In this review I’ll be taking a look at Love and Other Mistakes by Jessica Kate. I received this book as an eARC through NetGalley and its release date is July 30, 2019.
This book focuses on the relationships of Natalie Groves–including family relationships, work relationships, friendships, and past love. It covers quite a few heart aches between all of those and looks at how Natalie will handle and get through each hurdle. Although she is the main protagonist, we also see the story through the eyes of Jeremy “Jem” Walters–the ex-fiance of Natalie. To complicate matters more we also meet his sixteen-year-old niece Lili and her family.
Jem left Natalie months before their wedding was to take place and pursued a degree and his dream job. He arrives back home with a 9-month-old son in tow and runs into Natalie who just lost her job. She’s trying to take care of her parents so she works as a nanny for Jem and all sorts of old drama comes out. As they work together closely and care for his son, sparks fly between the two. Will they come to terms with their past?
One thing I liked about this books was that although Natalie was working an internship and chasing a dream career in ministry–the book didn’t force it, and allows the reader to see that there may be a different plan laid out for you. There isn’t just one path to success, and sometimes priorities change.
I don’t often read Christian Romance, so this was a nice change of pace for me to read. I usually don’t like anything that gets too preachy about religion, and I think the author did a good job of including religious elements without trying to change the reader’s views.
I also liked that the book clearly demonstrated that Christians aren’t perfect and that they lead real lives too. I often feel they are portrayed only in good light and this book highlights mistakes made and dealing with the consequences in the aftermath.
I didn’t really care for all of the teen drama with Lili’s situation (I don’t really want to spoil that here so go read the book for that plot line!). Although I understand her decisions, up to a point, I found her character completely self-absorbed and annoying.
Happy Reading 🙂
Confessions of a Bibliophile 