This is a slow paced read, told through the POV of Poppy Page and her mother in law Betty. Poppy has been married to Stuart, a dentist for 20 years, but the romance seems to have gone from the marriage, she had always wanted to be an actress but things had got in the way and she never really made it, so she had started an agency that hired extras. A fairly successful business. When at an evening function where she is networking as well as socialising, she bumps into Matthew Gordon, her first love, and at one time someone who looked set for stardom. But he had broken her heart and married Sandra. After this meeting Poppy just seems to make one mistake after another.

Poppy has two daughters Melissa 17 and Daisy. Betty is a big help with the girls, living with Poppy and Stuart. She tells her story in a series of letters she writes to Poppy, who she loves as if she was her own daughter, the letters tell of her marriage to the now deceased Jock, of the mistakes she had made early on in her marriage.

The other scenes are set in the Central Criminal Court where a murder trial is taking place. But who is dead? How?

There are a number of twists and turns within the story that take the reader by surprise. The characters are well drawn out. Some are likeable some not so. Both the women tell of their mistakes made and how their lives had spiralled out of control. I felt more empathy for Betty than for Poppy, as for her things were different in the time she had got married in the late 60’s early 70’s the opportunities for a woman were different then than in later years. Her upbringing had been very strict and she had been fairly naive when she had married Jock.

For me some of the storyline went a little too far fetched, the ending was ok, but I felt it just could have been stronger, there was just something missing.

But if you like a slow paced read, with some suspense then this may be a perfect read for you.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Penguin for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Wow what a gripping book, one of my favourite books I have read this year. Lots of twists and turns, great read.

Poppy Page runs an agency for film extras, and things are going well until she meets old flame Matthew at a Christmas party. From that moment, her life is thrown into turmoil, culminating in somebody falling under a tube train. But who dies and who is held responsible?

As with previous Jane Corry novels, the story splits into different characters’ paths, in this case Poppy’s dealings with Matthew; her Mother in Law Betty’s life story, told as a letter to Poppy; and a court case where somebody is accused of murder. It’s not until quite late on the the identity of the victim and the accused is revealed, and what a revelation it is. While the victim was probably obvious, the accused was a surprise.

An enjoyable book, with a plot which came together nicely, all loose ends tied up and with a satisfactory ending. Worth reading, and an author to follow,

Bagging a coveted place on my all-time favourites shelf, I Made A Mistake by Jane Corry is an absolutely essential read for anybody who loves a twisty domestic thriller that's jam-packed with red herrings...

The novel has an anachronic structure that switches between the first-person narratives of Poppy and her mother-in-law, Betty. Poppy’s perspective is set in the present day, and Betty’s epistolary-style story is set in the past. The novel starts with the climatic event where a man is killed after falling from the platform of Waterloo Station, before flashing back six weeks to a party where Poppy bumps into her ex, Matthew. The novel then flashes forward to a court case connected to the man’s death, before the author’s skillful use of analepsis takes the reader back to the 1960, and to Betty’s story. Analepsis and prolepsis is then repeated through a series of shocking twists and turns until the two timelines merge, to reveal Jane Corry’s best plotline yet.

The dual narrative and dual timeline propels the story forward and makes for one utterly addictive page-turner. Just as one timeline reaches a cliff-hanger, the narrative switches to a different time and place which is equally as nail-biting as the previous one. Whilst the book’s blurb suggests Poppy is the protagonist, Betty’s story is equally, if not more-so compelling. Gender expectations within historical context, by nature draw a whole range of emotions from the modern-day reader. Betty’s story explores themes that are still relevant in society today, but viewing through a modern lens it is not just Jock’s treatment that is shocking, it is also society’s expectations of women, including Betty’s own expectation of herself, that will have readers screaming in frustration at the injustice she faces.

Once again, not only does Jane Corry provide a masterclass in narrative structure but also in character creation. There are some particularly nasty characters in this story, and some extremely likeable ones too, which links to another main theme that delves into how things aren’t always what they appear to be on the surface. Matthew makes Poppy feel wanted, sexy, and alive. Stuart makes her feel unwanted, frumpy, and their life together is mundane. But which man truly loves her? Which one would go to any lengths to protect her?

