Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! It was incredibly well done and I loved the plot.

Rating:3.75/5
Warnings: difficult family dynamics
Steam: 4/5
Tropes: forced proximity, age-gap, STEM rep

Thank you to NetGalley and SMP Romance for access to this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, okay…this was so different from Meryl’s last book and when I say different, I mean…oh my god girl you CAME with the spice. I was a little red listening to this as an audiobook.

I will admit, the premise was unique. I don’t think I have ever seen a sapphic MILF book, but I think it worked. My one qualm with the age gap is…I don’t think it needed to me that large but also, Cassie did not act so much like a typical 22-year-old. She could have been in grad school, and this still would have worked for the desired forbidden romance vibes.

For a review, I did like it…solid 3.75-4 stars on my part. The romance itself wasn’t fully fleshed out; I would have liked a little bit more background for Cassie. The conflict was handled BEAUTIFULLY. And I did love the epilogue, I thought it was perfect. You were routing for these two because they did make each other so happy.

Spicy, sexy, forbidden romance, yes please. I was a fan of Wilsner’s previous book and knew I wanted to read more.

This was awkward and oddly slow to get into. I thought because of the premise (one night stand but whoops it’s your friend’s mom) that I would immediately feel dropped into the world but it took a bit to get going but once it does, it’s very good.

I think Wilsner is great at writing at characters and relationships that feel real and that you want to root for even in wild circumstances. This was a fun read with dual pov and lots of steamy scenes. So if you like some spice with your emotion in a romance, pick this up.

3.5*

Wow, this was a lot spicier than I expected lol! Very cute, steamy sapphic romance about a 21 year old woman falling for her best friend’s mom. The dynamic between Cassie and Erin was very interesting and I thought the age gap was done well. It never felt like a power imbalance or predatory in any way so I really loved that! I do wish we delved a bit deeper into the character arcs of Cassie and Erin and that there was more friction in their relationship. It felt a bit boring at times because they were just carrying on in their secret relationship with very little obstacles (besides the massive one of the daughter/bff not knowing lol).

This was enjoyable but it left a bit more to be desired, in my opinion.

This is messy - in the best way! Also very, very hot. I love characters who can't help but make what they know is the Wrong Choice, and both Cassie and Erin are so wrapped up in each other that they just keep messing up. Wilsber also does some really interesting things with conflict and the narrative structure, so none of my predictions or expectations came true, which made for a really fun and surprising romance read. Definitely recommend!

Cassie has an incredibly exciting one-night encounter with Erin, an older woman she meets in a bar, and is shocked to learn the next morning that Erin is her best friend Parker's mom. Erin and Cassie obviously can't keep seeing each other, but when Parker brings Cassie home for the holidays, sparks are bound to fly. This love story is sweet, if a little cringe-inducing due to the taboo nature of their love affair. There were moments that were laugh-out-loud funny and plenty of love scenes on the page. It's ultimately a feel-good story about two women finding overcoming odds to be together.

oh my I knew it would be good but damn it was more than that!!!! mistakes were made was scandalous, spicy, hilarious but also extremely sweet and touching. when someone will ask me to recommend a book that is cute but spicy it will be this one ill give

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

As a lover of age gap romances and the always spicy offspring's best friend, this met all my expectations. There's the scorching first meeting, the awkward realization, the furtive hookups, and the growing emotional bond to complement the sexual chemistry. I really enjoyed both main characters: Erin, who is trying to let go of her people-pleasing ways and forge a new path post-divorce; Cassie, a confident and smart engineering major with her heart set on the stars, filling the void left by an absent family. I liked that - despite the significant age gap - they found a respectful and playful stride and didn't seem to ever struggle with power imbalances. The story is split between both points of view, covering nearly an entire year. At times I felt like the story kind of dragged and I wanted Cassie and Erin to finally admit their feelings, but I do think it was realistically paced. I also liked how there is a full cast of supporting characters who don't get left behind, as well as some side plots (mostly revolving around Erin's daughter and her friendship with Cassie) that keep things interesting. Also, as a big fan of holiday fluff, there is plenty to dig into with Christmas, Valentine's, and even the Fourth of July. Verdict: treat yourself to a steamy and sweet romance featuring MILF x college senior.

If you want a steamy sapphic romance this is the book for you. This book is a age gap romance and was honestly one of the best books I have read in a while. The romance was steamy, the characters are honest and their problems are relatable. If you are looking for a steamy romance this is the book for you.

I think I am in the minority here, when I say I did not like this book. I got about 20% in when I finally had to DNF it. Maybe I was not in the right mindset to read this book at the time I tried, but I did not like what was happening. After reading more reviews and how much everyone loved it, I may give it another try in the future, but right now it is a 1 star DNF for me.

