kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
In The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly, Roz Toovey, a destitute single mother, makes a morally questionable decision to solve her financial woes and soon lives to regret it when her situation quickly goes from bad to worse.
Roz is a physiotherapist (for US readers, physical therapist) who is struggling to make ends meet after she separating from her cheating husband. In addition to his infidelity, he also ran up a staggering amount of debt on their joint credit cards and as a result, she lost both her business and the family home. The final straw comes after most of her household furnishings are repossessed and she is served with an eviction notice. Having recently met wealthy businessman Scott Elias through her sister, she reconsiders his proposition to sleep with him after he offers to pay her for her services. However, things takes a bit of a dark turn when Roz tries to end their arrangement and one of her co-workers goes missing.
Roz is a surprisingly sympathetic character despite her rather unpalatable choice to sleep with a married man for financial gain. Once the full scope of her financial situation is revealed, it is easy to understand why she feels like she has no other option but to accept Scott's offer. Her estranged husband refuses to pay child support and she is truly at wits' end with the looming eviction. Adding to her stress is her nine year old son, George's misbehavior at school but she is surprisingly patient with him as she tries to understand what is motivating his actions.
Although Roz has qualms about what her agreement, she feels as though she she has no choice but to follow through with their arrangement. She grows increasingly uncomfortable with the situation as their lives become more entwined socially but trying to extricate herself from Scott is unexpectedly complicated by his reluctance to end their affair. Her life becomes even difficult in the wake of her co-worker's disappearance and the subsequent police investigation. However, once Roz realizes the full implications of her fateful decision, she makes a surprising choice that could have a disastrous effect on her future.
Despite a bit of a slow beginning and a somewhat predictable storyline, The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly is nonetheless a compelling novel. The plot is quite unique with plenty of tension to hold the readers' interest as the story winds its way to an unanticipated but thoroughly satisfying conclusion. An overall outstanding mystery that fans of the genre do not want to miss.
In The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly, Roz Toovey, a destitute single mother, makes a morally questionable decision to solve her financial woes and soon lives to regret it when her situation quickly goes from bad to worse.
Roz is a physiotherapist (for US readers, physical therapist) who is struggling to make ends meet after she separating from her cheating husband. In addition to his infidelity, he also ran up a staggering amount of debt on their joint credit cards and as a result, she lost both her business and the family home. The final straw comes after most of her household furnishings are repossessed and she is served with an eviction notice. Having recently met wealthy businessman Scott Elias through her sister, she reconsiders his proposition to sleep with him after he offers to pay her for her services. However, things takes a bit of a dark turn when Roz tries to end their arrangement and one of her co-workers goes missing.
Roz is a surprisingly sympathetic character despite her rather unpalatable choice to sleep with a married man for financial gain. Once the full scope of her financial situation is revealed, it is easy to understand why she feels like she has no other option but to accept Scott's offer. Her estranged husband refuses to pay child support and she is truly at wits' end with the looming eviction. Adding to her stress is her nine year old son, George's misbehavior at school but she is surprisingly patient with him as she tries to understand what is motivating his actions.
Although Roz has qualms about what her agreement, she feels as though she she has no choice but to follow through with their arrangement. She grows increasingly uncomfortable with the situation as their lives become more entwined socially but trying to extricate herself from Scott is unexpectedly complicated by his reluctance to end their affair. Her life becomes even difficult in the wake of her co-worker's disappearance and the subsequent police investigation. However, once Roz realizes the full implications of her fateful decision, she makes a surprising choice that could have a disastrous effect on her future.
Despite a bit of a slow beginning and a somewhat predictable storyline, The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly is nonetheless a compelling novel. The plot is quite unique with plenty of tension to hold the readers' interest as the story winds its way to an unanticipated but thoroughly satisfying conclusion. An overall outstanding mystery that fans of the genre do not want to miss.
chrissireads's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love Paula Daly’s writing. I absolutely devour her books and The Mistake I Made was no exception. The only thing that prevented me from giving this book the four or five star treatment was that I was a little let down by the ending. It wasn’t as powerful as I had anticipated. That said, The Mistake I Made was still an engaging, although bleak read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found it hard to put down!
