Member Reviews
This was an adorable story of lovely Lizzie and her ADHD. This story provided that alternate look into the life of those diagnosed with ADHD and what struggles they experience with life. But also about the different coping mechanisms that can be used as well.
This was a cute story about how two people can find one another and support each other in many different ways. I loved both of the main characters and they were very much an opposites attract.
I enjoyed the audiobook version with both the male and female voices alternating from each view point. 👌
I don't love accidental pregnancy as a plotline, but this one was pretty cute and interesting. I appreciate the story highlighting some of the difficulties of living with adult ADHD. I definitely feel like I can see a lot of people seeing Lizzie as relatable. Overall, very cute and fun story.
Wow, I absolutely adored this book. I loved learning about Lizzie and the descriptions of the ADHD that she has dealt with her entire life were spot on. I felt myself relating to Lizzie in so many ways. And don't even get me started on Rake! He was so adorable. Their relationship was so cute from the start. The writing really made me feel like I just knew the characters.
Cute story of a two night stand with Lizzie and Rake, from Australia on a work trip, which. results in a knock up. Lizzie has many issues, one of them being ADHD. She’s well aware of her downfalls but is determined to make motherhood work. When she lets Rake know he’s the father, he immediately makes plans to live to the USA to co-parent. The story lies on their journey throughout the pregnancy and for the first time each of them feeling complete understanding from another human being, quirkiness and all. They fall head over heads for each other. The book is well written and gives you all the feel goods of a new relationship. I recommend the book. The narration is really good. Looking forward to more books from the author and two narrators.
I listened to this on audiobook through #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this book was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. After a two night stand leads to an unplanned pregnancy all mayhem ensues. I loved that Lizzie was a quirky, fun, funny, but complicated woman who was frank about her struggles with ADHD. As someone who also struggles, I found this incredibly relatable. I loved that they had an instant connection rather than an instant love story and that Rake was so willing to be in the child's life. I thought that it was a great way to weave the two characters together and was so excited to see what would unfold between the two of them. This is a beautiful book with plenty of spice and lots of compassion. I highly recommend it!
The narrators were superb. I loved the way that they alternated in and out of the accent, and the way that they seamlessly shifted the points of view as they led into the next chapter. I found them easy to understand, and they reflected the jovial and/or serious tones perfectly.
Lizzie Blake is the epitome of a hot mess. Her ADHD fueled life has her having difficulty holding down jobs, being in serious relationships and essentially holding any responsibilities. It's only a chance meeting in a bar when she finds Rake, an Australian hunk, to help her settle down...but only slightly and only because of a consequence of their whirlwind weekend together.
While this was a quick and easy to read romance and the story was more unconventional for romance novels, it just fell a bit flat for me. This might be because of the whole happy endings that just seem a bit too sugary sweet for me. I liked Lizzie as a character because she represented adult ADHD I think quite well, but she felt almost too immature at times. Maybe I'm too pessimistic, but it just seemed completely unbelievable that Rake would upend his life to come and be with a woman he has known for roughly 48 hours. It was fun to read, but I think it could have potentially been better; maybe if there were less dick jokes?
The narrators are truly the thing that made me like this book as much as I did. I feel like the seamlessly went back and forth between the characters of Lizzie and Rake, and did such a great job on the accent work. They put the perfect inflections when necessary and I really enjoyed listening to them even if I didn't love the book as much as I had hoped.
Thank you to MacMillan and Netgalley for this advanced audiobook of this novel. All opinions in this review are my own.
I absolutely adored this spicy, sweet, and a little emotional rom-com! Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the ARC!
I loved that the main character was thick, neurodivergent, and complex, and that none of these things fully defined her. Lizzie Blake is a very well rounded character, and Rake was a great foil to her, and the relationship works well for it. I appreciated the trugger warnings at the top of the book, and don't think they negatively spoiled the content of the book. the writing was smart, earnest, and I felt like I really knew everyone. Looking forward to more of Mazey's works
I listened to the audiobook Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings, Narrated by Summer Morton; Will Peters, and I enjoyed it. The multi-voice performance was a a plus to this audiobook for sure. This one is my favorite of the A Brush with Love Series. Lizzie and Rake's relationship is not a conventional one for sure. After getting pregnant on what was supposed to be a one-night stand, so much changing and shifting happens in both their lives to make this co-parenting thing work. Lizzie is a fantastic baker and is learning to navigate her life with ADHD. Rake was heartbroken from a previous relationship, worked in advertising, and uprooted his life from Australia when he found out Lizzie was pregnant. This book is excellent if you do not mind the accidental pregnancy trope and a happy ending.
