Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this advance copy of Best Mistake Ever....

I enjoyed this story and became fully immersed in Bea and Jonah's story and did love how it ended, but as it progressed I felt that the flow changed slightly, especially as at the beginning you were getting Dee's POV as well as Bea's, and then you didn't get this again until later in the story, as I thought Dee would be more involved than she was.

I also hoped with it being a Secret / Hidden Identity story, that there would have been more scenarios where Bea might have been nearly caught out, just to slightly add to the excitement, particularly around the time of the Festival.

Also I wanted to know more on what was happening between Dee and Bea's Work Colleague / Best Friend Jem, as it implied that some has happened but nothing further was mentioned. I presume that this is because that maybe they will have their own story in the future?

A very easy read and always enjoy a story that is set in the UK 😊

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

Beatrice and Delilah Donovan are twin sisters who have polar opposite personalities. Dee is struggling to keep her job and convinces Bea to swap places with her to save her position. Bea is hesitant, but determined to help her sister out. In the midst of pretending to be Dee, Bea falls head over heels for Dee's boss, the son of a famous rockstar with a troubled past. When the swapped persona is hard to keep up with, the head and the heart become a messy situation that inevitably lead to Bea making the best mistake she's ever made.

- Contemporary Romance
- Twin switch
- Grumpy MMC / sunshiny FMC
- Workplace romance
- Set in the UK

This book was short, sweet and to the point! The storyline was easy to follow as it was fast paced and drawn out clearly. The perfect book to sit down with for the night in between other novels!

Here's what I enjoyed:
- Multiple POV's
- Easy to visualize setting
- 'Bad boy' MMC (I visualized him as Oli Sykes for some reason) turned soft when falling for Bea
- Quick resolve
- Quirky sister bond

Here's areas I didn't enjoy:
- I felt like the overall writing wasn't my style. A lot of repetitive phrases especially in the beginning, and it didn't seem to flow that well for me.
- The subject of Jonah's drinking/sobriety was handled a bit too wishy-washy for my liking.
- Also on the subject of Jonah, I understand he's a grump but the scene in the flat was very out of the blue (realistic I suppose)
- As much as I love multiple POV's, I felt like Dee's was unnecessary considering she only had one or two at the very beginning and that was it.

Overall I thought the book was pretty cute, but I really would've loved for this book to be longer while also showcasing Dee's side of the story with Bea's coworker and their dad on the work trip. If the book was longer and solely focused on Bea and Jonah, I think I would've enjoyed reading more of Jonah's complex background with his celebrity past while handling the alcoholism with more mindfulness. I also would've enjoyed more scenes where the twins are almost caught in their switch! The tension between Bea and Jonah blossomed pretty quickly but it fell short for me during the flat scene and it turned me off to the MMC. I think it took a bit for the plot to start coming together and then it was over pretty quickly with some rushed plot points but I think it's a great quick read for anyone who enjoys shorter stories!

A solid 2.5 star rating from me!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc! It was a quick and fun read but at times I felt that the whole story was rushed and the attraction between the main characters seemed superficial. If you like the parent trap then this would be for you since the fmc switches places with her twin and ends up falling for her boss.

The story revolves around a woman named Bea who finds herself caught up in a messy situationship that she just doesn’t know how to fix. The story starts with Bea’s twin sister Dee, who embellished her resume to get a dream job working for a famous rock star at his new hotel. Dee is just a hot mess. She has a hard time keeping it together and is about to get fired. When she gets injured and can’t work she asks her identical twin help her keep her job by pretending to be her. It was only going to be for one weekend to keep one event going smooth. Bea will do anything for her sister and and does her best to make a good impression on her grumpy boss, Jonah. What Bea doesn’t expect is that she begins to see her grouchy boss, Jonah, as not so grumpy after all. Bea and Jonah start to fall for one another. Bea needs to tell him the truth.

