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Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake
by Mazey Eddings
I thought so much about this review in the wee hours of the morning when my brain wouldn’t power down, and I’m still not entirely sure how to go about it. Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake is a fun, easy romance. I think, as a whole, I enjoyed the book. Mazey Eddings is a talented writer who brought a lot of heart into a story about an unplanned pregnancy. And hoo boy the steam! But a few things stick out as not quite right.
For one, Lizzie’s seemed completely defined by an ADHD diagnosis that she and other characters kept insisting DIDN’T define her. Lizzie is definitely at the “extreme” end of the ADHD spectrum, so her actions and thought process are greatly influenced by her neurodivergent brain. But how much of Lizzie’s character is ADHD and how much is just her personality? Or are they so intertwined that they’re basically one and the same? Even her job as a baker started as a suggestion from a therapist on how to “deal” with her diagnosis. It sort of felt like a bunch of boxes were checked from an ADHD symptom list— impulsive, forgetful, hyperactive— and then molded into a person’s ENTIRE being. Representation is incredibly important and I’ve seen a lot of reviewers saying they could see themselves in Lizzie, but she truly felt like a caricature of a person with ADHD to me.
I also took issue with Rake’s backstory, which vilified his ex.
So I don’t know entirely how I feel about this one. I certainly enjoyed the book while I was reading and breezed through it quickly. Again, I liked the author’s writing style and the dynamic between Lizzie and Rake. There were just some issues I’m finding harder to ignore the longer I ponder them.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.
For one, Lizzie’s seemed completely defined by an ADHD diagnosis that she and other characters kept insisting DIDN’T define her. Lizzie is definitely at the “extreme” end of the ADHD spectrum, so her actions and thought process are greatly influenced by her neurodivergent brain. But how much of Lizzie’s character is ADHD and how much is just her personality? Or are they so intertwined that they’re basically one and the same? Even her job as a baker started as a suggestion from a therapist on how to “deal” with her diagnosis. It sort of felt like a bunch of boxes were checked from an ADHD symptom list— impulsive, forgetful, hyperactive— and then molded into a person’s ENTIRE being. Representation is incredibly important and I’ve seen a lot of reviewers saying they could see themselves in Lizzie, but she truly felt like a caricature of a person with ADHD to me.
I also took issue with Rake’s backstory, which vilified his ex.
Spoiler
Her decision to have an abortion was presented as the driving force for him wanting to be involved with Lizzie’s pregnancy in the first place. Rake presents himself as pro-choice but the damage has already been done by casting a cheating, abortion-having ex as a major factor in his origin story.So I don’t know entirely how I feel about this one. I certainly enjoyed the book while I was reading and breezed through it quickly. Again, I liked the author’s writing style and the dynamic between Lizzie and Rake. There were just some issues I’m finding harder to ignore the longer I ponder them.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.