Member Reviews
Meryl Wilsner really stepped up their game with Mistakes Were Made!
This read was by far my favorite of 2022. The level of spice was HOT and done beautifully!! The MILF trope was magnificent and very different for a sapphic romance, I loved it. In all honesty, the "best friends mom" is what really drew me into this book. I was really interested in how the book would turn out with this being the premise, and I have to say it was great!
This was a DNF for me. The premise sounded funny, but the execution gave me an “ick” feeling. The power differential between the main characters was too significant. Cassie is a college student, Erin is 18 years older, and not only the mom of Cassie’s best friend but also a doctor. It’s one thing when they hook up, quite another when they start sneaking around behind Erin's daughter’s back! Erin not only paid for Cassie's plane ticket to visit but essentially treated her as a daughter - buying her Christmas pajamas and stuffing a stocking for her. Then, whenever the daughter was turned the other way, or at her dad's, Erin and Cassie were hot and heavy. The last straw for me was when Erin went into the bathroom, knowing Cassie was in the shower. I kept wondering - how would this book be perceived if it was the dad fooling around with his daughter’s friend on Christmas break? I think it would have a whole different vibe - and not a positive one.
I want to be clear that the writing itself was good, the relationships were problematic for me.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in return for an honest review.
This book is the sapphic MILF romance of my dreams. It shouldn't work, but it very much does. The age gap never feels uncomfortable, (everyone involved is an adult) and even though one MC is a college student, it was surprisingly drama-free. The main characters actually communicate with each other for the most part, and the rest of their relationship is very sexy! I'm excited to see what the author does next.
I was sort of into this book, the milf-y romance was fun and the "help I'm stuck at my accidental hook-ups house for the holidays" was sweet, but overall I was a little underwhelmed. I liked Cassie, Erin, and Rachel, but the pacing of the book threw me off.
Thanks to SMP for the arc!!
This book was so much fun. We have a college student and she hooks up with an older woman at a bar one night. She then finds out the next day that it’s the mom of her friend.
I thought this book was really well done, I liked the dual POV, the lack of a third act breakup. The way the daughter found out I thought was inserted really well. It was also very spicy! Overall this was a really solid book and I’ve really enjoyed this author so far and I’m excited to pick up more.
A incredibly well done sapphic age gap romance. Tastefully taboo, well-written and an overall stellar time. I do feel that there were some bouts of millennial cringe but overall i think the characters were well developed and i love how all the drama was handled with care and not just random instances of shock value. The sex scenes were some of the best I have read and I will definitely be picking up more from this author
This book was steamy right off the bat! Although it wasn't my favorite book, I still really enjoyed it. I think I had a lot of guilt/ worry about Parker. I'm glad I'm the end things were settled between them and it ended well. It was just a bit painful at times. Overall, it was a fun, unique read.
I was incredibly interested in this book as I really enjoyed this author's debut. While this was well written, the plot of this book missed the mark. It is not bad, but rather does not align with my tastes. While I was aware of the general plot, I did not realize the age gap was so large or that the best friend’s mom troupe would make me not be able to buy into this couple.
The relationship is between 21 year-old Cassie, a college senior, and Erin, her friend’s 38 year old mom. I was hopeful, given how Wilsner wrote the romance in her previous novel, that this would play out differently. However, the sneaking around Parker, the best friend/daughter, made me really dislike this couple. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Parker, she was written as childish and both Erin and Cassie commented on it multiple times, but she didn’t deserve this situation. I also disliked that we didn't see Parker's reaction on page, just after she accepted it. It felt too convenient and easy.
Overall, there was a lack of maturity and care for the person their relationship would hurt and while I like the characters individually, I did not like their relationship.
I loved this steamy sapphic romance. Such a fun read, and really well executed. In less deft hands, it could have felt cringey to witness the age gap between love interests, but as it is I was rooting for the couple despite the difference in age. Wilsner knows how to write chemistry, steam, and palatable tension. I absolutely loved that the conflict resolution was so mature and well communicated. There were a few points where an author could have relied on miscommunication, deceit, and silent treatment--but Wilsner did none of that and instead allowed their characters to work through the issues in a really pleasant-to-read way. Love Wilsner's writing and their way of crafting a spicy story. Strongly recommend!