This was a quick easy read about the journey of self discovery and reminding yourself that everyone deserves good things and to fight for what you want. I enjoyed the tension between the main characters Bea and Jonah as Bea struggled with the shame she felt about telling Jonah her true identity but also just wanting to forget everything and just make out. The author adds so much detail that it really made the scenes come to life l and I could visualize them in my head.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy. It thoroughly enjoyed this book and plan to read more of this author’s work!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

~ Some mistakes are worth making - Beatrice Donovan would do anything for her identical, twin sister. Including stepping into her hotel management job and pretending to be her - she’s desperate. What could go wrong? ~

This was a quick read that took me by surprise, that I ended up really enjoying. Everything for a perfect story was there, the execution just felt a little rocky at times. However, it didn’t take long for me to be swept up into things. I could feel the tension and relationships between each character and I felt invested in their storylines - smiling along and excited to know how everything would turn out!

What I liked:
* A bright and cute cover that drew me in.
* Well written and developed characters.
* Sweet, romantic storyline and setting that was easy to visualize.
* Multiple POV worked really well.


What I wasn’t a fan of:
* Info dumps and excessive internal dialogue.
* Pacing felt a bit off.
* How the MMC treated the FMC when he went to the flat. Especially how he left. Not cool.
* How the FMC didn’t even seem mad and forgave the MMC after he left the flat! 😖

Oof! It pains me to say this, but I was not at all a fan of Best Mistake Ever. It started out so freaking good and I was hooked, and then the pacing started going all over the place. Plus I didn't really buy into the chemistry between Bea and Jonah, and wanted more from their relationship.

🌈 Contemporary Romance
🌈 Set in the UK
🌈 Workplace romance
🌈 Mistaken Identity

🌶️🌶️1/2

Best Mistake Ever by Christy McKellen is a contemporary romance with an intriguing setup.

Beatrice agrees to masquerade as her twin sister, Delilah, to cover for her job at Gladbrook House, the home of retired rock star Jonah.
What follows is a tale of mistaken identity, unexpected connection, and complicated emotions.

The story’s heroine, Beatrice, is easy to identify with—kind, driven and a stark contrast to her more dramatic and self-centered twin, Delilah.
While Dee’s antics made her difficult to like at first, her love for Beatrice eventually won me over. Jonah, on the other hand, is a compelling mix of grumpy and sensitive, with a backstory that reveals his emotional scars, struggles with trust, and a complicated relationship with alcohol.

The romance between Beatrice and Jonah develops quickly, with an immediate spark of attraction that sets the tone. While the chemistry is evident, the mistaken identity creates tension and complications. The “spicy” label felt a bit overstated, as the romance didn’t fully heat up until the end, which also felt a bit rushed. The resolution tied things up a little too quickly for my liking, leaving some emotional threads underexplored.

Overall, Best Mistake Ever is a light, quick and enjoyable read with engaging characters and an interesting premise.

However, the reliance on unnecessary deception and the pacing of the ending detracted from the experience.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I honestly didn't love this one. It was okay but I just wanted more, I didn't really connect with the characters and the romance didn't have much depth. The pacing was all over the place too

This book was so catchy and cute! Just loved the characters and their sweet story! Couldn’t put it down.

Best Mistake Ever was cute! The whole thing of twins switching places may not be the most believable thing, but it was a cute story. I enjoyed the sisters becoming closer in the end.

I unfortunately did struggle with this book mainly with the pacing it was quick at some moments and then slow at others which made it difficult for me to delve into.

Bea and Dee are identical twins but very different characters. Bea has always been disciplined, hard-working and eager to please her father by being succesful. Dee is more an artistic and flighty type who drifts from jon to job looking for her breakthrough as an artist.
When Dee asks Bea to pretend to be her in order not to loose her job as an event planner at a hotel Bea reluctantly aggrees. But what is she to do when there is obvious attraction between her and Dee's boss Jonah, who thinks she is Dee and hates being lied to...
I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt that both main characters were relatable and their attraction was believable. The story was fast-paced, entertaining and the HEA gratifying.
A very sweet and entertaining romance.

