I LOVE a second chance romance and a bit of corporate romance!
Unfortunately this was a bit of insta-lust (I know they have lots of history but there wasn't enough buildup for me) and I struggled with the nosedive into spice (saying that, the massage was written beautifully).
I also struggled with some comments such as Dax saying that Abby is a breath of fresh air compared to other women. Not for me unfortunately, but a great spicy read if you want something for a beach read!

Abby runs into Dax at a coffee shop after not seeing him since they graduated law school 6 years earlier. They had a long standing fling back then, and the chemistry is still sizzling after all this time. They decide to go out for dinner, and end up having a sexy night together. Fast forward 6 months, and their respective law forms are vying for the same deal.

Read if you love:
***Second chance romance
***Dual POV
***Workplace romance
***Smoking hot chemistry
***Smart, feisty FMC

I enjoyed this one! This wasn’t just a straightforward second chance romance; the trauma our FMC dealt with growing up has a lot to do with the decisions she’s made with love. I love that the author went deeper with this novel, and that our delicious MMC was there for support (and hotness).

Thank you to Joffe Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

abby runs into her old law school fling, dax—who, yes, has a hot name and hotter energy—but their reunion is giving “we used to vibe once and now we’re both awkward and mildly emotionally unavailable.” they hook up, think it’s a one-time thing, and then boom she walks into a boardroom and guess who’s there? it’s dax. in all his smug, lawyer-y glory.

forced proximity? ✅
career-threatening stakes? ✅
sexual tension?? …eh. kinda?

⸻

so what went wrong?
insta-lust syndrome. i know it’s a second chance romance so technically there’s history, but baby we didn’t SEE that history. the connection felt more like “remember that time we kissed during finals week?” than “i’ve been in love with you for years.”

where’s the build-up?? it jumped from “hey lol long time” to “take your pants off” with zero tension in between. like okay… sir i just got here.

characters were meh. i didn’t dislike them, but i also didn’t care if they kissed, cried, or committed a crime. they just didn’t STICK.

⸻

some good stuff tho:
• dax is a cinnamon roll in a suit. love that for him.
• the workplace drama COULD’VE been iconic if it had more bite.
• quick read. if you want something light, sexy-ish, and kind of brainless (no shade), this’ll do the trick.

⸻

final verdict:
if you love second-chance romances and you’re in your “i’ll read anything with forced proximity” era, go for it. but if you’re looking for that REAL slow burn tension or characters with actual flavor?? you might wanna skip.

2.75/5 — fine but forgettable. not a WORST mistake, but definitely not my best read either.

Second chance sizzler! 💕 🔥 🌶️

When Abby and Dax bump into each other in a New York coffee shop then fireworks quickly ignite again. It has been too long since they last saw each other, when they were friends with benefits at law school. However, everything has now changed, and Dax is looking for more from a relationship.

Abby lives and works in New York and Dax, L.A. So, after one night, everything returns to normal without each other. Then Abby is sent to L.A. for a deal of a lifetime, and she wants to reconnect as before, but this is not what Dax is looking for. He is looking for something more meaningful, which she cannot manage. The pair clearly are pulled like magnets towards each other, but everything becomes more complicated when they are vying for the same deal 🧲 .

This was a lovely, easy read with some sizzle. It was good to see the problems with the situationship and understand Abby’s back story. The characters worked well together, but I would just have liked a little more spice, a bit more build and spark 🧨 .

All in all, an ideal holiday read 📖 . A nice little romance which leaves you feeling good. This was the second in a series, which did not make any difference to the reader. I will look forward to reading the others at a future date. Recommended 😊.

Thank you to Netgalley, Joffe Books and Lily Parker for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Due to be published on 2 July 2025.

Abby and Dax had a "special relationship" during law school. One,she was never keen to deepen. When they meet years later by chance, they start to explore why this was and see if they can move beyond their own limitations.
"The Best Worst Mistake" started out light enough, before packing an emotional punch I wasn't really expecting about midway through. I particularly love books where the FMC is the emotionally unavailable one and this delivered that beautifully. At times it leant slightly too far towards saccharine, but it is hard to begrudge when all the main characters are so charming.
This is the first book I've read by Lily Parker and it won't be the last!

Look maybe I’m just more sensitive than most but the revelation about Abby’s past legit made me cry, and her reunion with the one person from her past that helped her, it didn’t last long but I was practically sobbing. This book is great, it started out with me thinking this would just be a really good 4-4.5⭐️ read, but after that it definitely bumped up to a 5⭐️. Plus that absolutely hilarious texting fiasco in Chapter 14 had me absolutely rolling. I enjoyed this book so much. I did receive an advance copy of this from NetGalley, and I’m so glad I did, cannot recommend this one enough for someone who wants something fun, but also will pull at your heart multiple times.

This was just okay. I was really hoping for something with a little more oomph and more likable characters like The Devil You Know by Elizabeth O'Roark.

These characters were super insta-love/insta-lust, which makes sense, it is a second chance romance, friends to lovers situation. Due to those tropes, these characters do have a past and past chemistry, I just never got to see any real build up to it, so it felt really sudden and jarring.

The two main characters end up as friends with benefits in law school, then on opposing sides of a deal. So there is drama there, for sure!

There's nothing necessarily wrong with this book, I know a lot of people will really enjoy it, it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Dax & Abby had a friends with benefits situation in law school which ended 6 years ago. Dax always had real feelings for Abby but she kept herself guarded. They have a chance meeting in a coffee shop which leads to one night together again. Dax leaves Abby with a note that the ball is in her court. Flash forward 6 months and she hasn’t contacted him. So imagine the surprise when they both end up on opposing sides trying to secure a business deal. The heart of this book is really about Abby. She’s had a difficult life. She needs the space and security to trust people. I enjoyed seeing Abby transform into someone that can believe in love. Dax is amazing and patient. They are definitely meant to be happy together 🩷

Thank you to Netgalley, Joffe Books/Choc Lit Contemporary Romance, and Lily Parker for this early copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

(This review will be posted to Amazon on publication day & the link to goodreads is below)

Abby had a fling with Dax while in law school. She never thought that she will see him again. She slept with him again years later when she saw him again... She sees him in LA later while working on a deal and he's on the opposite side...

Love Abby and Dax. Dax is a sweetheart... Abby is all fire and sass... Love their chemistry together. A fast paced fun read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Lily does it again with a sequel! This was a fun story with great characters. I enjoyed reading it and found it a good escape from heavier literary reads. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Cute story. Abby and Dax their flirting is top notch. I haven’t read the first book in the series, but now I need to read Olivia’s story.