If you’re on the “BookTok” side of TikTok like myself, you probably see dozens of books recommendations each day and your to-be-read list grows with each new video.
It can be hard to figure out what books are worth spending your time and money on when there are so many recommendations and only so many hours in a day. I am writing this article to try to convince you that “Mistakes Were Made” by Meryl Wilsner is one of those books you need to add to your list.
“Mistakes Were Made” will hit the shelves on Oct. 11, but thanks to NetGalley, a platform where you can request to read upcoming books in advance, I had the opportunity to read this novel in April— and now I’m trying to convince everyone else to read it as well.
This book has everything to become a TikTok favorite: a well-written romance that will keep you rooting for the couple, characters that you will have a love/hate relationship with and some (very) spicy scenes as the cherry on top. Not to mention, it also touches on more sensitive topics that make this book more realistic and relatable to readers.
“Mistakes Were Made” is about college senior Cassie Klein, who escapes to an off-campus bar during parents weekend hoping to find a stranger to spend one night with. At this bar, she meets Erin, a hot, older woman with whom she shares a one-night-stand.
Cassie doesn’t think she will see Erin again— until the next morning, when Cassie’s best friend drags her for breakfast to meet her mom, who happens to be the woman Cassie slept with the night before.
This discovery turns their easy one-time fling into something more complicated, which both of them can’t seem to forget and move on from, and they keep finding their way to each other. It is as messy as it sounds— but it’s a hot mess.
Wilsner’s writing is lighthearted in a way that makes “Mistakes Were Made” an easy and fun read; I caught myself laughing out loud multiple times throughout the book. The characters also make this book; they’re not all good or all bad, which makes them more real and easy to relate.
Though it is a romcom, this novel touches deeper topics like self-acceptance that add more substance to the story. The characters’ journeys are not easy, but I was happy to follow along.
This is Wilsner’s second novel and you can see their growth as a writer since their debut “Something to Talk About” (which is another great read— I especially recommend it for fans of TikTok’s popular “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”). While the pace of Wilsner’s debut wasn’t my favorite, their writing is much more dynamic in “Mistakes Were Made.”
As a huge fan of the forbidden romance trope, I’m biased when it comes to this topic. Either way, Wilsner delivered a sexy, fun book that is also about acceptance and forming connections. It was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and it did not disappoint.
As the book hits the shelves this month, I hope you this article convinces you to add it to your list— if you’re a fan of fun and sexy romcoms, this is a book you won’t regret reading.
You can check the content warnings for “Mistakes Were Made” on Wilsner’s website, as well as the links to pre-order the book.