“I’d much rather lose face than lose you.”

Beatrice, Bea, is always stepping up and helping get her identical twin sister, Delilah or Dee, out of hot water. Even when that help includes stepping in to impersonate her so Dee’s very handsome and broody boss, Jonah, doesn’t fire Dee for her lackluster performance at her job. Mistaken identity, witty banter, and steamy connections ensue, all leading up to the big break - will Bea admit to her lie or will Jonah find out on his own?

I loved the banter between Bea and Jonah. She is such a level-headed professional and I loved to see her unexpected feelings for Jonah take off. The setting in Bath, England was so gorgeous, Christy did a great job painting the landscape so you could experience it for yourself. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I just hope we get Dee’s story next!

Beatrice (Bea) can’t say no to her twin, Delilah (Dee), and agrees to switch places with her so Dee won’t lose her job. Said job is at a boutique hotel attempting to get off the ground at the hands of broody owner, Jonah.

Jonah is a former rockstar, recovering alcoholic, reeling from a break up that went viral. When Bea arrives, he can’t help but notice a difference from Dee, who was all but fired. Bea comes on the scene with a festival to be held on the grounds, and comes to find herself with feelings for Jonah, which are reciprocated.

This was a quick, easy read. I liked the dual POVs, though it was a little odd to just have one or two from Dee at the beginning and then not again. Twin switches are always a good read because you know there will be fallout when the truth is revealed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Net Galley, author and publisher for the e-ARC.

When Beatrice Donovan agreed to help her twin sister Delilah by switching places she never planned to fall for her new boss.

⭐⭐ It was ok, I liked parts of it

The ingredients for this story were all there, but the execution fell short for me. I felt Bea was a well fleshed out character who had a lot of heart and I could connect with her. However, Jonah felt like a record stuck on repeat. His character lacked depth and growth, and every time we were in his POV he mentioned the same issues: ex-girlfriend, famous dad. His conflict never made a lot of sense to me in relation to the overall conflict of the story.

The overall plot, while enjoyable, lacks the necessary depth and tension I was looking for. The day-to-day operations of the hotel, while necessary for establishing the setting, sometimes overshadowed the central romantic relationship. I felt I was reading more about the job, than the characters. I needed more interactions between Bea and Jonah. The pacing is really uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others drag.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
The moment that really turned me off this book was when Jonah sleeps with Bea and then immediately walks out on her. He couldn't grovel enough to make up for that (but that's ok because he didn't even have to do that, even though he states he had to do something he "couldn't come back from"). I don't know - from that moment on the book really lost interest for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book, what follows is my objective review. Beatrice (Bea) has an identical twin (Delilah or "Dee"); Bea is the opposite of her artistic and free-spirited sister, she's type A and hardworking and sensible. They are the daughters of divorced parents (a hard-nosed and highly successful CEO and a flibbertigibbet mother), which has impacted their relationship with each other in all kinds of ways. Bea is working to get her business off the ground, and both daughters work to try to please their authoritarian father. After an injury, Dee asks Bea to step in and pretend to be her at her new boutique hotel job, which she's in danger of losing. Bea reluctantly agrees, and sets off to deceive Jonah, Dee's boss (and crush). Jonah is a hottie ex-musician trying to make his famous father's manor house a successful B&B and events venue. He has a rocky romantic past, and definitely puts the grump in grumpy. Will Bea be able to successfully deceive Jonah to help Dee save her job, and will she lose her heart in the process?

