I really liked Mistakes Were Made. I loved Meryl Wilsner's first book, Something to Talk About, so I was super excited to read this as soon as I saw it. Unlike Something to Talk About, which was an extreme slow burn, this book was very spicy from the beginning. I feel like the age gap was handled in a way that it is taboo and creates tension in the relationship without being creepy, which I was a little worried about before reading it. Overall, this was a really enjoyable read, even if I did have an existential crisis in the middle when I realised I'm closer in age to the mom Erin than to college senior Cassie.

* I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley

This book was very fast paced and easy to read and I was engaged and interested in what was going to happen next. However, I had issues with the actions / emotions of the characters lining up with their ages -- it didn't feel very accurate to me, especially in Parker.

That being said, I enjoyed the characters. They are all endearing and lovable and I was rooting for them.

I was also a little on edge the whole time waiting for Parker to find out about Cassie and Erin -- it made it harder for me to relax and enjoy the progression of things between them.

I will definitely read Meryl Wilsner's next book -- I enjoyed the first one and thought this one was well written and paced.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

This book was not what I was expecting. I thought I was going into a one-night stand, slow burn, drama and it was not. I liked the story and the characters a lot. While Age gaps are not normally something I read, I don't have a problem with them. That's not where my critique comes from.
My critique comes from the amount of sexual content in this book. I'm okay with it, I'm not going to be a karen and say there needs to be a warning for the amount BUT this book was less of a plot driven book and more of secret sex rendezvous with a plot undercurrent. There was enough spice it made me uncomfortable, and I don't mind spice but to the extent in this book for what it was presented to me was unnecessary.
I've read another Meryl Wilsner book before, and I expected the romance to resemble that with a romantic scene sprinkled in here and there and it was not.
This book was good but too much for me.

This book started off quick and was a very open door romance FF romance featuring best friend's mother. I knew nothing about this book going in and was definitely a bit surprised by how quickly things happened! All that aside, I really enjoyed all the characters. But, it felt like there was a lot of steam and not a lot of character build up… kind of like a Tessa Bailey novel? While I liked it, it wasn't my favorite and I think it would have been a tough read if I wasn't listening on audio at 2.5 speed because not a lot happened?

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio for advanced copies in exchange for an honest review

i’m extremely busy at the moment, so i don’t have much time to read arcs but i will come back and edit this with my actual review once i’ve read it! super excited!

Definitely way spicier than Meryl Wilsner's debut! There's so much going on here, and I really appreciate how they balance a taboo relationship with therapists/friends that indirectly address the reader's judgment.

While I’m not usually a huge fan of age gap romances, this one really did the trick for me! When I first read the book’s description, I was a little wary because age gap relationships usually give me the ick but the brief synopsis sounded really good and I enjoy the author’s writing so I figured I would give it a try. I’m glad I did because I would have been missing out on a great book if I hadn’t.

Mistakes Were Made manages to do an age gap romance without focusing on the inherent power dynamic that often comes with one partner being significantly older than the other and I think that’s why it worked for me. The characters spend so long trying to deny their chemistry and their feelings, ramping up the sexual and emotional tension in a way that keeps the reader interested and wanting more. The steamy scenes didn’t hurt either!

Seriously, if you’re looking for a sapphic age gap love story with many (MANY) spicy scenes, this book is the one for you.

Ahh, the infamous MILF book. I have heard rumblings about it & thanks to NetGalley I finally have it in my possession & can I just say how much I loved it? Because I did. Erin & Cassie are the couple I never realized I’ve been searching for. This is a hot (sexy) book with characters who feel so real I’d swear I know them. I cannot wait until it’s out so I can tell everyone I know to go out & pick up a copy for themselves.

“Mistakes Were Made” follows Cassie Klein and Erin Bennett. Cassie needs to blow off some steam one day and what better way than picking up an older woman at the bar? But what happens when that older woman turns out to be the mother of your close friend in town visiting her daughter? And for Erin, she wasn't planning on hooking up with anyone on family weekend let alone her daughter's friend, but Cassie's energy just drew her in. But since her daughter is friends with Cassie they keep running into each other and that chemistry is too hard to deny.

