Second Chances, Regrets, and Real Feelings in The Mistake

 Not every love story starts clean—but that doesn’t mean it can’t end right.

Details You Want...

Author: Elle Kennedy

Genre: Romance, Sports Romance, Contemporary

Trigger Warnings: 

• Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual Content, Addiction
• Moderate: Toxic Friendship, Alcohol, Sexual Assault
• Limited: Sexual Harassment, Drug Use, Panic Attacks/Disorders

Tropes: Second Chance Romance, One Night Stand, Sports, College Romance, Miscommunication, Opposites Attract, Emotional Development, Slow-burn Redemption, He Falls 1st

Recommended Age: 17+* 
(Discretion is advised)

Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (4-5 peppers) 

Page Count: 296 Kindle Edition

Format Consumed: E-book Through the Libby App

A college romance built on regret and second chances, The Mistake follows two people forced to confront a bad first encounter that neither can forget. With humor, emotional growth, and plenty of chemistry, Elle Kennedy delivers a story about learning from the past and taking a risk on something real.

I was looking forward to reading the 2nd installment in The Off-Campus series. However, this quickly became a disappointment as the big mistake was revealed. Now, I really did begin to hate Grace from the moment she was introduced. 

The writing seems to be very similar to book one, which helped keep me sticking with it. I feel like the writing did make it better so that the story wasn't as painful as it would have been. I did not like how the author chose the mistake to be something that should never have happened. Also, I feel like the author used spicy writing and her writing to push this story on readers. I think if the author had chosen to write about a different mistake, then it would have been better. The writing did not decline throughout the story, nor even it decline when the book first started. 

The characters in this book were either really good or really annoying. I found Grace to be so annoying as she always made everything a problem. It seemed as though everything she experienced was an issue. She also seemed to make everything about her being a virgin, which, like seriously, no one cares. I feel like this constant repetition of it took away from the story. John Logan was not too bad in this story, but honestly, he wasn't any better. Now I can say he did get better at the end when he apologized to Grace at the radio station. I again did not like how virginity became a hot topic for him either. 

Again, this book is mostly character-driven than plot. There was not a plot per se, since it was mostly about how the characters were developing throughout the story. I did see that there was somewhat of a balance between plot and character drive. 

What I really enjoyed about this book is the reasoning behind everything. Like, for instance, John Logan was the way he was due to his father's abusive behavior. I also felt that, as the author had these background flaws or histories, it helped make everything feel more real. The story did feel like it was not a cheesy fake romance novel that's insta-love. I enjoyed seeing every character from this book interact with characters from book 1. Banter was amazing in this book between John Logan and Grace. The arguing between them was entertaining enough that it felt genuine. It felt as though these were characters struggling but able to make it through the challenges. 

"Both my parents drilled the importance of forgiveness into me, of expelling the bitterness and anger instead of letting those negative emotions consume me."
65% Kindle Edition

“Seriously, Grace, don’t stress. You know what they say—haters be hating, and bitches be bitching.”
29% Kindle Edition

“You’re the last person I think about before I go to sleep, and the first person I think about when I open my eyes in the morning. You’re it for me, baby.”
93% Kindle Edition

I wished I had enjoyed this book more than I did because it was a bit disappointing. I wished that it was also named differently, like if book 3, The Score, was actually book 2 and book 3 was The Mistake. I feel like this title change would be better, as these would describe the books better. I also wish Grace, as a character, were not so annoying as I found her in this book. I think, as a character, she could have been written to be more aloof than annoying to make the readers enjoy it more. I also feel like the spice was more forceful than in book 1 to make the story more entertaining than it was. I would still recommend this book as much as I would recommend book 1. I feel like it is one of those books you need to read to get the full story to complete the series. 

Rating: 💫💫💫 (3/5 stars