Sensitive topics are mentioned at the beginning of the audiobook. Please check those before reading.
If you read and enjoyed A Brush with Love you'll enjoy this too. Your favorite characters are back with this story revolving around Lizzie.
Audiobook: I liked that this has two narrators for the main characters. Each of them brought their character to life and made listening to the story enjoyable.
Story: I'm not a fan of the pregnancy trope, but I did enjoy this story. The characters are a close group of friends and you can feel the chemistry between Lizzie and Rake. I enjoyed listening to Lizzie's character development throughout the story and she has people who accept her.
The main character has ADHD and rejection sensitive dysphoria. This is the first I have personally heard of RSD and the way the author wrote the information was informative. The main character describes situation where her ADHA and RSD have been present in her life to give the reader an understanding of what it may feel like if you haven't experienced it.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio fo the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.
🔊Song Pairing: Somebody to You - The Vamps
💭What I thought would happen:
I truly had no idea but I think I think the yellow cover made me think grumpy/sunshine and a girl named Lizzie 😂
📖What actually happens:
Lizzie Blake is a live wire. She lives by her own rules, never committing to one man and a huge fan of one night stands (you go girl)! When her sexy ONS turns into an accidental pregnancy the spicy Australian, Rake, uproots his life and moves his butt back to America to be closer to Lizzie and fetus.
Lizzie and Rake attempt to live in synch in one house to attempt to co-parent. But with hormones flowing through her body, Lizzie is struggling hard keeping her hard to herself.
🗯Thoughts:
I learned so much about ADHD through Lizzie’s struggles throughout the book. That being said, we must protect Lizzie at a every possibility. Her character is absolutely precious!
This was such a delightful read after I DNF’d A Brush With Love. I may circle back to that one some day.
I 💯 recommend listening to this because the voice of Rake had my panties in flames. However, it was also 30 degrees Celsius sooo we may never know😂
If you like: erotic baked goods, pregnancy behaviours that I fear may be relatable, jerk-face parents and undeniable chemistry this book is for you.
This book was a bright ray of sunshine!
Lizzie Blake is a mess, which is confirmed when she has a 2-night stand with a hot Aussie named Rake and she accidentally gets pregnant. The book centers around the two of them and how they navigate the sudden news together and maybe sort-of fall in love.
Lizzie Blake seems like a mess right up front, but it’s quickly revealed that she has ADHD. As someone who has ADHD myself, I can’t tell you enough how delightful it was to read about someone who I could relate to! I saw myself in Lizzie so often, wanting to reach into the book and share with her things I’ve learned about my own ADHD struggles. Lizzie is so relatable, it really doesn’t matter if you have ADHD or not.
I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved the dual POV! Rake is an Aussie, which is a delight to hear, even though an American did the audio for him, changing into and Aussie accent for Rake’s dialogue. At first it was a little strange and distracting, but I got over it quickly.
There’s one trope in this book I usually avoid reading: pregnancy/accidental pregnancy. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I truly loved Rake and Lizzie separately and also together, or that this book was just so darn cute, but I actually liked the trope. I loved Lizzie’s way of doing things and the plot that followed how she and Rake handled the situation was perfect and seemed right with her ADHD too.
This book has a lovely bit of spice too! The chemistry between our two MCs was HOT!!
This book made my neurodivergent brain super happy! Thank you, Mazey Eddings, for the representation!!
I want to first thank the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this book as and Audiobook.
This was surprisingly a 4/5 star book for me.
We follow Lizzie a constant “screw up”. Lizzie lives with ADHD and despite trying her best to live a normal life she is always hitting road blocks. We also follow Rake, an Australian marketing professional that is done with relationships until he meets Lizzie.
I personally thought this book had a good representation of ADHD and how negative self talk can effect the way we live.
I wasn’t sure how I would like the unexpected pregnancy troupe but I think this book did it right so I actually liked it. There is also one bed troupe in the book which I liked.
I personally thought the book was funny and the characters were pretty relatable considering I don’t have life experience like them.
