Dragged on a bit too long. Maybe could have saved on the word count by losing a few “babes” and “you’re my best friends.” That aside - I mostly enjoyed this!

“Stacy’s mom has got it going on”…

Cassie escapes from school by going to a bar during Family Weekend and one thing leads to another and she’s drinking and hooking up, far from what she was wanting to do, but that hook-up happens to be a hot older women. The next morning her friend drags her to meet her mother, Erin, the hot hook-up from Cassie’s night before. What was supposed to be a one night fling turns into sneaking around and feelings being explored. Is it real?

Woooo-weeee! This was steamy and a fun MILF read I didn’t expect to enjoy. The writing quality was definitely on par for what I expected. It was funny and unique in taste. I flew through the story and really enjoyed Cassie and Erin and reading both their points of view. A bit taboo in the sleeping with a friend mom and I liked it.
I’m

4.5 stars rounded up!

Ooh baby was this spicy! I love me a forbidden romance and this hit all of the taboo romance tropes. Somehow, even though I saw all the marketing on twitter about this, I still managed to not know what this book was about so it was a wonderful surprise going in!

I think beyond the smut and the spice though, the characters grow so much. I went into this wondering how it could end well, where everyone was happy, and I think it was done really delicately and it was just so smart. These characters are relatable and it feels very real. Love and feelings are messy and I think this story portrayed it really well!

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's publishing for an advanced copy of Mistakes were Made to review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had never read an age gap queer romance so I was excited to see the author's take. This book is hot and steamy from the first chapter and continues to get hotter. I found Cassie to be a flawed and relatable protagonist who is struggling with her feelings and trying to figure herself out at 21/22 years old. For the plot being "I am secretly dating my best friend's mom" I expected it to be a lot more predictable and corny, and I think the author does a great job of subverting some of the more obvious tropes. I really loved the way the author shows the importance of friendships development on top of the romantic development. I rated it 4 instead of 5 stars because I thought the first half had a better pacing than the second half. Review is also available at www.instagram.com/thereadinggradstudent

i really couldn't stand this book. the dynamic was such an ick for me i couldn't make it through. it was well written, i think i'm just the wrong audience!!

Mistakes Were Made is about two women Cassie and Erin. They meet in a bar and are in for a rude awakening the next morning at breakfast when they're introduced by Parker, which is Cassie's best friend and Erin's daughter. The spice in this book is off the charts and things quickly get complicated for several reasons. This book wasn't bad, but I couldn't get past the back and forth of Parker finding out about them. I got annoyed by Erin really quickly, because she would initiate physical contact more than once and quickly want to pump the brakes to "end" the benefits.

On the other hand, this book is about friendships, family, love, and above all it's about being honest with your best friend. The truth may hurt, it may straight up suck, it may be scary, but it's always better than lying and going behind said friends back. It's about how complicated things can get when you involve another best friend. It's about how your best friends can ground you and make you see another side to things, that's the part I enjoyed most about the book. The friendship between Cassie, Parker, & Acacia is beautiful, it's forgiving, and it's unshakeable!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I very much wanted to enjoy this book and give it 5 stars because I LOVED something to talk about, and I think this book has some of the same charm, laughs, and steam that the other book did, but ultimately I think this book wasn't for me. The writing was excellent and I LOVE a sapphic MILF storyline, but something about the exact situation set up in this book gave me the ick. I totally understand Cassie's point of view and although I found her somewhat unlikeable, I understand her choices in the story and believed her because of her age. Erin, on the other hand, was either extremely emotionally immature, morally bad, or just unbelievable. I can't imagine a 40 something DOCTOR would actually genuinely have as much in common and emotionally connect with a college student, and again if she did and still chose to date her anyway, I think that gives me the major ick. I loved the banter and steam and side characters in this book but I think everything would have been better if Cassie had been even 2 years older and not in college with Erin's daughter when this started. And maybe thats totally okay for other readers, but it made me uncomfy so I'm only giving this 2.5 stars (rounded up to 3 because I just love Meryl). I still plan to read everything Meryl writes in the future and fully am happy I read this, its just not my fav story line and hey, that's okay.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for the review.

Mistakes were made is an enjoyable, fun, and sexy book!

Cassie Klein went to an off-campus bar to escape family weekend at her college. She just wanted to unwind and enjoy a drink. She had no idea she would meet anyone, let alone have a one-night stand. Erin Bennett is at the family weekend at Campus to bond with her daughter, Parker. While her ex-husband is enjoying the evening with Parker, Erin decides to head to a bar for a drink. Cassie buys Erin a drink and things do from there. Neither expected to see the other, but the next morning, Parker brings her best friend, Cassie to breakfast to meet her mom, and Cassie and Erin meet again!

This was such a fun and entertaining book. It was humorous, fun, and entertaining. The characters were likable and endearing. It was a fun, different take on the best friend's parent, age-gap forbidden romance.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book brought the SPICE right from the start and doesn't stop as the pages keep turning. I read this one quickly and thought it was an okay read overall.

