Mistakes: A Novel

by Amanda Wilhelm

Lauri is a stay at home mom who was overwhelmed enough with a three year old and a new baby on the way. When she finds out her husband was cheating on her, she doesn't tell anyone, not even her best friend Alex. Alex's marriage isn't perfect either but she's never confided in anyone about it and she's not about to start now. Together they go about their everyday lives raising their children. Separately, Lauri attempts to fix her marriage and Alex struggles to decide what to do about hers. Neither realizes their choices are intertwined. Until it's too late.

Genres: Fiction

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 13, 2014

Reviews

[Nikki ღ Navareus · Rating 5 out of 5]

***FIVE HEARTBREAKING STARS***

I generally read to get myself out of this dreary world. It's my "go-to" entertainment, and I love it. I found this story and downloaded the sample of it. After reading the sample, I was hooked and dove right in to read the rest. The storytelling was exceptional, the story itself had quite a few funny moments. Boy, did it bring back both the amusing and difficult memories of mothering little kids again. I was completely invested in both of these women's lives and I truly cared about them. I liked this story a lot, but it left me feeling sad when it was over. Their lives were sad, the ending was sad, but worst of all, they were besties who NEVER told each other their deepest, darkest secrets. How sad is that? I usually avoid realistic stories of this nature, but the fact that this story was able to lure me away from my regular romance genre is saying something. I couldn't put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed this author's story telling. I will definitely be checking out her other works.

[Katharine. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is horrible. By that I mean the secrets that everyone keeps are deadly. Neighbors are friends with children the same age. One is pregnant with a husband who cheated and the other has a husband who emotionally abuses her. Their stories are too close to reality to be pleasant reading, but boy howdy, are they believable. There are surprises until the very end.
I am going to read it for the third time. That is how good this horrible book is.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooooof. As I plowed through this book, I kept thinking that this is what the long tentacles of infidelity can do to people who didn't even engage in the betrayal themselves. They can spread and infect so many others with their vile poison. That's a little dramatic, but once you read the book, you'll understand.

This book definitely needed a better editor; errors abound and can be quite distracting. However. This author NAILED the inner dialogue of new mothers, from both h's perspectives. The descriptions of Laurie's home and her laid-back manner with children were absolutely perfect. If you have kids and you are not a Laurie, you definitely know one and are most likely envious of what could be interpreted as inner zen! Similarly, I understood Alex's ambivalence about motherhood, particularly when her daughter turned out to be very high energy and very intense in terms of sensory-seeking behaviors. How these mamas got and remained connected felt very real to me and I can recall several such relationships I had with parents when my kiddo was a toddler. This author is an astute observer and does a great job of transporting the reader into the minds of new mothers.

I would have preferred if the two h's experiences were shared chapter by chapter, rather than devoting the first half of the book to Laurie, then the latter half to Alex, but that's just my personal taste, and I definitely saw the utility of doing it the way she did in several instances.

Something I was surprised about was what I think some readers would consider a trigger - Alex's husband rapes her on a regular basis. That's MY interpretation and the book never describes it as such, but Alex was frequently not interested in whatever punishing sexual act he made her engage in, but she definitely didn't fight or protest because she felt she deserved it. Those are pretty grim sections to read, so buyer beware.

All in all, this was a quick page-turner for me. I think it reads more like a thriller, maybe than a romance or chick-lit. Maybe a mix of all of them. At any rate, I enjoyed it thoroughly and if your tastes run in similar veins to mine, you might too!

[Lisa Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but shoot the editor!

So many typos and extra or missing words really let this book down. A good story but so badly edited. The ‘editor’ has really done this author an awful disservice. Such a shame.

[Valerie Carper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave up on this novel, after initially downloading a sample I did a "purchase with 1 click" then had a hard time staying engaged. The author just about lost me with a bunch of repetitive word's. I even went back to the reviews thinking I just got confused. After reading the reviews (turns out I did remember correctly the many 4.5/5 stars) I forged on and got hooked. The story is told in 2 perspectives and I typically enjoy, however I wish the author would have alternated chapter's so the reader could compare/contrast the 2 women's perspective while fresh. As with such stories the reader figures out there are important details that become clear later on. I had a hard time connecting the two women as friends, but maybe that's what tthe author intended. They were friends of circumstances. There were times it was hard to like the characters, although at separate times. I'm also a sucker for setting the stage and would have liked more descriptive details so I could imagine the characters, the places, etc. There were also grammer & spelling mistakes. My advice stick with it, although I don't think I will give this book much thought after this review. It's just the type of reader I am 🤷‍♀️

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will stay on my mind for quite awhile. It is completely believable, and the ending was "somewhat" unexpected. To say I enjoyed it feels wrong, but I did find myself caring about the characters - a LOT.

That said, the author is in desperate need of a good editor. This book could absolutely be a #1 bestseller. I fear though, that too many people will start it to be turned off by the grammatical mistakes and spelling errors. In addition, I'd love to see the book flow just a bit better, and it wouldn't take much effort to do so. There's almost too much foreshadowing, and it can be confusing at times.