Loved this read! The characters were lovable and real, their story didn't fall flat.
I really enjoyed this story and will be reading this author again.
Thank you SMP Romance and NetGalley for the ARC of Mistakes Were Made! All opinions in this review are my own.
If you are looking for a spicy read right from the start, then I recommend Mistakes Were Made! When Erin is picked up by a woman in a bar, she has no idea that it is one of her daughter's best friends. While age gap romances are normally not my favorite, this one worked for me. I really liked Cassie as a character and I like that although she was younger, she wasn't written immaturely. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!
I really enjoyed this and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have read it! What a wonderful book!
I loved this book! I Felt like one thing the author hit the nail on the head on was the book's pacing, everything flowed together and meshed really well together. I enjoyed the banter between the main characters extremely as I felt like this book was driven by the characters rather than the plot. Overall, I felt like the book was well written and closed in a satisfying manner!
Some mistakes were made for sure...including me picking up this book and thinking I would enjoy it.
I thought maybe it was the age difference that bothered me, and I will admit I was worried about that picking it up because it does feel a little predatory for someone nearing 40 years old to date someone still in college. BUT, I think it would have bothered me less if this weren't her best friend's mom. The whole book I was so anxious waiting for Parker to find out, and I don't enjoy feeling anxious reading a romance novel. What should have been fun and sexy ended up feeling like watching a train about to wreck, mostly because, I think if I were Parker, I would have been so incredibly angry and upset myself. Their fears about her finding out felt so justified and that made me angrier—if they were so worried, why do it at all? Was Erin's relationship with her daughter less important than some good sex? I know there was supposed to be feelings involved, but frankly, I didn't understand them. Erin felt like a maternal figure, at best, for Cassie, and we never really see them bonding over anything material, like a hobby or a shared interest, aside from, of course, sex. I wanted to see the romance between them, rather than be told that it was there. And if I had trusted that there were actual feelings, maybe I wouldn't have been so angry the whole time.
I just couldn't help but feel like the two main characters were spending their time betraying one of the people that means the most to them in the world for a little fun. It never felt like they were worth enough to each other for the risk. I wanted to feel that they were worth it. I finally did, towards the end, but I still didn't get that excitement and joy from their relationship that I had wanted. The truth is: I don't think I knew much about Cassie and Erin aside from basic things about them. Erin's a doctor. Cassie wants to build space ships. What do they want out of life? Do they want the same things? When there's such a big age difference, I want to see the characters at the same place in their lives, and I just didn't get that from them.
I couldn't even imagine the two of them dating, or getting married even though they get engaged at the end.
I just...didn't care for this. And I hated the way they treated Parker. It felt so unfair. And the resolution felt too easy for something so messy. The fact that Parker working through her feelings about it was largely off page didn't sit right with me. It felt like the author knew it would be hard to write and didn't want to try. Like she knew if we read how raw and unhappy Parker was, maybe we'd think Parker was right.
I don't know. I just didn't like this.
https://www.michigandaily.com/arts/books/author-of-mistakes-were-made-meryl-wilsner-on-sapphic-fiction-and-queer-representation/
Editor’s Note: Quotes have been edited and condensed for clarity.
“In all honesty, ‘Mistakes Were Made’ was supposed to be a one-shot fanfiction,” author Meryl Wilsner said, laughing, in an interview over Zoom with The Michigan Daily. “Mistakes Were Made” is their sophomore novel, following their debut, a sapphic romance called “Something to Talk About.”
Wilsner shared that after their friends read what later became the first chapter of “Mistakes Were Made,” they were immediately invested in the story and asked Wilsner to continue with it. A whirlwind of a story featuring a fiery romance resulted.
“Mistakes Were Made” centers around the relationship between 21-year-old college senior Cassie and almost-40-year-old Erin, who first meet when they lock eyes from across the bar. The moment in the book is memorable: “She was probably twice Cassie’s age, and honestly, Cassie wasn’t typically a cougar hunter … but this woman was way too hot to worry about any age difference.” Cassie goes on to buy Erin a drink, and things heat up quickly as she follows Erin into the bathroom — and later escalate further when Cassie finds out Erin is the mother of her newest friend.
