Oh this was soooo sweet. I was smiling so much in the end. There was so much I loved about this. I loved the progression of Rake and Lizzie’s relationship and their own personal growth. I also liked the humor throughout mostly brought on by Lizzie.

I did have a couple issues in terms of pacing. The beginning did feel a little rushed but I think that’s to be expected with main trope in this book. Also I do think it righted itself in how it slowed the development Lizzie’s and Rake’s relationship after he learns of Lizzie’s pregnancy.

Something I appreciated was the ADHD rep, as it was something I have never read before in a book.

This books definitely feels memorable. And I can see my self doing a re-read in the future. I also can’t wait for Indira’s book next.

This was really cute and funny. Everything a romcom is supposed to be! Lizzie is a hot mess but I didn’t find her quirks to be that annoying (as a reader but in real life she sounds like a nightmare roommate). But once she finds out she’s pregnant she becomes determined to her shit together and does some true growth by the end. Rake has an Australian accent going for him, which makes up a little for his strange name. He also has some emotional baggage from a previous relationship but that doesn’t stop him from stepping up when he finds out he’s going to be a father. Im a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope so if that’s your thing I think you’ll enjoy it too! Took off a star because, like real pregnancy, Lizzie’s draaagggged on for what felt like forever and left me wanting more time of them figuring out their relationship while being new parents.

From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.

This was a quick and fun read!

I’ll start off with the things I liked:
*ADHD representation - I love how the author showed the struggles of ADHD but also highlighted the positive attributes of someone with ADHD.
*Lizzie was hilarious and had the best one liners
*Hot Australian male lead - I love how much Rake loved and appreciated Lizzie for exactly who she was and didn’t try to change her to be more “normal”
*grump x sunshine trip is always fun
*Lizzie’s found family with her friends and Rake- my heart broke for Lizzie because of her relationship with her parents. I loved seeing the support she found through the others.

Now, I enjoyed this book, but there are some things that I just didn’t like. First, the pregnancy trope. I typically don’t like this at all, but after seeing such great reviews, I wanted to give it a chance. It’s just not for me. I also didn’t find it realistic at all for Rake to move to a different country for someone he had known for 2 days. That gave me all sorts of red flags. I’m glad he was there for Lizzie and her pregnancy, but it could have been done in a more believable manner.

I think a lot of people will LOVE this book, and while I did enjoy it, it’s not one I would re read.

I requested this book from Netgalley because the cover looked so cute, I didn’t know anything about it and obviously haven’t read the first in the series so I had no expectations, so I start in it’s ok, this girl seems so confident, so self assured, yeah and even when Rake came to her rescue she still deal with the creep herself.
But that girl had disappeared by the second chapter, now here she was always been late, forgetful because of her ADHD, which fine but what? Such a change, and I felt it didn’t give people with ADHD enough credit.
Then Rake moves from Australia to raise a baby with a girl he had known for two days, so unbelievable, and I don’t know I just could get pass that, thy were cute together and he understood her and loved her despite all these quirks she has that even her friends berate her for and she help him too to get over his issues and normally this is my favorite thing but this time I didn’t buy it.

I wasn't a fan of Lizzie and Rake. Together, they were great. Most of the time. As individual characters? Not for me.

I just couldn't grasp Lizzie's character fully, and while I understand ADHD played a major part in it, I kept getting an off vibe. And Rake.... what. Why? I wanted to reach through the book and shake him over and over again.

Was it a bad read? No. Was it great? Maybe for you. Not for me.

I grabbed this book without even reading the description or content warnings, just because I'd read the first Mazey Eddings book and liked it. Luckily, a friend warned me that this book is centered on an accidental pregnancy (I have struggled with infertility, so this is a sensitive subject for me). Armed with that knowledge and prepared to deal with any emotional fallout, I jumped in. I ended up really liking this, and I appreciated the adult ADHD rep. People see Lizzie as "a mess" but her brain is just different - there's actually a great mantra in this about different brains being beautiful. I love that she found her rhythm in this, finding a great job that drew on her strengths without making her feel like a failure, and that her two (or maybe three?) night stand with a hot Australian guy visiting Philly turns out to be a great, if complicated partnership. Content warning for Lizzie's family being TRULY AWFUL. Like, beyond awful. Her parents, especially her mother, always made her feel weird, unwanted, and "too much." She really goes through a lot of growth in this in a way that feels authentic, and I loved her friendship/romance with Rake. The friends (same ones who were in A Brush with Love) show up a few times, and Thu continues to be kind of a jerk, though for some reason I weirdly love her. I've heard that Eddings has another novel already ready to go, and I'll definitely be picking that up!