DNF at 20%. I was really looking forward to this one - have seen some great reviews for it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. Cassie and Erin meet at an off campus bar and have a hot hookup, neither expecting to see each other again. When Cassie’s friend Parker drags her along to breakfast with her mom the next morning - it’s Erin. Awkward but okay - if it ended there. But obviously it doesn’t.

Cassie and Erin are both really into each other. But then Parker repeatedly talks about how Cassie is one of her best friends. And Parker brings Cassie home for winter break. Cassie keeping the secret and sneaking around behind Parker’s back with her mom just feels really bad to me considering how close Parker thinks they are. This feels similar to me as a book about having an affair/cheating on a partner would and it just isn’t working for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

Hot hot hot! I loved this one, and Will be buying my own copy. It moved quickly, had pretty solid character development for a book that’s mostly about the sex scenes, and had a sweet ending. Some of the premise was a little questionable (older mom begins a relationship with her college daughter’s friend)…but it kind of made it hotter.

I love a solid sexy queer story. This was such a fun and refreshing story. I highly recommend this book. Loved it!

This book said messy MILF rights and I'm here for it!!! These are not two perfect individuals. There's a lot of moral ambiguity when it comes to the characters, and they're messy, and they're not the best people, but it's part of what made this book so fun. It was a quick and fun read and I'm excited to keep following Wilsner's publications.

A master of anticipation in the romance genre, Wilsner once again writes a book that impossible to put down. College student Cassie meets Erin at a bar during parents weekend, and thinks that the one night will be all there is to the fling. However, the next morning she discovers that the women she had sex with in a car the previous night is her friend’s mother. The burn isn’t slow, with Wilner giving their readers plenty of spicy scenes, but the high stakes— potentially ruining a friend group and the impossibility of having a relationship with your friend’s mom— keeps the pages turning.

Wilsner is wonderful at inhabiting their characters, and creating distinct voices for each of them, especially in the steamy moments. This was one of the aspects that I loved most about this book— you get to see the relationship in all of its dimensions from both Cassie and Erin, and the differences in their perspectives and worries and pleasures was so well done. While I found that the side characters were somewhat lacking in depth and nuance, I cared less about that because it’s clear how much thought Wilsner put into their main characters.

The strongest engine of the book, even more so than wanting to see what would happen with the two main characters, was the constant anxiety over what would happen if Erin’s daughter, Parker found out. This was honestly very anxiety inducing, and in some ways distracted from the sheet fun of the relationship. I didn’t feel like it detracted, per se, so much as made me want to reread the book again, knowing how it turns out. That way I can enjoy the relationship arc more instead of biting my nails through every single sex scene.

All around, Wilsner created an absolute win, and I appreciated that the very very slow burn of their first book, Mistakes Were Made, was balanced out in their second. If the phrase “the MILF book” (as it’s become known on Twitter and Tiktok) piques your interest at all, then I highly suggest picking this book up! I had zero regrets, and am already looking forward to my reread.

I received an ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I try my best to not begin my reviews on a negative note, but it’s difficult not to with this book. So, instead, I’ll be honest: this book isn’t it. I am always on the hunt for a great sapphic romance novel and while this story certainly wanted to be that, it ultimately fell short. There’s a plethora of reasons why this story failed, but I will try to be concise.

If there is one pattern Meryl Wilsner has, it’s this: their stories never run deeper than surface level. I have read their debut novel, Something to Talk About, and walked away feeling disappointed by the story execution and plotting. That was the case with their sophomore novel as well. Throughout the first half of the novel, I found myself craving concrete details. This novel was written, in what I dubbed to be, third person stream of conscious. The character voices were strong and it was clear Wilsner had a firm grip on Cassie and Erin’s thoughts and feelings; but, Wilsner did not provide enough concrete descriptions to create a backdrop for the characters. Additionally, this story relied heavily on telling instead of showing, which made it difficult to engage with the characters or the plot.

In addition to a weak writing style, there were further difficulties when it came to the plotting and the pacing. To begin with the former, there really wasn’t much plot. When I read a contemporary romance novel, I expect the romance to be the A plot, with at least one other B plot to help the story charge forward. That expectation was not met in this novel. The only true plot that could be found dealt with Cassie and Erin pining for and miscommunicating with each other—that was about it. There were no other plots to be found.

The lack of plot created another crucial issue: the pacing. The initial 25% of the novel covered a time span of two and a half months; the next 25-50% covered a span of two weeks. While I stopped reading at that point, I am assuming the rest of the novel operated beneath uneven time pacing as well. While this poor pacing was due to the lack of plot, it was also tied to the writing style. The style relied heavily on telling instead of showing, which lead Wilsner to using a copious amount of plot summary. They often utilized a few sentences to a paragraph (per chapter) quickly detailing what the characters had been through across the past few weeks before transitioning into the current action. The pacing would have been better served if Wilsner had chosen to place scene or chapter breaks at those moments. By constantly using summary, the plot and pacing felt unmoored and abstract.

