Ok story. I felt the pacing was off. It felt like the author had two plot lines (both sisters) in the book and was told to split them into two books. The beginning of the book had chapters from all 4 characters (Bea, Dee, Jem and Johan) but then Dee and Jem drop off into their own story arc and it felt forced. I think I’d rather have both in the book even if the book was longer. The actual romance between Bea and Johan was underdeveloped. I’m not sure how they fell in love. I read this as an ARC and with some massaging, this could work. As it stands, this is a pass.

I would rate it 3.5*

I was excited to read this one as I love a sister swap (thank you to my childhood parent trap obsession). I found it to be a sweet and light read perfect if you are looking for something that won’t take you long to get through.

Things I Enjoyed

-The build up to the identity reveal
-The ever grumpy Jonah (I fully get why he was grumpy)
-That it was set not far from where I live so I could picture the beautiful scenery


Things I Didn’t

-The flat scene left my feeling a bit icky especially as it didn’t leave the fmc angry.
-Dee’s pov I found it a bit jarring and unnecessary.
-The pacing did feel slightly off



Overall I really enjoyed Bea and Jonah but wish we could have had some more development between them especially with his backstory and alcoholism reveal. Also would of loved to have seen more scenes of them singer together both because it was cute and also wanted him to be more rockstary



Workplace Romance
Grumpy x sunshine
Twin Swap
Set in the UK

Review of Best Mistake Ever by Christy McKellen

Christy McKellen's Best Mistake Ever offers a quick and lighthearted read and with a romcom feel ,While the premise has promise, the story feels a bit shallow, and at moments, it seems rushed.

I found the relationship between Bea and Jonah and their chemistry hard to connect or to relate with.

The plot revolves around Beatrice (Bea), who agrees to step in for her twin sister Delilah (Dee) after Dee injures her ankle, risking her job under her harsh boss, Jonah. Jonah himself adds an intriguing layer to the story—he’s not just a typical employer, but the son of a famous rockstar and a former member of his rock band. Now, he’s transitioned into the world of hospitality, opening a boutique hotel. His complex backstory offers a fresh twist, and I found myself intrigued by his character.

However, I couldn't help but feel the story would have been much richer with Dee’s perspective included as after the beginning scenes, she was nowhere to be found the limited view into Dee’s side of the situation left certain plot points feeling incomplete.

Overall it would a quick read but I found it hard to connect with. I will most probably not re-read.

I found reading this really hard, I would pick up the book and just not have the motivation to read it. There is an awful lot of unnecessary information and internal thoughts from each character. It would drag on and on, even for a whole chapter sometimes.

However, the romance got interesting to read towards the end of the book which made me excited! I really enjoyed the last ~30% of the book.

I was a little bit disappointed that characters would brush off things that were important to them so easily.

Overall, this was an okay read, just needs a lot less internal thoughts!!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc. It had very Freaky Friday/Parent Trap vibes. While I found the characters likable enough it just ok. A fast, easy read but nothing that truly wowed me.

Beatrice swaps out with her twin sister, Dee, when she breaks her leg, at her job in a local hotel, run by a rich, former heartthrob, kind of an asshole boss Jonah, who Dee has hit on several times. This makes their first meeting awkward with so much tension. Dee is in a lot of trouble at her job as well, with her inability to come up with new ideas, which leads to Bea essentially fixing her twin sister's life.
This was fun and sexy, like a cute read just in time for the holidays. I like how Jonah noticed the little differences between Bea and Dee. His backstory was surprisingly touching, and I would absolutely read a book about him being a rockstar.
However, the writing felt a little emotionless with a lot of repetitive language

Best Mistake Ever
by Christy McKellen

This novel is a quick read that, at times, left me feeling somewhat unfulfilled. The story seemed to lack depth, making it feel rushed, and I found it challenging to fully engage with the chemistry between the two main characters. The plot centres around Beatrice, known as Bea, who finds herself in an unexpected situation when she agrees to switch places with her twin sister, Delilah, or Dee. After Dee twists her ankle, she runs the risk of losing her job, as she cannot afford any more setbacks with her overly critical boss, Jonah.