This is a highly enjoyable novel. From the author of A Brush with Love, this book explores the lives of one of the supporting characters from that story. Lizzie, a professional baker, has a life that is often full of mistakes -- whether it is making mistakes in the kitchen, with her hairstyles, or her finances. She shies away from any long-term relationships. When she is fired from her job, she meets Rake, a charming Australian at a bar who is in town for a work trip. After spending two nights together, Rake heads back to Australia -- and they both think they will never encounter each other again. But then Lizzie finds out she is pregnant, and Rake decides he wants to be involved as possible. He moves to the U.S. and the two struggle to figure out what it means to be co-parents ... and whether they want, or can handle, any more.

This book was terrific -- with charming characters and a very engaging story. It is both light-hearted and addresses some serious issues.

Highly recommended!

I'll be honest, I wasn't so sure about asking for this one on NetGalley after I didn't love the author's last book, A Brush With Love. (And to be fair, it was more about my dislike for the male narrator than the actual book.) But I am so glad I did!

Now, be forewarned that this is an accidental pregnancy trope storyline and if that is anyway triggering for you, I'd stay away. Coming from years of unexplained infertility, if I hadn't already had my two beautiful boys I would have read this from more of a bitter mindset.

But ANYWAYS...

Lizzie is one of Harper's friends - from A Brush With Love - but you can totally read this as a standalone as long as you don't want spoilers from that book. Lizzie is a baker but has trouble dealing with day to day tasks because of her ADHD. When she has a one night turned into two night stand with a sexy Australian man named Rake, she never expected to end up expecting.

When Lizzie decides to keep the baby, she lets Rake know and doesn't expect him to want to be involved. Especially since he lives in Australia and her in Philadelphia. But he wants to be as involved as possible moving his life to hers.

Now some of this you need a smidge of suspension of disbelief because that scenario is rare. But it just worked. I loved their banter and how much of a mess Lizzie was. How she grows and stands up for herself and her accomplishments. And Rake wasn't all that bad either.

A surprising 5/5⭐️ read for me.

Read if you enjoyed books like The Kiss Quotient or Take a Hint, Dani Brown.

Triggers: ADHD, very open door romance, toxic parenting, profanity, past relationship with cheating and abortion.

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake was a good, light hearted read about a girl who although trying her best, continues to have difficulties in many areas of her life. She breaks her own rules and has a brief affair with Rake and soon finds out that life has thrown another curveball at her. I found myself rooting for Lizzie and Rake as the pages went on-hoping they came to realize sometimes what is first thought of as a mistake ends up being one of life's best blessings.

ARC REVIEW FOR LIZZIE BLAKE'S BEST MISTAKE

4.5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley, @mazeyeddings and @stmartinspress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wowowowow. I really, REALLY liked this book. When I had received this ARC, I started reading A Brush with Love. I liked it, but I wasn't enamored with it. But let me say...this one I connected with wayyyy more than ABWL.

Lizzie is A LOT. If I was out at a club or bar I would probably judge her (I'm not proud of that) but to actually read the story from her POV and know what's going through her head just made me so sad for those who don't take the time to get to know her. Now, does everyone's worldview paint themselves in a positive light? Most times. But you can tell from the writing that Lizzie has pretty good self awareness to know she was a lot to handle, but that she had a hard time controlling that aspect of her. I'm sure every one has a touch of ADD or ADHD, but it was so mind opening to see behind the veil of an actual diagnosis and to have your family try to minimize it just makes me sick to my stomach.

Let's chat Rake. I have a love/hate relationship with him. On one hand I really feel for the guy in all that he as gone through in relationships. But then also? YOU LITERALLY MOVED ACROSS THE WORLD TO BE WITH A STRANGER. But for being a self described invalid, I felt he went from 0-100 REAL QUICK.

The friend group was the friend group- despite initial differences in opinion, I love how they came together to support her when she needed them most.

It was also refreshing to show how sometimes, damaged relationships can only remain damaged. A lot of times, people with issues end up overcoming their differences to achieve a happy ending, especially in romances. I loved how Mazey Eddings didn't try to do that- sometimes they just are jerks and nothing will change that. Best to just move on, and I love that for Lizzie.

