3.5 stars - Loved the idea of this book - romance author uses her childhood crush who wronged her as inspiration for a character. That crush is now a pro hockey player and she's the one who got away. Both characters are dealing with emotional issues and I liked how they were attempting to work through them. The pacing felt a little off. I can't pinpoint exactly where but it seemed rushed or that they talked about their problems once and then it was the end. I was left wanting a little more - more of the characters, more of their story. Overall a cute romcom. Audio was great with dual narrators.

After reading Finding Mr. Right last year, I couldn't wait to read Writing Mr. Wrong! I'm happy to report that even with high expectations, this book did not disappoint!

I loved Gemma and Mason, I thought they had great chemistry. I liked the way they were able to help each other and grow. The dual narration was perfect, the narrators definitely brought this story to life and kept me thoroughly entertained!

Okay. To start, tropes: emotional abuse, divorce, hockey, bad boy, redemption, dyslexia, mental health representation, witty banter, second chance romance.
If that isn't enough, the book was great!
We have Mason - a hockey player, an arrogant, puppy-like attitude, and an aging athlete.
Gemma - new author, divorced, introverted, and very shy.
A witty Grandma.
Easy read, a little bit of drama, and witty characters.
This was a quick and easy read. I love this for a fun summer read.
Get this for your poolside days!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Happy Reading!

3.5⭐️ omg did this remind me of fanfic i used to read.. i felt so bad for gemma when she explained how her marriage ended. the nasty behavior and comments allen made towards her sickened me. he deserves nothing but the worst thing that could ever happen to a person. the cease and desist noticed made me laugh, it was so silly. i liked that he was lowkey kinda unaware and dense in high school and it wasn't just magically fixed the second he's trying to make things right with her and was making little mistakes while trying his best. he didn't know he was making mistakes until she finally spoke about it and realized where his faults lie. there was some miscommunication but it was solved pretty quickly so i didn't entirely mind it!! she had her little y/n moment and i was living for it! i think the narrators did such a good job with this one, they definitely kept me entertained and locked in! i could not put it down!!!

thank you hachette audio and netgalley for the arc!

Mason and Gemma's story started in kindergarten. But misunderstanding, fear, and secrets kept them apart. Can they rewrite their story and finally have their happily ever after. A great book with lots of feelings and emotions. The audiobook with Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins is one of the best dual narrations I've ever listened to. It seems as if they are together in the same room and as if it's real life and not a novel. Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC copy and this is my honest review.

I preferred the dual narration, made the audio much more enjoyable. I love a good second chance romance and this hit just right. Just enough flashbacks interspersed with current day that it worked out well.

Friends, send help. I’m not sure I recognize myself. This is the second book in a week where the dreaded miscommunication device works to advance a plot. I think I need an intervention.

Gemma is a romance novelist in need of some momentum to help book sales. Mason is a hard nosed hockey enforcer whose reputation requires an overhaul. They go back … way back to when high school where a kiss behind the bleachers went terribly wrong. While Gemma may have based her bad boy hero on Mason, she’s pretty sure no one will notice until another high school classmate sets them up for a reunion on her morning tv show and points out the resemblance.

Mason and Gemma cook up a fake dating plot to boost her sales and rescue his reputation. There’s only one problem and it’s a big one—both Gemma and Mason are still harboring those pesky feelings that caused trouble in the first place.

High school is also where the miscommunication started and it continues into the present. A three day getaway gives Gemma and Mason the chance to talk through their history and present concerns. Friends, they talk. THEY REALLY TALK and it works.

I loved Mason. He’s the typical tough guy with a heart of gold. I have a soft spot for that type as I married one of those big softies. Gemma is recovering from a divorce and marriage where she sacrificed herself and her desires. I loved them together as they figured out who they were then, who they are now, and who they could be as a couple.

I encourage readers to give this one a try. It balances lighthearted fun with substantive emotions. The characters are lovable and their chemistry feels genuine. Oh, and the spice is spicy without overwhelming the plot. I almost passed on this one and I’m glad I didn’t.

Narrated by Patricia Santomasso and Sean Patrick Hopkins in duet makes this a highly satisfying and delightful listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advance listening copy. All opinions are my own.

I loved this! The FMC is a writer and used an old night school crush who is now a professional hockey player ( our MMC) as the looks inspiration for her new book, this results in a mean girl from high school to bring each other on her talk show causing the 2 to reconnect. This second chance romance is done so well and shows the growth of the 2 main characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)

I received this audiobook as an ARC in exchange for my honest review — thank you to NetGalley and Kelley Armstrong.

I requested Writing Mr. Wrong because the title intrigued me, and the idea of a romance between an aspiring writer and a hockey player sounded promising. I wasn’t familiar with Kelley Armstrong beforehand, so I went in with no expectations.

This rom-com plays with several familiar tropes: friends-turned-enemies-to-lovers, redemption arc, fake dating, a post-divorce heroine, a playboy-turned-lover, and a wealthy hockey star. The story follows Gemma, an aspiring author who bases the arrogant male lead in her romance novel on her high school nemesis, Mason—now a famous hockey player. When people start recognizing him from her book, he finds out… and the story takes off from there.

