Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advance copy!

Mistakes Were Made was such a delight to read. I came for the milf romance, and I got the milf romance! It was steamy, angsty, and not at all a slow-burn. (I can appreciate a slow-burn but the whole book started off thanks to that first one-night stand). This is probably one of the best romance novels I've ever read.

Such a cute and steamy love story! If you read Something To Talk About, this is just as good of a story, though much faster paced. A perfect beach/poolside read!

I enjoyed every second of this book! I wanted to immediately pick it back up as soon as I'd finished. Wilsner writes such believable and empathetic characters. I was so compelled by the chemistry and tensions of the story. So sexy! So flirty!
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is everything I want from a romance novel.

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner is an age-gap, WLW romance that has heart and steam. What begins as an anonymous bar hook-up becomes a hot mess when college student Cassie realizes that she had sex with her friend's mom. I know others have loved this book, but I wasn't inspired or emotionally effected by it. I think it is because Cassie always seemed immature to me and because the beginning of the novel came in HOT, there wasn't anywhere for it to go beyond the predictable drama leading to an HEA. I am a fan of a slower burn romances and building up characters' chemistry, so this one hit me wrong unfortunately. Recommended with reservations.

Advanced copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my review.

If anyone is looking for a spicy sapphic romance I would recommend this book! Meryl Wilsner did not disappoint with Mistakes Were Made. I loved Something to Talk About and enjoyed Mistakes Were Made just as much. This age gap romance had so much complexity behind it. Cassie and Erin have a romance that contains spice throughout while still showing more than that. I think that the relationships in this book were portrayed in a believable fashion. I was worried the whole book about Erin's daughter and her feelings on her best friend dating her mom. That was a bit of suspense that this story needed to keep it interesting. That is what is good about this book. Does it have spice? Absolutely! It is present in the first chapter of the book. That is not everything that this book is about. It is about finding yourself, doing what is best for you, and taking care of the people you love. So if you want an age gap romance between two bisexual women with one that happens to be the others best friend's mom then look no further.

thank you netgalley for a early copy of this novel!

when i first got the email that i was approved to read this book, i immediately started it. i heard good reviews about this so i was excited to read but after finishing it, i feel like this fell flat for me. the characters had chemistry and yes while there was some good scenes, in all i didnt really feel connected to the two main characters. but its probably bc i didn’t really like them, mainly cassie. i thought she was really self centered, in the book she pretty much implies that she does not care about parker’s feelings, if parker knew about her hooking up with erin (parker’s mom). i thought this was weird at the end too bc parker actually was not mad at them at all. and at one point even tried to defend them to her dad. while they were going behind her back hooking up. also, this book was so fast paced, i feel like i didn’t get the chance to understand characters. im more use to slow-burn and i don’t mind reading fast paced books, but still this was too much, description wise too you didn’t get a clear picture on what was going on. for the most part, this i wouldn’t say was a bad book it just wasn’t meant for me. i think if you really like smut and just fast paced romance books in general you should def give this a try. 2.5/5

again thank you to netgalley!

• Dual POV
• NSFW
• Age Gap

Cassie goes to a bar and finds a very attractive woman and buys her a drink. From there, things progress into a one-night stand. That is, until she meets her again the next morning, with her best friend, Parker. Turns out, Erin is her best friend’s mom! How could this be anything but a bad thing? However, they can’t ignore that there are feelings there and keep sneaking around. Will Parker find out?
This was refreshing because it wasn’t one of those “slow burn” novels. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with them. I just think so many of the romance books are that way. This is not a book to read around people necessarily. The intimate scenes were sensual and descriptive. The overall message that Erin learns is “fuck should” and I really loved it because doing what you want, not others, is the best thing for you most of the time.

<i>Thank you to Meryl Wilsner, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.<i>

#MistakesWereMade #MerylWilsner #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #ARC

Wilsner’s sophomore release hit for me just as well as Something to Talk About–which I loved! It’s a steamy rom-com pairing a pair that meets at a campus bar while each trying to avoid Family Weekend festivities. Both note the age difference but it’s not until Cassie is invited along to breakfast with her friend's mother that she realizes how much it is. Erin was the beautiful one night stand she was still thinking about. Needless to say, further complications ensue and the attraction wasn’t limited to one night. Fans of Alexandra Bellefleur and Casey McQuiston should take note.

