[2.75]

Thank you St. Martins and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.

I liked the physical chemistry between Erin and Cassie (their smutty scenes were great), that was clearly there the entire book. However, the emotional connection was slightly lacking for me. They would talk, but a lot of it felt very surface-level to me. The personal development that the characters slightly went through was nice, it was fun to see the two of them somewhat separately get their acts together. I liked the pacing of the book, the time jumps made sense. The age difference between Cassie and Erin was mentioned A LOT, to the point where it started to make me slightly uncomfortable. We get it, there’s a gap, if you’re that bothered by it, just stop what you’re doing. There were some weird lines that I read to be racist and if taken out they would not affect the plot or the pacing of the book at all. Overall, I don’t think I liked this book as a whole, but I liked certain parts of it.

I received and ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so pleasantly surprised and delighted by this sapphic, age-gap, SPICY romance. I am new to Meryl Wilsner as an author but I was so charmed by both Erin and Cassie as well as the supporting characters. About halfway in I was wishing against hope that they’d figure out how to make it work! (Spoiler - they do!) Just enjoyed this one so much. 5 ⭐️ AND 🌶🌶🌶

This ARC was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

What happens the morning after you pick up a hot woman at a bar the previous night? Awkward!! Somehow Cassie and Erin figure it out, dodging obstacles (i.e. family and best friends), and find their HEA.

This book made me cry, laugh out loud, and root for everyone involved. Loved the journey!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review. I had high hopes for Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner due to both the description and TikToks that I had seen promoting it. The story did not quite reach these expectations. There were some good moments and interesting characters, but overall, it did not feel fully developed.

In this book, single mother Erin hooks up with a woman at a bar while visiting her daughter's college town for Family Weekend. The next morning, Erin discovers that Cassie, the woman she had hooked up with, is one of her daughter's best friends. Cassie and Erin try to stay away from each other, but when Parker invites Cassie over for winter break, the two begin a secret relationship.

The premise of this book was fun- the banter was witty, the relationship developed in a way that felt as reasonable as it could, given the situation, and some of the characters had solid growth. If you're looking for a book that's a quick and easy read, this one does the job. The plot is lacking some depth, but it does a good job of marketing itself as what it is, leading the reader to know what they're going into when they pick up this book.

Erin felt the most like a real character to me, she was put together on the outside while having a lot of relevant inner turmoil. She was struggling to balance the happiness of her daughter, Parker, with what she wanted in her life, whether that be her divorce or her relationship with Cassie. What felt the most genuine was her decision to allow herself to be the "bad parent" in terms of the divorce to preserve Parker and Adam's relationship. Throughout the book, Erin struggled with being a good mother and making sacrifices while finding a way to live her life how she wanted. The thoughtful line that she towed with the divorce was directly contrasted with how she handled her relationship with Cassie, but it's clear from her growth, and the decision to tell Parker the real reasons behind the divorce, that Erin realizes she deserves to be happy.

While Erin is a thoughtful and developed character, the rest of the book's cast feels more one-dimensional. Cassie is presented as a brash, edgy kid with a soft underside, but we don't see much progression from her over the book. Cassie is good at bantering, but doesn't tend to have too many emotions. Part of this is due to past trauma, but even then, the only real character development is at the end of the book, when she realizes she's been in love with Erin for months. Cassie has a bit of turmoil over whether she's doing a bad thing by secretly seeing her friend's mom, but quickly decides that she doesn't care about Parker anymore as soon as Parker gets upset with her. This is only really rectified when Parker decides to befriend Cassie again. Cassie tends to be rather self-centered, making it hard to want to root for her.

The issue with this, and with the pacing of the whole plot, is that the reader and Cassie both don't know that when Parker "randomly" stops speaking to Cassie, Parker has learned about the relationship. It is easy to infer that this may be the case, as she cuts off both Cassie and Erin, but the reader doesn't get to experience any of Parker's emotions when she is the one who has been the most "wronged" by the situation. Both her best friend and mother have been lying to her and seeing each other behind Parker's back, which seems as though it should warrant a big reaction. However, we learn at the end of the book that months prior, Parker learned about the relationship, spent weeks processing it, and only ended up forgiving Cassie due to Cassie's best friend, and Parker's roomate, Acacia.

