Member Reviews
Fair warning, this book is incredibly sexual. Not your typical romcom with a sex scene... like a ton of sex straight from the beginning, barely knowing the characters. I almost dnfed because that is not my kind of book, but the book had fantastic reviews so I kept reading. While it did calm down further into the book, this one wasn't for me.
I requested this as soon as I finished Eddings' debut, A Brush with Love, and WOW, this book did not disappoint. I loved learning more about Lizzie, but that our re-appearing characters were not a huge part of the story. This book felt different from the first in a really good way--if felt like it embodied Lizzie and Rake's story instead of just being an extension of the same voice/story, which you sometimes see in second books. I highly recommend this book. I loved it!!
I loved “Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake”! Mazey Eddings has crafted the sweetest summer beach read and I am excited to get this on my shelves.
"If yellow was a sound, he thought, it would be her laugh. Bright and booming, warm and joyful. Different varieties ranging from sunbeams and lemon zest to the soft puffs of golden wattle."
I have so much to say about this book. I've been trying to find the best word to describe the reading experience, and I think it comes down to a FUN read. Very few books have made me laugh out loud, but this was undoubtedly one of them. This book changed my mindset on the pregnancy trope and took such a new and unique take on the plotline. Not only does Mazey Eddings build up the characters throughout the story, but she makes them some of the most loveable characters from the start. One of the main characters, Lizzie, has always struggled with her ADHD and has been told by everyone that she was too chaotic, unrestrained, and overwhelming. I love how throughout the novel, we get to watch Lizzie try new strategies and skills to help her executive functioning. Rake and Lizzie demonstrate how far love and support can impact someone's life which I believe is a great message to convey to as many people as possible. I look forward to seeing this book on the shelves and I have no doubt it will be a hit!
Synopsis: Lizzie Blake is a woman known for having one-night stands. She’s an avid baker, but constantly late for work, and is just trying to keep her latest job. Lizzie has a two-night stand with a drop-dead gorgeous man named Rake. He happens to be Australian and heading back to his native land soon. Shortly after Rake arrives back in Australia, Lizzie gets some unexpected news. She knows she has to tell Rake, but is worried for how he’ll take the life-altering news. Read this funny, romantic, heartwarming novel to find out what happens between Lizzie and Rake!
To say I loved this book is an understatement! Mazey Eddings hit it out of the park with this one. It was such a fun read and I fell in love with Lizzie and Rake from the beginning! This is an easy 5 ⭐️ review!
This book caught me by surprise. At first, I was having a hard time connecting with Lizzie and her choices and not really feeling her two night stand with Rake, but then they were faced with real life decisions and they way they grew from it turned the book around completely for me. It started rooting for them, and understanding Lisa if a bit better. The was an endearing romance with great character development. I would decir read more in the series.
I had just finished reading A Brush With Love the week before and this sequel is so different, yet amazing! First, Mazey Eddings did such an amazing job addressing ADHD and the daily struggles that Lizzie faces managing her mental health. The dual perspectives with Rake and Lizzie are hilarious, they also don't feed into the typical miscommunication trope with duo POVs. It definitely didn't focus on her relationships with her friends other than the beginning, but I really like how their timelines line up throughout the story. This also a very steamy one so if that's not your thing, you may want to skip a good couple dozen pages
**I received an ARC of this book from the publisher because I am a librarian and librarians are awesome. **
This was not actually my cuppa, kind of like the author's other abandoned-by-me Brush With Love. That is to say, I found plenty of passages LOL-worthy and charming, but I think that this particular brand of cute middle-of-the-road contemporary romance is just not the thing I should be requesting from publishers any more. Yes, Lizzie has ADHD/Executive functioning issues, but like, I either want everything to be totally contrived and gratuitous (Ice Planet Barbarians, anything by Ali Hazelwood) or I want all sorts of angst drama (People You Meet on Vacation, Like a House on Fire).
(Like, seriously, Ann, stop pretending you want fluff. Didn't Kaz Brekker teach you anything?)