And I can’t leave this review without talking about the elephant in the room: the age gap romance. This is a trope/sub-genre I have not read before. And after experiencing this story, I’m not sure that I want to read it again. Cassie (21) and Erin (38) have an age gap of 17 years, which was... A lot. But neither character acted mature or readily available to healthily communicate about any part of their relationship. And to top it off, Cassie had unresolved mommy issues, which furthered the power imbalance between the two. Overall, it was incredibly uncomfortable to read and to experience on the page. (I have also never read a romance novel where the only thought in the POV characters’ minds was about their sexual desires. I was beginning for them to engage with literally anything else by the 50% mark.) This characterization failure was yet another result of the shallow writing and lack of plot.

This novel was a huge miss for me. The story execution was weak, while the characters failed to be compelling or easy to connect with. I can’t recommend this novel to other readers, not with the story construction issues it has.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

A total dreamy, steamy escape. Erin and Cassie are fun with each other, and as you watch their actual relationship grow, you can see how and why they make sense in the long run. I didn't have a problem with the age difference because they were always consensual and both enjoyed each other. How realistic is it that this doctor is going to fall for a college student? The best friend of her daughter? I am not sure, but this is how so many straight romances work with older men and younger girls. If I am going to buy into those, I can definitely buy into this with characters I like so much more.

Thank you, NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

This was a story fun and super spicy LGBTQ+ rom com. This book will not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed it! It was light, silly, and emotional all at the same time. It wasn't too deep, but kept me intrigued in the story and wanting to know how it ends!

Thank you SMP Romance, St. Martin’s Griffin for my advanced copy! All thoughts are me own.

I read a lot of Romance and one thing I’ve been trying to do is make sure I’m diversifying the kinds of Romance i’m reading. From tropes to trad pub and indie pub, it’s about time I finally read a Meryl Wilsner AND a traditional published age gap 👀 . It’s not a trope I often seek out, but this book has been dubbed “The MILF Book” online and my curiosity peaked.

The moniker is well earned. This book is spicy, sexy, and fun with fully realized characters and a premise that will make you think. The chemistry leaps off the page!

Synopsis:

“When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup—it just happens. Buying a drink for a stranger turns into what should be an uncomplicated, amazing one-night stand. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom—the hot, older woman Cassie slept with.Erin Bennett came to Family Weekend to get closer to her daughter, not have a one-night stand with a college senior. In her defense, she hadn’t known Cassie was a student when they'd met. To make things worse, Erin’s daughter brings Cassie to breakfast the next morning. And despite Erin's better judgement—how could sleeping with your daughter’s friend be anything but bad?—she and Cassie get along in the day just as well as they did last night.What should have been a one-time fling quickly proves impossible to ignore, and soon Cassie and Erin are sneaking around. Worst of all, they start to realize they have something real. But is being honest about the love between them worth the cost?” —Goodreads

What I Liked:

The Settings—I loved how vivid the settings were in this book. From the college setting, to winter break in Nashua, visits to Boston, I felt like I was “there” for all of it.

The Emphasis on “Little Moments”—The facetime cooking dates stole my heart. As someone who was long distance with my husband for a long time, it felt so true to that kind of relationship. It also really made me buy into Cassie and Erin’s insta-attraction into something more.

Fully Realized Characters Outside of the “Taboo”—This is an age gap romance, which I haven’t read a lot of in the trad pub world. But I felt Erin and Cassie were both very well fleshed out so the focus wasn’t totally on their age difference. Though this is book has been dubbed “The MILF book” online so, do with that what you will.

What Didn’t Work:

Pacing—Act II dragged for me and the ending felt a little rushed. I did appreciate that there wasn’t a 3rd act break up and was surprised by Parker’s reaction to everything.

Some Character Interactions—Parker kind of annoyed me and she felt SO young for a college freshman. This could have been due to the narrator’s acting choices but I definitely didn’t vibe with her all the time. She also felt underutilized in the story.

Character Authenticity: 4/5 Spice Rating: 4/5 Overall Rating: 4/5
Content Warnings:

alcoholic parent/parental neglect (past), cheating partner (past), family tensions,

This might be the best age gap romance I've ever read. I absolutely adored this book!!!

The book follows Cassie, a college senior, who has an insane one-night stand with a woman she meets at a bar while escaping her school’s family weekend. Except the next morning when she joins her friend for breakfast with her mom … her friend’s mom is Erin, the woman from the bar! What should be awkward is actually easy and fun, and the two women can’t help enjoying each other just as much in the daytime as they did in the back seat of Erin’s rental car.

As a reader, you just know things are going to go south at some point due to the nature of their relationship — but the author really keeps you on your toes as their relationship unfolds on the page. I absolutely loved spending time with these characters and exploring their individual worlds, and them seeing how they support each other.

MISTAKES WERE MADE is a celebration of found family, friendship, women standing up for women, and love. Above all else, love.