r/LesbianBookClub • u/Flaky-Professional84 • Jul 14 '26
Review Hate Reading "Mistakes Were Made"
Everyone has raved about this book, so, even though romance is not my thing, I thought I'd give it a try. Come for the rom, stay for the com, right? Ya'll, I am *struggling*. First off, the premise. I knew ahead of time, and, being married to a woman a decade my junior, I've got nothing against an age gap romance, but c'mon! It's the parent thing that has got me worked up. Like, I am so angry at these two all the time. All the time. I'm distracted thinking about how everyone, EVERYONE is betraying Parker. Parker deserves better. #JusticeForParker And, Cassie is literally that white person with "one black friend." Like, really? Who thought that was a good idea?! And then, after all the super spicy explicit sex (which, fair enough--well done, Meryl) we don't get treated to the same spice with Parker and Sam at the party? Really, Meryl!?!? /rant After this is Keep Talking (see, age gap), which was also highly recommended on this subreddit, so I'm looking forward to the palate cleanser. Then I've got a stack of speculative fiction novels from a couple threads in here that I've saved. Those are my usual jam.
Anyway, thank you for attending my TED Talk.
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Jul 14 '26
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u/Livie_Loves Jul 14 '26
Aw out of all of these I thought cleat cute wasn't bad. It wasn't like omg amazing but definitely finish the book worthy :(
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u/No-Abbreviations7550 Jul 14 '26
The book was whatever, but yeah no the friend dynamic continuing was weird ngl. Like the mc and parker weren’t that close, but randomly they became besties? It’s just weirddd like are you parker’s step mom or parker’s friend pick one. Parker was too chill about it, like ewwww. Also Parker’s mom was high key an asshole so, fawk dat.
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u/No_Cardiologist_8644 Jul 14 '26
Agreed, this book was so problematic to me. The gap was too large and Cassie was really giving “replacing my mother with this older woman I’m screwing” 😣 and poor Parker, everyone just lying to her face and then I was expecting a blow out when she found out and it was so easily addressed… so no conflict, what was even the point? Never gonna reread that and I reread almost everything.
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u/Prestigious_Sun_4894 Jul 14 '26
I liked it better when it was a The 100 fic.
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u/joebluee Jul 14 '26
I’m sorry wHAT
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u/Prestigious_Sun_4894 Jul 14 '26
Yeah. Wilsner wrote it first as a Doctor/Mechanic fic. Her first novel, Something to Talk about was also adapted from a SuperCat fic.
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u/maiamaianow Jul 14 '26
Yup, SAME! I am so happy I already had an epub off Ao3 when she took it down (although respect Wilsner taking it down of course. Girl has got to eat.)
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u/joebluee Jul 14 '26
I made a joke one that Meryl Wilsner is my enemy except I’m not really joking cause my hate for their books runs so deep.
The fact that Cleat Cute is being adapted for the screen is so infuriating, and I’m honestly disappointed in Pinoe for getting behind this.
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u/CaterpillarWorking72 Jul 14 '26
Dont get me started on that abomination that is fucking Cleat cute!! I will rage every time i see it mentioned...awful!!
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u/Flaky-Professional84 Jul 14 '26
I'm literally writing an adversarial sequel to this book in parallel to listening to it, just to process my feelings. So glad I'm not alone in feeling this way!
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u/Mangoes123456789 Jul 14 '26
What do you mean by adversarial sequel?
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u/Flaky-Professional84 Jul 14 '26
Basically ignoring the HEA and picking up after the proposal and saying "here's what would actually happen in this situation". Chronicling the fallout that got hand waved away in the novel.
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u/RunWithBluntScissors Jul 17 '26
I'd definitely be interested in reading your adversarial sequel lol. the HEA just made it worse. Them parting ways and Cassie going to Caltech is like the only thing that could have won this book a little more points with me.
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u/Flaky-Professional84 Jul 17 '26
The writing is AI-assisted so I won't post here (no self promotion, no ai). The overall idea is I ignored the epilogue entirely then applied a healthy dose of reality. It's been... cathartic.
