I think the most significant thing about this story is its voice. More specifically, Kristin’s author voice. It is so audible, you can almost hear it being read aloud to you from the page. The characters feel real and fully realized, and that’s in large part due to the fact that they do NOT do what you want them to do. They are their own living, breathing individuals, and the paths they take to satisfy their wants and goals don’t always align with what you’re shouting at them to do.

This is an emotional journey that is at times tender, at times frustrating, and at times bleak…but it comes down to choices being made. To feelings being felt. It is a girl’s quest to figure out where she fits in her own life moving forward. This book shines a lot on a scary transitional time for a lot of teenagers, and shows how messy young people can be in their efforts to navigate their lives.

The dialogue is witty, the moments between characters are heavy, and Dwyer deftly weaves tension into this contemporary tale in a way that causes the story to sit with you even in the quiet moments when the words are no longer in front of you. There are also explorations of poverty, of privilege, and of affluence, and how those attributes shape and affect people.

This is a fantastic book for anyone who’s ever loved, lost, and loved again, and for anyone struggling to hold onto something that may need to be let go…or does it?

I love, love, LOVE this debut from this fantastic author! Kristin Dwyer should be on your radar!

A stunning debut about best friends, first love, and found family.

As a fan of Kristin Dwyer who had heard a lot about this novel in the months before I read it, I came into this with very high expectations. And this story not only met, but exceeded them.

Ellis is a main character who is so incredibly real and raw and authentic and flawed. And Easton is such a perfect match for her. Their story is compelling and messy and beautiful—it kept me up late at night reading, and was the first thing on my mind the next morning when I woke up.

Yes, this is a love story, and there is swoon-worthy romance, angst, kissing, and all of those fun things that I love. But on a much deeper level, this is a tale about learning to accept your past and family of origin, carving out your future against all odds, and loving not only others, but yourself. These deeper themes set this novel apart and made it an instant classic for me!

I absolutely adored this book. It gave me those nostalgic old school ya romance feels the whole time I was reading it.
Childhood friends to lovers romance.
Ellis grew up with parents who didn’t care and were never there for her. Easton has what one might call a ‘perfect’ life and family. Best friends their whole lives, while secretly being in love. Of course, they don’t tell each other, but everyone knows.

Huge congratulations to Kristin for her debut novel. This book was so good I cried many times! Especially when reading the poems. I can’t wait for you guys to read this book when it hits shelves!

If you like books by Abbi Glines then you’ll love this book!

This book, you guys. THIS BOOK. It’s heart wrenching and angsty. Thoughtful and beautifully written. Ellis and Easton are characters who will stay with me forever. I’ll read anything else the author writes, even if it’s on toilet paper.

It has been a while since I read a whole book in a day, but with this one I just had to find out what had happened between Ellis and Easton. I liked this book, I liked how Sandry, Ben, Dixon, & Tucker all looked out for Ellis and made her a part of their family. I didn't love her family because they weren't there for her, but I think that's why you come to love the Alberys family even more. I think her being sent away because they were afraid she would get mixed up in the things her dad was doing wasn't really something that needed to happen. I think separating her and Easton was good for them. I get loving someone since you were a child, but I think it changes and develops over time.
I felt that the relationship between Ellis and Easton was actually kind of toxic. They couldn't seem to talk to each other and confess their feelings. They were always together but had a hard time defining their relationship. I get being a teenager and loving someone, but if you are with them all the time, talk to them, tell them how you feel, don't keep bundling it up and lashing out.
I also couldn't really tell if Ellis was white or of some other ethnicity. I knew the boys were blonde, but it was hard to picture the characters but there wasn't much description of what they looked like besides their hair.
I loved the writing, and the poetry mixed in, just still not sure how I feel about the relationships in this book.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

I'm so completely in awe of this book! I was told how fantastic it was, and they were completely right. I was so immersed in this story, I forgot about the world around me as I couldn't stop reading. Kristin strings words together with beautiful magic.

The love in this story is unlike anything I've ever read. The love of family. The love of brotherhood. The love of friendship. And the love of the person who you are lost without. Their love is felt. Ellis and the Albrey's heartbreak was so raw I felt it in my bones. There are the stories that have made me cry a burst of tears, but this one had me on the verge of tears from the first page to the last with sobbing (of heartbreak and joy) mixed in. The emotion I felt is deep and big and vast.

This is easily one of the best, if not the best, contemporary romance I've ever read. I wouldn't change one thing about this book! It was perfect to me and I know I'll be returning to it over and over.

Hi my name is Rachel and I titled this book. You can all bow down to me because it is IN FACT the perfect title.

If Katie Cotugno and Sara Zarr had a book baby, it would be SOME MISTAKES WERE MADE by Kristin Dwyer.

This book is special: a little ruthless, yet so very vibrant and alive and beautiful. Found families, blood families, and first love...SOME MISTAKES WERE MADE captures all of those feelings with such ferocity and aching tenderness. Ellis' voice is painful and true; her desire for belonging, even more so. Readers will find themselves entangled in Ellis and Easton's romance along with the way Ellis finds her way back to not only Easton and his family, but to herself.

Dwyer is a writer to watch in the contemporary YA scene.