Wow this one was STEAMY! omg. Despite not being a huge fan of age-gap romances, I thought this one was handled well and I really like Erin and Cassie as characters. I also loved all the unapologetic Bi rep and the way this story was really just centered on women learning to go after what they want and what makes them happy, regardless of where they are in their life.

ARC provided by NetGalley. This title releases October 11, 2022.

This is a female female romance following Cassie and Erin.
Cassie is a 22 year old college student. Erin is a 40 year old divorced mother.
Cassie hooks up with Erin in a bar bathroom in the first chapter. Soon Cassie discovers that Erin is the mom of Cassie’s best friend Parker.
Cassie and Erin continue being friends with benefits in secret for the majority of the book while hiding their relationship with Parker.

The nature of this relationship was forbidden and I did not root for the relationship for the duration of the book. It felt uncomfortable to want the main couple to be together when they were both being overtly deceitful to Parker, the main characters’ best friend and daughter.

The strongest part of the book is the steam, especially the opening chapters. The plot elements and scenes that didn’t involve steam felt underdeveloped, which also contributed to my lack of investment and believability as to why these two should be in a relationship with each other. Specifically, any scene involving a side character was unmemorable and had no bearing on the rest of the story. This made the book seem unnecessarily long; perhaps I could have tolerated it more if it was shorter.

I liked that this book was quick to the steam scenes whereas this author’s previous release, Something to Talk About, was a slow burn. However, steam was this book’s only strength. The story and character development were lacking, and the main relationship was forbidden, and I could not root for it.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited when I saw I was approved for Mistakes Were Made! Age gap romances are popular in mainstream romance, but I’ve never seen a sapphic one. A story advertised as a queer MILF romcom sounded too good to be true, so I was elated when I got the opportunity to read it.


The book starts off with a fantastic couple of chapters. Cassie, a senior in college, meets a 38-year-old woman in a bar and winds up hooking up with her in the backseat of her rental car. The woman, Erin, is visiting from out of state and will be heading home after the weekend, so Cassie expects nothing more from their one night stand. The next morning, Cassie agrees to tag along to meet her friend’s mother for breakfast, only to realize the mother is Erin! The two haven’t seen the last of each other after all and further explore their increasing attraction in secret.

That sounds like a hilarious set up for a romcom, right? I certainly thought so. Unfortunately, it veered off from simply a taboo story into an ickier direction, in my opinion.

I think plenty of people will like this book, and that’s fine. Many of my issues with it are probably more from my personal preferences, so be aware of that with this review. I try to be an openminded person, so I didn’t have an issue with the 17-year age gap between the love interests. There were two other factors, though, that gave me the creeps.

The first, and biggest issue, is Cassie and Erin’s relationship with Parker. Parker is Erin’s 18-year-old daughter. Cassie proclaims to be Parker’s best friend, and Erin desperately wants to be closer to her daughter. They both are well-aware of how bad it is for them to be sleeping together behind Parker’s back (they talk about it in detail over and over and over throughout the novel), yet they never actually try to stop being together on Parker’s account. Twice, Erin makes rude comments in an effort to scare Cassie away, but then she immediately apologizes. Neither make any real attempts to separate, and it feels so wrong on Parker’s behalf. Also Erin refers to her daughter as an “almost-adult,” watches Cassie hang out with her, and even gifts them matching pajamas for Christmas (and then proceeds to check out Cassie in those pajamas…). Viewing Parker as less than adult but hooking up with her best friend, while legal and consensual, made me cringe.

Erin and Cassie have mother and daughter issues, and that also makes their relationship feel creepy. Others might have different opinions on this, but I could never quite figure out why the two were drawn to each other romantically. Attraction-wise, sure, they definitely had chemistry, but I saw no romantic compatibility or reasons why they needed to risk so much to be together. Cassie had a rough upbringing and doesn’t speak to her mom. Erin is trying to get closer to her daughter, but they’ve had a rocky relationship over the years. It appears as if the glue holding Cassie and Erin’s relationship together was the fact that Cassie got things she never received from her mother out of Erin (Erin takes care of her when she’s sick, gives her nice gifts, is warm and nurturing, etc.), and Erin gets a closer relationship with someone younger, mirroring the one she wishes she had with Parker. That also made me cringe and made their relationship seem less healthy. If some of Cassie’s mommy issues had been removed, this novel would have been more believable.