Mistakes Were Made is everything I want a romance to be—equal parts sweet/soft and steamy/raunchy (okay, or a bit heavier on the steamy but the sweetness still cuts the spice in the best way), with impeccable character development and a satisfying external conflict that contributes to the characters' growth throughout their love journey. I loved Cassie and Erin individually—a messy young woman and an older woman at a messy stage of her life, both expertly wrought to be sympathetic, flawed, and utterly compelling. The way the two come together through the story is so satisfying, taking the reader on twists and turns you hardly expect despite the conventions of the genre that Wilsner clearly loves and knows. I love that these characters don't immediately seem to "fit" together, romantically; they really seem better as just a one-night-stand at the beginning, considering the obstacle (hello, Erin is Cassie's best friend's MOM!), but Wilsner skillfully shows how opposites can attract, and how that initial attraction can blossom into a real, enduring love. Cassie perfectly meets Erin's need for spontaneity, fun, pleasure; she inspires Erin to do more for herself after years of living for other people. Erin gives Cassie stability, care, and rapt attention Cassie so lacked in her life before, healing her aversion to emotion and attachment. Plus, they're both so stinkin' sexy together, the adorable, horny idiots.

(Side note: I also loved the friendship dynamics in the book, and the focus on both Cassie's friendships with Acacia and Parker, but also Erin's friendship with Rachel plays a significant role. Friends, family, and romantic partners are all important, and his book recognizes all of those kinds of love even while focusing on the romance. I find that satisfying and unique compared to other books in the genre.)

I was so looking forward to this book, and it didn't disappoint! If anything, I love it more than I expected. From the witty-but-real dialogue to the tender, unpretentious emotion we get in each character's inner monologues, every page of this was exactly what it needed to be without being predictable. I can't wait to read more from Meryl Wilsner. Honestly, I'd read 100 more books just about Cassie and Erin spending their days together with some fluff, some steam and no other plot.

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner was endearing, funny, and steamy from start to finish. Told from the dual POV of college senior, Cassie, and her best friend's mother, Erin, Mistakes Were Made is a modern day Shakespeare. Some characters are crass, some are sweet, and some are just there to be the stereotypical bad guy.

When Cassie picks up an attractive older woman at a bar, she doesn't expect to see her ever again. Queue the mischievous fates which reveal the very next morning that the attractive woman is Erin, the mother of Cassie's freshman best friend. When the two discover the connection, Erin's concerned about maintaining the still-healing relationship with her daughter as it's been fractured since her divorce, but neither she nor Cassie can seem to get the other out of their heads. Soon enough they're sneaking around, but it's only a matter of time before they'll have to come to terms with whether their relationship is worth the cost.

Overall, Mistakes Were Made was a delight to read! It provided the perfect mix of steam while maintaining realistic characters with depth to them. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this one! I love that it’s been deemed “the milf book” because it’s so funny and accurate. I loved the relationship between Erin and Cassie and being able to see their lives play out in the epilogue was a nice touch. Definitely recommend!

It's hard to find a good sapphic rom-com, but this one was amazing! Age-gap, bff's mom, a little sneaking around makes for a fun time reading. And there was plenty of spicy scenes. Cassie's looking for a hookup. Erin is looking to get closer to her daughter. A one night stand makes leads to so much more for everyone.

This was the perfect title for this book. Mistakes were made over and over. It began with a one night stand between a college senior (21) and an older woman (late 30s) she met at an off campus bar. Their attraction was immediate and intense. It was a memorable night for both, but each knew their paths would never cross again. That was the case until the next morning when Erin’s daughter, Parker, showed up for breakfast with one of her best friends who also happened to be the woman her mother slept with the previous night. Both were shocked by this revelation, but soon this was replaced by their intense chemistry that could not be ignored. Against their better judgement, they found themselves sneaking around behind Parker’s back to explore this attraction they had toward each other.


Initially, as I was I reading this story I didn’t care for all the sneaking around behind the daughter’s back. Understandably, there was also a lot of flip flopping regarding the continuation of this relationship. Neither wanted to hurt Parker if she found out about their relationship. But as the story developed, and the emotional level of all the characters increased, so did my reaction to them being together. Erin and Cassie redeemed themselves in a big way.

The secondary characters were very likable and added so much to this story. I also liked the dynamics of the three best friends. Even though they added levels of angst and tension to the story, it was handled in a mature fashion.

Overall, this was a fast, sweet, and very heartwarming read.