Jonah adds complexity to the storyline; he is not just an ordinary boss—he's the son of a famous rockstar and has his own history in the music industry, having once been part of a rock band before deciding to step away and pursue a new path in hospitality by opening a boutique hotel. His character, with his rocky past and commitment to his new venture, adds an intriguing layer to the narrative.

However, I felt the story would have benefited significantly from incorporating Dee's point of view. Having her perspective could have enriched the plot and provided a more realistic understanding of the events and emotions unfolding between Bea and Jonah. I have a hunch that Dee’s insights may be explored in a future book, this may have been why the author omitted so much of Dee's involvement in this book to set up her next book. As she sends her away with Bea's friend and business partner Jem with her father to Europe, if this had not been the case I think the flatness towards to end of this book may have been avoided. As it stands, while the premise is engaging, it leaves certain elements feeling incomplete, suggesting that the true depth of the story may lie in what is yet to come.

I had high hopes… but I had to DNF halfway through. I was excited cause I thought it might be a decent quick read. It gave me Freaky Friday vibes but the execution was bland.

2.5 stars rounded up. This was a swift and easy read that promised much - conscientious twin covers for flighty twin, when and how will she be found out - but ultimately didn’t fully deliver on its potential. I liked Bea’s character and motivations, but Jonah’s chapters felt repetitive and superficial: there was a lot left unexplored about his background and the developing relationship with Bea didn’t ring true for me. The pacing was also choppy in places: long stretches of internal monologue with the occasional sentence as a reminder that yes, there’s also a scene going on. Also the setup of a future book about Delilah was so blatant that it was actually a distraction. Ultimately in a crowded romcom market, for me this was not a standout.

I read this book in one shot because I could not put it down! Bea pretends to be her sister, Dee, at work when Dee (on the verge of being fired) injures her ankle. Things go terribly awry when Dee’s boss is impressed with more than just “Dee’s” new and improved work ethic. Who doesn’t love a grumpy boss, twin-swap trope? Best Mistake Ever is a super easy read that was a good in-between large books read. I enjoyed it!

I liked that the author put in a couple of real life like characters in the book, that was a really good aspect on the author. However I couldn’t relate to the plot line at all and the timing of events seemed disjointed. Maybe the author did this on purpose. But I felt lost throughout the book mainly due to the writing style. It could also be that I’m not used to this type of writing style.

The plot seemed interesting enough to continue reading. So I might pick this one back up again at a later date.

I think if you like new adult romances, or if you like workplace romances, this one could be for you.

The main trope and conflict in this book is obvious. The “mystery,” if you will, is waiting for everything to build to a head and find out how our main characters work through and resolve the issue to find their happily ever after (not a spoiler; this is a romance novel, after all).

I found the story intriguing enough, but a lot of the writing is repetitive, and the characters are a little too two-dimensional. I don’t know whether McKellen was limited to a word number or what, but I feel that the story would’ve been better had it been longer, with more insight into what makes Bea and Jonah tick. Meeting their respective fathers on-page would’ve gone a long way to addressing some of that.

All in all, not my favorite, but it’s a fun, light, quick read. Sometimes that’s really all one wants in a book! Would recommend ☺️

•𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.•

This was a beautifully done romance novel, it had that element that I was looking for and was engaged with the characters and enjoyed the feel of them in this. Christy McKellen has a strong writing style and was glad I got to read this.

This was a cute, really quick read. I liked Jonah and Bea a ton. The drama was perfect, the steam was well written and it was touchy. The bond between the sisters was heartfelt. I liked the dual POV between Bea and Jonah but Dee's chapters didn't add anything for me. She did see really shallow so her reaction in the end was nice. It wrapped up quickly and with a nice ending.