The further the story went on, the less fun I had and the more I wished Cassie and Erin would break up.

Aside from the ick factors in her relationship with Cassie, Erin is an okay character. I liked her efforts to make decisions for herself and do things that made her happy. Cassie is really insufferable, though. She is totally written like a frat boy, and I have no idea how she is supposed to be mature enough to date a mother. She’s so self-centered, gets offended easily, and comes across as arrogant, rather than confident. The other characters are okay. I liked Parker and Acacia. Many reviewers found Parker annoying, but I thought she was a pretty realistic freshman in college. I enjoyed the group friendship Parker, Acacia, and Cassie had and everyone’s openness to different sexualities. I do wish everyone was given a little more depth, particularly Cassie and Erin. They never really address the complications of their age gap outside of its effects on Parker. They both seem very career-oriented, yet we rarely see them working or spending time on their passions.

This book isn’t all bad. The writing flows well, and the plot moves quickly. It’s a very steamy read, with quite a few spicy scenes (I didn’t count, but I’m guessing there are at least 6). There are loads of strong female characters, and everyone is fairly independent (rather than needing a partner for support). The spice is written decently— it’s not overly descriptive, but it does go somewhat in-depth into wlw physicality. Readers interested in smut and queer romance might enjoy this, especially if they are looking for a quick read and don’t plan on thinking too deeply about the ethics of Cassie and Erin’s relationship. There are a bunch of positive reviews, so I’d argue this is a novel you’ll love or hate depending on your views on the relationship and ultimately, how much you like the two main characters.

I have a few more minor issues I’d like to raise. I believe all of these could be edited out rather easily, which is why I’m bringing them up. I hope some of them get changed before the book is published (and note: if you’re reading this after October 11th, there is a chance these things got removed). I liked the quick pacing, but sometimes, the timeline skips ahead abruptly. There needs to be some spacing or another way to indicate a time shift. There are also way too many times the characters refer to each other as best friends or “babe.” By college, does anyone really care who is whose best friend? And I genuinely have never met another queer woman who refers to her friend as “babe.” Additionally, sometimes there were logical inconsistencies that pulled me out of the story (ex: Cassie waits until July to pick her grad school, which seems totally unlikely, given the prestigious programs she has been accepted into).

Many reviewers have commented on the strange racial remarks throughout the book. Apparently the author will be taking them out before publication, so I’m not going to go into depth on them, but there were other racial issues I also hope are fixed. Sometimes, Acacia feels like a token Black friend, such as when Cassie says Parker is her best friend, despite having a longer and deeper friendship with Acacia. Acacia’s mother also resembles a Black mom stereotype, so I hope the brief comments about her are edited/removed. There are also strange remarks on other issues that rubbed me the wrong way. Erin jokes (at least, I hope it’s a joke) multiple times that Cassie shouldn’t eat sweets because she needs to watch her figure. Yikes. There are some misogynistic comments and an ableist joke, as well. Lastly (and I haven’t seen any other reviewers mention this specific remark), Cassie meets someone genderqueer, accidentally misgenders them, apologizes, and then when that character says that they don’t care about the misgendering, Cassie grins, thinking about how much she likes Parker’s friends, implying (to me, anyway) that she likes how carefree the genderqueer person is about the misgendering, which I found a little gross.

You very well might like this story more than I did. Wilsner has come up with an intriguing premise, writes great banter between the love interests, and seems to have a strong idea of their characters’ personalities. With some editing, this could be a much better read. Even as the book is now, though, it seems to have a number of fans. If you’re interested in the plot, go ahead and give it a try— just perhaps keep in mind all the issues I’ve highlighted. The LGBTQ+ genre needs more diversity in its plot lines and characters, so I’m glad this book offers a refreshing change of pace. I just wish it had been executed better.

2 out of 5 stars.

I am so sad that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I hoped I would. Something to Talk About was one of my favorite reads of 2020, so I had high expectations for this.

Many of the conversations between Cassie and Erin center around the same topics of how they shouldn’t be doing what they’re doing, but doing it anyway.