Jane Corry has been on my favourite author list for some time now but I Made A Mistake is her absolute finest yet. This rollercoaster of a read is littered with twist after twist and the final twist is as equally satisfying as it is shocking, a twist that I wasn’t expecting at all! Absolutely brilliant, what an utterly excellent read…

I would recommend this book for fans of Lisa Jewell, C L Taylor, or Emily Koch.

Poppy is a wife, mother of 2, daughter in law and business woman. She runs a successful extras agency after failing to make it as an actress.
Her mother in law, Betty loves Poppy like the daughter she never had.
When Poppy meets ex boyfriend Matthew Gordon she makes one mistake that unravels the whole family.
I loved the relationship between Poppy and Betty and Betty's backstory. So well written, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, this book is definitely one I would recommend. Its easy to read with likeable characters, especially Betty. I loved how it all came together at the end. Jane Corry is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

Poppy Page, is a wife, mother and succesful business woman, everything was going perfectly until she met her old lover, Matthew Gordon at a launch party for actors.
He brings up the past and Poppy does the unthinkable and sleeps with him.
What unravels is a nightmare from her mother-in-law past and her own dilemma.

One of those books that makes you think," just one more chapter then I'll go to bed"
There are quite a few characters who are easy to relate to but it is only towards the end that one of them becomes more important to the plot ( don't want to give it away)
All loose ends are tied up nicely by the end unlike some other books which leave you wondering, what about....?
Highly recommend

An interesting read, the only negative being the portrayal of the weak female characters and nasty male characters. Having said that, the plot kept me reading until the end, when a lot of questions regarding issues raised by the characters were answered.

I Made a Mistake by Jane Corry
I haven’t read any other novels by Jane Corry and based on this one I do not think I will bother. The opening of the book was promising enough it describes a busy London Underground station and someone tragically dying under the wheels of a train. It is made clear that this event will have a huge impact upon the characters in the novel.
Travelling back in time we meet Poppy Page, a character who is as annoying as her name suggests. We encounter her at a party for theatrical agents and she appears to have everything she could want from life. A fantastic job, great children a husband she loves and childcare sorted by a wonderful mother in law who also prepares food and does housework. She however is not satisfied and when she sees an old flame at the party her life is turned upside down.
This is also accompanied by the story of her mother in law, now aged 70 and, being of a similar age, I was fascinated with her depiction of a world which never existed when I was young. According to her women were oppressed, only able to live through their husbands and desperate not to be left on the shelf. I have no recollection of my youth ever being like this! No one I knew would have ever tolerated the way in which she was treated. We were all forging our own paths, going to university, enjoying the freedom to go to work if we wanted to and generally having fun.
I found the style of writing flat and the story line unbelievable. I would like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I Made a Mistake is a great page-turning read that is more a family drama than a thriller. Poppy's stable family life and business are threatened when she meets up with an old boyfriend and has a one-night stand. Thus begins some of the traditional spurned lover traits of blackmail, intrusive phone calls and family members stalked.
What makes the story more interesting is the parallel story intertwined of Betty, Poppy's mother-in-law. Her life story of marriage to an abusive husband and her relationship with another surrogate family was the one I engaged with more and made the subsequent plot both believable and the reader have empathy with her as a result.

I can see this being a good adaptation for TV drama.

It took me a while to warm up to this book, but once I did I was *in*.

it did, however, have one major turn off for me in books – an infidelity trope. I have a feeling the Matthew and Poppy storyline could have been equally impactful without cheating.

I didn't like a lot of the characters in this book. Jock is, to be blunt, difficult reading. I didn't much like Melissa, but she was portrayed as your typical teenager and written perfectly. Betty, however, was a wonderful character and I enjoyed her chapters – as much as is possible, given the bleak content.

Yet again, Jane Corry hasn't disappointed me.