The characters were introduced quickly, and I personally never felt I connected with any of them as I read. Erin and Cassie's whole relationship was focused on their physical connection and lacked all emotional connection which I didn't like honestly. Most romance novels have a little drama, but this book took it over the top and it took enjoyment out of the book for me in general. I didn't like the secrecy and immaturity of Erin and Cassie. I don't think the best friend's mom trope is one I will gravitate towards again. That being said, if you enjoy a slow burn romance read this one might not be right for you but if you lean more into the smutty fast-paced romance category you might enjoy this read. I just don't think it was the right book for me.

Huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner is a sapphic romantic comedy with an unexpected twist. Protagonists, Cassie Klein, and Erin Bennett, meet at a bar during Cassie’s college family weekend. They instantly hit it off with undeniable chemistry, but the following morning they discover that Erin is Cassie’s best friend’s mother. This unlikely pairing turned forbidden romance leads to sneaking around, secrecy, and a plethora of lies.
I really enjoyed this novel, finding it to be a quick and effortless read. I found myself reading hundreds of pages in one sitting with ease. The prose was simplistic and not complex to follow, but still gripping, nonetheless. At times the storyline can come off a bit predictable as the plotline gears up to unveil what most readers know will occur. The majority of the story consisted of both of them denying their feelings and acknowledging that they should not be doing this but continuing anyways. The title alludes to the fact that bad things could potentially come of this unconventional connection that they share.
I specifically appreciated the dual perspectives that we had in the book. This really helped me to comprehend both of the characters’ thought processes in relation to their actions. We get to witness Erin’s people pleasing attributes and Cassie’s boldness firsthand. Their direct point of views definitely help to drive the plot along and enhance the storyline. I will say that this book really gets right into the romance immediately. I am used to more of a build-up with these types of stories within the genre, but I feel like the forbidden romance aspect kind of cancelled that out in a way.
This book does have spice so I would not recommend this for younger audiences or readers who don’t like that type of book. This story is definitely taboo and may not be for everybody, but I think that some people would really enjoy it. I found that the ending was a satisfying wrap-up to the story and loved that there was an epilogue written in the future. I think that you should pick up this book if you are interested in watching an unconventional wlw relationship unfold in an accessible writing style.

I’ve been seeing this book all over for months now and was so excited to finally get a chance to read it! Billed on booktok as “The MILF Book,” I had high hopes for this rom-com. It was definitely a spicy read right from the get-go but had plenty of tender moments between Erin and Cassie, who both experienced genuine character development. The supporting characters were also great, with each friend group being the perfect blend of witty and caring. However, the book did fall into the pattern that I find forbidden romances often do, where the one reason that the characters can’t be together is repeated over and over to the point where it’s almost too much. Nevertheless, it was a super fun read that I’ll likely revisit again in the future!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC!

I was very excited for this book and I was a little disappointed. It was definitely steamy but was lacking something to completely draw me in. I didn't particularly care for either of the main characters. There wasn't anything that made me relate to them or really root for them. Overall, I gave this book 3 stars. It was fine but nothing ground breaking.

Erin and Cassie meet in a bar and have a fun fling. Then they find out that Cassie is good friends with Erin's daughter. Because Cassie and the daughter, Parker, are in college. And Erin is 39. As they continue to flirt and date in secret, they do not tell Parker. What could go wrong?

Everything could go wrong. And the whole time I was reading this book, I vacillated between extreme annoyance to disgust to being riveted to disbelief. I loved Wilnser's previous book Something to Talk About and how she wrote a fun and interesting same sex romance. That is what I was hoping for here too, but this book was more like All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood. To say I liked it is uncomfortable because I just had trouble with a relationship between someone in college and someone who's 40. The fact that they hid it from their daughter and best friend, respectively, was just a series of terrible decisions that some communication and respect could have solved. Also, this book is filled with very, very graphic sex scenes. Some were the right amount of spice and some were so graphicly detailed that it was too much. There's mention of Cassie having mommy issues that is blown off quickly, but it is clear that should have been explored more because she absolutely does.

So, if you liked All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, I think this is a somewhere lighter comp to that. I'm not sure I can recommend it unless you want a lot of sex scenes and a relationship held in secret that is uncomfortable. But maybe I'm just too uptight for this book. I did find it compelling and readable.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Okay, on the one hand, I can't fault the writing. The romance was exciting and interesting, with lots of potential peril, and the sex scenes were steamy. But the path and the outcome of the whole scenario was pretty ludicrous and unbelievable, absolute kink wish fulfillment. There's just no way this scenario would turn out this way! Don't try this on your friends' moms!

Thank you so much to Meryl Wilsner, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!

""You tired?" Parker asked. No just thinking about fucking your mom."

This was an absolutely FABULOUS book! I had been reading a string of holiday books or books with heavy topics and this is exactly what I needed.

What do you do when your accidentally hook up with your best friend's mom?!

That is exactly what happened to Cassie Klein. She meets an older woman, Erin Bennett, at a bar that she is instantly attracted to and things get hot and heavy in the backseat of the car. Both thinking that this is just a quick fling and not to be repeated, they go their separate way. Until the following morning one of her best friends in college asks her to join her for breakfast with her mom and low and behold it is the woman from the night before.

