The book promised an intriguing mix of grief, romance, and unexpected encounters, but unfortunately, I found myself unimpressed. Ava's frosty demeanor and the repetitive nature of her encounters with Sofia failed to engage me. The plot felt predictable, and the characters lacked the depth needed to make their journey compelling. Overall, I didn't think much of the book, as it struggled to deliver the emotional resonance it aimed for.

"Get ready to feel all the feels with Emily O'Beirne's 'The Best Mistake'! This book dives deep into the messiness of grief, showing that healing isn't a race—it's a journey unique to each person. Set in the gorgeous backdrop of Australia, this isn't your typical love story. It's about two wonderfully different LGBTQ+ characters whose one-night stand turns into an unexpected, heartwarming romance. O'Beirne's writing brings raw emotion and authenticity to every page, making this a must-read for anyone who loves stories of love, loss, and finding hope in unexpected places."

Another great story by Emily O'Beirne. I enjoyed both characters and their personalities. When reading the synopsis I figured it would be a sweet story, however it did end up with both characters working through grief.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️
🚋🥂🏫📑👩🏻‍🍼

I highly enjoyed this novel by Emily O'Beirne, as it was a roller coaster of emotions and hard to put down.

Ice Queen Ava and Sweet Natured Sofia meet in Melbourne and have a two-night stand weekend, only to meet again eight months later through Ava's new job. They go through a roller coaster of emotions, first shock, then sexual tension, then trying to be professional to friends with benefits to heartbreak, and so on. Both of our characters had a lot to learn about each other and themselves, as well as go through a lot of things with their friends and family, including grief, and a change of lifestyle due to a serious accident.

I found it hard sometimes about how Ava treated Sofia a few times, but when she realises she's an idiot, everything goes back to being amazing and picture perfect. It was heartwarming.

The side characters are amazing, funny, and supportive and I loved every single one of them.

I loved that it was set in Australia, something that sounds like a given for Emily O'Breine books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for a copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.

Good opening chapter, then ooh second and third. Settled down for a compelling read.
I wasn’t sure, as the book went on if I actually liked Ava. If I was sofia’s pal I think I might be telling her to run. There are reasons but I’m not sure I’m thinking they are enough.
I never really warmed up. However the later section with mother moved me but because I wasn't a fan of one main, I really wasn't invested in the details of the relationship. A 3 because I was moved with the maternal move but I really wasn't moved by the rest or at least my initial enthusiasm waned.

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦: 𝚂𝙰𝙿𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲. 𝚂𝙴𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙳 𝙲𝙷𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴. 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙺𝙿𝙻𝙰𝙲𝙴. 𝙸𝙲𝙴 𝚀𝚄𝙴𝙴𝙽. 𝙰𝚄𝚂𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙰.
📚 ᴀʀᴄ 🏳️‍🌈⁠

The start was really good. The chemistry was intriguing. The emotional setting was also good, felt genuine between the main characters. Now, the 8 months later plot had me slightly underwhelmed.

𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧:
I will admit, I did have some expectations when I requested for this arc. The synopsis, the cover and of course, Ylva Publishing has like the best promise when it comes to Ice Queens. Title-wise, there were a lot of mistakes that, to me, Ava made regarding her development of a relationship with Sofia. The title is... no. Because that first meeting and all that happened during those days didn't seem like a mistake. But all the emotional turmoil Ava dragged through Sofia, that seemed like THE mistake(s) to me because in another life, you could lose someone over those.


𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:
A̳V̳A̳: I liked her emotional rage. Her friendship with her friend that had a baby was really sweet. There was a lot of issues with Ava though, mentally and emotionally. Her grief was understandable but what I failed to comprehend was how she treated Sofia. And I understand the angst concept but all those endless chapters of repetitive angst, getting hurt over the same issue was fun only the first time. Because at that time, it made sense but the other times, I failed to contemplate its use.

S̳o̳f̳i̳a̳:̳I will be honest, If it wasn't for Sofia's softness and also boldness, I might have enjoyed this book less. I related to her in a few aspects of her life, not to a major extent, but slightly nevertheless. So I was saddened when Ava kept hurting her in different small ways because baby girl was sensitive but also for the right reasons.

𝙺𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚓𝚊, you sweet child. I love you for the reasons on earth.



𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.

