Thanks for St. Martin's Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Starting off I was very excited to read this since I had heard so many positive things about the book. I sat with it for a while after finishing the book before finally writing this because I really wanted to love it and I do not like admitting that I found the whole thing cringey when we already have less representation of Sapphic relationships in the literary industry.

I'll start with some of the positives:
The spice and story were well-written.
The issues that each character faced felt realistic even I did not like the way they chose to deal with them.

On to the negatives:
The age gap made me uncomfortable, especially with the sneaking around and lying to the daughter/best friend. I can see why to some people that would be part of the thrill of this sort of relationship, but it's just not for me. I will definitely steer clear of any future stories that involve mom or dad of friend tropes.
I also felt like the main characters were trying to replace roles in their lives (Parker for Erin and Cassie's mom for Cassie) with this relationship and honestly both could have benefited from going to some therapy.
The behaviors and absolute lack of concern on how this would affect the people around them made the characters deeply unlikable for me.
It also felt very much like an imbalance of power between the two characters.
The ending felt super rushed and forced.

Overall its not for me, but I hope that the author continues to write more because I would definitely be willing to try future works.

The premise for this one was so hot, but it kind of fizzled for me. I couldn't get invested in the story. Could've been wrong book/wrong time for me.

I wish I could go back in time and not put off reading this book as long as I did. I was hesitant because while I enjoyed Wilsner’s previous book, Something to Talk About, it wasn’t my favorite and the premise of this one just really didn’t seem like it would work for me. Erin, a divorced, woman in her 40s, is in town visiting her daughter at college for family weekend when she hooks up with Cassie, a younger woman she meets at a bar. It’s not until the next morning at breakfast when Erin realizes Cassie is her daughter Parker’s best friend. Yikes. But it WORKED. Mistakes Were Made, pulled me in from the first page and I resented every moment I had to put it down until I finished it.

I don’t always love age gap romances but when they’re done right, they can be some of my favorites. This one was tricky on so many levels and had the added complexity of navigating the relationship with Parker from both sides. It’s clear from their first encounter that Erin and Cassie have explosive chemistry, which is why despite their better judgements, they don’t just end things after that first weekend. I saw a lot of myself in Erin when she repeatedly tried to push Cassie away as she struggled with her feelings of guilt and shame over their relationship. I loved seeing their boundaries shift and come down as they navigated their burgeoning feelings for each other and what that meant for each of them with regards to Parker.

I loved the dynamic between Acacia (Cassie’s best friend and Parker’s roommate) and Cassie and Acacia and Parker and Parker and Cassie and the three of them together. Friendships are complicated and can be messy and this one was no exception, but it’s also the very best part of this story. The juxtaposition between the very mature scenes between Cassie and Erin and the chaotic silliness of Cassie and the girls kept a glaring light on the vast differences between their ages and lives. Wilsner never shies away from the messier aspects that complicate and threaten the ultimate success of Erin and Cassie’s relationship. I loved the way their secrets ultimately came to light and the way Parker was able to deal with it. I really don’t think this could have gone any other way and still been as enjoyable.

It’s not all complicated family dynamics and angsty pining though. This book is hot AF. Hands down the sexiest, most well written sapphic sex scenes I’ve ever read. And there are just so many to choose from. Cassie and Erin hook up in the back of a rental car, they hook up in a bathroom at school. There’s shower sex, face sitting, sexting, a strap on scene, even an expertly placed, “good girl”. Nothing super kinky, but if you can imagine it, it’s probably in here. We need more steamy sapphic romance and I hope Wilsner writes many more. I highly recommend this one!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

This book was very good. I loved the LGBTQ rep and the spice. For sure the spice. Now you have to be willing to enjoy the book recognizing the plot line may not be feasible in real life, but still... That's what books are all about sometimes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in an exchange for honest review!

I loved this book! It was so good. The TENSION! I love an age gap romance and this is the first one I have found that was also sapphic so that was just another level of greatness in my book. I loved their meet cute, the spicy scenes were HOT, and their banter and relationship was a lot of fun to read. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it just a bit more; of what I don't know but it left me wanting a bit more. Still, this is a book I will definitely recommend often!

This was more than I had hoped for. I hadn't read anything by Meryl Wilsner before, but I had heard great things so I had to try. I hadn't expected this to span so much time, but I'm glad it did. I also loved that this was a low-key holiday romance - just LOTS of holidays.