**SPOILERS BELOW**
There was a lot going on in this book, which made it a little hard to engage and focus. (The sub-plot with Dee and Jem felt like piling on to everything else happening, but it seems like that will probably be another book.) I struggled a bit to warm up to all of the main characters, who all seemed to lack depth, and I never fully liked any of them. But I especially didn't connect with Dee, who initially came across as selfish and immature but improved radically by the end after off-page events with Bea's business partner Jem. (I felt a little bad for Dee in the beginning, nobody seemed to like her much. Including me, I guess. Even Bea, when tempted by Jonah, was a lot more worried about deceiving Jonah than she was about hurting Dee.) And Bea had her own flip in personality: she started out sensible but some of her actions with Jonah later in the book make her seem really immature and manipulative. Bea jumps at the chance to help Dee, ostensibly out of long-held guilt and a sense of duty to take care of her flighty sister. But you had to wonder: if Bea was that willing to chop off her long hair and jump into her sister's life, how happy could she been with how her own was going? It turns out, she's not. Or, at least she's happier doing her sister's job and crushing on her sister's boss.

I did like the multiple POVs because it rounded out the story. The writing was good enough that I was engaged and it kept me reading, mainly just to see how the author was going to resolve everything. And in a book like this where it's hard to see any of it ending well, the author crafted a happy ending for everyone. Readers who enjoy identity-swapping, hot boss, open-door, grumpy-sunshine romance stories with imperfect characters will enjoy this one. But ultimately, it was not the book for me. Publishes January 16, 2025.

Best Mistake Ever was a cute cozy short read. I loved the way the writing prose offered several points of view for the different characters. The twin swap and grumpy sunshine’ were an absolute delight.

The plot was sweet but not overly so and did not get boring. It moved along and made sense how it ended. The write did a great job describing the scenery and characters in a way that made it easy to picture.

My favorite aspect of this book was the inclusive festival. All of the events and activities seemed so wholesome and I found myself jealous of the characters that for to participate. Everyone during the events seems so happy, carefree, and just loving life. It was a wonderful addition to the story.

This story was a delightful escape from reality and I look forward to Dee’s story 💕

Thank you to the net galley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review
This book dives into the story of bea and jonah
Bea is asked to step in for her sister delilah at her work in a hotel after delilah ends up with an injury
The hotel is struggling and on the verge of closure and bea must quickly find a way to stop that from happening while also keeping her identity hidden from her temporary boss Jonah, a grumpy ex-rockstar
I really liked Bea's character she was kind-hearted and driven and really cared about the success of the hotel
And the interaction between her and Jonah were good and i enjoyed seeing them together
Jonah's character has a hard time trusting people after his past and i liked seeing him open up to bea and being vulnerable
I liked the book overall my only problem was the way the identity finally was revealed and Jonah sleeping with bea even after but not forgiving her but i liked that it was cleared up later and Jonah finally let go of his past and moved on
I'm hoping delilah gets her own book with a certain fake boyfriend after the little hint at the end and will be looking forward to other books by the author

A quick, fun book.

Former rockstar, and new hotel owner, Jonah is still reeling from a very public breakup. Bea is a sweetheart that is helping her twin sister, Dee, out by taking her place at the hotel when she gets injured. Soon Bea starts to fall for Jonah, and tries to stay away but is too drawn to him. They host a big musical event and end up doing a duet - Jonah shares with her about his ex and she falls even harder.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Bea y Dee son gemelas. Bea es la responsable, con una vida estable, mientras que su hermana es un caos. Dee quiere demostrarle a su padre que puede ser responsable, así que, cuando tiene un accidente que le impedirá ir a su trabajo y, por consiguiente, la despedirán, le pide a Bea que se haga pasar por ella.

Bea no está muy segura de ayudar a su hermana, pero cuando empieza a trabajar con Jonah, le encanta y disfruta lo que está haciendo, por lo que decide quedarse más tiempo. Sin embargo, cuanto más tiempo pasa con él, más se va enamorando, y sabe que, al revelar la verdad sobre el intercambio, lo perderá. ¿Qué hará Jonah cuando descubra la mentira?


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.