If you loved A Brush with Love, you will love Lizzie's story. Add to your TBR now- Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake hits the shelves of your fav indie bookstore 9/6/22!

• review •
lizzie blake’s best mistake | mazey eddings

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“‘you don’t understand what a privilege it is to know you’ he said, whispering the words into the shell of my ear. “you don’t understand how it changes a person to hear your laugh”

“you’ll probably never fully grasp how wonderful it is to know a person like you exists”

guys. this book?! 😭
perfection. I’m in love. obsessed.
will never be the same again.
can I give it twelve stars? can I? CAN I?!

first off, the banter?
*chef’s kiss*

the steam?
YES PLS 🥵

the mental health representation?
I see you.

the overwhelming & heart crushing sweetness?
oh my dear lord.

it was a beautiful surprise to see harper, dan, & thu from a brush with love.
indira’s gentleness & unwavering support of lizzie honestly made me so stinkin emotional.

lizzie & rake’s meeting was so perfect & I was invested from the very beginning.
watching their relationship grow was a gosh darn joy. the ice cream moment? the fits of laughter they shared? the whipped cream scene? it killed me. it was so sweet. I love them.

rake’s protectiveness warmed my freakin heart, man. he is everything. too good for this world. just.. stop 😭
also, lizzie is sunshine and cupcakes and everything good.
ryan making amends? wrecked me. love that for them. 💗

lizzie’s struggle of trying to earn her family’s love & affection hit me so hard in the chest, I thought for sure I was dead. if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my therapist, (don’t worry kayla, I’ve learned other things too), it’s that you do not have to prove that you deserve love. you exist. you are alive. that’s all the proof you need.

the freaking under the bed scene. my heart. and everything he says to her afterwards? I was crying in the club. I was actually crying in my car in the gym parking lot, but po-tay-to, po-tah-to. honestly though. I love them so f*cking much. that was the most tender & loving thing I’ve ever read. I will never be the same.

anyway. buy it. pre-order it. do what you gotta do.
this gem comes out on sept 6 🤍
thank you netgalley, st. martin’s press & mazey eddings for my advanced copy

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake is utterly, effing fantastic. Mazey Eddings can take ALL my money. I cannot WAIT to get my hands on my physical preorder copy when it releases in September so I can slide it into its place of honor on my "absolute favorites, will recommend to everyone" shelf.

I have never read a book with such incredibly relatable adult ADHD representation. In Lizzie, I saw a reflection of myself. From the giant purse full of absolutely everything to her perpetual lateness and her chaotic brain, it was like looking into a mirror. Existing in a neurotypical world is exhausting and frustrating, and it was so validating to see my neurodiverse self represented in such a beautiful, celebratory way.

I don't normally like surprise pregnancy storylines or insta-love, but Mazey can do no wrong, and she won me over. She handled both the pregnancy and the conversations surrounding pregnancy and the right to choose with supreme compassion.

I will be screaming about this book to anyone who will listen for the foreseeable future. Lizzie is such a beautiful, chaotic mess, and I love every bit of her. And Rake--oh sweet, Australian Rake. He's so utterly swoony, and I love how he supports LIzzie in the aftermath of their impulsive two-night stand.

LIZZIE BLAKE’S BEST MISTAKE by Mazey Eddings was a ray of sunshine in its truest form!!

This is one of those books that have you going through a true roller coaster of emotions! You’ll be laughing out loud one moment, blushing and swooning the next, and just wishing these two would just give in to their desires!

Lizzie and Rake were such an incredible couple and their individual journeys are to be admired. Having Lizzie figure out how to adapt to the world with her ADHD and having Rake learn how to open himself to emotions was awe-inspiring.

It’s like the great RuPaul Charles says: “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love anyone else?”

And they really lived by it - they worked on themselves fully to be able to work together and go head-first into their unexpected future!

Mazey, you did an extraordinary job with Lizzie’s story. I can’t thank you enough for giving the world your words and these astonishing characters. They mean the absolute world to me!

3.5 stars. 3.75? Mazey Eddings' newest romance has so much to love about it, especially its main characters: Lizzie, an energetic, vivacious redhead heroine with ADHD and a penchant for distraction and hyper focus, and Rake (yes, RAKE) a cinnamon roll of an Australian man with emotional baggage.