Sofia Juma was doing a job she loved, working with students to allow them to study at the university. Most were students who are coming to Australia, looking for a better life. Living with her mother wasn’t something she envisioned for herself but when her mother was injured it was decided it would be easier, seeing she was single with no children. Sofia loved her mom but she felt overwhelmed, what with the students she encountered. Luckily the young people attending her department were very serious when it came to education.
Ava Harris, who is dealing with her own problems has now moved to Melbourne, taking a lead role in the very department Sofia worked. Having gone through her own hell she was determined to make this career move work. She didn’t have time for relationships of any kind. But what was she supposed to do?
Ava and Sofia have met already. It was when Ava came for an interview at the very same university Sofia worked. But when they met neither talked about their careers but the attraction between the two was off the charts. Now they have to work together, yikes!
Ms O’Beirne has written a wonderful romance. Great characters, both main and supporting cast, great plot made this a book I hated to put down.
ARC via NetGalley/ YLVA

I'm an even bigger Emily O'Beirne fan after reading this book
From the first chapter this book had my curiosity and interest peaked. As character meetings go, the one between main characters Sofia and Ava is pretty unique. Departures from norms in lesfic - like cookie-cutter types of characters with flashy high powered professions and lifestyles - are refreshing to read and something I appreciate; this book feels realistic and more down to earth than idealized so if that's what you're looking to read, this fits that bill very well.
This story is funny and touching where even the predictable or expected touchpoints of this kind of story are reached in entertaining or unexpected ways. Even the setting of Melbourne Australia, which may be familiar if you've read other lesfic writers who base their stories there, is depicted in a way I've not read before between the vast multiculturalism and some non stereotypical Aussie wildlife making itself known in a part of the city on a regular basis.
While the relationship between Sofia and Ava is the core focus of the story, other relationships of all kinds populate the book and are written with much realism, humor and insight whether they are between friends or family (blood or chosen). So many secondary characters stand out as favorites for me as they steal scenes and get some great lines to deliver at just the right time. There is angst and drama in the budding romance between Ava and Sofia with the two of them wanting different things and one being more resistant than the other to basking in the goodness when they are together. If you want a romance that takes its time to unfold and then blossom, mixed with a ton of great banter between characters this is well worth reading. If you're a fan of O'Beirne's other books, rest assured you're getting the same quality storytelling as with her YA books, just with mains in their thirties and a bunch of older secondary characters as well as some high school/university age kids. If you're new to her work then I recommend this book and all her other stories. She has a knack for writing stories that resonate on multiple levels and I eagerly look forward to reading whatever she publishes next.

(3.5 Stars) Ava Harris meets Sofia Juma on a lost weekend where they have a fling with no expectations. Eight months later Ava accepts a new job at a university in Melbourne and is surprised to learn Sofia works there. Ava is still grieving the death of her twin brother two years earlier and has also broken up with someone recently. Sofia runs a campus tutoring program aimed to help migrant students. Sofia also helps a lot with her mother who is recovering from an accident.

I love that both women are in their 30s but that doesn’t mean they communicate well. They fall back into occasional intimacy but Ava is frustratingly cold after each interaction. Sofia on the other hand is always warm and inviting. A lot of the story is given over to friend and family relationships and people being helped by the tutoring program. It gave me a women’s fiction feeling more than a romance. This is the first book I’ve read from the author and I was rooting for a HEA.

This story is about how a one-night stand becomes something more when the two protagonists, after that first time that should have been the first and last, find themselves in a working relationship after a few months.

The personality of the two protagonists is very relevant, since they could not be more different. Sofía is a woman who has more or less had to adapt her life to the family circumstances that she has had to live in, although this has not made her resentful or bitter, on the contrary, she is quite happy in her work and environment. . But she is a little conditioned after all and is not developing her full potential.

The second protagonist is Ava, who due to family circumstances is withdrawn and distant, without trying to relate in depth with almost anyone around her. The step she takes by accepting a new job, unbeknownst to her, will cross Ava and Sofia's paths again. But that one-night stand doesn't seem to have the same importance for Ava as it does for Sofia. Or at least apparently.

Ava is quite cold and impersonal towards Sofia, who, without wanting to force anything between them, cannot leave her warm personality aside. And by dint of small steps, Ava lets Sofía in and they open up and discover their weaknesses to each other.

It is a story with sad parts but as a whole it shows people conditioned by their past, by events that seem to force them to follow a certain path different from the one they would have chosen for themselves, although in the end they manage to overcome and take advantage of the positive without resentment. .

I kind of went into this book thinking it would be a fun one night stand to forever kind of deal, while it is that to some extent, it is actually something else entirely.

This book deals with grief and adapting to a new life, a new normal if you will, more than anything. I think the author did well in portraying some of the emotions but I also found it a bit lacking. The despair and the gut wrenching feeling of whatever loss our main characters are feeling are told, described, but not really experienced through the writing. I’m more of show than tell kind of person. While both is good, you need to feel these feelings as well to be fully enveloped into the story.
Sofia is a wonderful patient and giving character, Ava could be seen as a little cold. For me they both sit firmly somewhere in the middle.