Wilsner is no stranger to controversial tropes; their first work gracefully depicts an evolving relationship between a boss and her assistant, so the choice to employ a risqué age gap doesn’t come as a shock. “I like dealing with power differentials,” Wilsner said. “I like the idea that there are two people that could stop themselves and should stop themselves, but don’t. The easiest way to make that play out is with an age gap — here, it’s Cassie and Erin recognizing that their own happiness matters more than anything else.”
After Cassie and Erin’s one-night stand and subsequent awkward encounter the following morning featuring Parker — who is both Cassie’s friend and Erin’s daughter — the two women see each other again, and their spark is just as strong as it was that night in the bar. Both women are desperately trying to move forward — forget the age difference, how can Cassie date her best friend’s mom, and how can Erin date her daughter’s friend? — but neither can get the other out of her head. Parker, oblivious to their blatant attraction, invites Cassie home for the holidays to act as a buffer, given her own tense relationship with her mother.
Though the developing relationship between Cassie and Erin is at the heart of the story, Erin’s relationship with Parker is also significant. Following her parents’ divorce, Parker harbors anger at Erin for ending her marriage. Their dynamic adds an interesting complexity to the book, as we see Erin struggle to navigate two pivotal relationships. We see that Erin is flawed, but more than that, we see how hard she tries to uplift her relationship with Parker while she prioritizes her romantic life for the first time in a long time.
“Partly why the two have so many issues is that Parker hasn’t necessarily seen Erin as a full and complete person,” Wilsner said. “Mistakes Were Made” is more than a spicy FF (Female/Female) love story, it is an honest portrayal of both mother-daughter tensions and the excitement of new love.” Though Wilsner admits it’s difficult for them to write flawed characters — “Oh no, my characters are my babies. They’re perfect and nothing is wrong with them ever” — they say, it’s the characters’ faults that make them so captivating.
In addition to personal flaws, Wilsner also details imperfect FF relationships. “There’s this idea that if you date women, everything will be fine — which, to be fair, is a joke I make a lot. But, I think that when the joke comes from outside the community, like if a straight woman is like, ‘Oh, I’m going to become a lesbian because that’s easier,’ you’re not seeing lesbians as people,” Wilsner said.
“Obviously, there will still be issues in relationships, regardless of the gender of the people who are in them,” Wilsner said. “I write romances, so my stories are always going to have a happily-ever-after ending — but that ending always feels better when the characters have had to go through something to reach that point.”
Following the two weeks spent together over the holidays, Cassie and Erin’s relationship progresses. Though both women are hesitant to label the relationship between them, it’s apparent that they share sincere, unwavering feelings. When Parker learns about their relationship, and later accepts it, it becomes clear to Erin and Cassie that their hesitation to admit their feelings was never truly dependent on how Parker was affected, but was rather due to their own fears of accepting the love they deserve.
“Like I said, I write romance novels, and they’re always going to end happily,” Wilsner said. “But, at the same time, I’m so grateful for the Queer writers who do write dark and sad Queer stories. Different people need different things, and I think it’s important to have a gamut of genres and tones, to have Queer people telling all different types of Queer stories.”
Wilsner’s debut work “Something to Talk About” was the first Queer female romance in print from its publisher, Berkley Books. “One of the biggest differences between the release of ‘Something to Talk About’ and ‘Mistakes Were Made’ is that there are now so many people writing Queer female romances, and I love that so much,” Wilsner said. “It’s nice to not just have a community, but to be continually expanding the community.”
Throughout our interview, they share some of their favorite Queer authors and their respective recent or upcoming releases, like Ashley Herring Blake’s “Delilah Green Doesn’t Care,” and Taleen Voskuni’s “Sorry, Bro.” They specifically point out Anita Kelly’s “Love & Other Disasters,” which features an openly non-binary protagonist. “Even as a non-binary author, I didn’t recognize that was an option for me to write,” Wilsner said. They promise that one of their future books will have a non-binary main character, stating, “I don’t know if that’s something I would have done without reading Kelly’s work.”
Until then, Wilsner will spend the upcoming weeks on tour for “Mistakes Were Made.” Since their first book came out in May of 2020, they didn’t have the chance to do signings or see the novel in stores until long after its release. “I’m really excited to see what the tour will be like, and to have my book out in the world,” Wilsner said. “This time around is going to be a very different experience.”
