Member Reviews

I wasn't initially interested in this book, but I ended up reading it after hearing so many raving reviews. While it wasn't for me, it is so different from Meryl Wilsner's debut, it was incredibly spicy and I look forward to reading what they write next.

Narration: Dual POV and dual narration is always a win.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for my copy to review.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed the writing style of this author it draws attention really well and makes you want to keep listening. I also really enjoyed the cover. It makes it have a humourous outlook to what your about to read.

Was this review helpful?

This book was unbelievable. The narrator was amazing, I loved being able to listen to the audiobook and read along with the ebook.
The story, my goodness, It was hot, and it explored things considered taboo. It was well written, pacing was amazing, character development was top notch, and I thoroughly fell in love with this story and the characters it based around. I loved the narrator, I felt she gave the book exactly what it needed. I truly can't recommend this book enough, and I can't wait to get all my friends to read it.

4.75 stars rounded up.

Was this review helpful?

I wasn't a fan. I was super excited about this one and it really let me down. it was slow and somewhat boring and I really disliked the characters. this is a pass for me.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you NetGalley for my e-arc!

This was my first audiobook and BOY!!! It was fantastic.
the spice!!!!
the sneaking around!!!!
the banter!!!!!!
love love love.

Was this review helpful?

This book was SO HOT! If you're looking for spice, you've come to the right place. The steamy scenes in Mistakes Were Made were so well-written.

I don't always love the age gap trope, more like this book could change my mind. The sneaking around gave me so much anxiety, but in a good way? I loved it and couldn't stand it at the same time. I was torn between rooting for Erin and Cassie and feeling bad for Parker.

The audiobook flew by since I was so anxious to see how it would all play out. Quinn Riley and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker narrated it perfectly.

I loved Wilsner's writing, and am already looking forward to reading their next book!

Was this review helpful?

mistakes were made: i’m the problem, not you.

although i knew that this book was going to have the age gap/best friend’s parent tropes, tropes i’m not a fan of, i thought i would give it a chance as it is a sapphic story.

unfortunately, as i should have known, i did not like this book. in addition, the plot relying heavily on mommy issues made this story feel even more strange to me.

i also felt like cassie and erin had no emotional chemistry whatsoever. all that were between them was a sexual attraction, which is more than okay. just not to my reading taste.

thank you macmillan audio and netgalley for providing of an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Cassie and Erin both want a one night stand and nothing serious. There fling at the bar was not supposed to have strings attached. But when Erin drops Cassie off at the same university as her daughter, things get complicated.

This was so good. Erin and Cassie dynamic was super fun and hot. The spice level at the beginning continues throughout, but there is also heart. I was happy to see both Erin and Cassie grow throughout the book. The writing was so compelling and I wanted to keep reading to get to the resolution.

Was this review helpful?

I want to thank Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for my copy of Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner.. Cassie is a senior in college and starting to make plans for the rest of her life. Estranged from her family, she heads to a bar during parents weekend. At the bar she starts speaking with Erin. She is there for parents weekend as well but her divorced husband is out to dinner with their daughter. They hit it off and hook up. This should be a one night stand but that doesn’t happen. The next morning Carrie goes to breakfast with her best friend, Parker. At breakfast is Parker’s mom, Erin and this is when the fun starts. Like any great RomCom.. Cassie and Erin start their love affair and try to keep it secret. This is such a cute story of love, friendship and family. The author did an excellent job worrying this story. Could Cassie and Erin keep their secret? Move their relationship to the next level? Would Parker find out and be devastated? This was an easy, light hearted read. I gave it 4 stars. The narrators did an excellent excellent job telling the story. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Was this review helpful?

I don't read a lot of taboo books but I'm glad I decided to give this one a try.

Erin and Cassie had amazing chemistry together and you could feel their connection. I just wish there had been a little more plot to this one.

I enjoyed each of the narrators also.

Was this review helpful?

loved the twist on this one. a new wave of romance is coming to publishing. thought this was such a creative idea

Was this review helpful?

I didn't finish this title, it was not as good as Wilsners other books and needed some more fine tuning. The spicy scenes were well done but the plot felt boring, even though it was more original. The characters fell flat as well. I may give this another try in the future but it just didn't keep my attention. The narrator had a tiny consistency to their voice which made it hard to focus and enjoy.

Was this review helpful?

Unfortunately I decided to DNF this book! I think I'm just not the right audience since I don't really enjoy romances that lean on the smuttier side, and starting the book off with a very spicy scene just overwhelmed me a bit.

Was this review helpful?

This was more than I had hoped for. I hadn't read anything by Meryl Wilsner before, but I had heard great things so I had to try. I hadn't expected this to span so much time, but I'm glad it did. I also loved that this was a low-key holiday romance - just LOTS of holidays.

Cassie and Erin are both flawed characters, but they felt realistic. Their worries and their friendships felt relatable. I loved having both POVs here so that we could see each woman's perspectives, feelings and concerns. I don't think I would have enjoyed it anywhere near as much without having both POVs.

I loved getting to know Cassie's friends - both of her best friends I would die to have! I wish we got to see more of Erin's external relationships. We barely experienced her relationships with best friend and ex husband - both of which I think would have added some more depth to Erin's character.

The audiobook narrators did an amazing job at keeping me interested and making these two women feel real.

