“I’d much rather lose face than lose you.”

Beatrice, Bea, is always stepping up and helping get her identical twin sister, Delilah or Dee, out of hot water. Even when that help includes stepping in to impersonate her so Dee’s very handsome and broody boss, Jonah, doesn’t fire Dee for her lackluster performance at her job. Mistaken identity, witty banter, and steamy connections ensue, all leading up to the big break - will Bea admit to her lie or will Jonah find out on his own?

I loved the banter between Bea and Jonah. She is such a level-headed professional and I loved to see her unexpected feelings for Jonah take off. The setting in Bath, England was so gorgeous, Christy did a great job painting the landscape so you could experience it for yourself. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I just hope we get Dee’s story next!

Beatrice (Bea) can’t say no to her twin, Delilah (Dee), and agrees to switch places with her so Dee won’t lose her job. Said job is at a boutique hotel attempting to get off the ground at the hands of broody owner, Jonah.

Jonah is a former rockstar, recovering alcoholic, reeling from a break up that went viral. When Bea arrives, he can’t help but notice a difference from Dee, who was all but fired. Bea comes on the scene with a festival to be held on the grounds, and comes to find herself with feelings for Jonah, which are reciprocated.

This was a quick, easy read. I liked the dual POVs, though it was a little odd to just have one or two from Dee at the beginning and then not again. Twin switches are always a good read because you know there will be fallout when the truth is revealed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Net Galley, author and publisher for the e-ARC.

When Beatrice Donovan agreed to help her twin sister Delilah by switching places she never planned to fall for her new boss.

⭐⭐ It was ok, I liked parts of it

The ingredients for this story were all there, but the execution fell short for me. I felt Bea was a well fleshed out character who had a lot of heart and I could connect with her. However, Jonah felt like a record stuck on repeat. His character lacked depth and growth, and every time we were in his POV he mentioned the same issues: ex-girlfriend, famous dad. His conflict never made a lot of sense to me in relation to the overall conflict of the story.

The overall plot, while enjoyable, lacks the necessary depth and tension I was looking for. The day-to-day operations of the hotel, while necessary for establishing the setting, sometimes overshadowed the central romantic relationship. I felt I was reading more about the job, than the characters. I needed more interactions between Bea and Jonah. The pacing is really uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others drag.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
The moment that really turned me off this book was when Jonah sleeps with Bea and then immediately walks out on her. He couldn't grovel enough to make up for that (but that's ok because he didn't even have to do that, even though he states he had to do something he "couldn't come back from"). I don't know - from that moment on the book really lost interest for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book, what follows is my objective review. Beatrice (Bea) has an identical twin (Delilah or "Dee"); Bea is the opposite of her artistic and free-spirited sister, she's type A and hardworking and sensible. They are the daughters of divorced parents (a hard-nosed and highly successful CEO and a flibbertigibbet mother), which has impacted their relationship with each other in all kinds of ways. Bea is working to get her business off the ground, and both daughters work to try to please their authoritarian father. After an injury, Dee asks Bea to step in and pretend to be her at her new boutique hotel job, which she's in danger of losing. Bea reluctantly agrees, and sets off to deceive Jonah, Dee's boss (and crush). Jonah is a hottie ex-musician trying to make his famous father's manor house a successful B&B and events venue. He has a rocky romantic past, and definitely puts the grump in grumpy. Will Bea be able to successfully deceive Jonah to help Dee save her job, and will she lose her heart in the process?

**SPOILERS BELOW**
There was a lot going on in this book, which made it a little hard to engage and focus. (The sub-plot with Dee and Jem felt like piling on to everything else happening, but it seems like that will probably be another book.) I struggled a bit to warm up to all of the main characters, who all seemed to lack depth, and I never fully liked any of them. But I especially didn't connect with Dee, who initially came across as selfish and immature but improved radically by the end after off-page events with Bea's business partner Jem. (I felt a little bad for Dee in the beginning, nobody seemed to like her much. Including me, I guess. Even Bea, when tempted by Jonah, was a lot more worried about deceiving Jonah than she was about hurting Dee.) And Bea had her own flip in personality: she started out sensible but some of her actions with Jonah later in the book make her seem really immature and manipulative. Bea jumps at the chance to help Dee, ostensibly out of long-held guilt and a sense of duty to take care of her flighty sister. But you had to wonder: if Bea was that willing to chop off her long hair and jump into her sister's life, how happy could she been with how her own was going? It turns out, she's not. Or, at least she's happier doing her sister's job and crushing on her sister's boss.