Even with these errors (as well as my preference for a different "flow"), this is a book I have recommended to my friends. I'm sad it's over and will be excited to read additional books by this author.

[D. Thrush · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing I noticed were all the commas. For some reason, there are commas all over the place which I found distracting. This story is about two women who meet at the playground and form a superficial friendship as their toddlers have playdates. They’re very different and don’t really confide in each other though they’re both struggling with problems. The book starts out with a teaser that lets you know something big is going to happen. Then Lauri relates the (mostly) mundane details of her life until it’s Alex’s turn. I did find it a bit jarring to switch to a different POV, but it was essential to the story. It builds slowly, but towards the end something shocking happens, then a few twists. The story was original and kept me turning pages. You wish these “best friends” had confided in each other because maybe they could’ve helped each other.

[Kelly Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking (Wow) finish

The story follows two very different women who have daughters the same age and a rather disconnected life they both lead.
They become close friends but don’t share any personal details of their life’s and marriage.
It follows first Lauri then Alex over a few years at relevant points in their personal life and friendship.
Although there is a hint at the start that something shocking happens, the end is still far more ‘oh my god’ than you could imagine.
The story kept me interested throughout the book. I had to know what happened next. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

As many have said before, if this book went through an editor, the writer got scammed. In addition to the terrible grammar, spelling and punctuation issues, the final "twist" (the final chapter) was telegraphed since the beginning of the book, plus how the fateful email was found in the first place is never alluded to, let alone explained. The characters were pretty unlikable, and they both seemed to pretty much barely tolerate (if not outright hate) their children. But they'd mention how much they loved them every once in a while, so I guess that makes it okay?

It was an okay read, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

[Vivian Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Wow

I’m still not sure I have the words to review this book. Honestly the narrative is nothing like I’ve ever read before and I read a lot. It’s about trust betray and is heartbreaking.

I’m not going to spoil it and give away the basis of the story.

I will say read it stick with it. The end is mind blowing

1 click now I can promise that you will not be disappointed

[Karen Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

At first I found this book to be a bit strange the way it was written ,but am I glad I kept reading it because once you got into the strange way it was written it was brilliant and the ending was fantastic I'm real y glad I kept on reading it was one of the best books I've read fantastic!!!

[Susan Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Builds & builds and then BAM, it catches you by surprise. Then Silk many pages later when you know the two women so well it slams your again and keeps you shockwd until the very last pagw!

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smashing

Could not put this down. Read it in one day! Really enjoyed the way the two ladies stories collided at the end...

[Judy Nickless · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half stars

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaw dropping ending! It started out a little slow but it it really picked up as the 2nd POV began.

[Laurel McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick read

Read in a few hours! Very well writTen just wish we had more back story in alex. Going to look for more from this author now!

[TinyLittleFoxes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this a 4 for content and the abject awe I felt in how this group of people parented and these savages they call children. Dayum.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read; kept my attention

[Karen Landis DeWitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the characters and the storyline unbelievable. I didn’t like this book at all.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic twist at the end

Got a bit lost in the middle as I’d left it a couple of days but Santa expecting what happened to Alex.
Have a read and see what you think!

[Cindy]

Dnf

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book fucked me up

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book, because the author is a RPI alum and my son goes there. What I didn't expect was how much I was sucked into this book. I couldn't put it down. Lauri and Alex meet at the playground and become friends. These two don't talk much about their personal lives so they can keep up appearances. I kept hoping they would open up to each other and have a girls night and maybe that would have helped and things could have been different. Lauri finds out her husband has cheated on her and she waits months before she confronts him and they don't talk about it for awhile. Alex and her husband have a strained relationship and you don't really find out why until the end and it blows you away. This book is about the choices/mistakes we make. This book makes you realize that the choices/mistakes you make can affect other people. I really enjoyed this book and will read more by this author!

[Wendy Del Toro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book might not be everyone's cup of tea; but if you are a fan of domestic drama, with dark undertones then you probably will probably like it. The story is told from the points of view of the 2 main female characters over the span of a few years. I found the writing style was very accessible, very conversational, which not all authors can pull off. But as much as I appreciated the style, I felt the actual plot was lacking and was pretty dull. There is not much happening; the male characters, Mike in particular, I found was not developed enough. The clues as to his temperament, and why, were too subtle; there was no intrigue. The ending was surprising but that's only because of lack of character development IMO.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING!!! Such a great story. The Author grabbed my attention and
kept it until the end of the story.

I got this book from Kindle Unlimited and wasn't sure what to make of it!
I was immediately drawn to the cover and the title, but it's the store that
captured me.
I thought that this book was going to just be about infidelity. I thought
that I was just going to read about cheating here, cheating there, but I got
so much more than that.
There is hurt, lies, anger, trust issues and the lasting effects of infidelity.

[Ann Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very well written. I did not like the ending. The best friend thought it was her fault that the husband found the email. Although the two women were good friends, Alex did not share everything with Lauri. I would have liked to see a better, happier ending. I usually read books more than once, but I probably will never read this one again. It was too sad for my liking

[Full of Lit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The back and forth confused me a lot but otherwise it was good.....really sad though