The Best Mistake by Emily O’Beirne is a one-night stand to forever romance set in Melbourne Australia. It is about realizing that something you think is a mistake could actually be exactly what you need to make you happy.
What happens when the woman you think is a fleeting one-night stand turns up in your life eight months later?
Ava is on a business trip. She is not one for being spontaneous, so when she can’t resist a gorgeous confident woman at a bar it throws her, but she decides to go with it. One night turns into a weekend of letting her hair down and going with the flow.
Sofia used to be spontaneous, but life has changed. On a rare free night, she can’t resist flirting with the beautiful standoffish woman at the bar. After a weekend of fun, she waves Ava off at the airport and returns to her busy life.
But the universe has a different idea. Ava and Sofia end up working in the same city, in the same university and that attraction that sparked between them grows. But with so many obstacles in their paths and differences between them can they be anything more?
Writing
The writing in this book is good and it’s apparent that the author has knowledge of the world of academia.
The characters are well developed, and the storyline flows beautifully.
Pros And My Favourite Parts
This book is more than a romance, and more than a book set in the world of academia. It is about how two very different people can be experiencing the same thing for different reasons.
Ava is icy, standoffish, and looking for her place in life. She is grieving the death of her brother who was also her best friend. She wants to feel grounded and to feel this she needs order and control. After getting out of a relationship with a woman who she thought was perfect to achieve her goals with, Ava is lost and sick of making the same mistakes. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and manage her life alone. It is less messy and will allow her to have the control she thinks she needs to move on and be happy.
Sofia is happy to go with the flow. Following her dreams to wherever they take her. She dreams of traveling and teaching in far-off places. That is until family commitments bring her home. Now Sofia still follows her dreams but on a smaller scale. She is a bit shaken by the turn her life has taken and not as confident as she once was. She grieves her old life but doesn’t resent where she is now.
The story is solid and interesting. The author gives you a look into life working at a university both from the academic and administrative side. There is drama and conflict but also a sense of community. Sofia is a teacher who now runs a program that has university students volunteering to help out at a study hall for high school children from different countries. I was invested in what was happening and in the lives of the secondary characters.
The romance is complicated, messy, and sometimes sad. But it is also fulfilling, and sweet. As we all know by now, I love an ice queen and Ava definitely falls into that category. She is self-absorbed at times, and I felt myself getting annoyed at her. She is one of those characters who has to work hard to get the reader on her side, but once I saw her, I loved her. Sofia is strong, sweet, and kind. I adored her from the start. Together, once they work out their differences, they are perfect.
Heads Up
Brother’s death. A life-changing injury to a family member who requires care.
The Conclusion
The Best Mistake is a dramatic romance full of ups and downs. It is set in a university and has a great storyline as well as a turbulent romance. Both main characters (Ava and Sofia) are going through a lot and trying to work out what they want from life so although there are many sweet moments it is also hard at times.
I enjoyed this book. I love an ice queen but even I admit that Ava took a while to win me over. It’s full of drama and conflict with great characters who are both on the same journey but for different reasons. There is a great cast of extras that had me invested in the story and a lovely sense of community throughout the book. If you like complicated characters, then this ones for you.
Excerpt from The Best Mistake by Emily O’Beirne
An hour later, Sofia was heading back into the hallway near the kitchen, on the hunt for fresh notebooks. Idil’s daughter, Khadija, was slouched by the shelves, one hand jammed into the pocket of her school blazer, the other glued to her phone.
“Hey, K, you know you’re not supposed to be in here without an adult.” Sofia opened a cupboard and automatically cast out a hand to stop the inevitable cascade of objects.
“But you’re here,” Khadija mumbled. “For the next thirty seconds. And you know if your mum asks me if you were out here instead of doing your homework, I’ll have to tell her.” Sofia pulled out a pile of notebooks. “Idil has way of terrifying the truth out of you.”
“Idil terrifies everyone.” Khadija tucked her phone into her pocket.
“Exactly. So please save us both from her wrath.”
Before Khadija could reply, a tutor stuck her head into the hall. “Hey Sofia, Sayid said to tell you in a spooky voice, ‘They’re heeeeere.’”
Sofia laughed. “Thanks.” It was time to run the bigwig’s tour. “Come on, kid.” She flung an arm around Khadija’s shoulder and walked her back into the hall. “Go do some work.”
Khadija groaned, but Sofia just smiled. Khadija might be a small human tornado in a sea of aspiring nurses and engineers, but she was also Sofia’s favourite. Because there was no denying that while chaos was chaotic, it was also a lot more fun.
“Mum is so strict,” Khadija grumbled. “Last night I got in trouble for talking to some guy in the line for food at my brother’s basketball match. We were talking about the price of fries. I’m seventeen.” She looked up at Sofia. “Miss, were you allowed to have boyfriends?”
“Well, I didn’t want a boyfriend, so it didn’t matter.”
“Ooh.” Khadija grinned. “Revelations.”
“Only to you.” Sofia wouldn’t usually tell a student something like that, but Khadija was more like family, and Sofia knew Idil wouldn’t care one bit. Besides, Sofia was a firm believer that the more kids knew that there were queer people in their lives, the more normal it would become. “Now, go back to your tutor and give them the benefit of your stellar vocabulary.”
“But I’m doing my English essay, and there’s, like, no lit tutors here,” she whined. “Just science geeks.”
She patted Khadija’s shoulder. “I’ll see if I can find you someone later.” They were always short on tutors for lit and humanities subjects. “Ask Sayid to help for now.”
The small university group was waiting by the door in a cluster of business grey and pinstripe. Sayid was among them making polite and probably awkward chitchat. He hated these things. He visibly relaxed as Sofia approached. The tall, honey-haired woman standing next to the head of Humanities and Education set off these tiny flickers of recognition, but they faded before they became thoughts. Then, as Sofia got closer and the woman turned, the flicker became a shockwave of awareness.
Ava.
Ava of the lost weekend.
Ava of the liquid smile and husky voice.
Ava who Sofia said goodbye to in a car at the airport eight months ago.
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 978-3963248559
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
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