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A review by ekcanales
Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
*ARC copy received in exchange for a review*
Cassie Klein is not good with relationships, she's totally lost when it comes to all of that emotion and vulnerability. As a senior at Keckley College, Cassie is preparing for graduate school at CalTech and leaving her best friends in Virginia behind. One lonely night, Cassie picks up a one-night-stand at a bar, Erin: a gorgeous, confident, and alluring older woman who Cassie can't keep her hands off of. After a night of the best sex ever, the couple parts ways for good... until Cassie meets her best friend's mom on family weekend: ERIN! How will the couple navigate this relationship that is very wrong... but feels so right, especially when they keep finding themselves together again and again?
Mistakes Were Made is such a STUNNING, sexy novel with amazing representation, lovable and 3-dimensional characters, and undeniable sexual tension! Most notably, this novel is a wonderful piece of LGBTQ+ representation, with Cassie, Erin, and their relationship being a very realistic picture of sexuality in a person's life and experiences. There's also strong representation of a variety of racial, cultural, and social backgrounds that other novels often lack.
All of the characters throughout this novel are fully fleshed-out, lovable, and REAL! The motivations behind different characters' actions were always clear, justified, and sensible (even when I didn't really agree with the choices made). Despite their questionable decisions, each character had redeeming qualities that kept me rooting for them all the time. Cassie is strong and independent, yet struggles emotionally. Erin is successful and hardworking, but worries too much about what she SHOULD do. The one character I didn't enjoy was Parker, Erin's daughter and Cassie's best friend. She often acts spoiled and immature, pouting when things don't go her way and ghosting instead of talking about her problems. But overall, the characters are well-rounded and authentic in a way that let me really connect and empathize with them.
This is one HOT book, probably the sexiest one I've personally read. I love a spice in my reading, but at times it felt a little excessive, repetitive, and unrealistic at times. Like the whole plot stops for a sex scene, which could really take me out of the story. But the spicy scenes were extremely well-written and engaging, I thoroughly enjoyed them.
My biggest issue with Mistakes Were Made is the pacing. Through the first half of the book, I could NOT put it down! I absolutely raced through, reading whenever possible to follow the story. But, the middle of the book really slowed down and it got very difficult to engage with. It almost felt like I was trudging through the pages, struggling to continue reading.
TLDR: Mistakes Were Made is a very SPICY book with well-rounded, relatable characters with clear motivations. There is amazing representation for LGBTQ+ and other communities. But the pacing is inconsistent and can get very slow near the middle.
Cassie Klein is not good with relationships, she's totally lost when it comes to all of that emotion and vulnerability. As a senior at Keckley College, Cassie is preparing for graduate school at CalTech and leaving her best friends in Virginia behind. One lonely night, Cassie picks up a one-night-stand at a bar, Erin: a gorgeous, confident, and alluring older woman who Cassie can't keep her hands off of. After a night of the best sex ever, the couple parts ways for good... until Cassie meets her best friend's mom on family weekend: ERIN! How will the couple navigate this relationship that is very wrong... but feels so right, especially when they keep finding themselves together again and again?
Mistakes Were Made is such a STUNNING, sexy novel with amazing representation, lovable and 3-dimensional characters, and undeniable sexual tension! Most notably, this novel is a wonderful piece of LGBTQ+ representation, with Cassie, Erin, and their relationship being a very realistic picture of sexuality in a person's life and experiences. There's also strong representation of a variety of racial, cultural, and social backgrounds that other novels often lack.
All of the characters throughout this novel are fully fleshed-out, lovable, and REAL! The motivations behind different characters' actions were always clear, justified, and sensible (even when I didn't really agree with the choices made). Despite their questionable decisions, each character had redeeming qualities that kept me rooting for them all the time. Cassie is strong and independent, yet struggles emotionally. Erin is successful and hardworking, but worries too much about what she SHOULD do. The one character I didn't enjoy was Parker, Erin's daughter and Cassie's best friend. She often acts spoiled and immature, pouting when things don't go her way and ghosting instead of talking about her problems. But overall, the characters are well-rounded and authentic in a way that let me really connect and empathize with them.
This is one HOT book, probably the sexiest one I've personally read. I love a spice in my reading, but at times it felt a little excessive, repetitive, and unrealistic at times. Like the whole plot stops for a sex scene, which could really take me out of the story. But the spicy scenes were extremely well-written and engaging, I thoroughly enjoyed them.
My biggest issue with Mistakes Were Made is the pacing. Through the first half of the book, I could NOT put it down! I absolutely raced through, reading whenever possible to follow the story. But, the middle of the book really slowed down and it got very difficult to engage with. It almost felt like I was trudging through the pages, struggling to continue reading.
TLDR: Mistakes Were Made is a very SPICY book with well-rounded, relatable characters with clear motivations. There is amazing representation for LGBTQ+ and other communities. But the pacing is inconsistent and can get very slow near the middle.