Will I recommend to readers who are full on contemporary romance fans? YES. It's adorbs. The banter is cute and I'm sure any barriers to HEA will be contrived and then resolved equally quickly.
But once again, I'm reminded that what I'm looking for dramatic angst drama and thoroughly damaged psyches instead of encouraging and supportive men. I have one of those at home already.
(Three stars for general romance fans, 2 stars for me personally)
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book! This is a sweet, quick read towards which I feel sort of ambivalent. I thought the pregnancy trope - which is a contentious one - was done well here, with Rake (what a strange name) stepping up and standing by Lizzie, even when it may make him unpopular. I thought Lizzie was a fine character, but I wish more had been done with her. She was very surface level, and even though she had problems to deal with, she just fell flat for me. I also was unhappy with the ending - we jump straight from the two love interests making up to the baby being born and them having moved on with their lives. I'm sure you can sense a theme - this entire book was fine, but easily could have been better.
Lizzy Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings
Wow!! This one was an enormous joy to read and I can promise you I laughed, swooned and cried by the time I finished this book! We first meet Lizzie in Mazey Eddings’ first book, “A Brush with Love”. Lizzie lives a life full of constant disarray. She struggles with the reality of what having ADHD as an adult is like and having to be looked down upon. The best way to cope, in Lizzie’s eyes, is to put up walls and have one night stands; it’s during an attempt that she meets Rake, the handsome Australian with walls of his own, is captivated by Lizzie (and vice versa) and the two embark on a two night stand that neither can forget. A few weeks later, the pair find themselves together again, and expecting a little baby!
The part of Lizzie’s story I liked the most is how real Mazey Eddings captured her life with ADHD, and those around her not understanding, except for Rake, who accepted Lizzie second he met her. What they share is profound and intimate, and I blushed so many times!! Their banter had me chuckling, and their inner thoughts about each other were highly amusing! That being said, the steam was spectacular and well written!!
I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a funny, delightfully steamy, and heart tugging romance novel!! There’s also a spicy baking side business that was not what I was expecting (don’t google at work)!
“Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake” releases on September 6, 2022!
Thank you to NetGalley, Mazey Eddings, and St. Martin’s Press for approving this copy of this ARC for an honest review!
Lizzie Blake is officially in my top favorite characters ever written! I can’t tell you how much I loved reading about Lizzie and the people she surrounded herself with who just so loved her for who she was. Gah, it was just beautiful. Rake’s appreciation for all of the things she felt insecure about was just so heartwarming and I loved them from pretty much their first interaction. This book is SO good and I can’t wait to see it in the hands of other readers!
This is one of those books that deserves all the stars and more. It was hooked onto it since the very beginning and I was so lost into this that I didn’t realise that I’m about to end it haha. I really enjoyed and loved it. The characters were so fun especially the WMC. And the chemistry and the banter was just chefs kiss. Along with that, I really loved the ADHD rep and how it was gently handled. Overall, it’s a full 5 stars read for me.
“If yellow was a sound, he thought, it would be her laugh.”
From the author of A Brush With Love comes the sophomore novel, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake.
Lizzie’s life is messy and chaotic. There are very few things in life that Lizzie can find comfort in. Two things that she is able to find control and comfort in are baking and sex. Enter Rake, an Aussie whose accent and physique are just a little too difficult to resist. So much so that Lizzie’s one-night-only rule turns into two nights… Just when Lizzie feels like her life couldn’t get any more chaotic or unpredictable, she finds out she is pregnant.
This story offers a real take on what it is like to be an adult with ADHD. Lizzie’s narration and the events of the story are consistent in her attempt to accept herself despite her own internalized ableism.
This book lives rent-free in my mind. This book is narrated through Dual POV and includes some of my favourite romance tropes: an accidental pregnancy, only one bed, only one shower, no doors. Did I mention Rake? Yes, he is bookish boyfriend material, folks. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and its funny, quirky narrative.
O-M-G Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake is such a fun and amazing book by Mazey Eddings. I had just read a Brush with Love, and became a Mazey fan then, but I was approved for Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake yesterday morning and then finished it in one sitting last night. I loved it so much, I felt compelled to go to Instagram, follow Mazey Eddings and then send her a DM about how much I loved it.
