Thanks to NetGalley & St Martin's for the e-arc.
Having just read A Brush with Love, I was skeptical that the next book in the series wouldn't live up to it. It did. I love the way the author writes, as she draws you into the lives of these characters so easily. (You don't have to read the first book - they are more like stand-alones - but do yourself a favor & check it out.) Surprise pregnancy is my least favorite romance trope but it really works here. There is growth between the main characters of Lizzie & Rake, and while there's not a lot of "action" in this book, it's a quick and satisfying read. Looking forward to her next book.

This book was fun and chaotic in the best way, much like our main character Lizzie. Lizzie and Rake meet at a bar and hit it off. They spend a few nights together and then Lizzie finds out she's with child and said child is Rake's. Problem is, Rake lives in Australia and was just in town for business.

This is the second book I've read by Ms. Eddings and I enjoyed this one even more than the first one.

Lizzie is a "real" character. She's messy, sensitive, hopeful, and human. She has ADHD and I felt that the author did a nice job of depicting how it can impact your everyday life. It was heartbreaking to see how little effort Lizzie's parents had made over the years to understand her diagnosis and how it affected her actions and life. Instead, her mother criticized and tried to medicate her into oblivion.

Rake is simply lovely. I was eager to understand why he had his emotions on lockdown and things definitely made more sense once he shared his past. I absolutely loved how he embraced Lizzie's quirks and the protective tendencies he had when others criticized her.

I think the flow of the storyline was spot on. It allowed the perfect level of buildup and kept me completely hooked on the story. I was team Lizzie and Rake from the beginning and just hoped they could pull it together.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

“That was Lizzie’s pattern—a new shiny high to chase, a bucket list item to check off, all pursued with fanatical zeal. And then the inevitable lull of monotony creeping in at the edges made her sprint toward the next thing to snag her attention.”

Lizzie has made endless mistakes. One mistake she has never made, though, is letting anyone get closer to her than a single hookup. But after losing another job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her own rules and has a two-night stand that changes everything.

I. Loved. This. Book. Like loooooved it! I read Mazy Edding’s debut A Brush With Love and enjoyed it. But this one? Oh this one was sooo much better. I loved the ADHD representation, and in a female no less. I thought it was done so well and realistically. I loved the love story. I loved the family dynamics. Suffice it to say I loved everything about it!

The audio of this one was amazing! Read by dual narrators, I loved the accents and the emotion that each one brought to the characters. I laughed out loud multiple times and could even sense the sexual tension between to two main characters. Well done!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The follow-up to last March’s A Brush With Love, we meet Harper’s bestie Lizzie, a neuro-divergent character who has always been seen as different. Lizzie has an all-consuming fear that because her brain works differently that she is unlovable and undeserving of love. But then she meets Rake, a hot Aussie man she meets in a bar after a blind date gone wrong. After a night that changes everything, they get to know one another and Lizzie begins to open up to Rake and feel safe with him. What started as a casual fling turns into something so much more.

At first, I was skeptical about this story because of the surprise pregnancy trope, but as I kept reading, I realized that trope was not the main point. This was a story of self-discovery, of learning to love yourself, and living life by your rules. Lizzie was a flawed but incredibly real character who made some great growth during the story. Rake was so swoony in how he took care of Lizzie and stood up for her.

So, if you like great banter, steam that gets you right out of the gate (we’re talking 2 open door scenes in the first 15% 🥵), and unique characters, this would be a great book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press for this eARC for review! All thoughts and opinions are my own. (I was also blessed with an audiobook ARC after getting the ebook in the "read now" section)

5/5 stars!

As someone who has ADHD and has struggled for 25 out of my almost 31 years with it, I have never felt so seen by an FMC in my whole life. I may not be as loud and sunshiney as Lizzie, but it was incredible to see a character facing so many of the same problems I face in my daily life. Seeing Lizzie accurately describe and deal with things like executive disfunction, rejection sensitive dysphoria, and time "blindness" was something I didn't realize I truly needed to see in a popular romcom.

