I loved this story! It was so great to be able to read about a character with flaws and how she overcame them. Rake was everything. His Australian accent and charm made me really root for him and Lizzie. I laughed out loud while reading this quirky love story.

So here's my problem. The sex scenes in this book were top tier. I mean they sizzled off the page. And then the rest of the plot was a mess and it just didn't read as realistic to me which is why I had a hard time with it. Also, I started to see Lizzie as selfish after a while, and I hated that it kept getting chalked up to her ADHD after a while. I have one friend with ADHD and some of my friend's and cousin's kids have it too. So, I was glad to see a heroine with this as a medical condition she was trying to deal with. But I just didn't like how it read as her constantly needing others to bail her out all the time. And the issue with Lizzie and her family took way too long to address. I maybe went what in the world when we get to the 60 plus mark and I realized her brother/mother/father have no clue she's pregnant. Anyway, it's a shame, I really did like the set-up, but thought the whole thing jumped way too fast with Rake going, yes I will give up my whole life and move from Australia to Philadelphia. I think at one point I went, wait is immigration not a thing anymore? Can people just do that? And then I made my brain shut up because I was not in the mood to research how work permits and staying in the U.S. works for people in Australia. Also, had no idea this was part of a series, so wish I had started with that book first. I hate going out of order in my reading. 

"Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake" starts with Lizzie needing some sex. FYI, this book is real upfront with this. Lizzie has a date, but ends up having an insta-lust cute with a guy she meets named Rake at a bar. Lizzie has a firm rule about only having one night stands, so when she offers, Rake is quite happy to accept. The two have a hot night, which actually drifts into another day when they meet up again, breaking Lizzie's rule. But when Lizzie realizes that her two night stand has left her pregnant, she reaches out to Rake to let him know. He decides to move to the U.S. to set up a place for him and Lizzie, and their eventual baby to live. The book follows as they try to navigate being eventual co-parents who think about how hot the other one is every five minutes. 

Lizzie worked my nerves after a while. I think because outside of one friend trying to actually make Lizzie think if she has the means (mentally, financially) to actually raise a baby, everyone acted like this was such a good thing. I was surprised the abortion discussion was like half a page. I wouldn't have minded there actually being a struggle there. And then of course we have a whole issue going on with Lizzie's family, but as I said above, you just hear about them, with Lizzie talking to her brother, but just deciding to not tell her mother anything because her mother is always in the wrong. 

Rake (that name) just felt very flat to me after a while. He's a bit too perfect and then there's a really aggravating thing that is included about this character that left a bad taste in my mouth. Let's just say it deals with Roe V Wade and leave it at that, will leave a spoiler for those who want to know. [spoiler]Rake doesn't date because he's still scarred about an evil ex that didn't tell him she was pregnant and had an abortion.......yeah. [/spoiler]. 

The other characters kind of flit into this one here and there with the main focus being Lizzie and Rake. Lizzie trying to find a new job and Rake trying to make a good impression at work. There is no there there really besides hey we can't sleep together again which I kept going um why not? Neither of you are dating other people so who cares? They try for some tension later in the book, but it just didn't work for me.

A one, or rather, two night stand with a gorgeous Australian man leads to an unexpected event in Lizzie Blake’s life. Lizzie has always been a little bit chaotic, but dealing with her ADHD and RSD (rejection sensitive dysphoria) has always been difficult for her, it’s lead to her having a hard time just getting by day by day and has on more than one occasion lead to her being fired from her job. After a particularly bad day in which she is fired from her recent job she goes to a bar to get some steam off and then she runs into the most gorgeous Australian man ever, Rake ( he even sounds like he came out of a romance novel). What was suppose to be a one night stand leads to another night before Rake leaves for Australian... and two weeks later when Lizzie feels like something is off she realizes that the condoms she had in her bag were expired and she now is pregnant. Lizzie is determined to make it on her own and just wants to inform Rake that she is pregnant but she won’t need any of his help but Rake surprises her by saying that he wants to be involved and wants to have a relationship with the child. The only thing is Rake himself is emotionally closed off and has sworn off relationships. The only issue is that he can’t seem to get Lizzie off of his mind and now that he’s moving in with her and they start sharing a bed things are going to get much more difficult. Lizzie and Rake start to get to know one another and both of them just want to be loved for their flaws and all, but the journey to love is never easy and they’ll both have to be vulnerable and ready to open themselves up to each other. This is the second book in the series and we do get a few cameos of the couple from the first book ( which I really liked). Sadly this one missed the mark for me, while I sympathized with Lizzie, I also found that I couldn’t connect to her and that despite everything she was dealing with she really was kind of scattered. I don’t have AHDH nor do I have RSD so i think that might have played into why i just wasn’t as sympathetic to a lot of her circumstances and that’s completely on me, but I just didn’t exactly like Lizzie. The overall couple just didn’t connect with me as much as the first couple did, however definitely give this one a try. This story does have representation and a sweet romance overall.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings
⭐️⭐️⭐️

▫️Unexpected pregnancy trope 🤰🏻
▫️ADHD representation🧍🏻‍♀️
▫️Open-door 🚪
▫️Grumpy/Sunshine ☀️
▫️One-night stand 🛏

Thank you netgalley and st martins press for this digital ARC!