"I want to go scuba diving with you."

This year I definitely read more sapphic books than I have in any prior years and I have to say this one takes the cake. I have never read a book with this topic and I think that is why I was so intrigued and kept me wanting more. The complexity of the relationship not only between Cassie and Erin but also Erin and Parker, Cassie and Parker, and then Cassier and Acacia.

I was not sure how I was going to like having an old woman with a younger woman and then lets throw in her being friends with her love interests daughter?! It has disaster written all over it. But for some reason it worked. The sneaking around, the texting, the sexting! I really wish we could have had a chapter on just Parker's POV to see her freak out instead of hearing about it after the fact (maybe a bonus chapter?!).

THE SPICE IN THIS!!!! The affection and passion Cassie and Erin have for one another was *chef's kiss*. You could tell just how happy both of them were in their interaction and then in how they treated each other in their intimate moments. I knew as soon as Parker invited Cassie to her house over winter break that it was game over.

I did not read Meryl's prior book so I wasn't sure how their writing style would be but if it is similar to this, then I am all in. I love the way the story flowed and the dual POV is also a bonus.

I absolutely will be recommending this book to all my friends and hope they get all flushed like I did while reading.

This one just wasn't for me, unfortunately. I liked Meryl Wilsner's first book fine but thought it could use more spice, so I was excited to see the sophomore book had way more sex in it. I LOVE high-heat romances. Loved the sex scene in the first chapter.

Here are the things I liked:

-It does what it says on the tin. This is definitely a book about a forbidden romance between a college senior and her close friend's mom.
-Both characters were well-developed and I understood their past/where they were coming from. Definitely felt like real people.
-There were a lot of sex scenes.

Unfortunately I didn't warm to really any of the characters. Erin has a strained relationship with her daughter because she takes the whole book to have a real conversation with her daughter... and it's about her divorce that happened years and years prior. Like, this is obviously your problem right here. Cassie had a rough childhood and doesn't like trusting people, which is fine and good, but she also has a tendency to antagonize that I didn't really love. Parker and Erin both take really cruel shots at Cassie as well at points! The only character I truly liked was Acacia, the other friend, who A) seemed like the only reasonable one in the whole book/scenario and B) basically solved the book's main conflict by herself off-page somewhere in the middle third (???)

I wasn't a big fan of the writing style, either. There were huge chapters of summary (this happened, we did this with these named people who barely matter to the story, weeks passed, we went here, we went there...) and lots of just stating flat-out what was going on. This is a style preference, but I found it really tedious to be fast-forwarding or reading commentary so much of the time. Plus, each character would have loooong recaps of what had just happened in the relationship, that I'd just read about AND seen. I was kind of shocked that a book with this premise bored me so much (I'm definitely in the minority, here, though, so, grain of salt.)

The sex scenes were good, but they didn't do much for me. It's hard when I didn't connect to either character or the writing. I will say that the amount of teeth-on-clit was a little... concerning, to me, but that's a personal nitpick. I appreciate the push to include higher heat and more interesting premises in sapphic romances. This just was not the book for me.

This book started out with a bang and did not slow down! I enjoyed it so much. I love a good sapphic story, and I didn’t think I would love the best friend’s mom trope as much as I do! The love story was natural and I felt for Erin and Cassie navigating this story.

Cassie just needed to get away from family weekend at her college. She ends up at a bar across town where she meets Erin. They have instant chemistry and hook up. Cassie soon finds out that she has more than one connection to Erin...she is her best friend's mom.
This book has great bisexual representation. It also has strong female friendships. It has a nice twist to the typical age gap, forbidden romance.
I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, Cassie. In the beginning of the book, she came off very blunt and overly confident. I like to see strong females but she was a little much for me.

HOLY MOLY 🤩 😍

To Netgalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and Meryl Wilsner: thank you SO much for letting me read this early in exchange for a review! This is one of my favorite sapphic reads so far this year. When it hits the shelves in October, there is no doubt it will be an instant hit!

Where do I begin?? A MILF story of two women who try hard to forget the fact that they can't stop thinking about each other because they're connected to one of the woman's best friends? YES!

This book was SEXY, contagious, and comical, with plenty of one-liners and commentary that I absolutely loved. I especially recommend this to anyone who loves women in STEM, fans of "this wasn't supposed to happen" romances, and fantastically written WLW sex scenes.

Overall rating: 4.75 ⭐️

This was fun in parts, but dragged a bit for me. The story follows college senior Cassie as she hooks up with Erin, a woman in her late 30s in a bar, only to find out that she is her new best friend's mother. That would be bad enough but the two can't seem to keep away from each other and develop feelings for each other. They have to keep their friends with benefits relationship secret from Parker, Erin's daughter, and don't even admit their feelings to themselves until they're nearly run over by them.

Things I liked: Great LGBTQ+ representation, wonderful female friendships and nontraditional families, smart women in STEM and art fields, nary a male character to speak of.

Things I didn't like: I prefer a slow burn, personally. Their relationship kicked off so fast the book started to feel like a bit of a drag. It was obvious they were catching feelings, so I just didn't really know what we were waiting for.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.