I know a lot of people don't like the "pregnancy trope", but honest to god this was so well done and was handled in such a positive refreshing light. Lizzie wasn't some woman who needed to be "saved" by a man or multiple men in her life because she was pregnant like in many books we've seen. Lizzie and Rake handled their situation as best as any two real life adults could, despite their personal circumstances. I absolute love how Rake grew to know Lizzie and genuinely worked to understand her, instead of treating her the way her *HORRIBLE* family treated Lizzie her whole life. There were quite a few tough topics brought up throughout the book, and I truly feel like Mazey handled them all really well through her character's own voices. I absolutely loved how Lizzie and Rake's love blossomed throughout the story, and Rake's parents are literal saints of sunshine!!

I had no idea that this was a "series" with each book focusing on one friend from a friend group, so I'm definitely going back to read A Brush With Love, and looking forward to the rest!

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars because as much as I wanted to enjoy this sweet story of two opposites meeting and finding their perfect match despite many obstacles, I just couldn't with how well Eddings writes about the worst parts of ADHD. This is one case where excellent writing ended up being a negative as I constantly had to step away from how real Lizzie's constant bombardment felt.
Lizzie has some very severe ADHD exasperated by some of the worst parenting I've ever seen on the pages of a book not intended as a drama. She lives a wonderful life despite the obstacles, but she doesn't realize it because of how awful her family is to her. In comes emotionally repressed Rake and they're somehow perfect for each other. They both somehow complete and complement each other in ways that make theirs the sweetest of relationships.
Their story is sweet and sexy and has some brilliant messaging about neurodivergent individuals, all told with great skill by an author that really knows what she's talking about. Unfortunately for me, it hits way too realistically.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the sweet read!

I really enjoyed that chaos tornado that was Lizzie Blake. She was a fun character introduced in A Brush With Love and was interested to see where her story went. Lizzie do not do relationships, she does however really enjoy sex and one night stands. Her life is then forever changed after a 2-night stand and expired condoms.

Lizzie is pregnant and Rake (that name is just too ridiculous) jumps at the chance to be involved and moves from Sydney to co-parent with her. Lizzie is a wild tornado of thoughts, feelings, and ideas but cannot organize her life. She had ADHD and has not been managing it well. She has a soul searching moment and vows to get herself in order for the baby. Along the way Rake is very supportive of Lizzie and the 2 have the hots for each other obviously. He does and says all the right things, but I never REALLY felt him connecting that much or them growing closer.

I did enjoy Lizzie's development through the story. She goes from sticking her head in the sand to ignore her problems, to dealing with them head on. Getting a job at the bakery led to a whole lot of interesting things and it was great to see her grow into her own there. I also appreciated how up front and open she was about her neurodivergency. She explained how she reacts to, or processes things mentally when it seems like she's just jumped off the deep end. By the end of the story Lizzie realizes what she needs from other people to feel whole and that she deserves unconditional love for who she is. LOVE that!!

While pregnancy as a plot point is not one of my favorites, it was used here not as an excuse or an inconvenience but a true turning point in their lives. Lizzie examined herself and made healthy changes to her life and habits and benefited so much from that. Rake pulls his head out of his ass by the end and becomes emotionally available and stands up for Lizzie to multiple people. I liked that they got together and worked out their relationship and what they are to each other before it got anywhere close to the baby being due and avoided a whole mess of drama and complications.

Honestly, the easiest five stars I’ve ever given. I knew I’d love this because it’s Mazey Eddings but I didn’t think any of the other books would surpass my love for A Brush With Love BUT LIKE- I devoured this baby and NEEDED more.

Like here’s the thing- I’ve only ever liked one surprise pregnancy trope book EVER. I started LBBM not knowing that that was the trope- so yes surprised but also like- loving it??? IT WORKED FOR ME TO THE HIGHEST DEGREE Whatever formula Mazey put in this, whatever formula she followed IT IS GENIUS. Rake and Lizzie have my whole heart 🥹

Mazey also has this talent with words. With descriptions. It’s so hard to describe exactly how one feels, at least for me it is- and Mazey does it so perfectly. Lizzie’s struggles and Rake’s as well are ones I’ve felt- I still feel and can never properly put into words but they’re there. They’re written here and described SO WELL in a dynamic where they’re beautiful and hopeful.