I have never read an age gap romance before, but after this I definitely want to find more sapphic age gap romcoms. I also plan on picking up Meryl's previous book while I impatiently wait for their next release!

Was this review helpful?

I am so conflicted about this book. Although I liked Erin and Cassie and their relationship, I struggled with liking them as people and respecting their actions. I liked these two together a lot and the steam was perfect, buuuuut I hated how they treated Parker. I made me dislike the characters for hiding their relationship from their best friend/daughter. I wish they had come clean at the beginning and deal with the fallout so I could have enjoyed the book better, especially since Parker wasn't even that sympathetic of a character, but they still did her dirty. I could not get pass this.

Was this review helpful?

MISTAKES WERE MADE is a sharp and sexy romcom about a college senior who accidentally hooks up with her best friend's mom.

The quick synopsis was all I need to know that this was my kind of read! It was such a fun book to switch things up from a few thrillers I'd been reading, and I liked the steam level, which was a bit pf a fun surprise that I didn't't expect.

I listened to the audiobook copy, which was narrated by a cast of voices, including Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Quinn Riley, and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker. They were great choices and I could picture them as the characters while reading.

*many thanks to St Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

Was this review helpful?

I sadly did not get to finish this book before it was archived, however I will for sure be adding it to my collection so I can finish it soon. God I’ve loved this book! A must read for sure. There isn’t many LGBTQ books on the market and there’s few that are worth the read. However “Mistakes Were Made” is one of the few. This hilarious, sexy rom com focuses on a girl who finds herself in a sticky situation after sleeping with the MILF of her bestfriend.

Was this review helpful?

This was an enjoyable, smutty, taboo (best friend’s mom is the love interest) sapphic romance. However, I did run into a few issues with it.

Some of the problems I had with it:

-The characterization of Parker, Erin’s daughter, specifically the infantilization of her character rubbed me the wrong way. She was supposed to be 18/19 (she’s a college freshman) in the book but she honestly read more like a 15 year old. I understand the author was trying to highlight the maturity of Cassie (21 years old) by doing this but Parker’s character just ended up reading unusually immature to me.
-There were a few instances where Erin behaved pretty callously towards Cassie. At one point, Erin uses the fact that Cassie doesn’t have a relationship with her mother as a “gotcha” in an argument/disagreement and the way she threw that at Cassie was pretty low of her, especially since she’s the 38 year old in this relationship, and she didn’t adequately apologize enough for it to me.
-I think that period where Parker randomly went cold on Cassie was handled pretty strangely. Based on the things that get revealed later on, this was all supposed to make sense but it all still felt like it could’ve been handled in a better way that didn’t have to include so much poor communication and petty drama.
-Erin and Cassie’s relationship was definitely mostly based on sex. Which is okay, but I think this frequently happens in romance books. Sexual chemistry/attraction replaces any depth that should be present in a relationship.

As you can tell, I have a lot of criticisms of this book, but this was a pretty pleasant read overall

Was this review helpful?

Recently, I finished reading Mistakes Were Made, which I was so lucky to have received an advanced copy of from St. Martin’s Griffin! This book was such a great read for me, what with my love of romance in the chilly weather!

Mistakes Were Made has got to be the single steamiest book I have ever read! Despite the many (fantastically written) steamy scenes, I never lost sight of the characters and their personalities. This can occasionally be an issue for me with romance novels, that characters fail to stand on their own outside of their romantic pursuits and interests, but that was very much not the case with Mistakes Were Made! Cassie and Erin are both strong women and protagonists, who are interesting and exciting to read about! I could easily see myself reading about them again in a sequel, because their relationship and personalities has me absolutely hooked!

In addition to reading a physical copy, I also had the wonderful experience of listening along to an audiobook version from Macmillan Audio! The narration for the audiobook version of Mistakes Were Made was just perfect for the story! The narrator’s voices reflected how the characters sounded in my head, which is the number one thing I look for when listening to a book. Though the story was already so amazing, the audiobook version elevated it even further for me!

My Recommendation-
If you are looking for a super steamy read to keep you warm during the cold months, you need to snag a copy of Mistakes Were Made! If you love romantic sapphic stories, this is going to be a must-read for you!

Was this review helpful?

Never once did it cross Cassie's mind that she would meet Erin the day after their night out. And definitely not as her close friend Parker's mom. What ensues from there is a chaos of attraction, feelings, guilt and lots of hiding.

This isn't something I would ordinarily read, let alone like, but now it has a very special place in my heart.

Yes, it's got a controversial trope, which I was sceptical about, yet I think it was pretty well done. I loved the way Meryl Wilder shaped both MCs personalities, their crux feeling so real and warm, inner conflicts genuinely believable.

What I didn't feel worth my time was the dragging of the plot, which got super out of hand. It's one thing to be kept on the edge of your seat, guessing the story, but quite another to be left in the dark for ages. I think this led to a massive buildup, which in the end didn't live up to my expectations. (Weirdly enough, I was pretty happy with the actual listening until the after-thoughts popped in)

Bonus points for the dual narration by Quinn Riley and Stephanie Németh-Parker. They were simply brilliant in breathing life into Cassie and Erin. Can't wait to listen to more voicing by these superb artists.

Big thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ALC in exchange of an honest review.

Was this review helpful?