I received an advance reader copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I was so disappointed in this book. The description made this sound like a fun light read. It was anything but that. The characters all experienced major difficulties. But to have adultery committed by a minister who forced his daughter to be complicit in the cover up was too much. I only continued to read this book to see if anything good happened. I will say the final chapter drew everything to a “good” conclusion but there was not a clear understanding how everything was resolved. This was not enjoyable at all to me. I felt it was a chore to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this galley in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book, on the surface, because I could identify with the plot and the characters. It was an easy read.
But, being a minister’s wife, I was extremely disappointed in the portrayal of that family. When will it be in style again to be faithful to our covenants with God and others? I do understand that forgiveness was a dominant theme, but honestly, but that gut punch was hard to read.

I didn’t realize this was a Christian fiction novel until I got into the story. In saying that though, the storyline was interesting. There were a lot of characters, each having their own family drama going on.

The main story focuses on Jeremy (Jem) and Natalie, who share a history. Due to be married 7 years earlier, Jem has now returned to town with a baby in tow. On top of this, Natalie’s dad has a terminal illness, Jem’s brother (who is a pastor) is having an affair, Jem’s niece is trying to deal with the affair and the baby gets sick and is diagnosed with a medical condition. Through all of this, it’s sometimes hard to keep up with the Natalie and Jem storyline but all in all, I didn’t mind this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for my complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a confusing book for me. The synopsis had me expecting a light-hearted rom-com, but this book was anything but light=hearted. It dealt with anger, forgiveness, and infidelity. I did not appreciate the pastor cheating on his wife and asking a teen to lie about it. Additionally, there were many POV changes, but the changes weren't always clear and I'd be reading a couple pages until I realized the POV had changed. Overall, it seems like this book would be better if it was trimmed down; there were too many subplots that didn't add much to the overall book. However, I did enjoy some of the other characters, and I did like the author's style; I will try other books by this author.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

This was a sweet book about love, forgiveness, and family. Jem and Natalie were the perfect couple, with an approaching wedding date, but that was seven years ago before Jem left for Chicago and left Natalie behind. Since then things have gone haywire for Natalie. She dropped out of college, had an a-ray of dead-end jobs, and had to face her father's cancer diagnosis. Now just as she is trying to save her job (so she can pay her family's bills), Jem shows back up. Only Jem is not alone, he has a 9 month old son with him. Jem is determined to set all the wrongs he made right now that he is back. Can he fix his relationship with his father and get Natalie's forgiveness? Throw in a 16 year old niece facing her own family struggles and you have a recipe for disaster.

I loved Jem, Natalie, and Lili. These characters were easy to like and to understand. They all faced their own struggles and found strength in one another once they were willing to accept it.

I enjoyed this author's writing and will pick up something from her in the future. I think fans of Karen Kingsbury would really enjoy her.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson-FICTION. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I wanted to love this book but I got hung up on some of the content. It did have a fair amount of humor which was great, but one of the characters dealt with adultery and in an effort to hide that involved a teen and asked them to lie and it crossed a few lines for me. I also didn’t connect with the main characters at all. I would give another story a try by this author to see if it was this particular story that I didn’t connect with because I did enjoy the writing style of this author.

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a refreshing experience it was to read a romance story that wasn’t overflowing with gratuitous sex scenes and f-bombs on every page! Love and Other Mistakes has very real (not perfect) characters, from the minister struggling with infidelity to the main character, Natalie, unsure of what kind of relationship she wants, if any, with her ex-fiancé. There are enough subplots in this book to keep a current of suspense running most of the time, and the ending was satisfying. I don’t view it as “hilarious” in any way as the book description claimed—It deals with serious issues—trust, fidelity, parenting, illness. Definitely worth a read!

Great book about love and second chances and the power of believing in God and yourself. Highly recommend reading

Natalie is the one person everyone can count and she has the hardest time saying no, even when she should. She has had her faith tested time and time again, yet she still has faith. Jeremy, if you believe his father, is the proverbial screw-up. He isn't in my eyes. He has claimed responsibility not only for his life, but his son's and niece. His faith has let him grow into the man that he is. Forgiveness is always a big part of letting things in the past go. When trouble comes, you will find that everything boils down to family and faith.

You are going to love Jeremy's son Oliver who everyone affectionately calls Olly.

This book had a very pretty cover but sadly the story wasn't. A Christian fiction that tried to copy the movie Love Actually. Multiple couples, interconnected lives. A pastor who cheated on his wife and blamed her.....The whole story wasn't pleasant to read. Feels like the author wanted a book published but didn't have the gift of writing or idea.

I was disappointing in this book. I could barely get through it. This book is religious based and that was the main theme that ran through the book. The book jumps from character to character and there is no flow. I'm not a fan of this type of book and had to stop reading it.


"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I loved the synopsis of this book, and I wanted to like it since I love chick-lit, and women's fiction. But it fell very short of the synopsis. I felt this book was more for the YA genre. I lost interest about 25% into the book, I got bored with it, this was a DNF for me.

I really hate when blurbs are misleading. It does the book and readers a disservice by setting up wrong expectations and connecting readers with the wrong books. This book is not a “hilarious, romantic” book. In fact this novel is pretty far from a rom-com because it’s actually very heavy. There’s very little humor at all and the romance is pretty thin. That being said it is a good book but not at all what the description is setting up.