Lizzie is all ways making mistakes, can can come of as awkward and “too much”. She has learned to distance herself from forming romantic relationships by not allowing others to get to close. When she has a weekend with a man from out of town and finds herself losing her job due to her uncontrolled ADHD and unexpectedly pregnant. Lizzie finds that she will need to change her outlook on her past mistakes and relationships.

I really liked this book. I was a little confused with Lizzie’s character at first until I realized why she is the way she is. I loved the relationship between her and Rake. I loved the way he took care of her completely. The Tropes in this book were perfect and the banter was great.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book for my honest opinion.

While I love Mazey's writing style, the whole accidental pregnancy trope isn't for me. Maybe it's because I have been there, done that and never want to relive any part of hat shit show again. But either way, it's not for me.

That aside, the book is fun and for anyone who does like a good old oops, we made a baby, read it.

Lizzie Blake is, in her words, a mess. She's always been too much - too messy, to loud, too disorganized, too irresponsible. Two nights with Rake, a handsome Aussie visiting Philadelphia result in a surprise pregnancy and a total life overhaul.

As the parent of a child who is often seen as "too much (with ADHD)," I really, truly loved Lizzie's character and how her overarching storyline was her searching for the love and acceptance her parents never gave her. When Lizzie realizes there are people in this world that love her just the way she is, it's heartbreaking to me - she seriously always considered herself unlovable because of the way her parents treated her. I really appreciated the inclusion of rejection dysphoria (my child has it as well) as a normal part of the ADHD experience (it is).

Lizzie and Rake - I could read more novels about them. I loved the way he took care of her without asking her to change who she was. I loved their give and take. I loved the epilogue with how in love with their baby they were (although I felt like it was a quick jump from the end of the story to the epilogue).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

An open door romance is everything a reader needs during these challenging times. Mazey Eddings manages to weave together several romance tropes with the struggle of living with ADHD in a manner that kept me reading all day. It is rare that I finish an e-book in 24 hours, but this one kept me engaged and entertained. The characters were fun and the details were spicy. When I looked on Goodreads to see what else Eddings has written I discovered that this is the second book in a series. Went immediately to Libby to download the first book! Thrilled to see that there are four more books (one in this series) scheduled for publication by Eddings in the next two years.

I hadn’t realized this was the second book in the series until now! But it can be read as a stand alone. Quite a lot of smut for such a cutesy cover (but that seems to be the theme these days)

Book: Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake
Author: Mazey Eddings
Pub Date: 9/6/22

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

First off let’s just start out with one of my favorite dedications ever…

“𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼’𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱. 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵.𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵.“

Lizzie is a vibrant, voluptuous, full of life character that struggles with ADHD and has been misunderstood all her life. Her family doesn’t believe in her and almost always assumes she’s purely lazy and irresponsible. She engages in casual one night stands to cope when she happens to meet Rake; a hot Australian who is in town for work. One night stand turns into a two night stand and happens to result in an unexpected pregnancy. When Rakes moves to the states to co-parent emotions flood and both characters try to navigate their living situation, their indescribable bubbles of feelings, and “le bebe”.

This book has a bit of everything and if you’re into steam this book is for you!! What I loved most about this book is Eddings sensitive and descriptive representation of a neurodivergent character. She allows us into Lizzie’s head to gain a better understanding of living with ADHD on a daily basis and how it can effect every aspect of your life. I loved the body positivity, the sex positivity, and the quirky one liners that had my laughing out loud. I love Rake for taking Lizzie as she is and not trying to fit her into some type of societal box even in times when he didn’t understand her.

A must read!!!

Thank you @netgalley!

Accidental pregnancy is one of my least favourite tropes, and will usually make me want to rip my skin off. So it's truly saying a lot that I absolutely LOVED the trope here. It was just exactly right for this book and took the story to the next level and really worked for it.

I LOVED Lizzie and Rake's journey from "two night stands" to deciding to platonically co-parent, to "let's be co-parents with benefits" to "oh no! I have FEELINGS". This journey may sound ridiculous if summed up, but it all just made so much sense and was paced perfectly.