In Poppy Page's mind, there are two types of women in this world: those who are faithful to their husbands, and those who are not. Until now, Poppy has never questioned which she was.
But when handsome, charming Matthew Gordon walks back into her life after almost two decades, that changes. Poppy makes a single mistake - and that mistake will be far more dangerous than she could imagine.
Someone is going to pay for it with their life . .
I always get excited when Jane Corry releases a new book and could not wait to read this. Jane Corry is one of my go to authors, I automatically buy her books as I've never been disappointed by her writing.
The story is told in three separate parts, Poppy telling her side before the incident, the drama in the court and mother-in-law Betty's letters to Poppy. In these letters, Betty tells Poppy of her life when she was younger and we learn about mistakes that Betty has made. There are twists and turns throughout the entire book.
The book was quite slow to begin with and I had no idea how the story would unfold, but stick with it as the middle/ending is worth the wait!
This topics in this book make you question any decisions that you have taken and whether the consequences were worth it. Throughout the book, I found myself asking myself, "What would I have done". I stayed up into the early hours on the morning reading this book as I was so eager to know what happened to all of the characters.
This is a great domestic suspense book and, as with all Jane Corry's books, it comes highly recommended.

Wow. This book did not go in the direction I thought it was going. I initially assumed it was about the dynamics within a marriage but it soon got much darker....

I was totally gripped by this book

I Made a Mistake is another great read by Jane Corry and the third of her novels that I have very much enjoyed.

The two main characters are Poppy and her mother-in-law Betty. Poppy’s marriage to Stuart is rather stale when her first serious love, Matthew, appears at a work gathering. Poppy does her best to do the right thing but gets drawn in when she hears of Matthew’s challenging personal circumstances living with a wife seriously disabled and needing carers. One thing leads to another and another....

The story switches between Poppy’s ‘mistake’ (well quite a few really) and hearing the back story of Betty via a letter written by Betty to Poppy. As the books progresses we learn that Betty’s marriage to Jock was far from perfect either.

There were plenty of secrets to unfold and drama to keep you turning the pages. I look forward to more books by Jane Corry..

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The basic plot is as per the title, the main character makes a mistake and how this unfolds, causing her life to unravel and the knock effects on her family. It is a good mix of present day and the back story of the mother in law’s life. Reading the book you get frustrated with the lack of communication between the main characters but this lack of communication is central to the plot and makes the mistake a lot worse. For me the mother-in-law’s back story made the book a really interesting and enjoyable read.

Jane Corry is a new author to me but I shall certainly be looking out for other releases as this is a very enjoyable psychological thriller. Although the basic premise is not uncommon in contemporary fiction--a chance encounter turns the central character's life into meltdown--it is very well written and benefits from the victim's mother-in-law recounting her life story in parallel. A fascinating story.

As always Jane curry didn’t disappoint.
The story is told from Poppy and her mother in law Betty’s point of view.
I loved how the 2 stories came together. 2 very different lives but both influenced by guilt.
I loved how the ending came together with a couple of little twists I didn’t see coming.
Thank you for letting me read this book.

Well, what can I say, was brilliant, loved the story loved how it was told by poppy and Betty, Betty is a wonderful mum in law, lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing and it all came to a very satisfactory conclusion, couldn't put it down

If you are enjoy a story to lose yourself in then this could be just what you are looking for? For in I Made a Mistake you get two stories for the price of one!

In the present time Poppy Page is standing up in court explaining what has been happening, and what a tale it is. In a story from the past her mother-in-law, Betty, explains in a series of letters how her life with her husband Jock unfolded and what lay behind their close relationship. Honestly both stories are gripping - two women, both of whom have made mistakes and I don't mean putting a red top in the white wash type of mistakes.

This book works so well because it has been meticulously written to keep the reader hooked as various facts are revealed, and that both women 'own' their mistakes, and so the hurt they cause is seen through a sympathetic prism.

This was a fabulous read, I was hooked and by the end I had to neglect all urgent matters to make sure these beloved characters made it through.

A beautiful story full of warmth, secrets, lies and abounding with unexpected twists. The book is written from the viewpoints of two women and the separate parts are cleverly intertwined. I loved Poppy and Betty and felt for them both throughout the book. This is such a true to life story and the characters are extremely well defined with emotions running high. The start is a married woman having a totally unexpected meeting with her old flame and the feelings that occur . He turns out to not be what she remembered though.
Great story, well written and very realistic