When I read Meryl Wilsner's debut, “Something to Talk About” a couple years ago it totally charmed me and definitely made me look forward to their next book. I was ecstatic when I got an ARC for “Mistakes Were Made”, and it totally lived up to my expectations, it was a really enjoyable book! This book has everything I want from a romance—it’s cute, sexy and emotional in the best way. I read the description and couldn’t imagine it could meet the expectations I set before reading but it did! Cassie and Erin’s story is beautiful and emotional and sexy. Their chemistry was making my kindle smoke. There are sparks flying from the first time Erin and Cassie meet, and nothing can get in their way. This book does love scenes very well, if you're looking for a spicy romance you will enjoy this. There are multiple steamy scenes, definitely more than your average rom-com. There was a lot of detail in the story that set up a perfect background/setting for me to imagine everything clearly. I also really loved the friendships in this book. Cassie's friends Parker (Erin's daughter) and Acacia was really nice to read too. I really appreciated that the age gap and their age difference was never the issue between them. They treated each other as equals and with respect. The age-gap was very well-written and it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable at all, but I do get that it’s not for everyone. I really enjoyed that the chapters switched POV so you really could feel what they both were thinking, which always makes a romance better. The pacing could be a little rough at times, it was fast-paced which I loved but sometimes I felt like it jumped from scene to scene way too abruptly and it left me confused until I went back and re-read the paragraph. This I feel could easily be fixed through more obvious paragraph breaks, especially when a time jump is involved. Thank you Meryl, Wilsner, St. Martin Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my thoughts. I’m excited for Wilsner’s next book.

DNF at 21%
Things I liked: Good spice right at the beginning, Dual POV, sapphic age-gap romance
Things that didn't work for me: I did not feel any connection with the main characters, too many ensemble characters to keep track of, and because of this I felt very distracted and uninterested in reading about their story as it would develop. Perhaps the story gets better once the characters are together for the winter holiday, but I was so disinterested that I did not want to continue to find out.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
(Huge thank you to @stmartinspress, @smpromance, @netgalley, and Meryl Wilsner for the ARC)

Publication date: October 11th 2022


Let’s take the best friend brother trope, make it my best friend’s mother and make it sapphic. From the author of Something To Talk About, comes this searing romcom. Cassie Klein, a senior in college escapes her school’s Family Weekend at an off campus bar. There she meets an alluring stranger and what was supposed to be a fun night out and an amazing one-night stand wuickly turns to trouble when you sleep with your best friend’s mom. Erin Bennet came to family weekend to get closer to her daughter, not to sleep with a college senior. And when that college senior is your daughters best friend? How can this be anything but bad? However, Erin’s and Cassie’s chemistry is just as electric during the day as it was at night. Soon the pair begin sneaking around and finding something real between them.

First and foremost I love that this is an age gap sapphic romance, I think it’s not representation we see very often. Secondly, I love that it takes a common trope in romance and flips it on its head. Third, this cover is amazing. The best thing about this book is the development of our two protagonists. They were so well fleshed out and cleverly written that I could see this being easily adapted. I will say that while they are well written and their decisions make sense to them a lot of what Erin and Cassie do I cannot get behind.

I wish that Parker (Erin’s daughter/Cassie’s best friend) was utilized more in the story. The whole premise of the book falls on “my best friend’s mother” and I feel like we didn’t get to know Parker. Also I found Cassie to be slightly unlikeable, which is never something I like in a romance.

Overall this was a funny and sexy time. I highly recommend to any one who wants a new twist on a classic trope!

This was a fun, spicy, fast paced read! I enjoyed the secret relationship trope, I was surprised that it wasn’t uncomfortable to read, especially with the age gap. I laughed a few times with Cassie’s sarcastic humor. The chemistry between the characters was steamy! I appreciated the bisexuality representation in the book. This book read like a wholesome rom com, which would be a perfect read for those rainy days! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Lovely sapphic romance!

Ready for this messy little premise? Cassie is a college student escaping family weekend at a bar one night and meets an older woman named Erin. They have a really lovely insta-lusty time together, but don't imagine they will ever see each other again. The next morning, Cassie's close friend invites her to breakfast to meet her mom, who turns out to be the same woman from the night before. Even with good intentions to keep their hands off each other, they can't stop thinking about one another. Eventually, they give up on trying to stay away, but they keep their relationship a secret while hiding their own deepening feelings from themselves.

• This age gap and the best friend's mom taboo was not always easy for me to read. I had to suspend some disbelief to accept that this would work (but I'm really good at that so it's fine! 😅)

• I liked Cassie and how she was mature and self sufficient, but still clearly a college student who also acted her age when she was with her friends. (FYI she is a few years older than Erin's daughter!) I liked Erin and the fact that she chose joy and an adventure for herself, and it didn't mean that she loved her daughter any less.