The only thing that I did find a little weird was that while speaking Rake had an Australian accent but the rest of the time the male narrator didn’t have an accent. To me the inner monologues should have had the accent as well. That was by no means a deal breaker for me though.
There were a few smutty for scenes and they were good but not the best I had read. Overall I enjoyed the smut and the plot and would recommend this book.
Read/Listen If You Like:
❤️ Romances
❤️ Neurodivergant MC
❤️ Hot Australian Men
❤️ Accidental Pregnancy Trope
❤️ Spicy Scenes
Audiobook Review:
Ever listen to or read a book that is just exactly what you need in a moment? This one was absolutely one of those for me.
Lizzie was endearing, funny, lighthearted, full of depth, and all the things a character should be. I loved how vibrant she was and the inclusion of her ADHD and disability awareness that was provided in the book. And her strength! She has her flaws, but dang that girl is tough. I related so much to Lizzie when she discussed her parents conditional love and ended up letting a few tears out while she discussed her feelings because of this and how I could relate so deeply with her in that moment.
I loved how light the majority of the storyline was as that was definitely needed after listening to several thrillers back to back.
This one also has a fair amount of open door smutty scenes, pining, and in general talk or thoughts about sex.
We also get dual POV which I feel Mazey does so well in her books and was so excited to get the male perspective from Rake during his relationship with Lizzie.
I honestly can’t wait for the next installment of the series, but since it isn’t out until April 2023, I guess I will have to…
Thank you Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Griffin for ARC copies of this one! I am so thankful to receive it and read it in advance of its release!
Lately it seems I’ve been reading romance books that feature deep subjects while still being relatively light reading. Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake is another one of these excellent reads. Lizzie has ADHD, so there is a focus on neurodiversity, and the book gives you a really good picture of how ADHD affects a grown woman. Lizzie is totally body-positive - she is proud of her curves and is quite frank and open about her sexual desires. But she is the opposite of confident when it comes to her brain, to her abilities. The story is told in two POVs, either from Lizzie or from Rake, an Australian she meets in a bar in Philadelphia. (While Philadelphia is the setting, other than a short section where Lizzie shows him around her town, this story could’ve taken place in any major American city.)
I loved Lizzie! And I loved how Rake responded to her. Where a lot of people felt she was “too much,” he appreciated how Lizzie responded to the world, and appreciated their differences.
Warning: Lizzie decides to keep her pregnancy, not knowing Rake’s backstory includes an ex who had an abortion without telling him. In a post-Roe America, this aspect of the book may strike some readers as a case of bad/insensitive timing. But I found Lizzie’s decision to keep the pregnancy to be in keeping with her personality and neurodiversity - she didn’t always follow the “sensible” path to anything.
The two narrators of the audiobook, Summer Morton and Will Peters, do a fabulous job, but I’d warn anyone listening to the audiobook to use headphones of some sort, because there are some very steamy/spicy parts of this book.
There are several romance/rom-com tropes going on here, all quite successfully: accidental pregnancy, grumpy-sunshine, and only-one-bed/forced proximity, to name a few.
While this is the second book in a series about a group of friends, you absolutely don’t have to read the first book to enjoy this one.
I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
With loads of quirky banter, mishaps, and overall amazing characters, this book is a wonderful read (or in my cause, listen)!
While typically the accidental pregnancy isn't my idea of a great romance, this book was equal part fun, swoony, and a peek into the life of someone with adult ADHD. I loved getting to step into this world, and appreciated the fierce way the women in this book stood up for one another.
I was given a ARC copy in audiobook form on Netgalley and in return gave my honest feedback.
This is a cute rom-com featuring a woman with ADHD, Lizzie, who gets knocked up via a two-night stand, Rake. I liked seeing ADHD presenting in a woman, since it is usually illustrated with male characters who do not mask as well as females. Some of Lizzie’s negative self-talk and treatment by her parents could be triggering for neurodiverse people. The kindness and patience Rake shows Lizzie and his appreciation and acceptance of her wiring is good modeling for treating neurodiverse with respect.
I didn’t love the audio narration. The female narrator was great, but I found the male narrator confusing. He only used Rake’s Australian accent when he was speaking, but not when we were hearing his thoughts, even though it is told via single person point of view. So, it was like he thought with an American accent but spoke with an Australian one. Very confusing.