An ARC was given for an honest review.

omg please ignore how long this took me to read, okay?! it was hard picking up ebooks this last month.

anyway! i reeeeaaally liked this one and talk about a complete 180 for wilsner’s slow and shy debut! i enjoyed their first book enough but oh wow… this one made me hot and anxious and smiley kicking my feet in the air and everything.

erin and cassie’s characters both were likable which surprised me because sometimes characters like cassie can really annoy me but she was written in a way that wasn’t whiney and thoughtlessly selfish. honestly the whole time, i just couldn’t imagine how it was going to happen. i was on edge and had to close out of the app a few times because i was just so nervous of them being caught or it drunkenly spilling out or something.

as mentioned, wilsner’s first book, Something to Talk About, was such a sweet little slow burn and this was immediately into it (steamy scenes) with a lot of charm and humor. i enjoyed reading it so much and cannot wait to buy my own physical copy! wilsner was able to write witty dialogue i loved with steam i thoroughly enjoyed and had to fan myself about. the ending seemed a smidge unbelievable to me but just enough that i still could see it happening.

this one is getting 4.5 stars out of me! i just really loved it and raised my spirits for those bisexys!

Mistakes Were Made

🌟🌟🌟/5
🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

A college senior, Cassie, is coming off of a hard breakup and bar cruising. Across the bar she sees a beautiful older woman and takes her home. The next day, her friend invites Cassie to breakfast with her mom so Cassie can serve as a buffer, but it turns out her friends mom was her hookup from the night before.

This story is ultra open door steamy romance, but between those scenes, the story of budding age-gap, forbidden love romance is sweet and filled with true feelings. The women are kind and respectful to one another and navigating real relationship issues.

Read this if you enjoy age-gap romance, queer love, friendships and coming of age. But mostly be prepared for LOTS of spice.

Thank you to @netgalley for the arc copy!
This book publishes on October 11.

#queerromance #romance #mistakesweremade #sapphicbook #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #netgalley #arcreview #review #steamyread #booktok #agegapromance #books

This book left me some kind of something, let me tell you. This book was something I do typically enjoy reading about it in fan fiction, but is not something that I've ever read in a book, and not typically something I usually find with WLW stories.

I was worried about the potential for catastrophe within the plot but I won't spoil that for you, you'll have to read it to find out what happens between Cassie and Erin. I will let you know that both characters were extremely identifiable to me, which was interesting considering one of them is in her early 40s and the other is 21 or 22 years on. (I'm bad at numbers.)

Both characters POV's are fleshed out, full of emotion, growth and sometimes pure shenanigans which was another worry of mine. Sometimes when there are switching POVs you'll find the author focuses more on one than the other but I did not find that with this book, which is another plus in my book.

This book was equal parts salacious, adorable and dramatic and I dug into every single second of it, turning the digital pages quite quickly.

It had characters to root for, and some to dislike immensely (seriously, Erin's ex can just ugh). Others were a little bit bratty (I'm looking at you, Parker.)

I definitely wouldn't hesitate to look at another book by Meryl Wilsner, that's for sure.

This was a much different book than Something to Talk About (Wilsner's debut). For starters, it had much more sex on the page, and it was much less of a slow burn (things I appreciated!) I had a few minor qualms with some of the writing, but nothing major that influenced my experience. I really liked how the central conflict was handled. I want to avoid spoilers, but I thought Wilsner dealt with the age-gap conflict in a surprising and satisfying way.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this eARC of Mistakes Were Made. All opinions are my own!

The only thing I can start this review with is wow—that was really, really hot. Cassie and Erin, the two main characters, are instantly attracted to each other, and even after discovering that Cassie is college-aged and friends with her daughter, Erin just can't stop thinking about her (and the other way around). This was, as previously mentioned, a hot and sweet story about starting over, admitting what you want, and working hard to get it. Cassie is a science whiz, Erin is a doctor. On paper they are so, so much alike, with their drive and determination and essential goodness—except for that pesky age difference thing.

Obviously, I realize the age thing might not be everyone's favorite romance trope. It isn't exactly mine, either, but I think that Meredith Wilsner does a brilliant job of making it decidedly uncreepy (and did I mention hot?) and so, so sweet. If you're looking for a steamy F/F romance with a happy ending, look no further than Mistakes Were Made.

5/5⭐️

Wow. Just wow.

Now, I’m not usually a fan of single parent romances (I despise them, actually) but this was the sapphic MILF romance I didn’t know I needed. But need it, did I ever.

