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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
i wanted to love it so much but the writing was so painfully juvenile. i could let it go in the opening since it kicked off with a one night stand (which is usually not a trope i enjoy - the tension throughout the book always ends up feeling off to me with this), but it just kept getting worse and worse. it made an already difficult to accept age gap all the more brutal. and i’m sorry but erin and cassie were such assholes?
i hate to be a hater when it comes to wlw romances but god this sucked sorry. need me a caitvi type romance, this was not it.
i hate to be a hater when it comes to wlw romances but god this sucked sorry. need me a caitvi type romance, this was not it.
Girl meets girl. Girl hooks up with girl. Girl feels guilty. Girl hooks up with girl again.
Okay, that's a bit glib, but the first half of Mistakes Were Made is, essentially, one long sex scene with brief breaks for guilt and backstory. The sex scenes are well-written and quite steamy, but not very much happens in the breaks between them.
The plot picks up in the second half of the book. Both characters have very well-developed backstories, which I loved, but I couldn't really see any specialness to their interaction beyond the fireworks in bed. Given the impediments to their relationship (age difference, long distance, friend's mom), I really needed to believe that both of them had found something truly unique to root for them to stick it out, and I just couldn't. I did enjoy some of the twists the plot took, and the ending was sweet.
3.5 stars.
[I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. Opinions are my own.]
Okay, that's a bit glib, but the first half of Mistakes Were Made is, essentially, one long sex scene with brief breaks for guilt and backstory. The sex scenes are well-written and quite steamy, but not very much happens in the breaks between them.
The plot picks up in the second half of the book. Both characters have very well-developed backstories, which I loved, but I couldn't really see any specialness to their interaction beyond the fireworks in bed. Given the impediments to their relationship (age difference, long distance, friend's mom), I really needed to believe that both of them had found something truly unique to root for them to stick it out, and I just couldn't. I did enjoy some of the twists the plot took, and the ending was sweet.
3.5 stars.
[I received a complimentary ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. Opinions are my own.]
3.5⭐️
Thank you so much to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
This was my first Meryl Wilsner book and it won't be my last. This was steamy, swoony, and completely binge worthy. This wasn't my favorite romcom of all time, but there was so much to love about this sapphic romance!
So let's start with what I absolutely loved.
First of all - this book is HOT. For so long it felt like we only got sweet, soft F/F romances. But no more. This book brought the steam and I was living for it. The chemistry between these 2 characters was so fantastic. And I loved how unapologetically queer it was all around.
But not only did this have a fantastic romance, but the I loved the friendships. This really showed how platonic love can be just as important as romantic love. The friendship these girls had was fierce and complex and at times strained. I just loved this exploration of what it means to be friends and all the ways those relationships can be stretched and strained - especially in college.
However there were a few things I didn't 100% get on board with...
While I loved the friendships as a whole, I found our heroine Cassie to be difficult to root for at times. I don't mind an unlikeable MC a lot of the time, but in a romance I need to get behind both love interests. And sometimes Cassie made it difficult. She makes so many toxic and harmful choices and then pins it on other people - often her friends.
I just really struggled with how terribly she treated Parker at times and tried to blame it on Parker...
But what really kept this from being a higher rating for me was the pacing of this book. Was it hot? Yes. Were the relationships complex and developed? Yes. Did I enjoy my reading experience all the way through? Not 100%....
For some reason this book really dragged through the middle. I felt like we were having the same conversations over and over and over again with little variation or momentum. And despite this book being only a little over 300 pages, it felt too long.
I'd also like to mention that the age gap, and therefore inherent power imbalance, was never addressed or acknowledged.
However, if you're looking for a fun, steamy, age gap romance, this is definitely one worth checking out! I love how Meryl Wilsner wasn't afraid to go there with this messy, queer love story and I definitely plan to read more from them in the future!
Thank you so much to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.
This was my first Meryl Wilsner book and it won't be my last. This was steamy, swoony, and completely binge worthy. This wasn't my favorite romcom of all time, but there was so much to love about this sapphic romance!
So let's start with what I absolutely loved.
First of all - this book is HOT. For so long it felt like we only got sweet, soft F/F romances. But no more. This book brought the steam and I was living for it. The chemistry between these 2 characters was so fantastic. And I loved how unapologetically queer it was all around.
But not only did this have a fantastic romance, but the I loved the friendships. This really showed how platonic love can be just as important as romantic love. The friendship these girls had was fierce and complex and at times strained. I just loved this exploration of what it means to be friends and all the ways those relationships can be stretched and strained - especially in college.
However there were a few things I didn't 100% get on board with...
While I loved the friendships as a whole, I found our heroine Cassie to be difficult to root for at times. I don't mind an unlikeable MC a lot of the time, but in a romance I need to get behind both love interests. And sometimes Cassie made it difficult. She makes so many toxic and harmful choices and then pins it on other people - often her friends.
I just really struggled with how terribly she treated Parker at times and tried to blame it on Parker...
But what really kept this from being a higher rating for me was the pacing of this book. Was it hot? Yes. Were the relationships complex and developed? Yes. Did I enjoy my reading experience all the way through? Not 100%....
For some reason this book really dragged through the middle. I felt like we were having the same conversations over and over and over again with little variation or momentum. And despite this book being only a little over 300 pages, it felt too long.
I'd also like to mention that the age gap, and therefore inherent power imbalance, was never addressed or acknowledged.
However, if you're looking for a fun, steamy, age gap romance, this is definitely one worth checking out! I love how Meryl Wilsner wasn't afraid to go there with this messy, queer love story and I definitely plan to read more from them in the future!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Não sei como, mas o final melhorou o livro todo. Gostei do facto de acompanharmos a história durante quase um ano e de não ser tudo a acontecer num curto espaço de tempo. Also, amen por não haver third act break up!!!!!! Melhor coisa deste livro, porque a escrita? Not my favorite.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book overall, and even finished it fairly quickly. However, some aspects of the age gap relationship were a bit uncomfortable to read, specifically when the older character’s daughter was mentioned so frequently. I get that scandal and sneaking around is a big part of the forbidden romance trope, but in this case, I couldn’t help but find it a bit off-putting. Not only that, but the difference in maturity was made clear in a way that didn’t help ease the discomfort (for example, mentioning that Cassie avoided eating vegetables on two occasions, making her seem even more childish.) I still found the story entertaining and worth reading, I just wish a few things had been handled more thoughtfully.
Started this book at 2 in the morning—Stayed up until 7am to finish it. It was SO cute (and spicy