The Mistake I Made centres around Roz, who is a single parent living with her son. Roz’s waste of space husband has left her in a lot of debt and Roz’s life is spiralling out of control. Her son is getting into trrouble at school when he’s trying to help his mum out. Roz is offered an opportunity to get money which she can’t refuse, but knows is not ‘right’. Poor Roz has situation after situation go wrong. It’s like she can’t catch a break!
I’m sure a lot of readers are going to be able to relate to Roz’s situation, even if they don’t quite take the steps that she decides to take to help her out. I think a lot of readers will understand Roz’s dilemma. I think, like many Paula Daly books, this book offers great discussions to have with other readers. It would be a perfect book club choice because it brings up moral dilemmas, and we all know people love to discuss moral dilemmas!
Paula Daly’s writing is so easy to read. She sure puts her characters in tricky situations and it’s exciting to read. I love how her characters are always flawed. She never writes a ‘perfect’ character and I respect that. Who’s perfect anyway?! There were so many times that I wanted to get into the story and tell Roz to stop making such awful decisions, but at the same time, I could totally understand her desperation. I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go, so I kept turning the pages to find out more.
The Mistake I Made centres around Roz, who is a single parent living with her son. Roz’s waste of space husband has left her in a lot of debt and Roz’s life is spiralling out of control. Her son is getting into trrouble at school when he’s trying to help his mum out. Roz is offered an opportunity to get money which she can’t refuse, but knows is not ‘right’. Poor Roz has situation after situation go wrong. It’s like she can’t catch a break!
I’m sure a lot of readers are going to be able to relate to Roz’s situation, even if they don’t quite take the steps that she decides to take to help her out. I think a lot of readers will understand Roz’s dilemma. I think, like many Paula Daly books, this book offers great discussions to have with other readers. It would be a perfect book club choice because it brings up moral dilemmas, and we all know people love to discuss moral dilemmas!
Paula Daly’s writing is so easy to read. She sure puts her characters in tricky situations and it’s exciting to read. I love how her characters are always flawed. She never writes a ‘perfect’ character and I respect that. Who’s perfect anyway?! There were so many times that I wanted to get into the story and tell Roz to stop making such awful decisions, but at the same time, I could totally understand her desperation. I wasn’t sure where the story was going to go, so I kept turning the pages to find out more.
linair's review against another edition
I couldn't believe the praise this book was given when I finished it!
The lies on the cover to promote it!
If it were to me I would not give not one star.
This book was definitely one of the worst ever. It promises thrill and mystery and fails miserably to deliver.
The srory is of a physiotherapist who agrees on spending a night with a guy for a large amount of money to resolve her financial problems. Sounds thrilling right?
Well yes, there was a potential that the writer totally ruined.
She goes on and on into irrelevant boring details about her work. The development of events is slow if there's any and irrational. The characters are shallow, annoying and unrealistic at most.
Here's this less than average lady everyone's dying to get involved with.
A man who's ready to wreck his marriage of maybe 40 years or so- can't remember-
And to pay huge amounts of money just to have a sexual relationship with her!
I found this character to be the silliest.
Specially towards the end when the writer tries to throw some action and thrill but the outcome was outrageously stupid and illogical.
Really, one of the worst books ever,
Major waste of time and money!
The lies on the cover to promote it!
If it were to me I would not give not one star.
This book was definitely one of the worst ever. It promises thrill and mystery and fails miserably to deliver.
The srory is of a physiotherapist who agrees on spending a night with a guy for a large amount of money to resolve her financial problems. Sounds thrilling right?
Well yes, there was a potential that the writer totally ruined.
She goes on and on into irrelevant boring details about her work. The development of events is slow if there's any and irrational. The characters are shallow, annoying and unrealistic at most.