Acacia, without a doubt, is the best character in this book. She listens to Cassie, gives her good, solid advice about hooking up with her best friend's MOM, and then proceeds to smooth things out for everyone when Cassie doesn't take her advice and it all goes up in flames. Even with this, Acacia is more of a plot device than a fully rounded character. She's the fun BFF who has been there for Cassie for years and once again ends up saving the day. Acacia's interference leads to Parker not being mad at Cassie and Erin whatsoever when they finally learn that Parker has known about the relationship for months. This discovery removes the tension that the book had been building toward.

The major change that I think would improve this book is having Cassie care about Parker's opinion of her and want to stay friends. Cassie's immediate dismissal of Parker cheapens their bond. This could have been shown by the two of them, along with Erin, working through Parker's reaction to their relationship, as well as them explaining to her why they were hiding it and that it was meaningful to them. Overall, this book was fun, but there were a few places in the plot that could have been strengthened.

Thank you again to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 Stars

I really wanted to love this book. Unfortunately for me the characters simply fell flat. I loved the premise, but I could not bring myself to finish this one. Slow pacing and characters with little depth.

Oooh this book was steamy and spicy all around!!!!
I loved the writing and the story and the author I will definitely be reading more by this author!
Worth the read

OMG was this book cute. And if you like your romance to have a 20+ year age difference, you’ll absolutely love it. Some of it may not have been the most realistic, but who needs realism when you’re getting such an adorable story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Meryl Wilsner's newest book, Mistakes Were Made, is an absolute must read! This steamy romantic comedy about a girl who accidentally sleeps with one of her best friend's mother's is an absolute binge-read. I read this book in one sitting with a smile on my face the whole time! Cassie and Erin have an undeniable chemistry that scorches the pages. These two are both disasters in their own right but able to make each other inexplicably happy that readers cannot help but root for them. Filled with humor, hope, and steam, fans of Jasmine Guillory and Casey McQuiston will want to grab this one when it hits shelves in October. Both women are incredibly complex characters whose stories readers will instantly be hooked on. I can't wait for this to be published-- special thanks to the publisher for gifting me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 ⭐️
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Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC of this book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This is one of the most attention-grabbing concepts of any book I've read in a long time and it lived up to the hype!

Mistakes Were Made focuses on 21-year-old Cassie who picks up an older woman one night at a bar. Riding the high of an excellent hookup, the next morning she goes to have breakfast with her best friend Parker and her mom during their college's "Family Weekend" when she makes the awkward realization that Erin, her one-night-stand from last night, is in fact actually Parker's mom. Erin is just coming off of a long-overdue divorce and wanted to have a nice night to herself during her weekend away, but sleeping with her daughter's friend was a mistake she should never repeat. Well, it wouldn't be SO bad if she did as long as no one else finds out, right?

Meryl Wilsner's sophomore novel is a sexy, age-gap romance that digs into how two very different women can have the freedom to find their best selves while at each other's side. Cassie and Erin have absolutely fiery chemistry from their first hookup in the opening chapter through the epilogue. (Honestly, has anyone ever had THAT many orgasms in one night?!) I loved getting to really feel their maturity levels differ in the alternating perspectives and see how it played out when they had to keep their hookups secret while their friends and family are constantly around. I did feel it dragged a little bit throughout and that the climax of the story happens a bit too quickly/cleanly than it probably should have given the gravity of their mutual connection (Cassie's best friend and Erin's daughter Parker seems to deal with a lot of her feelings off the page), but their relationship was so fun to watch unfold, that it made up for the drama we missed out on.

Wilsner has been writing some excellent representation into their books (we love a house full of bi women!) and I'm so glad I got to savor this one before it comes out to the rest of the world. I can't wait for more steamy love stories from them in the future!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of this book.