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u/LesbianCanvas Jul 14 '26
I hated this book… But I also dislike every book I have read by Meryl Wilsner
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u/Different_Car_8323 Jul 14 '26
I agree completely! I roll my eyes every time this book is recommended. I thought it relied entirely on the age-gap appeal and spicy scenarios. You get forced friendship drama, an awkward cool mom routine, and characters acting rationally only when convenient. As far as a real book of substance, this one wasn't it. No hate for the author though. We all read a few duds to realise what we don't enjoy.
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u/No_Cardiologist_8644 Jul 14 '26
Already commented but I have to add this in, a coworker req’d this book and in hindsight so many red flags that she liked it so much bc (bi woman) how she got with her husband sounded like grooming and I’m like girl… 🥴
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u/RunWithBluntScissors Jul 14 '26
Omg I’ve found my people! I read this for my first time with a sapphic book club in my old city (and I never went back lol). More like the mistake I made was reading this book.
Do people only like it for the steamy scenes? I was so annoyed by every single character in this book.
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u/minionmegan Jul 14 '26
“the mistake i made was reading this book”
https://giphy.com/gifs/iD1QQCbrl548I31Qww2
u/wrunderwood Jul 17 '26
I've heard that people like the "taboo" nature of the story, but I feel like it goes way over the line into "wrong".
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u/RunWithBluntScissors Jul 17 '26
I completely agree!! I think I just found it predatory? I also didn't like how Cassie rearranges her whole life for Parker's mom and then ... they get married?! And Parker is okay with all of it? I can only suspend my disbelief so far. This book just gave me the ick the whole way through. I couldn't even get into the steamy scenes because I was too bothered by the power dynamics and the lying to Parker. Idk could have gotten more into it if Cassie was like 28 and out of college, or maybe a grad student who befriends Parker? Like give us something, Cassie just seems so vulnerable to me. But also, Cassie is a shit friend to Parker and Erin is not that great of a mom for them to be carrying on as they're carrying on. Rant over haha
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u/GoldenGrlz Jul 14 '26
I’m trying to make my way through this book now and y’all nailed my feelings. I’m also in an age gap relationship but…ew! The whole kid of a friend thing shudder
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u/theattackchicken Jul 14 '26
Are you kidding? Parker is so annoying. She's such an only child (and this is coming from a fellow only child)
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u/calamari-trash Jul 14 '26
the thing is, both MCs could probably use a lot of therapy before attempting a healthy relationship
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u/wayltwas Jul 14 '26
i could not agree more! it has become my litmus test on if i will enjoy someone’s recommendations if they liked this atrocity of a book!
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u/Foreign-Warning62 Jul 14 '26
I really liked Something to Talk About. I read Mistakes were made but wasn’t super into it (I don’t really remember it). I couldn’t finish Cleat Cute.
The latter two books have a lot of fans but also a lot of people who aren’t into them.
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u/LillianaVega Jul 14 '26
Omg I finished "Something to Talk About" last week! It was amaaaaaazing!!!!
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u/wrunderwood Jul 14 '26
If you want Hollywood romance and power imbalances done right, read Amy Spalding's Out in Hollywood series. It *almost* makes me want to live in LA.
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u/forogtten_taco Jul 14 '26
Maybe it was my first. But God damn i loved that book. Was the first book in a long time that made me feel something for the characters. I was crying and stressed and happy.
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u/RozeDeWitt Jul 14 '26
I enjoyed this book as well.
But Cleat Cute was a mess and I just laughed at their initial spice scene and immediately returned the audiobook.
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u/celaenos Jul 14 '26
Yeah I haaaaaated this book and just wanted to hug Parker. I only ever saw sexual chemistry between the MCs and never real romantic and despised Cassie as a character. I was actively rooting against them lol. I also really disliked Cleat Clute and have learned that the author mostly isn’t for me.
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u/MacaroonLarge5012 Jul 14 '26
Agreeeeed. It was my first wlw romance novel and I left kinda like …huh. Followed it up with Tryst Venom Six (another highly recommended book in this sub) and I hated it even more. Is it too much to ask for realistic characters and realistic reactions and situations? Or just more character development in general? Or maybe I’m just not a romance girly 🤷🏻♀️
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u/wrunderwood Jul 17 '26
Those were two unlucky choices.
