forbidden romance works especially well in f/f, as there isn't an uncomfortable power dynamic between the two, which we often get when there's a stronger, larger, older male. Despite the age difference, Cassie and Erin are both two independent, self-sufficient, and high achieving women who just happen to have an undeniable connection. In addition to being downright sexy, this book is also deep, charming, touching, and pretty much everything you could want in a romcom. I have no complaints.

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

I loved every second of reading this book! It was very saucy from start to finish and there was a great underlying tension and believable chemistry. This read was such fun!