I did like the multiple POVs because it rounded out the story. The writing was good enough that I was engaged and it kept me reading, mainly just to see how the author was going to resolve everything. And in a book like this where it's hard to see any of it ending well, the author crafted a happy ending for everyone. Readers who enjoy identity-swapping, hot boss, open-door, grumpy-sunshine romance stories with imperfect characters will enjoy this one. But ultimately, it was not the book for me. Publishes January 16, 2025.

Best Mistake Ever was a cute cozy short read. I loved the way the writing prose offered several points of view for the different characters. The twin swap and grumpy sunshine’ were an absolute delight.

The plot was sweet but not overly so and did not get boring. It moved along and made sense how it ended. The write did a great job describing the scenery and characters in a way that made it easy to picture.

My favorite aspect of this book was the inclusive festival. All of the events and activities seemed so wholesome and I found myself jealous of the characters that for to participate. Everyone during the events seems so happy, carefree, and just loving life. It was a wonderful addition to the story.

This story was a delightful escape from reality and I look forward to Dee’s story 💕

Thank you to the net galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review
This book dives into the story of bea and jonah
Bea is asked to step in for her sister delilah at her work in a hotel after delilah ends up with an injury
The hotel is struggling and on the verge of closure and bea must quickly find a way to stop that from happening while also keeping her identity hidden from her temporary boss Jonah, a grumpy ex-rockstar
I really liked Bea's character she was kind-hearted and driven and really cared about the success of the hotel
And the interaction between her and Jonah were good and i enjoyed seeing them together
Jonah's character has a hard time trusting people after his past and i liked seeing him open up to bea and being vulnerable
I liked the book overall my only problem was the way the identity finally was revealed and Jonah sleeping with bea even after but not forgiving her but i liked that it was cleared up later and Jonah finally let go of his past and moved on
I'm hoping delilah gets her own book with a certain fake boyfriend after the little hint at the end and will be looking forward to other books by the author

A quick, fun book.

Former rockstar, and new hotel owner, Jonah is still reeling from a very public breakup. Bea is a sweetheart that is helping her twin sister, Dee, out by taking her place at the hotel when she gets injured. Soon Bea starts to fall for Jonah, and tries to stay away but is too drawn to him. They host a big musical event and end up doing a duet - Jonah shares with her about his ex and she falls even harder.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Bea y Dee son gemelas. Bea es la responsable, con una vida estable, mientras que su hermana es un caos. Dee quiere demostrarle a su padre que puede ser responsable, así que, cuando tiene un accidente que le impedirá ir a su trabajo y, por consiguiente, la despedirán, le pide a Bea que se haga pasar por ella.

Bea no está muy segura de ayudar a su hermana, pero cuando empieza a trabajar con Jonah, le encanta y disfruta lo que está haciendo, por lo que decide quedarse más tiempo. Sin embargo, cuanto más tiempo pasa con él, más se va enamorando, y sabe que, al revelar la verdad sobre el intercambio, lo perderá. ¿Qué hará Jonah cuando descubra la mentira?


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of the twin switch trope, a fun story of two very different twins and how good intentions bring about huge changes for both of them. Solid characters that you will root for, no real spice but plenty of longing, flirting, and simmer that underscore a good storyline.

The blurb had me really intrigued…a twin switch….what’s not to like?
Turns out, this book is a lot of things to like! It was a really fun British twin switch that I found really enjoyable.
Former rock star, now hotel owner Jonah employs the kind of flighty twin Delilah. When she gets hurt, strait laced sister Beatrice must fill in so Dee doesn’t lose her job.
It was British and fun and sweet and just a perfect little read with super likable characters.

