I’ll be totally upfront and let you know that I love Paula Daly’s books – so far, she’s not written a bad one and, as I’ve just grabbed her latest one to read, I thought it high time I added my thoughts on The Mistake I Made (TMIM).

What sells Paula’s books in general, but this book in particular, is the relatability of the main characters. Lisa in Just What Kind of Mother Are You? is a harried mum trying to do her best, and Roz in TMIM is in a tricky financial situation thanks to her divorce. I’m not saying that in her position many would take the opportunity that presents itself to her, but I think most parents can at least relate to trying to run a home, keep a job and look after a child on a shoestring.

Running alongside the ‘Indecent Proposal’ plot in the book, there is lots to love here – domestic drama, yes, but also a solid crime thriller element that I loved, as it strikes a good balance and keeps the pages turning.

All of Paula Daly’s books are set around the Lake District, but she even manages to fill this idyllic holiday spot with menace – the holiday brochure depiction of it is washed out by rain and grey skies which underline the tense character arcs underneath – excellently done!

As I said, The Mistake I Made is another excellent entry in Paula Daly’s catalogue, so it was a pleasure to see it on screen in ITV’s Deep Water (which you can rent now on Amazon Prime). Sinead Keenan was excellent as Roz, and the whole series was a great combo of several of Paula’s books.

Part thriller, part slice of life drama, The Mistake I Made presents a collection of diverse characters and thrusts them into a world of hurt.

Roz, our protagonist, promptly sets herself up in the opening chapters as a likeable, normal woman. A single parent who has been knocked to the curb by a nasty break up with a cheating, laidback ex-partner, drowning in debt and struggling to make ends meet. She is immediately likable and is a deep, developed character.

Scott, on the other hand, left a bit to be desired. His growth (or lack of it) fell flat and really didn't compute.

The plot was intruiging and offers up quite a bit to make the reader consider the choices Roz makes. Would I or wouldn't I make the same choice in her situation? It also makes one wonder just how far they'd have to be pushed before they too gave in or made the same decisions.

I didn't much like Roz's sister, or her friends, and probably could have done without all the weird family antics. It wouldn't have impacted the overall story too much if Roz simply hadn't had parents or a sister nearby. The plot points brought on by the family could have been orchestrated in other ways.

George, Roz's nine-year-old son, was a great addition to the cast and his own character arc added a great deal of depth to both his character and to Roz's. He helped to bring a softness to some of the situations and also to ramp up the stakes in Roz's life.

The writing is solid, a few minor typos I noticed (but didn't record!!) in the ARC I had, but the general finish of the story was strong. It possesses a lot of moving parts that came together in the end and created an interesting and engaging story.

Why only three stars?

The plot was very slow to start and while I appreciated getting to know Roz, it bordered on boring at some points. While the information about her stange and varied physiotherapy clients was amusing, I'm not sure what the purpose in all that detail really was. Some of it could be culled.

The other reason I couldn't give this more stars is because of the bad guy. He's just not believable. The depth of character seen in Roz is seriously lacking in our villain. Repercussions for the dastardly deeds that occur was also missing, although this is sort of explained, I feel it was too easy.

Overall, it kept me turning the pages, but could have been a lot crisper and thrilling with less of the fluff!

**Note: I received this as an electronic ARC from Net Galley in return for an honest review**

I didn't find this as enjoyable as the other couple of books I have read by Daly. I found the protagonist irritating and I couldn't quite suspend my belief enough to make the plot believable and this put me off somewhat. An entertaining read but not one I would want to read again.