Mistakes We Never Made

by Danielle Carriere

When a dare turns into a kiss…and then into something more.

While at a New Year’s Eve party, Claire meets Chris, a stranger who offers her a brief escape from an uncomfortable encounter with her cheating ex. What starts as an impulsive dare spirals into a kiss, and then into a one-night stand that Claire instantly regrets. She’s never done anything like this before, and now she’s questioning everything. How can she trust herself when she no longer feels like she knows herself?

Weeks later, all Claire wants is to leave the memory of that impulsive night behind. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to shake the memory of Chris, especially when he keeps appearing in unexpected places. It turns out that maybe—just maybe—that night wasn’t the mistake she thought it was. Maybe what she’s been searching for has been right in front of her all along.

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 18, 2025

Reviews

[Jennavier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read Mistakes We Never Made early and I ate it up. I was so invested in Claire’s story. She’s so different from the MC’s I normally read. She has this core of gentleness and thoughtfulness that made me adore her. I was so invested in her finding happiness, although I occasionally was yelling at my kindle that it was okay for her to be a little more selfish.

There are soooooooooo many feelings in this book. I felt like I was hanging out in the climax almost the whole book. I’ve had a few books claim they’re ‘all the feels’ when the major feeling is irritation. Not this one. I was feeling EVERYTHING. My heart broke a thousand times. Afterwards I had an epic book hangover but sadly I’ve already read everything Carriere has put out.

The atmosphere is gorgeous. If you’ve ever been to Bozeman Montana you’ll understand what I mean. It’s an incredibly special place. You can tell Carriere knows it well because I felt like I was back there again. I understood why Claire loved it so much and never wanted to leave.

The ending was absolutely perfect and made me confident that Claire’s best days are ahead of her. Although I wouldn’t mind a bonus epilogue at some point…

Also, screw Justin. Seriously. He can go step on a lego.

[Teri Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This turned out to be such a sweet book. I wanted to see more of the two main characters. There were two MMCs. One was a jerk most of the time and treated her poorly. The other was a kind and thoughtful person. The FMC seemed to be a pushover and kind of weak. There is a lot of character development for her in this book, where she comes into her own. I was so happy to see it. Parts of this book is super angsty. I was about to die not knowing what was going to happen next. And, there is a sweet surprise towards the end. And, secrets are revealed that doesn’t shed a good light on one if the characters. I absolutely loved the ending and loved this book. I read/listened to it and would definitely recommend reading this book.

[Britney Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted the audiobook of Mistakes We Never Made and really enjoyed it! I was going to give it 3 stars because, for my rating system, that means I really enjoyed it but probably won’t read it again as I’m not really a small town romance gal. But I felt like 3 stars would be unfair. The writing was really wonderful, I gasped out loud multiple times, and I loved the local places mentioned that made me feel like I was truly in Bozeman. This was a refreshing book that didn’t feel too “tropey” and I’m so glad I got to listen to it!

[Jen Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what to think about this one. It was an easy read, with an annoying main character. She has zero life social skills, which is true for some, but it made it a challenge to like her. Midway through the book she goes to therapy and I found myself thinking maybe they’ll realize she has unrealistic world and social views. I kept thinking my 15 year old has more sense than this character. Then the ending? Engaged and married on the same day you decide to date? It felt like a unicorn story and was hard to relate to.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was exasperated with the main character for most of the book and happy she had therapy to help her make wiser choices.