Mistakes were made puts a queer spin on the classic smutty "I slept with my best friends dad" trope and I could not have loved the concept more. Cassie spots a gorgeous older women at the bar and the two instantly cannot control their attraction. After a night of heated activities Cassie goes out to breakfast with her best friend and her mom. Cassie quickly realizes that the women she devoured last night was actually her best friends mother.

The spice in theory was hot but I personally struggled to connect with Erin and Cassie. The fast paced nature of this book left little room to adjust. Additionally, there were a couple of questionable lines involving race that should have been reviewed.

I love the MILF concept and queer representation but overall struggled to fall into these characters

3 stars

Well-written and sexy. I pretty quickly got past the taboo-feeling of Cassie and Erin hooking up, but I also found myself getting really frustrated with Cassie and Erin since it didn't feel like they were considering Parker besides just keeping it hidden from her at all costs. The time between Parker figuring out and revealing she knows dragged on a bit long, and it felt weird that we didn't get to see her hash out her feelings with either Cassie and Erin since she'd gotten over being upset about it. I thought the end was a bit too cutesy, but it was sweet and felt very true to their characters.

I had some problems with this book. The premise sounded interesting. A college student sleeps with an older woman. It isn't until the next day that the student realizes that the older woman is her best friend's mother.
What I had a problem with is the use of the word "fuck". It is thrown around like another other word in instead of the word sex. That is a personal thing for me. There is a lot of sex and the words they use (like "fuck") I didn't personally enjoy reading.
The story as a whole was good, the narratives between the student and the other woman bothered me. If this is not an issue for you, you might enjoy it. I would have enjoyed it more if there was less use of that word.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s really hard to find good publishers wlw books and I cannot recommend this one enough. It was a real page turner and kept me on my toes wanting more. The story line was super hot and sweet. The perfect combination for sure. Cannot wait for future reads by this brilliant author!

***Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC of this book.

Meryl Wilsner's Mistakes Were Made was a steamy romance that served as a perfect rescue from my reading slump.

It follows Cassie, a senior in college, who has an amazing one night stand with an older woman, Erin. It turns out that Erin is the mother of Cassie's best friend, and they can't seem to keep their hands off of each other.

For a lot of people, the main draw to this book is definitely the smut, and there was a lot of it, right off the bat. So, it 100% delivers on this promise. However, the smut does get a little repetitive, especially during the first 20-50% of the book.

The plot was also pretty predictable. I was never really at the edge of my seat, but I don't think the author intended for there to be a lot of suspense or twists. I did, however, enjoy that the plot didn't completely follow the format of other romance novels, which meant that it felt a little fresher for me.

Romance-wise, I do think the actual love between the characters was a little under-developed. I wish we got more from them in this area, but again, I see this book's draw as more of the spice and the taboo relationship, not necessarily some epic love story. Along these lines, I also would have preferred a more open ending. The ending that we got just didn't make as much sense for the story.

Another thing to note--which I admit did not have a huge impact on my review--is that the author does not seem to be super familiar with the medical profession. Erin, the MILF, is a doctor, and there are definitely some inconsistencies or things that the author missed in her characterization. This really doesn't matter much for the story, but as a child of two doctors, the holes in her character were a little glaring.

Overall, this book was a fun read. It delivered on what I was expecting from it, even if it was a little lacking in some other departments. For people that are looking for a spicy WLW romance novel, I would definitely recommend this. But if you're more a fan of epic love stories, I would look somewhere else.

I prayed to the Netgalley gods for this one and they delivered!!! I needed this romance so so bad you all have no idea. I love when romances focus on the couple without external drama. This is a relatively low angst age gap romance between and older woman and her daughter’s friend. They meet at a bar without knowing who the other one is. It’s just supposed to be a one night stand but then…well…

The sneaking around was so so hot and sexy and I absolutely loved all the love scenes. I was anxious they would be found out by Parker, Erin’s daughter but that was subverted guys!

I want more romances with unapologetic bisexuals falling in love please and thank you! Highly recommend!