Mazey does an amazing job with portraying neurodivergent people, and in this case Lizzie. Lizzie has adult ADHD and has been through a life of people looking down on her or treating her differently because she may act differently than society expects. She meets Rake pretty quickly into the book and falls into a 2 night stand before he flies back to Australia, and then a couple weeks later, finds out she has a surprise baby.
What I loved about Rake is that he accepts Lizzie as she is, and finds her ADHD to be a strength. Some authors try to change the neurodivergent person in their books, but not this book. Neurodivergence is celebrated and seen as normal, as it should be. The portrayal of a family that didn't take the time to understand and may just be toxic for Lizzie, to seeing Rake and then his parents just fall in love with her as is. No conditions, no changes needed, just Lizzie for Lizzie. I also loved seeing the side story of Lizzie having a hard time holding down a job, but then finding the one boss that sees her ADHD as normal and working with her to find a good rhythm instead of trying to mold Lizzie into something she's not. Plus their shop is just a fun concept. Through it all, Lizzie did have her friends from Brush with Love with her, who also love her for her. It was fun to see Dan, Harper, Indira, and Thu again, and can't wait to see more books in the series.
Would definitely read again and I've honestly recommended it to multiple friends already and it's not even out until September. If you want a heartwarming, funny, romantic story with a little heaviness of toxic families mixed in, I recommend reading this book.
**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.***
If I could give a book more than 5 stars, this book would get it. the first book of the series was so good that i had super high hopes going into this book. lizzie and rake were such lovable characters. the one night stand to accidental pregnancy trope can be tricky to navigate, with showing the development of their entire relationship in such a short time, but eddings did an amazing job of the two characters growing both individually and together.
At this point, if Mazey would give me her grocery receipts to read, I would read and definitely enjoy it. Because what is this sorcery?? After A brush with love, I went into this book with some high expectations, and omgg I didn’t feel disappointed. Lizzie Blake has officially become my new favourite girl in the town. Rake was fun too. Mostly, I loved how the ADHD rep was handled and portrayed via the characters. Overall, a full 5 stars read
Mazey Eddings is known for her best-selling book, "A Brush with Love." I've heard great things about her, and so I jumped at the chance to read her newest book, "Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake." The titular character, Lizzie, is a young woman who battles her ADHD. This causes problems for her at work, at home, with her family, and within relationships. However, things change once she meets Rake. What was first meant just to be a one-night stand quickly turns into something more when Lizzie discovers that she's pregnant. As Lizzie and Rake learn how to work together, sparks fly and Lizzie realizes that she can use her ADHD as a benefit rather than a hindrance.
I really enjoyed reading from the point of view of a character with ADHD. It helped me understand how those with ADHD feel. I feel that some of the obstacles in this book were resolved a little too neatly, but it was a quick and easy book to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
I absolutely loved this book! This was the second book in a series that reminds me of “The Friend Zone” series by Abby Jimenez which I just adore. And I have to say, I enjoyed this one significantly more than the first book which is always a great surprise!
The main character Lizzie and her story of life with adult ADHD will stick with me for awhile- she was such a fun and likable character, and I love how this author has once again “normalized” a challenge that many people face.
This book was heartwarming, relatable, funny, and definitely a bit on the steamy side for the rom-com world.. I’m excited to see what this author writes next! Thank you to St, Martin's Press for my gifted review copy.
This book took me for a wild ride of feelings. I was so happy to see the author do ADHD justice. I loved how raw and honest the book was, how Lizzie's characterization was respectful and loving. I loved Rake's devotion to and adoration of Lizzie. The two of them had me near tears. Incredible!
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake has been a favorite read so far this year. We follow Lizzie on her adventure of life as an adult dealing with ADHD and being a "disappointment" to her family.
Lizzie and Rake are a wonderful couple and it is displayed through the many ups and downs of this novel. Lizzie is a great main character who is faced with great challenges that are compacted by her ADHDd. It was a great read that exposes so many flaws that are in real life.