Overall I enjoyed it, but it also was neither here nor there for me. It wasn’t a light hearted fling to forever story, nor was it a angsty drama.

(Side remark, I read an ARC and it has many a spelling/ grammar error and I’m not sure if it is due to it being an ARC or it just being shoddy editing work…)

The more I read from Emily O’Beirne I more I love. The Best Mistake is a beautiful story of how grief impacts one’s life and there is no exact timeline to heal. That sometimes is about meeting the right person than can help you shift and begin to move on.

Ava and Sofia are very different people and that’s what makes this love story work so beautifully. The banter and chemistry between them made me smile, want to sometimes reach out and hug or shake Ava. Tell her to open her eyes and heart to Sofia, who was this wonderful supportive person, so giving and loving it nearly broke my heart. Caring for your parent is hard, but she still makes the effort to help everyone with a smile on her face. This is a story with so many layers happening. So many emotional situations.

I was pleased to read another story set in a city I know and so happy to hear the Aussie language, old and new coming through so clear. These characters feel real, their lives and loves feel genuine and I highly recommend this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and crave another one from O’Beirne. I don’t often give a book five stars, but I do with this fabulous one.

After reading the blurb for 'The Best Mistake,' I anticipated an exciting, sexy, second-chance romance. However, what unfolded was a deeply grief-driven narrative. While I appreciated the melting pot of cultures, the portrayal of awesome friendships, and the witty interactions with the students, the story felt somewhat repetitive. The main characters didn't truly get to know each other until about 80% into the narrative, which detracted from the romantic element. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Typically, I am skeptical of one-night-to-forever stories, but this one took me on a journey that I can only describe as refreshingly real without losing the romance take on two idiots made for each other. I followed along with Eva, the uptight professional storing all her feelings in and then out, hot and then cold. Our other MC, Sofia of course has her own issues, where she wants to take her life and who she really wants to be. Even when I questioned their choices, I rooted for them all the way.

I loved this second chance romance right from the catchy beginning where Sophia and Ava first met at the bar. It was in a hotel in Melbourne where Ava was staying after a professional meeting. One thing led to another and they spent two steamy nights in Ava’s hotel room before Ava returned home to Sydney.
Eight months later Ava had been plucked from a private college in Sydney to move to Melbourne to head up a group in charge of the new WIL program, Work Integrated Learning, where migrants were able to get learning experiences that would make them more employable.
This is where Ava and Sophia met up again, as Sophia had been running the study hall of the afternoon tutoring program where future teachers tutored recently arrived migrant students who were studying for exams, aspiring to get into a university.
At this point, I struggled with the story for a little while because of the introduction of so many new characters with foreign names that I wasn’t familiar with. However, I soon found them all to be colorful, interesting individuals, each with their own charming stories.
My favorite was Khadija, the sassy student from Somalia, who had fun bantering with Ava and called her Miss, saying she was posh and encouraged her to get a manicure and fancy acrylics! Ava was, indeed, always well-dressed in a pencil skirt and a nice button-down blouse, presenting the image of one who was reserved.
Khadija’s mother, Idil, was another interesting character, a very strong woman who had lost her husband in a car accident, was raising four children, putting herself towards a law degree and finding time to volunteer in the WIL program.
I hate leaving anyone out, and can’t introduce everyone, but I grew to love them all and the richness that they contributed to the book.
I do want to touch on the second chance romance since we all want HEA! When Sophia and Ava recognized each other at work, Ava didn’t acknowledge their previous meeting, barely even making eye contact. While Sophia was an open book, Ava preferred to be alone. That became her modus operandi!
It was some time before Ava began to melt enough to finally go out with a group of co-workers on a Friday evening. She and Sophia ended up alone, drinking wine on the balcony before ending up in a bed together. As good as they enjoyed their physical intimacies, Ava always continued to dismiss Sophia in future similar situations, leaving her hurt and confused.
Sophia was also troubled over being written off in a previous relationship and Ava knew her role in the cause of the ending of her former relationship. She was also dealing with the grief of her brother’s death. They both had to come to terms with issues and
it was heartwarming to follow these ladies as they found their way to love.
This was such s beautifully written, amazing book and a compelling read. I want to express my thanks to NetGalley and Ylva Publishing for the advanced read copy.

This was a fun read, I enjoyed it. Ava is blowing cold and hot and everything in between but she gets around eventually. And Sofia is just the classic sunshine person even through her own battles. The blurb attracted me to this one and I have no regrets.
Free ARC via NetGalley