So I guess the best review I can give for this book is by letting y’all know that IMMEDIATELY after I finished reading it, I pre-ordered a physical copy. I loved it SO MUCH. Cassie and Erin are such amazing characters with a wonderful supporting cast of friends and family. The premise is great and, lezbihonest, hot af. So it tracks that the steam in the book is off the charts! 🌶🌶🌶🥵🥵🥵 Most importantly (for me at least, when it comes to rom-coms) they just love each other so much and are so adorable together. I thought I loved Something to Talk About, but Mistakes Were Made blows it out of the water. Meryl Wilsner may become an auto-buy author for me.

Thanks so much to @merylwilsner and @stmartinspress for sending me an e-ARC of Mistajes Were Made
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Something to Talk About is one of my fav queer books & this same author just wrote this MILF LESBIAN BOOK. THIS IS NOT A DRILL
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This book is about the college student sleeping with this older woman at the bar. She then goes for breakfast as a mediator between her roommate and her controlling and annoying mother. From there, well im sure you can guess where it goes.
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Besides the fact that this story is literally about milfs, Cassie & Erin are the cutest. Both individually and as a “couple”. I thought it was really moving how much they both developed throughout the book. I felt a strong connection to both Erin and Cassie for different reasons.
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This will be an automatic love for pretty much anyone. I totally recommend. it comes out in October and i’ll be first in line to buy a physical copy!!!
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

OMG, I have such conflicting feelings about this book. It started off with a bang, literally. Then we find out the characters names and I'm just like idk if I can read this because the one main character has the same name as the person I'm talking to's best friend and the name of my bestie's current fling and like that was just a lot to process, but I trudged through it to get to the meat of the story.

So Erin and Cassie start off as a one night stand and things develop from there whilst also trying to keep it a secret from Erin's daughter Parker, who happens to be Cassie's bestie. All of the sex scenes were well done and I thoroughly enjoyed them (like really, really, really enjoyed them), but the main plot of the story seemed kind of lackluster. Like there was a page quota to fill so the author just kept putting in filler stuff. I also had issue with the characters, I didn't find the balance of playful, snarky banter on the correct side of playful and it came off as mean a lot of the time. Also, also, the climax of the story was kind of anti-climatic. Like Erin and Cassie spent BASICALLY A WHOLE YEAR trying to keep things from Parker, and when they get caught Parker is just like, "meh, I knew and this is cool." I waited for an outburst and all we got was Erin's shitty ex-husband being a shithead. It was so not the climax I was looking for, but after that the ending was alright. there were some funny moments between characters that I enjoyed.

This was actually one of the cutest books I've ever read while also being extremely steamy all at the same time? The chemistry between these two characters was off the charts and I actually read every steamy scene instead of skimming through them after the 2nd time like I usually do. By the epilogue I was grinning to myself like an idiot, luckily I was at home by myself and not out in public. The only reason I gave this a 4.5 instead of 5 is from around the 60-80% mark, there was quite a bit of miscommunication and general angst from Cassie and Erin's daughter, Parker, which I thought could have been resolved much sooner but the author explained why this lack of communication was actually for the best by the end so I ended up appreciating it. This was a great read and I'd highly recommend it, even if you didn't like this author's first novel. I think this one was eons better and I can't wait to purchase a copy for my collection.

Thank you to Net galley for sending me this e-arc!

I thoroughly enjoyed this! The chemistry between Erin and Cassie was unreal and i truly thought that they were meant for each other. The taboo romance in this book also was less uncomfortable it than I thought it would be. I do think that Parker could have been more involved in the plot but this was definitely just a romance with smut and a little dash of conflict to spice up the plot. I liked that Cassie was battling with the decision of what she wanted to do postgrad for most of the book but I really disliked the fact that she barely touched on why she chose MIT over Caltech at the end and just said it was “because of Acacia” meanwhile she depicts herself to be this fully independent woman for the entire book. Same goes for why she kept it from Parker for so long even after Parker began to distance herself from Cassie. Overall I think this was a fun, steamy romance that honestly helped me get out of a reading slump. I would give it a solid 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.