This was my first book by Eddings, and her writing is fun, fresh, and filled with laugh-out-loud one liners. I legit cackled a few times at Lizzie's ridiculous jokes. I loved Lizzie and Rake's character growth after finding out they made a baby after a steamy 2 night stand. I loved how Eddings described Lizzie's AHDH and it's facets like rejection sensitive dysphoria and how her management of her mental health and brain progressed - true self care! I identified a lot with how Lizzie felt like "too much" and that she didn't quite fit in any where with her too big heart. Rake's constant support of her without judgment or lashing out made my heart grow a size bigger.

All of that being said, I wish there was a bit more focus on the plot besides the main romance. I wanted more of Lizzie's friends - Indira & Thu especially. I don't think Rake's emotional baggage was fully explored - he seemed open to love without many qualms about it even though he had been burned before. The emphasis of the book seemed to be Lizzie and her coping with her family baggage and ADHD, so much so that maybe it should have been a single POV instead of dual?

Lastly, I did get a little hung up on how Rake's ex was vilified after getting an abortion. While Rake doesn't vilify her for getting an abortion, and though Eddings tried to contextualize it by saying Rake was supportive had he known, the awful-cheating-lying-ex-getting-an-abortion-while-cute-romcom-crush-keeps-the-baby felt like it further stigmatizes abortion. I don't make the rules - the Supreme Court does, and it's 2022. So we need unapologetic non-stigmatizing abortion rep only. PERIOD. (Pun v. much intended).

Wow, I loved this book! It was steamy and drama filled. Everything I could ever want in a romance novel. I absolutely adore Mazey Edding's writing style. The novel was easy to read and easy to get into. I, especially, liked the ADHD representation in this novel. Not to mention Lizzie and Rake as a couple was just amazing. Things were very insta-lovey at first and it reminds me of her other novel A brush of love. I've never really read a pregnancy trope in romance books so that was different. Overall, I enjoyed that this book gave me something different and I am definitely purchasing the cute physical copy once it releases!

4.5 stars

Omfg this book was a breath of fresh air and I absolutely loved it! AND SURPRISINGLY WAYYYYY SPICIER THAN I WAS EXPECTING!

I haven’t dabbled in many accident pregnancy tropes BUT because I knew this one was centered around it, I actually really liked it!

I love that this book focuses on another member of the friendship group we meet in “A Brush with Love”. Lizzie is a hot mess, but one who you can’t help but love her and get entranced by her. Rake on the other hand is a stickler to lists and organizations, and the complete opposite of Lizzie. Regardless, Rake couldn’t help but to be drawn in by Lizzie’s amazing energy and they both end up in a two night stand…or so we think. The storyline follows what happens after an amazing night ensues and we see how Lizzie deals with her ADHD and negative opinions from others, and if Rake is up for a wild journey alongside her!

I am just obsessed. This was so well done and everyone needs to read it ASAP

Spice: 🌶.5

Tropes
One night stand
Accidental pregnancy

What's Lizzie Blake's best mistake, you may ask? Read and find out.

I loved most aspects of this book, The authenticity of Lizzie's character being the major one. I loved how relatable Lizzie and her struggles were. Even as someone who doesn't have ADHD, I could see myself in her, which made reading her story all the more enjoyable. Rake was such a sweetheart. He was a perfect hero, and his accent was a bonus.

I'm not usually a fan of insta love, but I think it was done flawlessly in this book, and I was able to overlook it and enjoy the ride. The romance was top-tier, the steam was steamy, and the humor was hilarious. If you're looking for a swoony rom-com with an Australian hottie, this book is for you!!

Thank you, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley, for this ARC in an exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book! 4.5 stars rounded up. I loved this one, even more than A Brush with Love. I love Mazey Eddings writing style and devoured this book in one sitting. I was skeptical at first because I didn't think I would like the accidental pregnancy trope, but I ended up liking it a lot here. I think it was different than other accidental pregnancy trope books because it's the entire premise of the book and not a surprise. So, if you don't like that trope then don't automatically write this one off. I loved the relationship between Lizzie and Rake. I enjoyed how they didn't just jump into dating but got to know one another. Also really loved the ADHD representation. I'm excited to read Indira's story next year!

I will have to come back to this book at a later time when life isn't busy. I did want to read it though and will sometime in the future. I'm sorry work is busy with deadlines.

For now it's a will come back to later.