The Best Mistake

by Nora Roberts

A classic tale about finding the man of your dreams right under your nose.

Ex-model Zoe Fleming is now a hardworking single mom – and she wouldn't have it any other way, though she would like a tenant to share household expenses. What she gets is confirmed bachelor J. Cooper McKinnon. Coop quickly befriends her son and in no time has the reluctant Zoe charmed, too. But she has zero room in her life for a man. Could this be a recipe for disaster, or the best mistake she's ever made?

This is a first-time regular print hardcover edition of a title previously available as a mass market paperback.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Novella, Contemporary, Audiobook, Harlequin

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Reviews

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really cute category romance novella with a single mom trope and the characteristic Nora charm. I appreciated that the heroine wasn't here for the hero's misogynistic BS, but it was a bit instalove

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute little romance that’s only 103 pages. A fast read.

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short romantic story.

[KWinks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every once in awhile, I need to read a book like this to remind myself why I don't read books like this. I appreciate that she told a story in under 250 pages, but this was...bad. This was so bad. I have a low tolerance for "boys will be boys" and it's not okay that Coop was more than a bit of a jerk. It was not okay that Zoe ALMOST had the superwoman vibe going on: homeowner who holds down 2 jobs to make a life for her son because the whole thing got blown when we find out that she was an ex-model. Of course she was! Because there could not be any women out there working their asses off and being a great mom who are also less than model attractive! And where is all of the money from being a model? Where are her actor parents? And why did no one tell this woman about child support?

What really had me rolling my eyes was the declaration of love before the first date. These people know NOTHING about each other. Nothing. Hoo boy! Someone needs to sit these people down and explain what is lust and what is love.
It did make me grin that both characters are in their very early 30's and are described as "middle-aged" and "old", alternatively. Oh, yeah, these geezers are past their prime-they better settle!

So, why did I finish this? To torture myself, yes, but also to remind myself what mindless reading is like. It's painful.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet.

[Frau G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Ende war irgendwie enttäuschend, weil es so abrupt kam. In der einen Sekunde haben sie sich noch in den Haaren und Cooper kann so gar nicht mit der Situation umgehen, weil sie ihm nach fünf Minuten eine Liebeserklärung macht. Und zwei Seiten später, zack, ist die Geschichte vorbei und alles Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen.
Das mag vielleicht auch an den lediglich knapp 100 Seiten liegen, aber zwei Seiten mehr Tiefe hätten defintiv nicht geschadet.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and quick read.

[viemag · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure if this short book (112 pages) is actually a reprint of the original Nora Roberts book title The Best Mistake or if it is a fake. It has all the makings of a Nora Roberts novel, beautiful woman who works hard but does everything and makes it look easy, a handsome man who works hard, loves being single, and falls instantly in love, and cute supporting characters like a small precocious boy. But at 112 pages, it did not have much character or plot development. It was a lot like the type of fiction I use to read in Good Housekeeping back in the 60s and 70s. Skip it!

[Sharon Huether · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoe Fleming, an ex model with a four year old son. She has two jobs but she needs to rent part of her home to help with the mortgage.

J. Cooper Mc Kennon sees the house and is impressed, It's just right for his king size bed and desk.

Zoe's son Keenan was so friendly and happy towards Coop; he won Coops heart.

Coop fell in love with Keenan before he was in love with Zoe . He was so in love with Zoe he had to find something special for her. Zoe's feeling or Coop was over the top.

Coop and Keenan, worked together to make a special evening, when Coop asked Zoe to marry him.

[Dragana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an impulsive read, I was looking for something else, and noticed that this is a romance with a single mother. I really like to read love stories with kids in them (so much space for cuteness and humor), so I immediately dived right in.
While the male lead Coop was a bit old-fashioned for my taste, the kid and his mother Zoe made up for it. A nice romance that focuses on the main couple and their character development. I wish it was a full novel. <3

[Piper · Rating 4 out of 5]

POV: Multiple.
Descriptive Sex: No. It's sort of CW level of steam. Not too much detail, but you know what's happening.
OW/OM: No.
Content Warnings: N/A.
★★★★½

A very cute novella. I enjoyed that it wasn't insta-love/lust from page one. There was attraction, which is different, and wasn't acted upon without preamble and discussion. Again, quite jarring POV changes. This time it includes the kid's POV, which threw me even though I came in expecting weird POV switches after Temptation. Coop is a bit old-fashioned, but Zoe puts him in his place and he accepts the criticism quickly (unlike the other male characters I've read and DNF recently).

[Liz Scott-Branagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quick, easy read and a typical “insta” love story.
However, I felt it was lacking any real substance. There was no time for adequate character development or a decent plot, and the ending was extremely predictable.
Having been a single mum myself (although with 4 kids), who also worked 2 jobs to pay the mortgage, the story just wasn’t at all believable.
The precocious 4 year old son Keenan was a much more realistic and likable character, as was the neighbor, Mrs Finkleman, who added a touch of lighthearted fun.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet little romance, with a single mom. Her son is four years old, and a cutie. The story has some romance, and a man that keeps offering his help, but not sure why. He has rented the apartment up stairs, but did not think it would come with connections to his heart. 4 stars. Just straight sweet romance. No mystery, bad language, or graphic sex scenes.

[Rosalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay for what it is, a light hearted romance, which was written in 2005, so nearly 20 years old, and not one of Nora Roberts’ romantic suspense books. So with that in mind it was entertaining. Zoe Fleming (our heroine) and Coop McKinnon (our hero) are fun characters, with the usual good looks, personality, and clashes that we expect form Nora Roberts books. However, my favourite characters were Keenan (Zoe’s 4 year old son) and Mrs. Finkleman (Zoe’s neighbour). They added some fun and light relief to the book. Keenan was just sweet enough to really melt your heart without being too cutesy (something that Nora Roberts manages to get right most times), and Mrs Finkleman was the sharp, friendly neighbour who was watching out for Zoe. I did enjoy Coop being a jerk and getting a dusting down from Zoe.
If you aren’t looking for too much it is a nice light read.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable fast and easy romance about Zoe Fleming an ex model who
Is raising her four year old son alone and rents out the apartment above
Her garage to a single sports writer for the local paper. He falls for her
And her son. This is a short novella with only 103 pages.

[anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

mmmm no. i didn’t like mmc here. and i don’t like books with single parents in general.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 Classic Nora, super satisfying♥️

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un clásico de fines de los 80. Siempre es lindo ver como ha evolucionado la novela romántica y le escritura de una autora. Si bien Coop y Zoe son personajes bastante adorables, es un novela corta con insta-love, insta-lust pero es simpática para pasar el rato y seguir agregando a la lista de los libros de Nora.

[Primadonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread in 2021 (first read Jan 1, 2008): Still lovely. Ohkay, there are some cringey scenes, but the story is still sweet.

The characters are believable and real. No rich, dashing, handsome guys lurking about. :D

[James Garman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cooper Kinnon has moved to a new city to write for a paper. He covers the sports beat and enjoys being single and free. He is fairly used to being in control of his life and being able to go and come when he wants to. He has been living in a small apartment but wants more space, and more than anything wants quite.

He goes out to a rental possibly that a workmate at the newspaper provides him and meets Zoe Fleming. She had a brief affair and ended up with a little boy named Kennon approximately 4 years ago. She realizes that men don't often like to tie themselves down with already made families, so she is very careful. The only problem is that the heart gets involved for both parties. In addition, the little boy's heart gets involved also.

Needless to say, they both have to overcome their own fears. I recommend this to anybody who just wants to read a nice little romantic novella.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite the change from the book I finished today, which was published in 1989, this one in 1994 shows how the development of Ms Roberts writing style had changed. Most of the early years were basically sex fueled melodramas. This one at least had some realism to it! A mum, with a 4 year old doing the damnest to make things work for her family. Don't we understand that scenario! Bloke needing a place to rent just happens to ogle her when they first meet, typical.

Ultimately, I can see how Ms. Roberts was showing how the vulnerability of humans and their preconceived ideas on relationships can fail.

Not a pain to read this book, not like others where I practically rolled my eyes, and skipped pages.

[Neisha † The Poet † · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoe + Coop

I like the subtle dominance of Coop. I loved how Zoe wore her heart on her sleeve. Keenan was such a cute kid also.

“He cupped a hand behind her neck, studying her. “It’s such a face,” he murmured. Right now he liked the idea of having it all to himself.”

“‘I made it clear,’ he muttered. “I didn’t make anything clear, because I didn’t know. Didn’t want to know. I was scared. There. You feel better knowing that?” He flared at her. “I was scared, because I need you. Because I need to see your face and head your voice and smell your hair. I just need you to be there. And I need to help you mow the grass and put the grill together. I need you to need me back.”

[It’s-not-the-critic-who-counts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conclusion: quintessential Nora roberts in exactly the right size package
Nora Roberts books are my guilty pleasure, especially when there’s a cute child involved, and this one does not disappoint. I thought it was new, but it’s just the ebook edition that’s 2020. This is evidenced by the vcr, the fax machine and the four year-old riding in the front seat (actually I was surprised it only has a 2005 copyright). Nothing new, just a nice little smile in story form that is the right length to read in one sitting (without ruining my week).

[Mona M · Rating 4 out of 5]

a wonderful romance

This novel is perfect for when you want to escape to a place where people are nice, the situations are funny and believable, and everything turns out the in the best possible fashion. Nora Roberts is great at child characters that are adorable but not saccharine. And the novella format means I can read it at night without staying up too late to finish it. Please note that this is a romance, without any thriller/ suspense elements, as Ms. Roberts excels at those as well.

[Merceda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short novella about Zoe and Coop falling in love along with her son, Keenan. Coop didn't want to get married, or even get tangled into a relationship, but he did. And Zoe wanted to go to college and open her own flower shop and stop working two jobs to make ends meet. But Coop rented her upstairs apartment, and the two managed to fall in love over all of the help that Coop gave her in taking care of Keenan over a month, through nursery school pick-ups, and going to the pool with a lot of nursery school kids.

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Best Mistake was a completely different read. I could imagine the story actually happening. It's about a woman named Zoe and her little boy. They take on a renter, Cooper. They fall in love quickly, as with most romance stories. But their story was so sweet and centered around this woman's love for her child. As a mom myself, maybe this is why I loved it so much. My only complaint about the second story is that it was too short and seemed to end abruptly.

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Mistake: A Novella

The love story of Zoe and Cooper "Coop". Zoe was look for someone to rent the apartment. Coop was looking for a quite place to work and live. When he came look at the apartment he fall in love with her feet. Then he meet her son, Keenan, and his world change? Man who want no strings found he in love with a woman with a lot of strings. Can he chose love? Great story.

[Liba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoe never went to college and regrets it. She got pregnant by a womanizer who ditched her and left to raise Keenan alone. She works two jobs and needs a tenant to supplement her income.
Coop takes the tenancy and gets to know Zoe and her small son. Still, for me it was a bit lukewarm story.And his first attempt at proposal is a laugh .
No epilogue here, either.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe Fleming is a former model and single mother. She is renting out the second floor of her house to help with expenses. She rents to J. Cooper McKinnon who is a sports writer. He's single and not that fond of kids. Things changes when he spends time with her son, Keenan. While Coop fights his feelings, her eventually figures it out.