This book was so great! It was funny and messy and chaotic. I loved Lizzie and Rake. I loved how Rake had her back with her parents. This book was just a sweet and easy read. Perfect summer read. The narrator was great and easy to listen to!
Wow! This definitely started out with a bang. 🤣 I enjoyed Lizzie and her views. The overall story was sweet and I laughed and had second hand embarrassment several times.
This was the first book I have read (listened to) with the MC having ADHD. I have never felt more seen! I did not have the same struggles as a child but as an adult... I felt it all.
This was my first book by Mazey Eddings and I have already added the first in this series to my list!
Can definitely be read as a standalone.
And both narrators did a phenomenal job!
Thank you so much to Mazey Eddings, MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This will be published on Sept 6th, 2022.
I'm just going to put it out there, this will likely be in my top 5 books of the year.
Quick recap before I go on about how much I adore this book:
Lizzie meets Rake.
A weekend hookup that wasn't supposed to go beyond that, ended in a surprise pregnancy.
Lizzie and Rake navigating what they are to each other and how they were going to raise the baby.
As prefaced above, I absolutely loved this book! I was a fan of Eddings debut release A Brush With Love so I knew I had to check out her next book.
This blew all my expectations. I will admit that I was nervous because I have not read any books with an unexpectedly pregnancy and wasn't sure how I would feel regarding the trope. I am not sure how other books handled it to compare it to but I thought it was handled very well. As someone who has struggled with fertility, I like that Eddings acknowledged that pregnancies don't always make it past the first trimester and the fear that comes with that.
"I'm scared," she said whispered at last. Although it seemed impossible, Rake hugged her even tighter. "Me too."
I stayed up way past anyones bedtime to finish this and so many times I wanted to scream at them both because they clearly loved each other but yet neither wanted to admit it (darn miscommunication trope). Lizzie and Rake's relationship on paper should not have worked but yet they worked perfectly together. But they were each other's ying and yang. Edding's dialogue between the characters were crafted so well. I was giggling to myself at the stuff Lizzie would say and then at Rake's response as he would play along with her.
In Edding's Acknowledgements she mentions her ADHD and knowing that made all the sense of how she was able to make Lizzie's ADHD so believable and real. I love seeing how Lizzie worked through and overcame so much throughout the course of the book. She knows where her struggles are and does her best to rectify them even if it doesn't always work or half works.
"I make a lot of mistakes. But I'm trying. Does that matter to you at all? The effort I make to be better?"
Her conversation in the last quarter of the book with her mother was raw and honest. And once again proving that setting boundaries and removing toxic people from your life (even if its family) is so important to do. I was so proud of Lizzie for standing up to her mother.
Rake has been added to my list of top tier book boyfriend of 2022. I had even tweeted the author to express my love of Rake and his Australian accent. This once again proves that I fall for men only written by women.
And for those who are into the spicy bits in books, this one delivers! I think it was a mix of Edding's writing and my feelings towards Rake that made it all so so enjoyable.
I have also paired this with the audio. I really love that there were two narrators - one for Lizzie and one for Rake. I thought they both did an excellent job and had wonderful inflection and tone throughout the book. I thought Will Peter's Australian accent was well done. Summer Morton's softness came across in Lizzie's vulnerable times.
One of my favorites quotes comes from the author in her acknowledgements - "Every brain is beautiful, and they all deserve love exactly as they are." No truer words have been said. Thank you Mazey!
Lizzie’s chaotic life may seem messy and full of mistakes, but Lizzie is the queen of rolling with it. After losing another job thanks to her uncontrolled ADHD, Lizzie does what she loves and finds a hot guy to share a night with. Meet Rake: swoony Australian visiting Philidelphia for work. He has sworn off all romantic relationships, but Lizzie’s firecracker personality constantly challenges his resolve. When a sexy one-night-stand becomes a weekend, the two are faced with some epic consequences.
I loved the beginning, and then a few chapters in I thought I was going to hate the rest of the book. But I didn’t! While this one has a trope I usually don’t love, I really loved the character development, and especially loved Lizzie’s self-growth and acceptance. I haven’t read many books that feature a main character with ADHD, and appreciated how Lizzie’s childhood and relationship with her friends and parents was highlighted throughout the book.
Thank you so much to the author, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for a chance to listen and review!