I have a few issues with it, aside from the general ick-factor of the age-gap, this-is-my-best-friend’s-mom-but-also-my-girlfriend part of it.
• There’s a lot of time just skimmed over since the book takes place over the course of a year. Some of the skips I understood, but it was frustrating for the narration to just be like “oh yeah, a few weeks passed, I went to some parties, and now we’re here.”
• While it may be dual POV, it’s mostly Cassie’s. I don’t think the book would change much if we didn’t have Erin’s POV
• To me, the conflict was underwhelming because most of it happens off-page. You don’t get to see the character’s thoughts or reactions; you just see once they’ve processed everything.

This book is definitely super steamy, so that aspect of it didn’t disappoint, I just… didn’t find myself enjoying the plot or liking the characters.

One thing I did really appreciate – communication is never an issue between our two main characters. Between them and the side characters? Absolutely. Sure, Cassie and Erin don’t talk about how exactly they feel towards each other, but miscommunication between the two of them isn’t the main conflict, which was sooo nice.

While this book was a miss for me, I am still extremely excited for Meryl Wilsner’s upcoming books, and Something to Talk About remains high on my list of favorite sapphic romances.

Huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this!

I have mixed feelings about this book - I am not a fan of one night stand stories - they are usually predictable, awkward and rely on extended sex scenes more than plot and character development.

The characters are not really likeable. Their lack of communication, self absorbed behavior left me feeling unsympathetic to will they/won't they get to understand one another without sex.

I was so excited to read this book! And it sort of lived up to the hype. While the characters and relationships are well developed and thought out, the pacing felt a bit off and I just got kinda bored. It was also pretty predictable so I wasn't all that surprised by the end

DNF at 75%

Couldn’t force myself to finish. The two main characters are so selfish!! Poor Parker, man. I can’t even imagine how I would feel if my mom was screwing my best friend and they were both lying about it to my FACE.

This book starts out with a bang! The author did not hold back the spice at all in this book and I loved every second of it. From the first chapter when Cassie and Erin met all the way to the end I was hooked. I knew before I was halfway through the book that I was going to need to pre-order a copy because I wanted to read it again before it was even over. If you're looking to read a spicy sapphic romance look no further.

This book was marketed as "A sexy rom-com about a college senior who accidentally hooks up with her best friend’s mom.' It sounded unlike anything I'd read before and was immediately interested.

I am usually not a fan of one night stand tropes, the awkward levels can be cringeworthy. But author Meryl Wilsner pulled this one off. The awkwardness and secrecy were there but I wasn't hiding in my blankets from it. The lack of communication however did make me feel angsty. When you know one conversation would shut down issues in 30 pages of the book, it's hard for me not to be a bit resentful. One of the main character's is 40 and I feel like by now she should be able to articulate her feelings, confusing as they may be. Overall the book had witty dialog, scenes I hadn't experienced before and a small but colorful group of characters. 

Mistakes Were Made is an age gap, one night stand, STEAMY sapphic romance.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There's A LOT I loved in this book and I finished it really quickly. I love the "forbidden" relationship (college student and best friend's mom) as well as the forced proximity in parts! This has been so high on my anticipated TBR list and I was sooo excited that it lived up to the hype. I loved Cassie and Erin and their relationship. Both characters were well-thought out and developed. I did sometimes get confused about which chapter I was reading since this is a duel-POV book and their characters read very similar. This book used the MILF trope really well and I didn't feel that their relationship was too cringy. The book also has some HEAVY sex scenes which could be a positive or negative, depending on the reader.

My major problem and the reason I took off one star was with the timeline and the speed. The pacing was rough, with the beginning moving super fast and the middle kind of slowing down. I also felt Parker's character was underdeveloped and underutilized. I wished I got more of her perspective (I mean her mom and her best friend are dating??). I did like how Parker dealt with her feelings on her own and we saw that play out through Cassie/Erin. Overall, a solid sapphic love story that I really enjoyed!

A story about a college girl accidentally falling for her best friend's mom? Immediately yes.
I really enjoyed how light-hearted and spontaneous this one was but still discussed the crucial parts of both women discovering themselves.

I would’ve liked if Cassie aversion to relationships or touch was explained a little better and her thinking wasn’t do circular.

I feel Erin and Parkers' harder conversations were a bit rushed and there wasn’t an emotional connection when they had these conversations that were supposed to be emotional.

For most of the story, she was the sheltered girl whose parents did everything for her and didn’t really want to offer much help or seem appreciative of Erin. Still, in the end, she turned out to be more understanding and mature after one conversation with a different. person, outside of the situation.