Lizzie and Rake are two of my most favourite romance MCs ever, and they just worked SO well together. The book often cracked me up, but it also made me tear up a couple of times, and I just loved seeing these people get to know each other.

I already really enjoyed A Brush With Love, but Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake has really cemented Mazey Eddings for me as an author to watch, especially with her amazing neurodivergent rep.

With characteristics reminiscent of Hazel from Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, Lizzie Blake is a loveable, chaotic character dealing with ADHD and its effects on her life and relationships.

With poignant and heartbreaking moments balanced with hilarity and silliness, I enjoyed Lizzie and Rake’s journey from one-night stand to roommates to parents.

Lizzie is a baker in Philadelphia who can’t seem to hold a job because of her inattentiveness and time blindness. She’s scattered and unreliable, but she’s also fiercely devoted to her friends.

Her family isn’t close because she isn’t a golden child like her brother, and her parents only see her differences as a negative to their social standing. Though may have disadvantages in a neurotypical world, Lizzie is trying her best to make a living while also having fun.

Rake is in town for business and is immediately taken by Lizzie and her horrible experience with a blind date. One thing leads to another, and he and Lizzie have a couple of hot and steamy nights together.

Not expecting to see her again, he upends his life in Australia after a phone call that immediately changes his priorities.

Lizzie and Rake’s pact to cohabitate while waiting for their baby’s arrival and abstaining from a physical relationship ratchets up the sexual tension to about an 11 for much of the story. While they may not be physical, they are still learning about one another and forming a deeper relationship through their interactions.

Eddings takes great care with Lizzie’s mental well-being throughout the book, which is something I greatly appreciate.

There are points in the story where my second-hand cringe was so strong for Lizzie and the situations she would find herself in. My heart went out to her several times because I can relate to and understand her internal struggles, and I appreciate her for the strong heroine that she is.

Rake is one of the sweetest book boyfriends around. Rake appreciates her curiosity and enjoys seeing the world through Lizzie’s eyes. His patience and effort to understand her never-quiet mind are genuinely some of his best qualities.

I think fans of A Brush with Love will appreciate the next book in the series, and I know that I am looking forward to Indira’s story in The Plus One.

Note: I read this as both an ebook and listened to an audio copy. The narration of the audiobook is well done, as are the accents of the characters. If you're an audiobook listener, you'll love the narration of this one!

I really wanted to love this book more than I did . I read the first book in this series and loved it but had trouble at times with this book . The first 30% of the book was wonderful but I struggled to read to the 50% mark . The rest was back and forth though I did like the ending . This book has a main character with adult adhd and I believe is represented well but she drove me nuts . This book does the pregnancy trope which is not a favorite of mine but I do hope to see more from this author.

5/5- Book #2 of A Brush with Love.

Never have I RUSHED to review a book after finishing as much as I did for this book! I’m in LOVE! The characters in this book, Lizzie and Rake were amazingly lovable in the most heartwarming ways 💛 I loved the added educational bit of learning about adults with ADHD and especially about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.

Tropes: Surprise Pregnancy, Sworn off of Romance/ Emotional Scars, Neurodiverse FMC, Cinnamon roll MMC

Spice : 2/5 - starts off with a one night stand/ weekend bang fest, lé bébé, then emotionally charged events. Nothing wildly kinky, but multiple detailed events.

Brief Plot: after being stood up, Lizzie is prepared to go home until an encounter with Rake leads to their one night stand, or weekend together. Weeks later, Lizzie starts to get nauseous, and another mistake is up for Lizzie to handle. But Rake is willing to up and move across the globe to be there for her, and through countless events proves that he cares for Lizzie, and her “chaotic” ADHD self. But is that enough for the two, with their own emotional baggage, to be more than just a co-parenting partnership?

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this book so so much!! I was never a huge fan of the accidental pregnancy trope, but this book did it so so well! I loved the bakery and Rake and Lizzie’s friends. I really just loved every part of this book and found it so funny and heartwarming. Mazey Eddings can do no wrong in my book!