Review & Giveaway - - Mistakes We Never Made

Mistakes We Never Made

by Hannah Brown

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: May 7, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

Emma Townsend can sum up her situationship with hot-as-hell romantic red flag Finn Hughes in one word: almost. They almost dated in high school. They almost hooked up after college. They almost took things too far one magical night. Their whole story is one series of “almosts” and “nearlys,” and now they just kind of can’t stand each other. Like, at all.

But this weekend, one of their mutuals is getting married . . . and Emma and Finn will have to pretend they don’t remember how disastrous it was the last time they were in a room together.

Emma’s doing a stellar job of playing it cool—until the bride goes missing. Now, with two days before the wedding, Emma and Finn are hitting the road in a sweet vintage sports car in hopes of salvaging someone else’s happily-ever-after.

Yet somewhere between Emma’s breakfast burrito throw down, a high-stakes kayak chase (it can happen), and an outrageous Vegas detour, these sworn enemies are crossing more than just state lines. As old feelings spark once more, Emma begins to question whether risking your heart is ever really a mistake.

PJ's Thoughts:

I was intrigued by Hannah Brown when she first appeared on the national scene in Colton's season of The Bachelor though she wasn't one of my favorites that season. In her season on The Bachelorette, she quickly won me over with her sunny smile, quick wit, self-confidence, and genuine, authentic self. By the end of her season, I was Team Hannah all the way. When she was announced as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, I was ready to tune in every Monday night to cheer her on to her eventual victory (yes, she won the Mirror Ball trophy). So, it should come as no surprise that when Forever announced they would be publishing Brown's debut romance, I was giddy with anticipation. Is there anything this woman cannot do? But, at the same time I was also apprehensive. I mean, what if I didn't like her book? That would totally suck. I am happy to report that this book did, in fact, not suck, that I did like it, and that I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Ms. Brown has plans to take readers back to the fictional world she has created. There's a bit of a cliffhanger with a secondary character (okay, there's a big cliffhanger) and I need to know what happens!

Just like its creator, Mistakes We Never Made is sunny, sparkly, witty, and fun; a fast-paced story with plenty of humor, a solid emotional foundation, and for my fellow Bachelor and Bachelorette fans, a few amusing, well-placed Easter Eggs. I enjoyed getting to know the 'core four' girlfriends in this book. I hope we'll get to see more of them in future books. I love how different they each are, complementing one another's strengths and weaknesses to create a bond of friendship and support that may bend occasionally but never breaks. 

Friends to lovers is a favorite trope. So is enemies to lovers. Both are at play here so I was eager to see how the series of 'almosts' between Finn and Emma would play out. Brown gives them realistic and relatable circumstances at various ages that all contribute to the journey each of them needs to follow in order to reach a time and place where they are both ready to move forward together. They have flaws, they've each made mistakes. Emma has some serious emotional baggage to deal with. Finn owes her a sincere apology for past actions. Their path is humorous, endearing, heart-wrenching in places, and steamy in others, but the roads taken are all necessary to reach their happily ever after. You may want to grab some popcorn before you hit the road with them. It's that kind of a ride. ;-) 

If you're looking for a fun, flirty, fast-paced romcom with relatable characters, emotional underpinnings, and a happy ending, put Mistakes We Never Made on your summer reading list. I enthusiastically recommend it. 

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Have you watched The Bachelor or The Bachelorette?

What's your favorite romance trope?

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One randomly chosen person who posts a comment no later than 11:00 PM, May 15 will receive a print copy of Mistakes We Never Made. 

*U.S. and Canada only

*Must be 18