While the premise was fun and the setup had great potential, the execution felt a little too neat. The characters, especially the leads, felt somewhat scripted. Every flaw seemed to come with a perfect backstory and an equally perfect resolution, which made the character development feel overly constructed. The side characters were likable but similarly flawless—always insightful, helpful, and understanding. It’s refreshing to see a world full of non-toxic, kind people, but it also made the story feel a bit too polished to be believable.

The romance itself was sweet, albeit a little idealized. The idea that Mason, a famous playboy athlete, had been holding a torch for Gemma for 20 years stretched believability for me. Still, I appreciated how he respected her boundaries, especially early on. Their dynamic felt grounded in mutual respect, which is always a plus.

That said, the book lacked standout emotional moments. Nothing really swept me off my feet or left me thinking about it afterward. It was enjoyable and easy to listen to, but also quite predictable.

The writing was decent, though Mason’s point of view was overloaded with hockey metaphors. It felt like the author was very determined to remind us that, yes, he is a hockey player—every time she possibly could. It‘s like she hit every opportunity like a puck with a stick and manouvered it right into the net!

The audio narration, however, was excellent. The narrators’ voices fit the characters well and brought them to life in a really natural way.

In the end, Writing Mr. Wrong is a solid, feel-good rom-com with low toxicity, likable leads, and a neat resolution. If you enjoy comforting, trope-filled romances where everything wraps up nicely, this could be a great pick. For me, it was a pleasant, easy listen—but a little too perfect to feel truly memorable.

This story was so well done — I’ll 100% be checking out more from Kelley Armstrong! With mature-aged characters, the communication in this book felt refreshing and authentic. The character growth was beautifully handled, and it made the story truly special.

I especially appreciated how real and relatable the emotional dynamics were — like how a partner can do something with good intentions, but it doesn’t always land that way. Honestly, I’ve been on the receiving end of that, so it hit home.

The narration was excellent — and duet narration is always a win in my book! Even though it’s written in third-person POV, it’s done so right 👏.

I have mostly read Kelley Armstrong's Casey Duncan series, so it was nice to visit her romance side! This is a second chances romance between Gemma, a new author trying to get her first book to sell, and Mason, one of her high school classmates that's gone on to be a successful pro hockey player. They get reconnected by another old classmate who is trying to ambush Gemma, but Mason saves the day. When the resulting publicity helps push Gemma's book up the chart, he asks if she wants to fake date to get some more social media coverage.

But Mason has a secret. He has been pining after Gemma since kindergarten, but he just can't seem to get out of his own way.

I liked this a lot, and found it to be very emotionally mature. Gemma didn't just roll over and let Mason get away with things when he screwed up, but she also didn't write him off completely without trying to understand why he might be doing the things he does. I would put the spice in the medium category, and it's definitely a slow burn.

I plan to pick up another of Armstrong's romances very soon!

This book was closer to a 3.5 for me but I bumped it up to 4 for the amazing narrators. I’m a sucker for a good duet style audiobook and Patricia and Sean both encapsulated their characters so well.

This is a second chance romance between a professional hockey player and a debut romance author which is right up my alley. I really enjoyed watching Mason and Gemma find their way back to each other. The thing that I had trouble with was the pacing of the story. It felt like there was a large portion in the middle of the book where nothing of substance happened and then the ending was rushed. I still really enjoyed the story but I wish it had been paced a bit differently.

This one is lighthearted and cute. Very fluffy with a touch of spice, it is what a Hallmark movie would be if they didn’t just fade-to-black for a spicy scene. On its face, it appears to be a hockey romance. However, I feel like the MMC could be any sports player or celebrity. Hockey takes a big backseat in this one.
That being said, it is an enjoyable story. You have your driven, divorced, ball-busting kinda bitter FMC and a playboy rough on the outside, squishy soft on the inside MMC. You have so many cute romance tropes. (I am looking at you bargain that goes sideways.) But outside of those tropes, we are getting something I love to see in books, a non-toxic relationship. He isn’t trying to play her. They communicate well together. And there isn’t a bunch of angsty self-sabotaging inner monologue – which is refreshing given that these characters are in their late 30s.
The dual narration is a MUST for me when it comes to romance books, and the narrators of this one do not disappoint. It is so annoying to have a woman trying to speak the MMC’s part and vice versa. It is the best when you can hear them talking together. There is obvious familiarity there, which makes the love story more believable.
This is a wonderful story to pick up when you just need something light.

DNF at 65%…I tried so hard to get myself to finish this book, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t see the chemistry between the main characters. Mason was incredibly oblivious, entitled, and downright frustrating. Even though it is fast pace, the plot seemed underdeveloped and couldn’t get invested in it.

Well narrated and produced, this story starts of with a bang but becomes less and less interesting as it continues, which is unfortunate because it had the potential to be an excellent novel.

