Mistakes We Never Made

Starred review from March 4, 2024
Brown, star of the 2019 season of The Bachelorette and author of the bestselling memoir God Bless This Mess, teams up with Larrabee for a perfectly delightful summer romance. Type A Emma Townsend has a habit of stage-directing her best friends’ lives, a by-product of having to step into adult roles after her father deserted her family when she was eight. She’s determined to see her bestie Sybil’s destination wedding in Malibu go off without a hitch—but she’s thrown off guard by the appearance of her high school debate partner, Finn Hughes. After Finn stood her up for prom, Emma swore never to get involved with him again, only to encounter him twice more over the years: once at another wedding, and once over a “magical night” on a rooftop in New York City. Both meetings ended in disaster and solidified Emma’s hate for Finn. When Sybil turns runaway bride, however, it’s down to Emma and Finn to track her down, a task that turns into a raucous, misadventure-filled road trip to Las Vegas. Could the timing finally be right for this star-crossed duo? Readers will fall hard for Emma and Finn, as well as the charming supporting characters, especially flighty Sybil. A subplot about Emma reckoning with her father adds emotional heft. Swoony, sunny, and thoroughly satisfying, this is the ideal beach read.

March 1, 2024

DEBUT Ever the dutiful maid of honor, Emma Townsend plans a pre-wedding kick-off in Malibu for bride-to-be-Sybil and the rest of their "core four" friend group. Emma knows that their high school friend Finn Hughes will be in attendance, but seeing him again after nearly a decade brings back all the emotions she has bottled up since he stood her up on prom night. When Emma discovers that Sybil has gone AWOL a few days before the scheduled nuptials, she is determined to bring her friend back to prevent her from making a mistake she'll regret. Since Finn's heart-to-heart with Sybil could have been the catalyst for her skipping town, Emma brings him along on her search. What's meant to be a short road trip to track down a runaway bride turns into a multi-day pursuit across state lines, where Emma learns about the man who Finn has become in their years apart and that things were not always what they seemed during high school--or now. VERDICT Brown (God Bless This Mess), of TV's Bachelorette fame, has crafted (with Emily Larrabee) a romance full of tension and heat. It is a gratifying genre debut.--Kara Kohn

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2024
Almost-lovers who never quite made the leap search for a runaway bride. Emma Mae Townsend has given up on Finn Hughes several times: junior prom, that time at the pool, that time in New York, and Katie Dalton's wedding. Ever since they competed together on the debate team in high school, their chemistry has been obvious, but every attempt at romance ended badly. Now in her late 20s, Emma is dismayed to find herself running into Finn during a girls' night out in Malibu a few days before her best friend Sybil's wedding. When Sybil goes missing the next morning, however, her lack of communication and history of failed engagements leads Emma to go on the hunt for her. With neither of the other two members of the "Core Four" girlfriends able to accompany her, however, she finds herself stuck with Finn as a sidekick, and the two set off on a wild-goose chase of a road trip. As they travel across state lines, they'll discover more about each other, their pasts, and the possible potential of their future. Brown's debut shows a steady hand in crafting characters, with Emma in particular standing out as a woman who's been hurt and has, in response, turned caring into armor. The supporting cast is lightly drawn but engaging, with the Core Four feeling like a real friend group, and Emma and Finn's quick banter is charming. Emma's relationship with her sister could have been fleshed out more, however, and there's a frustrating lack of closure on the issue of the runaway bride. Brown is clearly preparing for a follow-up centered on Sybil, but the pivot makes the end of this book feel unfinished. There's plenty of heart in this debut rom-com, despite some flaws.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.