• I'm really happy with Erin's daughter's growth and process in this novel. She starts off pretty unlikable, so I was glad to see a more well-rounded character by the end.

• Starts off with a bang (literally!) and your slow burn loving girl didn't mind it one bit this time! Usually I want to see a nice, long build up culminating in an absolute bonfire of desire by the time the characters get together! But I guess Mistakes Were Made caught me in a certain mood because we get the steamy stuff right at the start and pretty much consistently through the rest of the book too! I think it worked because Meryl did not rush or skip any relationship and character growth while she gave us the good stuff. It was also so ridiculously hot, so if the sapphic steam ever feels a bit too lukewarm for you in a traditionally published romance, you will be so pleased when you read this book!

Thank you so much to Netgalley St Martins Press for the arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

I was initially very excited to read this book but ultimately, it just wasn't for me.

Mistakes were made is an age-gap romance between college senior Cassie and her best friend's mother Erin. These two have obvious physical chemistry from the start, and I wasn't bothered by the age gap, but I really wasn't feeling the love. I, personally, didn't see what was connecting Cassie and Erin emotionally other than mutual dissatisfaction with certain areas of their lives/ strained family relationships. It's not necessarily a bad plot device to have characters hook up multiple times on page and not realize they have real feelings for each other until much later, but I did not enjoy it in this instance. I wanted to feel the romance and instead I felt frustration over the characters' actions and with my inability to connect to either of the characters or their relationship.

I'm glad other readers have loved this and that there will be another sapphic adult romance on shelves come publication day, but I personally did not enjoy this book.

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
Age-gap, bff’s mom, and some sneakiness … perfect recipe for a good rom-com. And the spiciness, OH YES MA’AM! This book was downright sexy, but was also quite touching and charming. Cassie and Erin had an undeniable connection. It was definitely a fun and heartwarming romance that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

PHEW this book is hot. Legitimate chili peppers all the way across the page, but also, there's a burning real story here between the characters which can't be simplified to sex alone. I really enjoyed the emotional journeys of both women figuring out what they wanted and who they were at these points in their lives, as well as the complexities of friendship when you're in love with your best friend's mom. I have a feeling this is going to be one of the top romance titles of the fall, and I'm excited to chat about it with others.

I have to say that I had really high expectations for this book. I’m not normally one for romance or spicy books and this was both. That’s not the issue I had though.

I really really did not enjoy the execution of the age gap trope. It would have been perfectly fine if the entire book wasn’t shaming itself and reminding readers of just how icky it was that Cassie and Parker were closely aged bffs. I’m all for empowering consenting adults with age gaps being together, but it was just beating you over the head with it. It’s really hard to enjoy a blossoming and sexy relationship when it’s constantly being restated that this is a problem and not okay.

Oh my gosh this book! This book was everything and more! This was so hot in the absolute best way. I loved the relationships because while it was definitely hot as heck it was also really sweet in a lot of places. The characters were fun and very likable. I wanted things to work out so badly for them. I am definitely going to be receiving this book to everyone.

I really enjoyed this! I loved Meryl Wilsner's first book, and it was fun to read this one that brought the SPICE. I didn't realize how much I'd be into a MILF book until I read it but here I am and yes! I wish there had been more of the friendship/family relationship with Acacia and her family. I think a lot of people's cringe over the mommy issue feels would be resolved if we'd spent a little more time seeing how close Cassie was with them. The characters spent so much time avoiding their feelings that the conflict which really resolved that issue for me happened pretty late in the book. In general I would have loved to see more of the side characters and the MCs talking it out/interacting with other people rather than spending so much time in their own heads. All that said, I really enjoyed the book, the sex scenes were top notch, and I loved the ending.

Hello spice! 🌶🌶

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are a great mix of (mostly) women and it’s nice to follow two perspectives throughout. I enjoyed watching the story unfold between Cassie and Erin, however it would have been nice to get to know them a little bit better. I feel I could probably tell you more about their sexual preferences than their interests. There was a LOT of open door sex here and I have no issue with sex, it just got in the way of the author telling us more about the characters. It’s a very on the surface story. And it’s enjoyable, but if the sex had maybe been cut in half and we had more character stories, more sweet conversations between Cas-rin it could have been a 5⭐️.

I do love the final scene, it was incredibly sweet and cute and appropriate. You’ll have to read it to find out what I’m talking about!!!! Oh, and I also love the age gap! I feel that isn’t seen enough in books and I think it’s great!

Thank you to Meryl Wilsner, St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.