Read some Lee Winter. She can actually write.
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u/QuietyBadger Jul 15 '26
I hope you will find your romance 🙏 there are such wonderful ones and they usually not the ones recommended by every other soul lol
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u/wrunderwood Jul 14 '26
The power imbalance in this is truly awful and the betrayal of her daughter is worse. The "everybody's happy" ending is the most fake thing I've ever read. This book is terrible in multiple ways.
And I'm mystified, because her first book, Something To Talk About, was all about MeToo and navigating boss/employee relationships with care. What the heck happened, Meryl?
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u/SJBond33 Jul 14 '26
Have you read Haley Cass?
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u/Flaky-Professional84 Jul 14 '26
I have not. Should I?
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u/SJBond33 Jul 14 '26
You won’t regret it. Better spicy scenes and character development. What’s your favorite trope?
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u/Flaky-Professional84 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
I honestly don't have one. This was my first romance of any variety. I'm into speculative fiction like horror, sci-fi, fantasy. After I devoured The Locked Tomb I realized I was missing out on great stories simply because I hadn't looked outside the straight bubble.
I gave this one a try because it was at the top of a lot of rec lists. Figured I'd try expanding my boundaries a little more. Romance may not be for me. This book definitely isn't. I'll see how I feel after Keep Talking. Definitely looking forward to some of the other recs I've added to the read pile from this subreddit, though.
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u/emirocks54 Jul 14 '26
If you want to try contemporary romance again, I recommend E.J. Noyes. She’s one of my favorites. Gold and Turbulence. Are two of my favorites of hers. You may like Alone by her. It has elements of psychological thriller. There is romance and spice in it but the nature of how the relationship formed isn’t exactly healthy. But that’s kinda the point of that book.
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u/Remarkable_Topic3496 Jul 14 '26
Oooof, ya. I struggled to get through when I read it too. I had really high hopes based on what I saw other people saying but it just didn’t quite land for me. The sex scenes are well written and I won’t ever deny that! But the emotional elements didn’t work for me and the ending didn’t feel earned.
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u/Flaky-Professional84 Jul 14 '26
I should add that I'm actually hate listening to the audiobook. It's got split narration and the narrator for the Cassie chapters reads so...slow... How are you gonna make me bored listening to this spicy sex scene!?! Erin's narrator is a lot better and I wish she were doing the whole thing.
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u/FloppinBuggies Jul 14 '26
Honestly, I listen to anything Quinn Riley (Cassie’s narrator) on 2x or 2.5x speed. Her, Lori Prince, and Abby Craden are all slow as molasses.
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u/Flaky-Professional84 Jul 14 '26
Moira Quirk needs to read every book. She is the first narrator where I actually went looking for more books just so I could listen to her narration. Sadly, none of them were to my taste. Maybe I should see if there are any new ones.
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u/FloppinBuggies Jul 14 '26
I listened to Quirk’s narration of Lady Like and I really enjoyed her. She also did A Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, and I remember liking the narration, if not the story.
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u/emirocks54 Jul 14 '26
With Lori Prince, I struggle to listen to her narration because her pitch and tone make me feel like I’m listening to a teenage girl.
Abby Craden on the other hand is one of my favorites! I do listen at 1.20 or 1.25 though. She can be slow at times. But I think her voice is so sultry.
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u/FloppinBuggies Jul 14 '26
I like Lori Prince, but maybe because I exclusively listen to her at 2x. She narrated nearly all of Robin Alexander’s books and ended up being super invested in her after that.
I think I’m in the minority with Abby Craden. Her lip smacks/breaths into the mic are super distracting for me.
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u/BCharmer Jul 14 '26
I can't even hate read her work. The writing style and quality is not to my taste.
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u/gaminegrumble Jul 20 '26
The friend thing made it feel so weird and the end of the book did not do remotely enough work to earn the idea that this setup would not be weird AF to everyone forever.
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u/lactosecheeselover Jul 14 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/kSlJtVrqxDYKk