Cassie and Erin are both flawed characters, but they felt realistic. Their worries and their friendships felt relatable. I loved having both POVs here so that we could see each woman's perspectives, feelings and concerns. I don't think I would have enjoyed it anywhere near as much without having both POVs.

I loved getting to know Cassie's friends - both of her best friends I would die to have! I wish we got to see more of Erin's external relationships. We barely experienced her relationships with best friend and ex husband - both of which I think would have added some more depth to Erin's character.

The audiobook narrators did an amazing job at keeping me interested and making these two women feel real.

I have never read an age gap romance before, but after this I definitely want to find more sapphic age gap romcoms. I also plan on picking up Meryl's previous book while I impatiently wait for their next release!

This was spicyyyyy, my inner gay died a little bit. The chemistry. The twists. I really really enjoyed this book.

If you’re looking for a little spice and gayness in your life this is the book for you. Seriously read it mow

we need more lgbtq+ books! I loved this one. the personalities of the characters really showed through this incredible writing. I loved how the plot twisted and turned and of course the ending was perfect. 10/10 recommend.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Mistakes Were Made is a delightfully fun, far out take on what could happen if you accidentally hook up with your best friend’s mom during parent weekend in college.

When Cassie Klein meets Erin Bennett at an off-campus bar one night she doesn’t think anything more of their one night stand. That is until she meets her the next morning at breakfast with her best friend’s mom. And of course, Erin is the mom.

What unfolds over the course of Cassie’s last year of college is a somewhat unbelievable tale of love at first sight. As Erin and Cassie grow closer and continually find themselves thrown together, can they keep up their emotional walls or will they threaten to destroy Cassie’s friendship with Parker and Parker’s relationship with her mom?

This was a doozy - I couldn’t imagine a story like this ever happening in real life or the real life implications this would have on a family. I get the whole fantasy of a MILF - but the author’s portrayal of destructive characters without minimal concern for the damage they were inflicting was a bit tough to swallow.

Thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press, and Meryl Wilsner for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Okay, wow. I don’t know what I expected with this book, but just wow. I loved this book but simultaneously felt confused about my feelings. Separated, the pieces of this book are just fine. A relationship between two consenting adults with a 16-ish year age gap isn’t an inherently bad thing, but I struggle to even consider a 21 yo to be fully grown in a lot of ways. I think I would feel less awkward about the situation if the younger adult was 25+, but who am I to say what constitutes love between two consenting adults. This is something I need to unpack, especially considering I went into the book knowing precisely what it was about.

But the book is actually written so well, I loved that it’s got practically no male characters (particularly none on lead roles). The sex is steamy and it’s a lot. I mean A LOT. But then again, the book was longer than I tend to see in romance novels, so maybe more pages just equals more sexy time? Anyways, it is sapphic romance at its best.

I’m trying to think of another forbidden/taboo romance I’ve read, and can literally think of none, but this book would have me on the edge of my seat because basically every scene between Erin and Cassie was one in which they could’ve been caught, and it was so stressful (in the best way)!

I think my biggest gripe about this book has to be that Parker (Cassie’s BFF/Erin’s daughter) could’ve certainly played a bigger role in the story. She’s the thing that’s stopping Erin and Cassie from being fully committed (for obvious reasons), and I wish she would’ve been used as a more effective player in the plot.

Otherwise, Mistakes Were Made was an incredibly unique rom-com in a genre I’d yet to explore. It took me outside of my comfort zone, but kept me intrigued from the first chapter.

Unfortunately I decided to DNF this book! I think I'm just not the right audience since I don't really enjoy romances that lean on the smuttier side, and starting the book off with a very spicy scene just overwhelmed me a bit.

I had read such glowing reviews for this book, I couldn’t wait to read it. Unfortunately, I thought it was angsty and repetitive. Should we? Yes or no? And so on. I actually skipped to the end, which I rarely do. Maybe it just wasn’t for me?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for this review copy!

OMGsh, to tell you I was nervous this whole book was an understatement. I never knew that a LGBtQ+ age-gap is what I needed in my life. This was amazing, and the added tension of it being her best friend's mom? EXCUSE ME?

This is a rom com and I don't want to spoil anything, but this was great. The tension, the steam, the character development, the love for the side characters, females supporting females, long distance hope... I loved it. 10/10 cannot function loved it. This review makes no sense but just read this book if any of this stands out to you.

Also the audiobook was fantastic.

okay bye.