Here's this less than average lady everyone's dying to get involved with.
A man who's ready to wreck his marriage of maybe 40 years or so- can't remember-
And to pay huge amounts of money just to have a sexual relationship with her!
I found this character to be the silliest.
Specially towards the end when the writer tries to throw some action and thrill but the outcome was outrageously stupid and illogical.
Really, one of the worst books ever,
Major waste of time and money!
kelly_79's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.5
steph1rothwell's review against another edition
5.0
I read this third offering from Paula Daly as part of a buddy read.
Like her previous two novels it is set in the stunning Lake District and also like them, it was impossible to put down.
Roz is a physiotherapist who is very financially strapped. She comes to 'an agreement' with a local wealthy businessman in the hope that her situation can improve immediately but it doesn't work out that way. You really had to feel for her, her ex husband was a waste of space, her son was in trouble at school and her boss was a lot closer than she liked. And things were only going to get worse.
I thought Roz was a brilliant character. Very believable, in fact all the characters were. Everybody must know somebody like Celia. The same police officer who featured in previous books also features here but very much in the back seat. All the focus is on Roz and the predicament that she ends up in.
I laughed, cringed and had a tear in my eye at times with this book and cannot recommend highly enough.
Thanks to the publisher for the copy via netgalley.
Like her previous two novels it is set in the stunning Lake District and also like them, it was impossible to put down.
Roz is a physiotherapist who is very financially strapped. She comes to 'an agreement' with a local wealthy businessman in the hope that her situation can improve immediately but it doesn't work out that way. You really had to feel for her, her ex husband was a waste of space, her son was in trouble at school and her boss was a lot closer than she liked. And things were only going to get worse.
I thought Roz was a brilliant character. Very believable, in fact all the characters were. Everybody must know somebody like Celia. The same police officer who featured in previous books also features here but very much in the back seat. All the focus is on Roz and the predicament that she ends up in.
I laughed, cringed and had a tear in my eye at times with this book and cannot recommend highly enough.
Thanks to the publisher for the copy via netgalley.
sarahs_bookish_life's review against another edition
5.0
I've read a few books by this author now which I have enjoyed all of them but personally I think The Mistake I Made is one of the authors best books so far.
To me The Mistake I Made did bring to mind two films that I have previously seen, Indecent Proposal and Fatal Attraction, which I both loved.
Roz is a great female lead character, unfortunately for her she has got herself into a financial mess and can see no way out of it. Being a single parent certainly is not easy especially when the father isn't giving Roz a penny to help provide for their little boy, George.
After bailiffs call at the house and practically empty it of all furniture and a letter from her landlord giving her an eviction notice, Roz finds herself in a desperate situation with no one and no where to turn, so when Scott, her sisters friend's husband comes up with a proposal which will benefit Roz financially she feels she has no choice but to accept.
The Mistake I made is a edge of your seat read that had me hooked from the start. As with the film Indecent Proposal, this book also makes you think about what you would do if you were offered money that could change your life in exchange for sex. In Roz's situation though she is desperate just to be able to provide some stability for her son George and as a parent it does make you think how far you would go just to provide a decent enough lifestyle for your child.
There are certainly a few surprises in store for the reader in this book and even though parts were quite obvious it still made for a really enjoyable read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.
To me The Mistake I Made did bring to mind two films that I have previously seen, Indecent Proposal and Fatal Attraction, which I both loved.
Roz is a great female lead character, unfortunately for her she has got herself into a financial mess and can see no way out of it. Being a single parent certainly is not easy especially when the father isn't giving Roz a penny to help provide for their little boy, George.
After bailiffs call at the house and practically empty it of all furniture and a letter from her landlord giving her an eviction notice, Roz finds herself in a desperate situation with no one and no where to turn, so when Scott, her sisters friend's husband comes up with a proposal which will benefit Roz financially she feels she has no choice but to accept.