“Mistakes Were Made” is a lively story about the simultaneous complexity and simplicity of love. Wilsner’s sophomore work is a strong and compelling follow-up to their lovely debut novel, both of which demonstrate Wilsner’s talent for writing authentic and electrifying Queer female romances. After talking with Wilsner, it’s clear that their passion for Queer and sapphic stories is genuine. It was exciting to discuss their work with them in addition to hearing their thoughts on Queer representation and the influential, inspiring Queer authors shaping today’s literary world. Wilsner is an author you don’t want to miss, and “Mistakes Were Made” is a book you won’t soon forget.
Managing Arts Editor Lillian Pearce can be reached at pearcel@umich.edu.
Mistakes Were Made was by no means a bad book, it just wasn't for me. I think the author is very talented and the book was well written and developed, but I just didn't connect with the characters. I fully think this was a Me problem, not a book problem. I can definitely see how other readers will enjoy the book.
This book is SPICY. I'll start there. If you can't handle level 5 open-door (is there a door?) spice, especially if it's woman on woman, this book is not for you. However, if that doesn't bother you (or you're into it), read on.
During family weekend at her college, Cassie goes off campus to a bar and ends up hooking up with a hot older woman (again, this happens in like, chapter one, so be ready!). It was supposed to be just a one time thing, until her friend drags her to breakfast with her mom the next morning and SURPRISE it's the woman Cassie just hooked up with. Yep. That happened. But it can't happen again, can it? Soon enough "just once more" turns into "okay but this is the last time" to "okay but only until the holidays". The two start really developing feelings for each other, but what about the daughter/best friend?
I really liked this book. As I stated, there's a LOT of open door sex, so beware for that. But even without that, the storyline is really interesting. It really digs into the idea of wanting your family members to be happy but also, how weird would it be if your mom was sleeping with your best friend? So many different angles! If you can handle the spice, I definitely recommend this book.
I received an eARC from NetGalley and St Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review. Cassie Klein finds herself in a bar on the first night of Family Weekend at her university. Her family hasn't come, and she just wants an escape. And then she sees her, the gorgeous older woman at the other end of the bar. It couldn't hurt to buy her a drink... Next thing she knows, Cassie finds herself hooking up with this amazing woman, a one-night stand couldn't hurt. Erin Bennet is in town for Family Weekend but finds herself at a bar while her daughter has dinner with her dad (Erin's ex-husband). The next morning when she takes her daughter Parker to breakfast, Parker brings a friend, none other than the one-night stand from the night before, Cassie. They wanted to keep it casual, keep Parker in the dark, but when Parker and Cassie are best friends and Erin and Cassie keep finding themselves in close proximity, can they resist the attraction? Can they continue to keep it a secret? With such a strong connection can it stay just friends with benefits or are they denying themselves more?
This book starts out steamy and continues that way all throughout. Both MCs are bisexual women, and there is a large age gap. Their attraction and connection can be felt throughout the pages of the book. Dual POV helps give insight to the struggles each woman faces as they grapple with the attraction they don't feel they should be having. This is my favorite sapphic romance to date. The heat is high, the emotions are strong, the characters are strong women from different generations who both are working to break out of stereotypes and patriarchal ideas. I'm not usually a fan of such a large age gap, but it definitely worked in this book. I would recommend this to fans of forbidden romance, bisexual rep, age gap, sapphic, and steamy romance.
when people joke like "i slept with yo momma" but she did
weirdly specific reason reasons you would love this book:
- the smut starts on page 2
- the smut to plot ratio is 10000000 to 0
- milf is used literally
- the quote: "Good, you ready to go or do you need to kiss my mom goodbye first?"
- a scuba diving analogy
weirdly specific reason i did not love this book: the quote "I don't want you to be my mom. I want to f*** you." also the use of the word cunnilingus non-ironically. this book is very hyped up so like if u like the reasons above, read it! i just could NOT get past this.
sorry to netgalley, who gave me this ARC book in exchange for an honest review (as you can tell) and I'm only reading it now. I'm also sorry for using the word cunnilingus in this review. this may be my last review with netgalley...
I thought this would be a fun story to read, but I did not enjoy it very much. The story is interesting, but I could not get into it.