SAPHICCCCC ROMANNCCEEE PERFECTIONNNNN. I loved this one so much I had to buy a physical copy to read for myself. This book was so sexy and just fun. Thank you SMP for the arc.

Representation: sapphic main characters, wlw relationship, bisexual LI, several queer side characters.

This was a delightful and steamy MILF book. I don't usually read taboo romance books but wow, this was great. I really thought it was going to be overhyped but it did (just barely) live up to the hype all over BookTok.

I will again mention, this is super steamy, so please be warned, Mistake Were Made is probably 60% spicy scenes but you know, I'm okay with that.

P.S. Was anyone NOT queer in this book?

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*** Spoilers After This Point ***


PROS:

-This was hot. So hot. So incredibly steamy. I don't even know if I can pick a favorite spicy scene (that's a lie, I totally can, the shower one or the sexting one, let's be real). Their sexual chemistry was believable and just wonderful!

- The chemistry between Cassie and Erin was perfect. I really thought I was going to have to fight with myself to love their relationship, because age-gaps and taboo stuff like this normally is not my thing... But I was rooting for them from day one and they just made so much sense.

- Easy read. I was behind on reading this ARC, but mostly because life got in the way. This was a super easy read when I got to sit down with it and I binged it pretty quickly!

- Representation. Like I mentioned in the blurb, there was a lot of queer rep. I love when authors weave it into the story instead of just making it the main character or love interest. In this book, Cassie, Erin, and Parker are all queer. I don't remember if Acacia is, but many of Parker's friends are queer too and there's even some side nonbinary representation.

- No third act breakup. Dear lord, I hate these 80% of the time because we all know that they're going to get back together and it's usually poor communication that breaks them up... and poor relationship skills that get them back together and makes me question how healthy their future will be. Thankfully, this book didn't do that to us.

CONS:

- I didn't love Parker. I don't know what it was, but I really didn't like Parker. For the most part, I thought she was bratty and spoiled. That doesn't excuse being lied to, because that still was shitty, but Parker in general almost made me stop reading the book.

- The climax was lacking. No, not Erin & Cassie's, because those certainly were not lacking. But the overall plot and turning point of the story really just fell flat for me.

The problem is that Parker actually knew for the majority of Erin & Cassie's relationship what was going on. This means it was funny when we finally got to the big confrontation, because it actually wasn't anything new to Parker at that point, but it also means we never get to see up close how Parker reacted. There wasn't a lot of substance in this part and I honestly felt like it was a little bit of a copout, because I imagine writing that scene any other way would have been difficult. Still, I think the difficulty could have had a major payoff.

- I will always be uncomfortable with the level of lying in this book. I totally understand it was a forbidden romance, taboo, and that was a major part of the book, but just know it extends long past a couple of encounters before Parker (the daughter & best friend) finds out. |

The point that Parker, Cassie, & Erin finally talk, is after Cassie & Erin have begun a full on relationship. I think at least six months? But I believe it was longer. That is a LONG time to lie to your daughter/friend.

Forbidden Romance
Super Steamy

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner is a steamy forbidden romance read that starts out with a steamy hot scene and a book that is hard to put down. I enjoy this unique story line and a book I would not normally pick up but had a great time reading. I enjoyed the dual POV and fast paced read.

I don’t normally read romance books, but this book intrigued me from the start. It’s full of romance, emotional depth, and WOW is it spicy!!!! I think this book does a great job at looking at something taboo (age gap, friend’s mom) and destigmatizing it in a great way. It definitely was a fast read for me and something to bring me out of a reading slump.

3.5 stars! This book was so fun to read. It also was very steamy. I love the premise of this book and it features tropes that I don't typically read much of (age-gap and forbidden romance). Would recommend!

I was not into this book, but it was completely my personal preference. It was too hot and steamy for my personal tastes and got more and more boring as the story went along. It was enjoyable, but felt like everything else, while still trying to be something different.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Mistakes Were Made” by Meryl Wilsner. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve read the author’s previous book and was somewhat put off by the employer/employee power dynamic. I did finish that one but this book is unfortunately a DNF. I’ve learned I don’t like age gap romances for similar reasons of why I don’t like workplace romances because the power dynamics are off and it feels uncomfortable to read. I really wish this had been two moms of the college kids and not a mom and one of her kid’s friends. I would not have enjoyed this story in any sort of possible gender pairings. This was just not for me.

I would possibly try another book from this author but not if the relationship power dynamics continue to be unequal.

DNF

2/5 stars