I liked the story overall and smiled all the way through it but I wished Parker’s relationship with Erin and Cassie after she found out was more fleshed out seeing as she was the main reason they wanted to keep everything a secret.

This was a great rom com read - the characters are engaging and the author weaves a bunch of relationships together that are believable and fun to follow. You find yourself rooting for Cassie and Erin throughout. I basically couldn't put it down and loved every minute of my reading it.

4.5 star
I loved this story. It was a cross between a YA story and an age gap romance. I say that because 3 of the main characters are college students and we spend a lot of time with them at their wild parties and in their dorm room dealing with many of the problems college students are confronted with. And one of those problems is the age gap romance between one of the college students and the mother of one of the other students.
Most of the book was sex scenes between the age gap couple but it was necessary to build the story. The encounters slowly grow from friends with benefits to real feelings.
And then their is the delema of how to deal with that and many other entanglements.
I liked how the author got us through the "incident " and the relationship with the students.
Very clever dialog....some humorous...some very insightful. Great story.
I would have given it 5 stars but I thought the age gap was just a bit too large. But I suspended my disbelief for 200+ pages.
I was given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book is wild! And the book definitely delivered! It was funny and sweet with emotional depth. There were parts of the story that didn't work for me, but I'm not letting that affect my review as I think they really have nothing to do with the book and more to do what kinds of tropes I do and don't enjoy. If you like age gap romances, falling for a friend's parent, and/or fwb to lovers, I think you'll enjoy this! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mistakes We Made was honestly addictive from the first few pages. Its the seasons of the MILFS, and youll love every second of it. Meryl Wilson knows how to wrote a good romance, even when all the cards and opinions are stacked against them, they find each other and more of themselves.

Mistakes Were Made feels like it should be the title of my life, and honestly, I think that is why I liked this book so much. I know some people have a hard time reading about characters who make decisions you would never make in a million years, but that’s life, and everyone goes through their own paths.

While both Cassie and Erin make some questionable choices, the biggest thing you have to give them credit for is going after exactly what they want, no matter what people are going to think of them. I feel like this is something I have talked to a lot of friends and family about in how difficult it can be to really make decisions based on what you actually want, instead of what you “should” want.

My college theatre professor, and honestly my favorite human on this planet, always used to tell us to “Never Live in the Land of Should”. I used to joke about this phrase so much, but as time passes, I have found myself repeating this more and more and realizing how much better off I am when I stop trying to do what I think I’m supposed to, and just live my life.

Anyway, this super long winded rant comes from this book really speaking to me and reading it at a time when I really needed to. I really enjoyed this and there is definitely a good amount of spice too, so overall a really enjoyable book!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This book is so steamy! I actually liked the age gap here between Erin and Cassie. Their characters are very mature and I liked that they were well developed. The writing was very good, very fun book to read and it just couldn’t hurt that it is queer!

I struggled to write this review, not because I didn’t like the book but because I loved it. I’m not sure I can convey how much in a way it deserves, but please go read it!

This book has a lot of things I have been looking for: a steamy secret romance (without adultery) / one night stand to friend with benefit to lover with a side of age gap. It was perfect.

The steamy scenes were hot but not distasteful. The story felt complete which I don’t often get. I normally feel like I would have like more of something such as more details or more time getting to know the MCs or a longer time enjoying their HEA. I feel like I got it all from this book, a feeling of completeness which I absolutely love such (it reminded me of Those who wait from Haley Cass. ).

I’ve read it 3 times now and I enjoyed it more each time. I will be purchasing it when it comes out and am praying for an audiobook version.

** Arc generously provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

I went into this expecting a fluffier sapphic romance, and it was very much not what I got lol. And no slow burn here by any means—you jump straight into smut.

I'd give it a 3.5 stars. While I wasn't necessarily in love with the characters or the storyline, this book was ridiculously hot. I was engaged enough to read it quickly, but I don't really know if I'd rec it unless it was to someone who wanted a raunchier rom-com without much else.

Mistakes Were Made was a great read! Loved both Erin and Cassie and I felt the character development was great. Using both of their perspectives helped me understand each of their motivations and relate to both of them throughout. I am not really a fan of age gaps and when I realized how young Cassie is I cringed a little bit, but this was so enjoyable that it was easy to overcome and root for them. Also a lot of spicy moments!