This one is a tough one to review for me - there were parts that I loved, and parts that I just didn’t enjoy.

I loved Lizzie and Rake together. They have great chemistry and complement each other nicely. But… some of Lizzie’s one-liners that were supposed to be funny (I think?) just came across as cheesy and immature. I really just wanted them to COMMUNICATE with each other. Would’ve been a much shorter book though 🤪

Some of the open-door scenes were a bit much for me, personally, but I’m the first to admit I don’t love that part of rom-coms.

This was a short, enjoyable read that wasn’t bad, but wasn’t super memorable either.

I enjoyed this story as a whole, but unfortunately, this was roughly my 3rd book in a row where the female main character has intensely negative self-talk and is adamant she’s unlovable for about 98% of the book, and I’m so tired of it that it made parts of the book difficult to get through. So that’s my only caution to future readers… otherwise, it’s a lovely romance with some great spice.

This book was archived before I had time to read it, so I am not able to give accurate feedback. Thank you for the opportunity, sorry I was unable to get to it in time.

This book was a fun read with an ND character who meets a NT character. It’s nice to see a character with ADHD represented so well. The story itself was fun to read, though it did drag a bit in the middle. I enjoyed the book overall and would recommend it to anyone.

What a delight! I can think of no other way to describe it. Lizzie Blake is such a wonderful character and I loved every bit of her story.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins, and the author for the eARC in exchange for my review.

Oh wow, this book is a joy. I loved Lizzie - her wildness reminds me of so many people with ADHD who I love so much, and she felt so real. Eddings’ writing brings you right in close to the story, and you feel so intensely for the characters. I loved Lizzie and Rake together and this was such a fun book.

Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake is a cute rom com involving a a neurotypical and a neurodivergent couple who have a one night stand that turns into more.
It ebbed and flowed in terms of reader interest and level engagement. The middle was bleh but I enjoyed the ending. 3 stars.

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake is a wonderful book about taking a chance and following your heart. I absolutely loved the relationship between Lizzie and Rake. They were such a great couple. I really enjoyed how the author incorporated a topic that isn’t talked about too much. Mazey Eddings wrote a truly heartwarming story. I hope she continues with Lizzie and Rake’s story.

As the longtime spouse of a person diagnosed with ADHD and mother of a child with suspected ADHD, I adored this book. While technically, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake is a romcom, it’s really the story of Lizzie learning to accept herself after a lifetime of being called a “mess” and develop tools to help her live her life in a world that’s not ND-friendly. The romance and LI (Rake) are cute and sweet, but what really makes this story standout is Mazey Eddings’ masterful descriptions of an ADHD person’s train of thoughts, hyper focus, and battles with RSD (Rejection Sensitivity Disorder).

I’ve seen some criticisms of this book and its “insta-love”. I’m not normally big on insta-love myself, but I didn’t think that’s what was going on here. Insta-attraction or insta-lust, maybe, but I thought Eddings did a good job developing Rake’s and Lizzie’s relationship over time, and I particularly liked how she handled Rake learning to live with and accept Lizzie’s ADHD and the chaos that sometimes comes with it.

Eddings’ conversational writing style is engaging and feels upbeat even when dealing with heavier topics. I’m looking forward to reading more from her after this gem of a book.

This book was cute at times, and then at other times I wanted to not read it.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

thank you to netgalley (@netgalley) and the publisher (@stmartinspress) for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review

from the very first page, i was immediately hooked. the chemistry between lizzie blake and rake thompson was really cute and amusing to read 🥰 definitely going to preorder the ebook and physical copy of 𝘓𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘪𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘦'𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦.

mazey eddings (@mazeyeddings) is an excellent writer. this is my first book by her, and it 100% did not disappoint!! 😁 i am excited to read more by her 🥰

i have a unpopular bookish confession to say: i love pregnancy tropes 🙂, one reason why i requested this book from netgalley 😌😏🤰🏻

however, i know this is not everyone's cup of tea 🙂

lizzie blake's best mistake has adhd rep, which i could relate to. reading how lizzie felt like a failure because of her adhd, i felt that deeply cause i know what's that like having a brain that behaves differently compared to other people's brain, and sometimes it makes me feel like a failure and dumb too, and it's not a fun feeling that way. i relate to lizzie blake cause of her disorder and her love of baking 👩🏻‍🍳

i HIGHLY recommend reading 𝘓𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘪𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘬𝘦'𝘴 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 once it comes out on september 6