The novel starts as I expected with Natalie coming face to face with Jeremy, the man who broke their engagement and left her broken hearted years ago. The POV shifted from Natalie to Jeremy and the novel started off really well. I was surprised then to find the narration suddenly shifting to Lili, Jeremy’s 16 year old niece. Lili is having difficulties at home and will eventually move in with Jeremy. The shifting POV is distracting because Lili is sometimes a main character with constant chapters and then suddenly missing for large stretches of time, only to suddenly turn up. As Natalie and Jeremy are constantly together and involved their chapters are not as jarring as when Lili suddenly pops back up. Plus the POV of a teenager seems like a strange choice in the novel. It adds in a lot of serious elements and people in crisis that are never really addressed.

As I said this novel is pretty heavy. Natalie’s father has cancer and his health is weighing on her. Lili is having difficulties at home. Jeremy is estranged from his father. There is a big issue with lying and infidelity. All issues that are very central to the story. With so much going on it’s not surprising that romance does not seem at the forefront or all that interesting. There’s really no chemistry involved here and I found myself rooting for an alternate romance to blossom instead of wanting the characters who are supposed to get together.

I did not realize that this was a Christian story and I have to say I think it would be very off putting to a lot Christian readers. There is a pastor who is committing adultery and his wife is more concerned with keeping up appearances than helping her daughter. Neither parent is there for her and they never have a moment where they attempt to repent for their ways or their lack of involvement. There is some references to God but it feels added in more than heartfelt. There is also a character that seems quite backstabbing and fake but it’s never addressed. Conservative readers might also find the casual kissing in an uncommitted relationship to be a problem.

This is very much a drama and not a romance or hilarious. It’s not even really at all comedic. About the only thing here that is kind of fun is Natalie’s sweet tooth which is referenced a lot and becomes a running joke. This is a very readable novel but I think it would be better received by readers who know what to expect instead of expecting what it claims to be.

2.5 stars:
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this novel to read and review!

I went into reading this book expecting more of a typical romance/rom com-type novel. 'Love and Other Mistakes' doesn't quite fit into either mold, and, in my opinion, fits into a much narrower niche. If I had to describe the genre, I'd say it's Christian Fiction with a dose of Christian Romance. There is no explicit sexual content or language, though I wouldn't go so far as to say that there aren't still more sophisticated themes and issues present throughout.

I applaud Jessica Kate for seeking to weave a more nuanced romantic tale, and think there is definitely an audience who will appreciate the Christian elements and the lack of explicit content. These stories are important, and help to diversify the genre. However, the presentation of all of these components together just didn't work for me. While there are heavier issues and conflicts that are explored (such as terminal illness and infidelity) a lot of the resolution to said conflicts didn't feel earned. This was especially present in the infidelity storyline, where there was more emphasis put on the forgiveness element than to the perpetrator actually showing any remorse. Perhaps this is more realistic in some ways, but it almost felt abusive because it was a parent/child dynamic, and it left me feeling uncomfortable and frustrated.

Perhaps the overarching theme of the novel is that forgiveness heals, regardless of whether or not the aggressor wants said forgiveness. I just craved more explication and more of a connection to the characters. Overall, I'd say this is a great book for someone who already has a knowledge of the Christian community that Kate writes about, and who would enjoy a chaste exploration into love and forgiveness.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

This book was really interesting to me. I’m confused why it was found in the women’s fiction section. I didn’t particularly like this story and it was difficult to finish. I’m not much of a “Christian” fictional book. But I did like how the author depicted the characters as being normal and with flaws and realistic issues.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson and was not required to write a positive review.

This is my first book by this author and my Christian fiction book. I didn’t know there was such thing as Christian fiction when I requested this book. I did put the book on hold a couple of times before I finally picked it up and finished. I am use to reading contemporary romances and rom coms. I not sure I would pick this type of book again. When I read the blurb I thought the book would be about something different.

I definitely enjoyed the way this author writes. Very realistic issues. I kept trutning the page because I needed to know what happened. Thanks Netgalley for the Arc

DNF—— I’m not a fan of cheating. This book has that in it, so that’s a big strike against it for me. It felt confusing and pulling in several directions. Just never got into it or felt any connection to any character.


**I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I'm sorry I accidentally submitted the review for a different book. I plan to review this one and give feedback once I finish the novel! So sorry about that.

LOVE AND OTHER MISTAKES by JESSICA KATE has everything that makes up a really good Christian romance novel - a good story and very real, flawed characters, that draw us into their ups and downs, and a Christian message that deals with such things as selfishness, unforgiveness, fear, rejection, obedience, relationships and of course love. There is a really strong feeling of God's unconditional love for His children, and that His plans and purposes for our lives are better than ours could ever be. Running through it all there is a certain amount of humour. I really enjoy the way it is written.
When Jeremy Walters comes back to his childhood home after seven years, having left his fiancee, Natalie Groves, a few weeks before their wedding was to take place, with a baby in tow, there is bound to be friction between them. Add to this Jem's overbearing father who he cannot seem to please, his neice with family problems who comes to live with him, his "perfect" pastor brother who can do no wrong in his father's eyes, being a single parent, and his desire to date Natalie again, and you have a powder keg ready to blow!
Natalie has ambitions that are based on wanting to please her dying father by carrying on his ministry. She also has a problem with self esteem, feeling she needs to perform in order to be "good enough"!
There are many ups and downs and we really get to relate to the characters' thoughts and feelings.
It is altogether a most enjoyable read, which gives us quite a bit of food for thought, for example, how our actions can affect others.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Thomas Nelson. The opinions in this review are completely my own.