My rating:
⭐⭐
I somewhat liked (some of) it.

Review: (SPOILERS IN THE REVIEW)
This one took me on a rollercoaster. The beginning is strong; it introduces us to the characters and leaves little question about why there’s going to be tension when the ultimate swap takes place—Dee and Bea are entirely different people, and Bea is too kind-hearted and hard-working to ever let someone down. The pacing was difficult for me. It would move quickly, then slow, then very slow, and then ramp back up again. There were moments of whiplash. I felt like the attraction between Bea and Jonah was superficial for the first 60% of the book—and that’s fine. Physical attraction is great, but I didn’t really buy into their genuine feelings for one another until they took their day trip together. I wish we had gotten more of these genuine and heartfelt moments from Jonah, even if it’s just his internal dialogue during his perspective. He never really softened for me until the end. My big ick with this one: Jonah knowing he didn’t want to forgive Bea for lying but sleeping with her anyway (only to immediately push her aside, leave, and shut her out after they’ve just had sex). I understood his heartache, but it felt like he just used her to satisfy that gnawing urge he’d had for the entire book. It was difficult for me to be invested in his happiness after this. IRL, I don’t think Bea and Jonah could ever be End Game. This feels like a “happy for now” kind of ending, and that’s okay.

The Cover: I’m obsessed with this cover artwork. It’s one of the prettiest cover designs I’ve seen in a while.

My Favorite Things:
• The setting is unique, and it was easy to visualize the beautiful hotel structure and grounds.
• This sister-swap plot is completely new to me, so this was a refreshing concept.
• The whole lake scene.
• The fact that when Bea decided to finally tell the truth—she just told the truth. Band-Aid off.
• Jonah’s self-awareness about who he is and what he’s meant to do. I like that he is carving his own path forward.
• Jonah’s thought—“Competency porn. I’ve always found skills more attractive than looks.” I feel that so hard. Same dude, same.

I'd like to extend a sincere thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bea Donovan would do anything to help her twin sister. Even if that means switching places with her so that she doesn’t lose her new job. Ever since they were kids, Bea has looked out for her flighty sister. She can’t let her fail, so she agrees to the mad plan, not knowing how much it would change her life.

After a life of partying and a stint in rehab, Jonah has decided to get a fresh start. He convinces his father to turn their investment property into a boutique hotel. Business is floundering, and it doesn’t help that the new employee he hired is a bit of a flake. However, it seems as Dee has turned over a new leaf. She’s suddenly reliable and committed to the success of the hotel, coming up with fresh ideas to gain more business. There’s something different about her he can’t quite put his finger on, and he can’t help himself from falling for her. But what happens when he discovers that Dee is actually Bea?

This was a quick and light-hearted read without too much angst. There was a misstep with this novel that was problematic, but I enjoyed it for the most part. I really liked Bea. She was kindhearted and intelligent. She really cared about the success of the hotel, and I thought there was definite chemistry between her and Jonah. I enjoyed seeing them work together and thought they made a great team.

Jonah had a lot of baggage. After a very public rejection from his ex fiancé, where it was made clear she was cheating on him and only using him for his fame, he had a hard time trusting people. That’s totally understandable. I liked seeing him open up to Bea, and seeing his vulnerability shine through. He starts off the novel a bit gruff, but you quickly see the real him shine through.

Where I had problems was the topic of his sobriety. It’s made known that Jonah went to rehab for his addiction, and yet throughout the novel he’s drinking, at times copiously, and I felt that his alcoholism was dismissed and treated insensitively. This was a missed opportunity for the author to dive deep into his struggles. I felt that she diminished the very real struggle those who have trouble with addiction face. To be honest, it was treated so cavalierly, and it left an impression on me which is why I didn’t rate it higher.

I also think that the chapter with Dee’s POV was unnecessary. We didn’t learn anything new from her than we did through Bea’s point of view. I’m not quite sure why it was included.

I did enjoy reading this I just wish that Jonah’s alcoholism was handled with more care or not have been included in the story at all.

Great book!!!! The characters and the plot were believable. I would read another book by this author.