5★stars

𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: found family and accidental pregnancy

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake was an unexpected surprise!!! I wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did but every minute and every page was an absolute delight. Accidental pregnancy is one of my favorite tropes and it was executed well here. Lizzie was such a fun character and Mazey Eddings did a great job with the portrayal of having ADHD. Lizzie didn't feel like a caricature and I appreciated that. Rake and Lizzie were complete opposites in every way but they share a spark which leads to them having a one night stand. That one night led to two and a bun in the oven. Their dynamic was perfect and swoon worthy. This was my first book by Mazey Eddings and it won't be the last.

I loved this one! Lizzie is vivacious and full of life and her spontaneous thoughts (that always translate to spoken words) kept me laughing. I found her totally endearing. The author's description of Lizzie's ADHD was so well done - I love someone with ADHD and I really appreciated the author's take. ADHD brings challenges but it's rare for someone to write about ADHD in a positive light as there are MANY positives. Rake is an endearing character with complexities that the author describes beautifully. This story is well written and engaging, both light and fun and also captivating and suspenseful. I couldn't put it down!

You know how people say, “Romance novels give you unrealistic expectations” and us romance readers fire back with, “NOT TRUE!!!”. Well, this particular book might be one of those cases where it’s actually kind of true. There were so many wonderful things about Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake, but I just found it so *unrealistic* that a man would uproot his entire life and move across the world at the drop of a hat for a woman he knew less than 48 hours.

I go into 99% of the books I read completely blind, but the synopsis gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect here. It involves a trope that I don’t mind but I know many readers loathe. The relationship is also pretty insta-lusty, and while I’m not a fan of “insta-love” I can apparently get down with “insta-lust”. Who knew?!

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake was a really fun read. Some of the jokes are hilarious (some of them are cringey), but I think Mazey Eddings did a fantastic job writing a “love story for every brain”. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen ADHD represented in a romance novel, and if I have, it was likely just a character forgetting something and crying out, “I’m so ADD!”. As someone who has personally struggled with this diagnosis for most of my life, I can say it was really refreshing (and a little too relatable at times) to read about a woman with similar challenges.

“Your brain was built different and that’s beautiful, never a burden.”

I loved the characters, especially Rake. He’s a total dreamboat and sets the book boyfriend bar pretty darn high. I love how accepting he was of Lizzie’s faults and how he builds up her self-confidence. This is a very cute read, and while I’m sure others will find flaws, I truly enjoyed myself, unrealistic expectations be damned!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for allowing me to be an early reader.

This was a little slow for me and it was hard to get into the romance. But I was super excited about the representation and I think in general it's a decent novel, it may just not have been the right relationship for my tastes. I can't pin down exactly why I wasn't over enthused about it, but I think that it's still a novel most romance readers will enjoy, especially those looking for more diversity. I did enjoy the banter and the character arcs.

Mazey Eddings's second book Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake is lovely, and dare I say it, even better than her first book, A Brush With Love. I think the telltale sign of a good book is finding a character lovable despite not relating to them. Lizzie and I have led entirely different lives, yet I find myself rooting for her at every twist and turn of the novel. In this beautifully crafted story, Lizzie has a one-night stand with an Australian in town for the weekend, Rake. Two weeks later, she realizes she is pregnant and decides to keep the child. Rake decides to uproot his life and move to the US to help her raise the child. Both of them are emotionally unavailable and unbelievably horny but they decide to platonically co-parent their child while sharing a living space. As you can imagine, hilarity ensures as Lizzie finds a job at an erotic bakery and Rake tries to take in the messy life of his new co-parent. Lizzie and Rake are grumpy and sunshine, light and dark and they complement each other so very well.. Even if you're not a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope, I think you'll enjoy this chaotic and fun novel! I am looking forward to reading more by Eddings! I binged this one in an afternoon :)

I absolutely devoured this in a number of hours!

I enjoyed the writing and the character development so much. Lizzie Blake is a character that I want and need in my life as a friend and confidant. This was well written and certainly a new favorite.

I have A Brush With Love on my shelf and you can sure as heck bet that just moved its way up the TBR! Along with any other book Mazey Eddings will write.

TW: accidental pregnancy, toxic parents, discussion of abortion

Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin & netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!