Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake

July 18, 2022
Eddings (A Brush with Love) serves up a charming and surprisingly deep accidental pregnancy romance that begins with a two-night stand between a free-spirited Philadelphia baker and a hot Australian businessman on a work trip. Lizzie Blake’s unmanaged ADHD often makes it difficult to focus on anything, something her unloving parents aren’t shy about pointing out to her. The resulting insecurity has her limiting herself to no-strings-attached sex rather than risking burdening a partner with what she considers to be her shortcomings. When Lizzie meets Rake, a gorgeous, honorable Aussie, their chemistry is immediate. Rake’s still smarting from a nasty, unexpected breakup, so he isn’t looking for forever either. But when their hookup ends up with Lizzie unexpectedly pregnant, she decides to keep the baby, and Rake is eager to be a part of his child’s life—and he quickly falls for the baby’s mother as well. Eddings handles Lizzie’s neurodivergence with sensitivity and care, crafting a heroine who will claim readers’ hearts from page one. The supporting characters are similarly well-drawn, particularly Lizzie’s icy, antagonistic mother, who readers will love to hate. This smart love story is a gem.

August 1, 2022

When Lizzie ends up pregnant after a brief hookup with Rake, neither wants a real commitment, but they agree to have a platonic relationship for the sake of their child. Of course, the relationship doesn't stay platonic for long. The book checks clich� contemporary romance tropes like meeting a perfect stranger at a bar and having a no-strings-attached one-night stand, but the real story is about Lizzie's journey of finding her place in the world and simultaneously dealing with her adult ADHD. Eddings (A Brush with Love) continues to incorporate neurodivergent representation in her latest and does an incredible job of illustrating the difficulties that someone with adult ADHD and RSD (rejection sensitive dysphoria) might face in every facet of their life, from the varying perspectives of other characters. VERDICT This is a must-read steamy romance that is filled with personal growth, supportive, healthy relationships and friendships, and a message that the way in which someone thinks doesn't determine their value, because everyone deserves to be loved as they are.--Michelle Mistalski

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2022
From losing her keys to regularly losing her jobs, Lizzie has always had a bit of a messy life. ADHD will do that to you. But she's always kept one area of her life squared away: hookups. She follows her cardinal rule of never hooking up with someone more than once. Enter Rake, the sweet, shy, and sexy Australian who is anything but the scoundrel his name suggests. Lizzie breaks her rule, since Rake is headed back to Australia soon anyway. What could go wrong with a two-night stand? Cue the nine-month countdown to an unexpected baby. Rake is wary of relationships, but drops everything to move to the States to support Lizzie and be a co-parent. The two are determined to now maintain a platonic relationship, but fate has other things in store. Eddings' second novel, following A Brush with Love (2022), is an unconventional and messy love story brimming with steamy scenes between the instantly attracted duo, and has a raw wit that will leave readers cackling.

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Starred review from August 1, 2022
A delightfully scatterbrained baker prefers one-night stands to relationships--until a sexy Australian marketing executive visits her city and turns her life upside down. Lizzie Blake is relatively happy in spite of a lonely childhood. She has a tightknit group of friends and loves working as a baker, although she has a hard time holding down a steady job due to chronic lateness. Thanks to dating apps, she has all the sex partners she wants. Lizzie likes to love 'em and leave 'em. As usual, she expects to forget all about her latest paramour, a business traveler named Rake Thompson. But after Rake goes home to Australia, Lizzie discovers that her disorganized brain has really messed things up this time. She and Rake used an expired condom, and Lizzie is pregnant. She wants to keep the baby, but when she calls Rake as a courtesy to let him know, he shocks her by deciding to move to Philadelphia to be near Lizzie and their child. The two are determined to be friendly, platonic co-parents, but their attraction to each other causes delicious complications. Lizzie is unusual for a romance novel character. She's even more commitment-phobic than Rake, defying gender stereotypes. And Lizzie has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Her need for sensory input makes regular sex an important part of her self-care. Eddings writes with compassion about Lizzie's difficulties keeping on top of things, and her sex-positive attitude toward Lizzie's love life is a win for feminism. Reading about a neurodiverse heroine like Lizzie is refreshing. This is a funny, tumultuous novel that will inspire readers to think about how different kinds of brains shape our human need for love and sex. A quirky and engaging second novel from an up-and-coming author.

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