A fun sports (NHL) rom-com with an exploration of the impact of bad experiences in adolescence on our adult selves. Mason is a 36-year-old superstar hockey player and has been a gifted player all his life. His abusive father saw him as his “retirement plan” and pushed him to train, work hard, and accept that he “wasn't good at anything else.” In kindergarten, Mason meets his classmate Gemma and spends the rest of his school years aware of her and smitten….even when he becomes a star school athlete and she’s the brainy “nerd” who likes the quiet, private Mason, not he BMOC popular kid. In HS senior year, Mason finally kisses Gemma and then very publicly backs away from her. Gemma is very hurt, embarrassed and determined never to be treated like that again. Mason can be entitled and cocky but he was a teenager who didn’t understand how to deal with his feelings toward Gemma. Fast forward 18 years and Gemma is the author of a new historical romance and she used her lingering anger at Mason to shape the main character in her book….a Scottish Laird who’s an arrogant, bombastic egotist and seems to embody what romance readers and publishers want but not the kind of guy that Gemma would ever fall for. Mason has gotten himself into a bit of a PR mess and, after s surprise appearance on TV that the public loved, a fake date between the old school “friends” seems like a win-win for both of them. Is it though? These two are complex characters with a lot of past hurt and emotional baggage. Watching them move forward together is a treat.

Thank you to Forever, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for a complimentary ARC/ALC. All thoughts are my own.

4,5 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Mason and appreciated the fact that he was trying to be thoughtful, even when it didn't always land the way he intended. He had lots of character growth throughout the whole story. I did also really like Gemma but at times it felt like she blamed 17 year old Mason a bit too much and somehow expected him to be the same person from high school. I also felt like she had to grow and she did a great job with that. I'm glad the characters communicated effectively and cared about each other enough to explain themselves. I would definitely read more from this author again.

Narration: Dual narration is always such a fun surprise! I really enjoyed both narrators and thought they really brought the story to life. I especially loved the sound effects with the text messages.

4 stars
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Thank you so much for this arc!

The dual narration was so good! It felt like so much effort was put into this audiobook and it turned out great, both voice actors did an amazing job at voicing Gemma and Mason our main characters.

I don’t mind too much when male narrators voice the female lines but I definitely do like when each character voices their own lines even in the other characters chapters (aka mason voices his lines in Gemma’s chapters and vise versa). I also liked that the audiobook included sound effects I have never heard that before.

I think the plot line was unique, I liked both characters a lot. Masons and Gemma’s chemistry and banter is crazyyyy. Masons relationship with hockey actually made me think about pro sports and pro athletes and his acceptance in his career coming to and end and his acceptance with that tugged at my heart a bit.

Writing Mr. Wrong was a good cute and quick read, or well listen! I definitely recommend it.

⭐️: 4
🌶️: 1.5

Thank you for NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Kelley Armstrong for sending me an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I won’t lie, I was a bit hesitant going into this book. The synopsis sounded great but I just didn’t know if I was in the mood for a sports romance. But I had a long road trip this weekend and decided it couldn’t hurt to give it a try. The narrators sucked me in pretty quickly and I couldn’t wait to get back in the car and start listening.

Gemma is a feisty, quick witted, incredibly smart woman who allowed a certain man in her life to make her small. To make her feel like she never measured up. When your current relationship sinks like the titanic, it’s natural to think back to your first love and all the things that went right/wrong. Her past with Mason hit a little too close to home for me which I think is what made it all the more alluring. What would I say to the person who broke my heart if I saw them again?

Mason is…I mean he’s a sweet guy but good god. His lack of self awareness kind of drove me nuts. He’s not maliciously cruel by any means but his carelessness continued to blow my mind. How had he gotten this far in life without being called out on it? That he actually took to heart and listened?! But I guess when you’re an incredibly talented hockey player, you are able to surround yourself with only “yes men”.

Also, I’m obsessed with Grandma Dot and Nona. I badly want to have both of them in my own life especially if it comes with cooking lessons with Nona and Hockey games with Dot. I love when side characters can steal a little bit of the spotlight to give a more well rounded world/plot.

I really enjoyed this story and especially the narration. I did love the tongue in check comments about how audiobooks count as real books (they absolutely do). I do wish there would have been some petty revenge wrap up with Allen and with that TV host whose name I forgot because they deserve it. But maybe that will be in a bonus epilogue?

I’m rating this 3.5 stars out of 5. As a whole the book’s well written and the narration does an amazing job of bringing the characters to life but I couldn’t get past how much I hated Gemma. The storyline about her abusive ex who wanted her to be different and made her feel like a terrible person doesn’t land when it’s the same thing she’s doing to Mason now, especially when the grievances she had with him from earlier in their life were so flimsy. Like, girl, it’s been years. Boys are fools. This particular boy is trying to be better. Stop making him jump through hoops as if he killed someone when he’s genuinely trying to make amends. It felt like every conflict was blown out of proportion by Gemma and it came across as her being the type of person to sit with their arms folded looking all huffy whilst she told people trying to make sure she was okay that she’s fine, only to go on being huffy and arm-foldy after. Once that personality trait solidified I couldn’t regain a connection to her, even when she was better at different points of the novel. Mason managed to be less annoying though. The two big-bads of his backstory were interesting and his chapters were a lot easier to get through.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.