Mistakes Were Made by Meryl Wilsner.
I’m not ashamed to admit that this book first caught my attention sitting on a table in a bookstore of trending books and the whole reason I stopped because I often won’t go to trending tables was the title.
That is as awesome title.
So, I stopped, took a closer look, and saw it had two women on the cover. Then I thought, you’re coming home with me.
While I know this is not Meryl Wilsner’s first book it is the first I read written by her. Something to Talk About was on my list recommended by a friend but I never managed to get around to it. If you’re a reader like me, you know your TBR (to be read) pile can get out of hand.
I am also not the type to read in order of purchase or listing. I just read whatever I want when the mood strikes.
So, when I saw this book sitting there, I thought it would be a perfect light read especially since I knew I would be stuck in a chair for at least three hours the following day.
I must confess, I didn’t expect much going into it. I didn’t immediately recognize the author, nor had I heard much about the book. All I knew was what I read on the back.
And what I read on the back was like fanfiction. A younger woman sleeps with her friend’s mom unknowingly, then finds out, and chaos ensues.
How could this book be anything but a good time?
I dove headfirst into this book and loved every page.
Oh man, did I have a good time. I had such a good time reading it, two days later when I stumbled across a romcom book loving friend I recommended it to her knowing she would have an A plus time with it.
This book was a fanfic come to life. It wasn’t based on any movie or tv show at least not that I’m aware of, but it hit all the fanfic tropes my generation loves.
It had the hook up!
It had that oh crap moment when they realized who the other person was.
The lying. The sneaking around. The inability to stay away from each other. Casual sex. Casual sexuality. The whole book was filled with female friendships. Not even the ones around the same age.
But Erin had a lifelong friend who offered no judgement she was just there for her best friend through good decisions and stupid ones and trying to knock some sense into her because yes, you are in love.
Honestly, the only thing missing was everyone else calling the two main characters idiots in love but not noticing they were in love.
And it had that ‘oh, oh‘ moment.
Yeah, you know the moment I’m talking about. There’s one in every slow burn, idiots to lovers, romantic fanfic moment when the character figures out oh my goodness I do love them. It just finally sinks in and it never, ever fails to be a good moment. Never.
It’s a high light for me as a reader. No doubt.
As for the characters I related to Cassie. Mostly, for the motorcycle. I read the part where Erin gifts her a motorcycle for graduating for college and I said out loud, ‘where can I find a woman like that?’
Damn.
Any who…
The multifaceted woman riding a motorcycle more interested in the person than anything else is something I always love to see because I didn’t see it growing up. Which for mean translated into not knowing that was an option. Like, I can grow and ride a bike and women?
Damn, where do I sign up?
Erin, I will admit to relating to as well. I think no matter what, we’re all taught certain things growing up. Certain expectations we’re supposed to follow. Grow up, get married, have babies, be miserable because that’s just what you do.
And in today’s world that’s becoming less and less okay because people are choosing their own happiness or social expectations.
I think it was really brave of Erin to finally choose herself and release expectations of others, including her ex-husband. I think it was a great message to the world and everyone in it that it’s never too late to choose yourself.
Or at least, that’s how I saw it.
As someone who didn’t really start to understand herself as a whole until her mid 20s, it’s nice to know not everything has to be figured out or etched in stone by the time you’re 30. There’s always time to figure yourself out.
Or as Erin and Cassie put it, “screw should.”
I loved that a huge building block of this novel was telling societal norms or social norms to shove it.
It was about being happy and doing what feels right. What feels good. The world would be a nicer place sometimes if we choose happiness over what others think is best for us.
Life is not one size fits all.
Aside from the main characters we are gifted with a ton of women to see yourself in because basically the other characters are only women.
Erin’s best friend Rachel is a hoot!
All she wants it to sext, have a good time, hang out with her friend, get said friend laid, and get laid herself. She’s vibrant, jumps off the page. And honestly, I’d love to hang with her myself.
Erin’s daughter, Parker, is the chillest person. She manages to come to grips with her best friend sleeping with her mom with a little help from their mutual best friend. Honestly, her non-reaction and already knowing when Cassie and Erin find out she knows made me laugh out loud. Like I was dying with laughter. It was such a perfect moment.
Parker was just like catch up, I’m over it, let’s move on. While Cassie and Erin were just left mouths agape. I love when someone isn’t mad.
The expected anger just happened off screen without you and now they’re calm and collected while everyone else is catching up. It’s a great twist in the story without adding crazy shock value twists that make no sense.
I reread this novel and you can clearly see the lines where Parker knows what’s going on already. It was well done and I loved it.
Then there’s Acacia. A true MVP.
Poor Acacia kept all the secrets like a bank vault and played referee. She juggled all the balls, wore the hats, and kept everyone’s friendship intact. Woman deserves a medal for keeping her cool while one friends sleeps with the other’s mom. Then keeps that friend from killing the other when she founds out via texts she was never supposed to see.
Acacia is true friend who had everyone’s backs and best interest at heart.
Without judgement. She just did it because that’s what you do when you can for people.
All in all, I loved this book.
I’d like to say I haven’t read a bad lesbian romcom yet but that wouldn’t be true. I started an ARC (advanced reader’s copy) for one whose name I can’t remember months ago, and it was really bad. Cringeworthy bad. Not even a good cringeworthy either. Like secondhand embarrassment cringe.
So, I commend Meryl Wilsner for hitting all right tropes without ever going too far.
Truly a wonderful read and I can’t wait to see what she cooks up next and to finally read Something to Talk About!
As always, thank you for reading!
Read on and spread the love!
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