When Cassie’s older, mature, and hot as hell one night stand turns out to be her best friend’s mom, she and Erin (the MILF in question) both agree that they cannot do anything ever again. However, when their fates keep intertwining and stolen moments behind closed doors become more frequent, it becomes harder to deny the sizzling chemistry between the two of them despite the age difference and Cassie’s best friend/Erin’s daughter, Parker. And when sex starts to turn into more, it’s more than just their hearts on the line.

This book was amazing in so many ways. Characters? Lovable and relatable. Plot? Riveting, emotional and hilarious. Relationships between characters? A-MAZ-ING.

Not even just Erin and Cassie’s relationship (which obviously gave me life) but also Cassie’s relationship with Acacia and Parker, and even Erin’s relationship with Rachel. This book is a champion of healthy, loving relationships between women, and I am HERE for it.

Another thing that I loved about this book? All of the characters were so mature. The whole book I was dreading the moment where Parker finds out her best friend is sleeping with her mom because any sane person would flip out (I definitely would). But she handled it so well? She took some time to herself to be mad and think about what happened, came to terms with it and accepted that they made each other happy, which makes her happy. I don’t think even I would’ve been that cool had I found out my best friend was banging my mom. Miscommunication and conflict emerging from something that could’ve been resolved had the characters just HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT when everyone has calmed down drives me nuts but this book didn’t do that. The author didn’t create an unrealistic for the sake of creating conflict, and because of that I might be in love with her. Call me.

Did I mention it’s a SAPPHIC MILF ROMANCE???? Enough said.

Cassie is my icon and everything I yearn to be as a wannabe cool sapphic (but realistically a nerdy loser sapphic). Her and Erin are so cute and work so well together, and I appreciated how this book portrayed a healthy age-gap relationship. Their relationship was sexy AND healthy, which is very rare with age-gap romances these days.

Not to mention that the spice in this book? Next level. Definitely ranked in the top sapphic spice I’ve ever read, period. This book was sexy and fun and hot but still emotional and real and meaningful.

This book made me laugh, blush, cry, squeal, yell, and basically made me feel every emotion across the board. 10/10 book, will be buying upon release date just so I can read it again and again and again.

This book was sent to me by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Thank you to both!

Mistakes Were Made is Meryl Wilsner’s sophomore novel, which can be a difficult book to get right, There are expectations from readers, especially after having a successful debut, which Wilsner did with 2020s Something to Talk About. I tried to go into it just expecting a good book, but I got so much more.

When Cassie is out with her friends during Parents Weekend, she picks up an incredibly hot older woman, Erin. They have amazing sex and part ways without issue, which seems super straightforward. But, because this is a romance novel, she immediately runs into her the next day at brunch. Because Erin is Cassie’s best friend’s mom. And to make matters worse, once they discover this, the hotness continues over that weekend. Cassie proceeds to tease the hell out of Erin relatively discreetly whenever they run into each other.

That first weekend, and really, this whole damn book, is seriously hot as hell. I was unsure how I’d feel about an age gap relationship combined with the BFFs mom, but the author did a really great job at character development. Erin and Cassie are both fully fleshed out people, with their own lives, problems, and day-to-day joys. And what made the book work altogether for me was that the character development extended to the side characters as well. It was clear each of them were living their lives and when we see them on page, it’s just a snippet of time in their life.

There are many, many questionable decisions made in this book, which might not work for all readers, but I love messy characters so much so it worked very well for me. After this initial hookup weekend they return to their normal lives until Cassie reaches out drunkenly to Erin, and that opens a slow trickle of communication, which eventually opens the whole floodgate. The sexual relationship happens instantly, but the emotional one develops much more slowly and was beautiful to see on each of their ends. One of the other things I really appreciated was that as they slowly become involved and in an actual relationship, they don’t lose themselves completely. We get to see them in their separate lives, working through their everyday lives. I was glad to see that autonomy remain for each of them.

One of the points of tension throughout the book is that they do not want Parker, Erin’s daughter and Cassie’s best friend, to find out about their relationship. There was sneaking around and definitely hooping up right under nose. But I kept waiting for a big bleak moment between them all…and it never came. I loved how Wilsner dealt with Parker’s discover and the fallout of that. Parker and Acacia, their other friend, really shined throughout a lot of this book and they added another dimension to it.

Overall, this was a balanced romance. It had a high amount of heat, great chemistry, and the perfect amount of emotion. I think many people will love this one!

Content Notes: abandonment by a parent, cheating (not main couple), alcoholic couple

Grade: A