Best mistake ever is a quirky, sister swap story. A slow start and some confusion around names ( Jonah and Jem) and the importance of these characters. However, It did pick up the pace. I loved the festival, such a cool vibe, seems like something I would love to attend. The hotel itself was well described and gave the cozy, boutique I was imagining. Overall it felt a little rushed and the almost insta- love plot was not as genuine as I think it could have been played out. Overall, likeable FMC. MMC had some growth. I would love to hear Dee’s story with what happened with Jem !

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing this e ARC :)

Sweet and cozy romance that kept the drama low. Twin taking the place of her sister to prevent her losing her job. Of course she falls for the boss, but can’t let it happen while he thinks she’s her sister. Setting up the sequel with secondary characters that will definitely read.

This was a quick fun read. A workplace romance about where the fmc switches places with her twinsister so her sister doesn't lose her job while recovering from an injury. If you like grumpy/sunshine workplace romances this is worth a read. Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwoid books for providing the e-arc for my honest review.

A little parent trap, and a little work place romance comes a story with so much potential but it ultimately fell pretty flat for me.

When Dee injures herself and is unable to go to her job where she's not quite excelling, she gets her identical twin Beatrice to fill in for the week for her. With a former celebrity for a boss, Bea works epically hard to dig her sister out of hot water at work all the while falling for the boss, Jonah, in the process.

The story was missing depth, it felt very rushed, and included a few side characters that clearly were meant to play a big role but kind of didn't and so it felt a little incomplete with a few missing pieces.

While i wanted more to the story, this was a quick and easy holiday read!


Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my review!

When Delilah hurts her ankle on the day of an important work event she asks her twin sister Beatrice to fill in for her and pretend to be her so she won't be fired. Beatrice is willing to do anything to help her little sister keep her job so she cuts her hair to match her twin and fills in for her at the hotel until her sister can recover. What Bea doesn't expect is to work closely with her sister's hot, ex-rock star boss to keep the hotel from closing down. Bea is challenged to save her sister’s job, and the hotel and keep things professional between her and her new temporary boss Jonah. As Bea starts to see the man behind the grumpy facade she realizes that taking the job may have been the best mistake she’s ever made.

This was a fun romance and a quick read. I did find it odd how instantaneous the connection between Bea and Jonah was at their first meeting since he thought it was Dee and they had known each other for weeks. I enjoyed them opening up to each other as they grew closer and the twin switch was interesting. The Grumpy meets Sunshine really worked for the story and I liked how Joanh came out of his shell not only because of Bea but also his own desire to be better. Bea was very conscious throughout her time with Jonah that she didn't want to get too close to him because she knew it was wrong and best to keep her distance and I liked that about her. I didn't like how Jonah acted toward Bea after he found out that she wasn’t her sister, it is fair to be angry but his other actions went too far for me. I was in love with Jonah until that moment even with all his other flaws. It felt out of character for him to go that far. I loved the setting, how they worked together, and the connections they built through the festival.
Thank you Netgalley and Christy McKellen for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

i feel like the premise of this book is silly to begin with but it had so much potential and the way it was written made it so unrealistic i kinda tapped out (yall ik it sounds like im being a hater but i didn’t hate the book i promise🙏🙏)

the fmc beatrice or “bea” swaps places with her sister delilah or “dee” (cue me being confused for the first 50 pages about who is who) and when i say she “swapped” places i mean her irresponsible sister asked her to take over her job for a few weeks and she immediately agreed…bea kept being referred to as nice and selfless but i felt like she was just getting walked all over at this point like every character in this book disrespected her (free my girl bea✊✊) other than that i actually enjoyed her and felt she was relatable she just needed a backbone.

i liked jonah until about 70% through..cause he started being a jerk. when bea finally admitted to lying about who she was, he was angry (rightfully so) BUT THEN…he decided it was a good idea to sleep with her and then walk out and be all angry and not talk to her for a week…what? jonah was very obviously not emotionally available because he only brought up his ex IN EVERY CHAPTER. so they kinda felt forced in that aspect.

overall this book was cute but i felt like the characters were super insta-lovey which just isn’t for me and it felt forced. absolutely love the cover and the write style and i will definitely read if jem and dee have a book because i love me some enemies to lovers. thank you to NetGalley for this arc!!