A review by bahyreads
Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.25

 

Mistakes were made was a nearly perfect read for me. The characters, even beyond Erin and Cassie, were consistently written and easy to love. The writing itself was great, the use of dual pov gives insight to both characters in regards to how they are feeling in the moment, their background, and the progression of their feelings. The spice scenes were also incredible and avoided the pitfalls that scenes of that nature can fall into. This book genuinely made me laugh aloud. 

The premise was fantastic and I really enjoyed both the story and the characters. The taboo aspect of the story, being the age difference, was written in a way that wasn't uncomfortable. An issue I often have with a large age difference is the emphasis on the power imbalance. Mistakes were made does not have this problem.  Erin does not wield her age or perceived maturity against Cassie at any point and is not overwhelming dominant in sexual situations. The evenness of the power dynamic despite the age difference made this far more enjoyable than other books that use the trope. 

Now for the criticism. The pacing for the first and second half was a little mismatched, with the first half moving far faster than the second half. I did not particularly mind this but it could throw off some readers.  
 There were a couple of lines in the book regarding race that made me pause. The review I saw from Amivi on TikTok and Goodreads talked about the specific lines and the chapters they occurred in. I have seen the response from the author on TikTok regarding fixing this but I felt the need to at least mention this and not brush over the lines. 

Overall this was a fantastic read and I can not wait to get a physical copy in October