Reviews

Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner

l_elizabeth1995's review against another edition

medium-paced

2.0

berg_antje99's review against another edition

This was not for me. I did enjoy the writing style but the interactions between the characters gave me anxiety. 

cateslittlelibrary's review against another edition

4.0

i don't really know what i thought this book was going to be- i fully barely skimmed the blurb. i'll tell you what it was- spicy, sapphic, emotionally torn MILF romance. normally, i fucking despise an age gap, but kind of loved this one? still a little weird, but cassie was such a strong lead, and erin was witty and self-aware- both of them were actually, but cassie was a little bit oblivious. this book had a lottt of spice- i wouldn't necessarily say too much, but i would've liked to see some more plot development, mainly where parker (the main rift in their entire relationship progression) was concerned, especially between valentine's day and spring break. it's not like i wanted crisis to ensue, but it seemed kind of lazy for her to process completely outside of cassie and erin's knowledge and never have that emotional confrontation. also with parker's relationship with her dad- the dude is clearly an all-around dick, i'm confused why she likes him so much. i really liked the christmas section! this book was full of sneaking around and HEAVY on denial, and in the end i can't help but say they were cute, but i'm not without mild reservations. definitely a fun read! i think i'm gonna tackle cleat cute next, because the excerpt was in the back of this one and i enjoyed the premise.

nadineex04's review against another edition

lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

raynaforreal's review against another edition

2.0

I really really, and I mean, really, wanted to love this. I loved Something to Talk About and have been waiting eagerly for Mistakes Were Made since it was announced.
And maybe it's just me, but this one just felt like it was lacking sparkle. I don't really have a better word for it then that.
For a book rife with adult content, I felt the characters lacked passion and chemistry - both of which are necessary for a taboo trope/hidden relationship like this.
Was the premise amazing, yes. Having a one night stand with a gorgeous woman who turns out to be your new best friend's mom? Incredible. The fault with this book lies in the execution, which makes me sad because I actually really like Meryl Wilsner as an authour.

This is a book that I think a lot of people will like, it just wasn't for me this time around. I look forward to Wilsner's next and hope I'll like it better than this one.

cassyneu's review against another edition

funny 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

4.5

kayreads24's review against another edition

funny hopeful fast-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

5.0

displacedcactus's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Age gap romances aren't normally my thing, but this was just the right amount of messy drama to be a fun change of pace.

I did have a couple of frustrations with the book. Erin, the MILF, felt a bit sketched-in at times. Throughout the book, she's working on trying to get a free clinic launched, but while this idea is mentioned several times, and we see her working on it, the details are so incredibly vague as to why she wants it and what her goal is for it. 

And as someone who has never experienced campus life, I had some concerns about Cassie's drinking.

Spoiler

We find out pretty early on that Cassie's mother is an alcoholic and drug addict, so it feels weird that only one side character ever addresses Cassie getting sloppy drunk. I know that heavy drinking at parties is a normal college-age thing, but it was so emphasized in the early chapters that I thought this was going to be part of her character arc, when instead her problem drinking mostly resolves itself as her other problems resolve themselves.

On the other hand, one thing I did really like (spoilers for MC's relationship with her own mother):

Spoiler

We learn right off the bat that Cassie is not really in touch with her mom, due to her addictions and generally being a bad mom. No one ever judges Cassie for this choice, and there's no forced reconciliation, nor does the mom show up to serve as a villain.

If age-gap romances (between consenting adults), forbidden romances, temporary long-distance, MILFs, college romance, or messy awkwardness are your jam, this book is a pretty decent read, but I don't think it's good enough to recommend if you're neutral or negative towards the tropes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Cursing

Moderate: Alcoholism

Minor: Biphobia and Drug use

jace12's review against another edition

relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Very spicy

svalletutti's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.75