The Mistake I made is a edge of your seat read that had me hooked from the start. As with the film Indecent Proposal, this book also makes you think about what you would do if you were offered money that could change your life in exchange for sex. In Roz's situation though she is desperate just to be able to provide some stability for her son George and as a parent it does make you think how far you would go just to provide a decent enough lifestyle for your child.
There are certainly a few surprises in store for the reader in this book and even though parts were quite obvious it still made for a really enjoyable read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.
mfeibel's review against another edition
4.0
Really, really excellent book. Fast paced and suspenseful. I could've done with a more climactic ending but I wasn't totally disappointed. Can't wait to read other books by Paula Daly.
comedywriter's review against another edition
5.0
Daly delivers a LOT of story at a fast pace. Beliveable, well written. Loved it!
snazzybooks's review against another edition
5.0
Reviewed on www.snazzybooks.com.
I didn’t really know what to expect from The Mistake I Made as I’ve never read any of Paula Daly’s novels before and I’d purposefully not read up a lot about it before reading (I’ve been trying to do this with more books recently as I really enjoy reading novels without my own assumptions or expectations). I’d only very quickly scanned the synopsis. I didn’t necessarily expect to enjoy this book as much as I did- which was so much!
The main character Roz certainly made some questionable choices but Daly writes so well that I completely understood her desperation and kind of understood why she did it. Other characters were also really well developed too and the novel certainly provoked strong feelings from me as I read!
You can see where the story is going from a mile off, but I felt like that’s surely the point- readers can guess pretty well which direction Roz’s life is heading from this one mistake. There was still surprise and tension as I didn’t know exactly what was going to come of it, which meant it was really interesting and enjoyable to read, but I could tell things were going to get messy! With some novels like this I just feel frustrated with the characters who make such bad choices, but as I mentioned before, Paula Daly writes very convincingly and I therefore didn’t feel the same annoyance and irritation as I usually do, I just felt really bad for her whilst still warming to her as a character!
The story is really interesting as it prompts you to think how you might react in a similar situation, and how your family and friends would respond to finding out about it, as Roz’s did. The desperation she felt as a mother must ring true for many families sadly and I feel that Paula Daly did a really good job of putting character Roz’s feelings and reasons across without it becoming too preachy either way.
I would definitely recommend this brilliant novel and hope to read more of Paula Daly!
** Many thanks to the publisher who provided a copy of this novel in return for an honest review **
I didn’t really know what to expect from The Mistake I Made as I’ve never read any of Paula Daly’s novels before and I’d purposefully not read up a lot about it before reading (I’ve been trying to do this with more books recently as I really enjoy reading novels without my own assumptions or expectations). I’d only very quickly scanned the synopsis. I didn’t necessarily expect to enjoy this book as much as I did- which was so much!
The main character Roz certainly made some questionable choices but Daly writes so well that I completely understood her desperation and kind of understood why she did it. Other characters were also really well developed too and the novel certainly provoked strong feelings from me as I read!
You can see where the story is going from a mile off, but I felt like that’s surely the point- readers can guess pretty well which direction Roz’s life is heading from this one mistake. There was still surprise and tension as I didn’t know exactly what was going to come of it, which meant it was really interesting and enjoyable to read, but I could tell things were going to get messy! With some novels like this I just feel frustrated with the characters who make such bad choices, but as I mentioned before, Paula Daly writes very convincingly and I therefore didn’t feel the same annoyance and irritation as I usually do, I just felt really bad for her whilst still warming to her as a character!
The story is really interesting as it prompts you to think how you might react in a similar situation, and how your family and friends would respond to finding out about it, as Roz’s did. The desperation she felt as a mother must ring true for many families sadly and I feel that Paula Daly did a really good job of putting character Roz’s feelings and reasons across without it becoming too preachy either way.
I would definitely recommend this brilliant novel and hope to read more of Paula Daly!
** Many thanks to the publisher who provided a copy of this novel in return for an honest review **
starscattered's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0