Book Review: The Mistake by Elle Kennedy

Title: The Mistake
Series: Off-Campus, Book 2
Author: Elle Kennedy
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: bought
Published: April 28, 2015

He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

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Reviewed by: Lesley

Why I Read This Book: I haven’t actually read very many New Adult novels, and the only thing I know about hockey is what I learned from watching The Mighty Ducks. That being said, I really enjoy the Off Campus series. I read book one, loved it, and wanted to see what else was in store for the house of hot undergrad hockey players.

What I Liked: Grace was adorable. She was a nice combination of sweet, practical, funny, and strong-willed. She’s a virgin, but she’s not prude or super sentimental about it. It’s important to her, but she’s not necessarily saving herself for anyone. This form of the virgin heroine worked really well for me and for the story line. She doesn’t buy into John Logan’s charm, especially after the titular mistake, and makes him prove himself. Which, given the amount of lying he does, was a good call on her part. I thought the hoops she makes him jump through were cute and lightened the story.

The alternating POVs in this book made for a really fun read. Kennedy does a phenomenal job telling the story through both Grace and Logan’s perspectives. Their voices are distinct and believable which make the situations and emotions feel real and genuine. This was especially true for characters as drastically different as Logan and Grace. Seeing the sex scenes from both perspectives was really fun.

What I Didn’t Like: Maybe it’s because I really can’t relate to being a 20 year old guy, but John Logan and his decisions drove me crazy at some points in this book. Once he starts to get his act together he worked a lot better for me. Good thing there was humor and sex appeal to make up for it the rest of the time!

I also wanted Grace to have more of a plot line outside of her relationship with Logan. I really enjoyed her character and think she could have shouldered more storyline. That being said, I did like seeing her figure out how to define herself outside of her rather one-sided friendship with Ramona.

Overall Impression: A fun, sexy, and enjoyable New Adult, The Mistake throws together an emotionally confused, extremely sexy Hockey player and a laid-back, hilarious virgin. With a nice balance of heat, humor, and angst, this book made for a very enjoyable read.

Lesley’s Rating: